THE HEART Trust/NTA Hotel and Training Institute in Runaway Bay has landed an historic achievement by becoming the first educational institution in the world to receive environmental certification from the United Kingdom based Green Globe 21 International.
This means that HEART, the single largest trainer of professionals for the hospitality industry in Jamaica, is now positioned as the leading vocational institution within the Caribbean region on sustainable tourism development and environmental best practises in hospitality education, HEART Trust Executive Director Robert Gregory said on Monday.
The Green Globe 21 is a major environmental certification and it is widely regarded and respected internationally as a virtual recommendation of the environmental worthiness of an institution.
HEART now joins several other Jamaican entities in the hospitality, tourism and manufacturing sectors which have earned the Green Globe 21 certification through an (Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism) EAST project.
EAST is a joint initiative between the USAID, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the Jamaica Manufacturers Association with technical assistance coming from a US based consulting firm, PA Consulting Group.
The certification follows an intensive programme of environmental management initiatives implemented by the school with EAST support. The hotel has initiated several cost saving projects including - a compost heap was erected where yard clippings and green kitchen waste is transformed into organic fertiliser for the gardens; a water softening plant which helps to reduce the amount of chemicals needed for washing and cleaning; reduction in the use of plastics, paper coasters and straws; recycling of paper used in the office and students and teachers are consistently trained on the importance of energy and water conservation.
In collaboration with EAST, a curriculum was also developed with the intention being to create an awareness of issues impacting the environment and to develop environmental best practises among all persons being trained for the industry.
"It was felt that there has to be a clear understanding of the importance of conserving resources especially as they relate to the tourism industry, the country's largest foreign exchange earner," Charmaine Deane, general manager, Runaway Bay HEART hotel and training institute told a press conference yesterday.
Mr. Gregory also said that tourists, especially those from Europe are very keen about environmental and eco-tourism, and this is the way to go if Jamaica wants to have sustainable tourism.
"The certification is now the stamp of approval (for HEART), the icing on the cake that will put our graduates in an even better position to bring quality to the hospitality sector," Mr. Gregory said. "This is a very sophisticated sector with discerning tastes and that is what we are preparing our graduates to bring to the workforce at this time."
