Home Personnel Profile Jason Pick Coordinates Fairmont’s Bermuda Efforts

Jason Pick Coordinates Fairmont’s Bermuda Efforts

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Name: Jason Pick
Title: Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, Environmental Chairman, Fairmont Southampton Resort, Southampton, Bermuda
Company: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Number of years with company: 6.5 years
Primary responsibilities: As Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, I direct and participate in the maintenance of the golf course tees, greens, fairways, and cart paths; supervise the maintenance and repair of motorized and other mechanical equipment; and do related work as required. As Environmental Chairman (Eco-Champion), I play a critical role in implementing, promoting and supporting environmental initiatives at the resort.
What keeps me motivated: I would like to see our Fairmont Bermuda properties grow to be environmental role models for homeowners and businesses on the island. It is rewarding to see conservation programs (like recycling) becoming successful here. Conservation has always been a way of life in Bermuda; our unique Bermuda homes are designed for the collection of rainwater for drinking and washing. The common term “Bermuda shower” is phrased to suggest a short morning shower in order to save water. The acceptance of new stewardship programs has shown us how committed Bermuda is to conservation; understanding it’s necessity to island living. Our greatest motivation is the pride Bermudians have in keeping their island beautiful; we know that new environmental incentives we sponsor as a committee are always well received.
My hotel or company’s most significant accomplishment so far: When discussing Fairmont Hotels and Resorts environmental efforts, the most significant accomplishments in terms of policy are the corporate programs in place to support stewardship throughout the brand. A strong commitment to our environmental policy reinforced by our executive and corporate directors assists each property representative in developing attainable goals in such areas as energy, waste, and water management. By providing structured guidelines and grant assistance for its green teams to facilitate conservation incentives, the return on investment and the resulting local impact demonstrates significant environmental and economic achievement.
Our biggest challenge ahead: The greatest challenge has been to appreciate the time and scale of developing a recycling program for Bermuda’s residents, businesses and visitors. As the infrastructure prepares for this inevitable shift, island facilities and policies are adjusted, as are the responsibilities in our homes and businesses. With the gradual improvement and upgrade of island resources such as the Devonshire recycling plant, we realize it will not be completed overnight, and will continue to do whatever we can in support of its development until then.

SOUTHHAMPTON, BERMUDA—As assistant golf course superintendent and environmental chairman at the Fairmont Southampton Resort, Southampton, Bermuda, Jason Pick always has greens—or green programs—on his mind. His work at the property’s 18-hole golf course and throughout the 593-room hotel earned him Fairmont’s “Enviro Star of the Year” award in 2005.

Pick will be the first to tell anyone, however, that the Fairmont honor was not all of his doing.

“I felt a little strange accepting the award because it was not just because of what I had done,” he says. “It was a direct reflection of the efforts of our department heads and everyone who works here.”

As environmental chairman, a volunteer role, Pick has numerous responsibilities:

• Take on a visible role within Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and represent the hotel’s environmental program to the Office of Environmental Affairs, corporate, and to the public.

• Develop relationships with the Eco-Champions at other Fairmont properties and serve the role of leader, manager, information gatherer, communicator, motivator and ambassador.

• Coordinate all meetings, take attendance and minutes and be present at all regular meetings. Liaise regularly with the general manager of the hotel on any environmental issues that may arise throughout the year.

• Encourage recycling, reusing, reducing and restoring within the hotel.

These are just some of the responsibilities of the chairman’s position. Pick says his job as chairman is rewarding because of the recognition he and others get for their work.

“Our general manager has done a great job recognizing those people who volunteer,” Pick says. “It is important to thank people who are helping out in their spare time. We have quarterly meetings where individuals are recognized for outstanding efforts.”

Pick says employees who participated in a coastal cleanup recently were rewarded with a private luncheon.

Eco Programs Detailed

The Fairmont Southampton Resort has numerous environmental programs in place. On the golf course, a minimal amount of chemicals are used. The resort is close to completing the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary program for golf courses. Mattresses and linens are donated to local families in need, and energy is used as sparingly as possible.

In guestrooms, air-conditioners will turn off when balcony doors are opened. Engineers will turn on the cooling system in meeting rooms only when meetings are scheduled. The resort has a linen re-use program and a Green Partnership guide is placed in every room to explain the property’s energy-saving efforts.

Approximately 50 years ago, the island lost most of its Bermuda cedar trees. To help bring back those trees, staff at the Fairmont Southampton Resort are planting seedlings on resort property as part of its Fairmont Signature Project.

“When guests get married here or celebrate an anniversary, we commemorate the event for them by planting a cedar tree,” Pick says. “We give them a certificate and photo of the tree. Our goal is to plant 150 trees by the end of the year.”

Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@aol.com.

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