ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA—Five years after being shut down by powerful Hurricane Ivan, the Spice Island Beach Resort, located in the Caribbean on the island of Grenada, is doing its part to reduce its impact on the local environment while still giving its guests a luxury experience. The fully-inclusive, 64-suite property was the first hotel on the island to install a reverse osmosis desalinization system; it heats all of its water with a solar thermal heating system, cleans its pool without chemicals, and takes numerous other steps to reduce energy and water consumption and waste. The resort, which is expected to receive Green Globe Certification by the end of the year, has been owned by Sir Royston O. Hopkin and his family for 22 years. Hopkin is currently chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), a nonprofit entity established in 1997 to promote responsible environmental and social management of natural and heritage resources within the hotel and tourism sector.
Hopkin says the reverse osmosis system, which converts salt water to fresh water, is used primarily during the island’s dry season when the local government has a difficult time providing water. It processes 15,000 gallons of water a day. “It paid for itself in a couple of years,” Hopkin says.
Since owning and operating the resort, Hopkin has had a solar rooftop hot water heating system to supply all of the property’s hot water needs—for guestrooms, the spa, kitchen and laundry. A backup system is available for the rare occasion when there are consecutive cloudy days.
To further reduce energy costs, the resort uses light timers, compact fluorescents, turns off air conditioners when guestrooms are unoccupied, line dries clothes, and offers a towel/linen reuse program. When renovating the resort after Hurricane Ivan, Hopkin purchased double-insulated UV glass windows and doors. They block out direct light and are “tremendous energy savers,” Hopkin says.
Rooms Hold Less Heat
“The rooms are able to cool down a lot quicker,” he says. “Initially I spent a lot but I benefited tremendously. I now have doors and windows that are two times as safe.”
Purification of the main swimming pool and private pools in the Anthurium, Luxury Almond and Royal Collection Suites is done with a chemical-free Auto Pilot system, which uses salt as opposed to chlorine. To further reduce the use of chemicals on the property, environmentally-friendly cleaning products are used.
Here are some additional ways the Spice Island Beach Resort is working to reduce its environmental impact:
• To help conserve water on the island, low-flow aerators have been installed.
• On more than an acre of land, resort staff grow fruit, vegetables, beans and herbs for the resort’s restaurant. The resort composts and does not use fertilizers in the garden.
• Water and electricity meter readings are conducted daily and communicated at morning meetings.
• Office paper is reused and old towels are used as kitchen and housekeeping washcloths.
• The use of gas-powered lawnmowers has been reduced by 50 percent. The resort now uses push-reel lawnmowers throughout the property.
• Employees are empowered as “Environmental Agents” and are provided with the necessary training and education on the resort’s environmental practices, policies and objectives. The resort also has a Green Team comprised of staff supervisors and managers to oversee and implement the environmental program.
• Since December 2008 the resort has been 100 percent nonsmoking.
• Used bath soap is ground up and used as laundry detergent for uniform washes.
• Resort suppliers are screened for proper environmental practices and products.
For the busy Hopkin, pursuing sustainability is an endless journey.
“I am focused on sustainability day and night,” he says. “My hotel is an extension of my lifestyle.”
Go to the Spice Island Beach Resort.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
