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The Dusit Group is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and has recently undertaken to achieve the stringent Green Globe certification, says Octavio Gamarra

With the impacts of climate change, the tourism industry is particularly vulnerable to the environmental and social issues that face the planet today, as these threaten the very resources on which the industry depends. Concerns for the environment have led to growing expectations, where consumers have altered their behaviour by partnering with hotels that share the same environmental values and reduce their carbon footprint.

When hotels first adopted the green approach, consumers often made assumptions that such hotels were going in for cost saving measures. The fact is that actually, hotels must commit an initial investment to undertake green steps to become certified by a qualified institution.

The annual fee covers consultation, training, and monitoring procedures, to ensure that the hotel is environmentally friendly in accordance with global standards. Additonal investment will be required to enhance technical equipment and facilities to help save energy and develop waste management.

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Dusit International has been making emphatic efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Each Dusit property is dedicated on developing their environmental awareness; to cite an example, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket was awarded the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Monitoring Award last year in recognition of their consistent green conscious practices.

To ensure that we implement an extensive green policy in all possible practices, we recently advanced our commitment to protecting the environment by undertaking benchmarking with the Green Globe Company Standard as delivered by EC3 Global, in order to receive independent and comprehensive proof of the environmental commitment and become Green Globe certified by 2010. Eleven of our hotels and resorts in Thailand, Manila, and Dubai, are participating in this programme, and more properties will be joining in the future.

Green Globe sets standards specifically designed for organisations within the travel and tourism industry. To accomplish certification, four procedures underlie this process: Green Globe Certified Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. In achieving the primary status of Green Globe Bronze Certification, known as the benchmarking process, corporations must first establish a sustainability policy. Hotels must be committed to benchmarking their energy and water consumption, total waste production, paper consumption, and community commitment. By using the science of the Earthcheck Benchmarking system, corporations will be able to measure and monitor their ecological footprint and assess areas of operations where further improvements can be made.

We have not yet been assessed through the Earthcheck Benchmarking system. However, once we undergo this assessment, improvements are usually apparent 10-12 months after the Benchmarked Certification is obtained. The benchmarking step requires the following key performance areas to be addressed in the Standard and is aimed at improving the overall sustainability of the organisation: greenhouse gas emissions; energy efficiency, conservation and management; management of freshwater resources; ecosystem conservation and management; management of social and cultural issues; land use planning and management; air quality protection and noise control; waste water management; solid waste management; and storage of environmentally harmful substances.