[Fwd: CARIBBEAN/JAMAICA: Manufacturers Go EAST]

> Manufacturers go EAST
>
> Monday, March 26, 2001
>
> THE Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) model
> that has been defining the "greening" of the Jamaican hotel
> industry for the past three years has been adopted by several
> local manufacturers with the aim of making their operations more
> environmentally friendly and cost efficient.
>
> EAST is being implemented by PA Consulting Group (formerly Hagler
> Bailly Inc.), a United States based consultancy firm.
>
> Following environmental audits of 10 companies by an EAST team
> led by project co-ordinator, Hugh Cresser and project manager,
> Bill Meade, the manufacturers who are all members of the Jamaica
> Manufacturers' Association (JMA), have begun implementing
> recommendations and are already reaping benefits.
>
> EAST is credited with helping several Jamaican hotels to enjoy
> the benefits of improved environmental management both in terms
> of cost efficiency, environmental health and related marketing
> advantages and is seeking to do the same for the manufacturers,
> Cresser said.
>
> "We're working to consolidate and expand the application of
> sound environmental management in the manufacturing sector
> in much the same way that we have done in the hospitality and
> tourism industry and we are aiming to create linkages between
> both industries," he said.
>
> Cresser said that EAST's success in the hotel industry had
> seen Jamaican hotels being the first in the world to be certified
> by the prestigious United Kingdom-based certification body,
> Green Globe International and a host of environmental
> champions in that industry were helping to encourage adoption
> of best environmental practices industry-wide.
>
> EAST he said, will in phase two of its work with the JMA, be
> conducting audits of more manufacturing companies while
> providing technical assistance to the first 10 to achieve Green
> Globe certification.
>
> The programme is also designed to develop closer linkages
> between the manufacturing and hospitality and tourism sectors
> by identifying and encouraging production of goods required by
> hotels and allied businesses.
>
> Cresser noted that Jamaican hotels have for the past three
> years been benifitting from a programme in which their
> "environmental champions" have been exposed to the green
> programmes of Canadian Pacific (CP) properties in Canada.
>
> A similar exchange programme will be instituted for manufacturers
> he said.
>
> EAST is a project designed to conduct environmental audits in
> selected Jamaican hotels and to promote environmental
> consciousness across the hospitality and tourism and
> manufacturing industries in particular and is funded by the
> United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in
> partnership with the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association and the
> Jamaica Manufacturers' Association respectively.
>
> SOURCE: Jamaica Observer
>
> To post a submission please email tourism-newswire@sidsnet.org
Received on Mon Mar 26 19:33:40 2001