“The Globe Trotter”
The Green Globe Caribbean
Newsletter Presented by CAST
1000 Ave Ponce de Leon
5th Floor
San Juan, PR 00913
Tel: 787-725-9139
February 25, 2005
GREEN GLOBE WATCH:
 As of January 2005 there
are 67 Certified
Properties in the region
and 83 Benchmarked.
Survey Results Are In!
CAST would like to thank
the 30 properties that took
the time to respond to
CAST’s 2005 Green Globe
Survey. We greatly
appreciate your
participation and
willingness to share your
views. We will be featuring
some of the results for you
in this and the following
issues of the Globe Trotter
Volume 2, Number 2
A Note From the Editor
….
(Jennifer Dohrmann-Alpert)
With the devastation and high cost of damages caused by natural disasters in the Caribbean,
regional officials are now re-examining the ways in which the region plans for and responds to
hurricanes and other disasters. Continuing our discussion on disaster preparedness, the key
aspects of disaster mitigation for the tourism sector are ensuring adequate insurance coverage and
effective response plans. As hoteliers and tourism businesses, you can do your part by ensuring
that your disaster plans are a living part of your EMS and that they are updated and implemented
on a regular basis. Please write in with questions and concerns, or to share best practices with
your fellow certified and benchmarked businesses. As the Anthropologist Margaret Meade said,
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it’s the only
thing that ever has.” Show your commitment and make a positive change by writing in today!
Send your comments no later than the 20th of each month to cast@cha-cast.com THANK YOU!
200 Words on Disaster Mitigation…
This section presents commentary on the various requirements of the Green Globe 21 Company Standard.
Send your comments and feedback to cast@cha-cast.com
Responding to natural disasters means responding to the crises created by their effects. A “crisis”
is defined as “a decisive or critical moment” with potentially serious implications for life and
property.

Of the total respondents,
43% are both
benchmarked and
certified.

90% stated they saw a
reduction in both water
and electric bills.
Preparing businesses to withstand hurricane damage requires an understanding of the geographic
location, the vulnerability to extreme winds, rainfall and storm surges, and the related health risk
posed to employees and guests. Liability becomes an issue.

67% stated they saw
recognizable staff
motivation.

40% stated that the
hotel received
international exposure
as a result of their
Green Globe
participation.
At the minimum, a survey of hazards should lead to an emergency mitigation policy, strategy and
management framework - defining for example the safety goals and objectives, contingency plans,
staff roles, responsibilities and training requirements, emergency equipment, insurance coverage,
and the routine drilling of plans. The last two are perhaps most important for determining
whether businesses can effectively respond to emergency situations when they most need to.


93% of properties
stated that they now
have an effective
management system in
place.
91% responded that
they are extremely or
very satisfied with
being Certified while
82% stated that they
are extremely or very
satisfied with the
benefits of being GG21
Certified.
The GG21 Company Standard requires a “written program….to address…planned, accidental
and emergency situations”. Businesses must first investigate all potential emergencies to which
their operations are exposed.
Disaster mitigation should therefore be regarded as sound business strategy if not part of a
business’ civic responsibility. You are ahead of the curve if you have a functional environmental
management system (EMS) and a defined emergency plan.
CAST offers Hurricane Preparedness and Response training for interested properties. See http://www.chacast.com/Training1.htm or contact CAST at: cast@cha-cast.com or (787) 725-9139.
Preparing for the Green Globe Audit…
This section presents the recommendations of Loreto Duffy-Mayers of Casuarina Beach Club on preparing
your property for the Green Globe Audit process.
No matter how well prepared we are, most of us still quake at the thought of the impending visit
from the Green Globe auditor. Here are some tips to help ease the pain and make the whole
process a lot easier.
1.
2.
3.
Know and understand the Green Globe Standard. This is your blueprint and must be
followed closely.
Ensure that all your staff know what Green Globe means and stands for.
Know your Environmental Policy / Mission Statement and ensure that all your staff
know it too. This is a statement of your company’s commitment to achieving
environmental and social goals.
4. Ensure that your Environmental Policy is prominently displayed, especially in the staff
quarters, offices and back of house areas.
5. Ensure that you have your Management Review /Plan of Action for the year signed and
agreed to by Management. It must include clear baselines, targets, and action plans.
6. Action Plans for the year must have completion dates and if you cannot make those
dates be prepared to explain why.
7. Have your facts and figures ready. The auditor does not want to hear what you do;
he/she wants to see it.
8. Standard Operating Procedures & Best Practices must be documented; the auditors like
to see consistency.
9. You must prove that your Benchmarks are correct and show how you calculated them.
Do not make assumptions.
10. Use the tools available to you –i.e. The Green Globe Newsletter, CAST toolkits, Globe
Trotter and Green Globe Self-Assessment checklist -they contain useful information to
guide you.
11. Talk to the other hotels that have been through the process – share information. Utilize
the Globe Trotter to as a means for information exchange.
CHA MEMBERS!
The deadline for the
CHA/AMEX Green Hotel
of the Year Awards is
March 18 2005. Download
your application from the
CAST website today and
shoot for the recognition
you deserve!
Green Globe Certified
consultants (recommended
by CAST):
Barbados:
Mechelle Best
Danielle Lorde
Dominica:
Marie-José Edwards
Jamaica:
Racquel Brown-Thompson
Hugh Cresser
Mexico:
Thomas Meller
U.S./ Puerto Rico:
Jeannelle Blanchard
Jennifer Dohrmann-Alpert
William Meade , PA Consulting
Deirdre Shurland
Green Globe Accredited
Regional Auditors:
AJA Registrars USA
SGS
Trinidad & Tobago Bureau of
Standards
Green Globe Certified
Assessors:
Barbados:
Melanie Inniss
Wendy Walker-Drakes
Dominican Republic:
Hans Moller
U.S. – West Virginia:
Gregory Eugene Adolfson
Candice Shrewsbury
Certification: The Plight of Small Hotels…
This section presents commentary by Wendy Walker-Drakes, a consultant under the USAID funded CHEMI
project and a Technical Service Affiliate (TSA) for CAST.
The right of passage in any initiation process always has challenges to be faced and overcome.
This was no different for the small hotels preparing for Green Globe 21 certification with support
from the recently concluded Caribbean Hotel Environmental Management Initiative (CHEMI)
project, funded by USAID and implemented by PA Consulting. As an environmental
management consultant assisting small properties in Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, I have provided
below feedback from Property Managers and their Green Teams, regarding their experience of
preparing for the Green Globe 21 Benchmarking and auditing process:

“The commitment of man hours and personnel to first establishing the documentation was
challenging, especially at properties where employees hold more than one job function. As
a result, the [CHEMI] project’s time constraints served as an unfortunate limit to the
amount of hands on training required for personnel to understand and complete the task
of benchmarking information submission”.

“In addressing the GG21 Guest Night Calculation during the audit, auditors were at
variance with the property calculations used which created some confusion and concern.”
Discussion Forum...
“I manage a small property that has been GG21 Certified for 3 years. My water consumption at
my property has reached a plateau over the years and I would like to know if anyone can advise
me on how I can continue to lower my consumption to demonstrate the year on year
improvements needed for recertification?” Send your feedback to this question to cast@cha-cast.com
Comments From Our Readers...
“There have been several articles in the Jamaican Tourism Supplement – HOSPITALITY
JAMAICA – regarding the Green Globe 21 certification and the Caribbean and Jamaica’s strength
in achieving the standards. My concern when reading these articles is that the focus continues to
be placed on Hotels, and not including attractions. Also awards given by CHA/AMEX/CAST are
still applicable to hotels only..” – Fabia Lamm, Green Grotto Caves, Jamaica.
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Copyright © 2005 Caribbean
Alliance for Sustainable Tourism. All
rights reserved.
Trotter are subject to editing for content prior to publication.