Sustainable Living January 2008

Tactic 1:
Change your light bulbs. Yes, it is tempting to buy those 8 pack bulbs on sale for $3! However, compact fluorescent bulbs use two-thirds less energy and last 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.

The Benefit:
If one replaces just one bulb in their home, it would save enough energy to light 2.5 million homes in one year and prevent an amount of greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of 800,000 cars.

Tactic 2:
Save water. The real water drain is toilet flushing and use of the shower. So take far shorter showers and bath the kids together (they’ll have lots of fun) and of course that is a fun idea for couples, as well. Here in the Caribbean many island residents depend on rainwater for their water supply and so are real water conservationists by nature. Here we are all accustom to flushing the toilet only when absolute necessary (we have a few wonderful signs that are posted in many homes and public restrooms about ………) and long ago many islanders adjusted to the 10 second shower. Well, we don't have that problem in Dominica, the Nature Island……here we just jump in to one of our 365 rivers to bath - who needs a shower stall?

The Benefit:
Look into low-flow shower heads and water saving toilets. The shower will still have great pressure and the toilet works just as efficiently, but hundreds of gallons of water can be saved daily by a family of 4 using these methods. Or, alternatively, you can just move to Dominica and live by a river.

Tactic 3:
Turn off your computer. When in standby mode, your PC is still using energy. In fact, 75 percent of electricity used in your home comes from electronics that are turned off. Stop this phantom electro rush by plugging your computer into a power strip and shutting down completely at the end of the day. Also, remove your iPod, digital camera, and phone chargers from outlets when not in use. Here in the Caribbean we often use a transformer to convert 220 to 110 and have found that when not in use the transformer still burns a significant amount of electricity when it remains plugged in to a wall outlet. So unplug!

The Benefit:
Turning off a 75-watt monitor for 40 hours a week might only save $5 month, but it reduces CO2 (greenhouse gas emissions) by 750 pounds, burning 450 fewer pounds of coal each year!

Tactic 4:
Reuse plastic bags. The world is tossing 100 billion plastic sacks a year out the window. We don’t use that many in Caribbean, of course, but the point here is to REUSE. Why not get a second, third, or fifth use out of them. Better yet, next time you shop, take along your reusable bags.

The Benefit:
You're reducing pollution. The amount of oil it would take to make just 14 plastic bags would run your car for one mile.

Tactic 5:
Use recycled paper...in the bathroom. Most of the toilet tissue used is made from virgin trees found in forests previously untouched by humans. Seeing as trees absorb carbon dioxide, the entire planet will have better use for them living than as a dead roll of puff fluff in the washroom.

The Benefit:
If every household replaced one roll of toilet paper with a re-cycled post consumer waste roll, 424,000 trees would still be standing. Look for eco paper towels and napkins, too. If every household used recycled napkins, we would spare one million trees. Of course, here in the Caribbean we can just use banana leaves in place of our TP!

Tactic 6:
Give your support. Contribute or volunteer with the appropriate organization of your choice. And tell a friend to do the same. Here in the Caribbean each island has a National Parks, eco or environmental and conservations associations. And as most of us, even in the most remote of islands, are connected online it is easy to join global organization that make an impact such as: OnePercentForThePlanet.org, SaveOurEnvironment.org, SierraClub.org, and ConservationFund.org.

The Benefit:
You are doing something to save our future and to help stop our earth being destroyed as well.

Caribbean Tourism Conference to Zero In on Sustaining Coastal Product

The sustainability of the Caribbean coastal product will be the main focus of the 10th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development, also known as the Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-10), to be held in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, next April.

The conference, which will run from April 28 to May 1, 2008, has as its theme, Keeping the Right Balance - Sustaining the Caribbean Coastal Product. This is in keeping with the designation of 2008 as International Year of the Reef by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).

“Given that the region’s tourism development is largely coastal there are number of key related issues that affect the sustainability of the region’s tourism,” said Mareba Scott, CTO’s sustainable tourism product specialist, “like climate change, disaster risk management, cruise tourism and the and marine based attractions including the implications for the dive market.”

A comprehensive and dynamic program is being planned, to include the customary study tours -a key feature of this conference- one of which will be to the world’s only conch farm.

ARUBA'S BUCUTI BEACH RESORT WINS ISLANDS MAGAZINE AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES

The Aruba Bucuti Beach Resort grabbed the Blue Award from ISLAND magazine in the December 2007 issue dedicated to Sustainable Tourism and the award winners.

Islands magazine is the global authority on island destinations and has been in existence for 26 years. A partner with MSNBC, millions read ISLANDS articles and reviews in their award winning print magazine, online magazine and via MSNBC.

“We are very proud to be included on ISLANDS Blue List with this award. All of us at Bucuti are dedicated to sustainable practices and receive our inspiration daily from Bucuti’s owner, Ewald Biemans who has expressed his lifelong passion for nature and the environment by local activism, which was started by setting an example within our own resort.” said Biemans wife Susan.

In her remarks, Mrs. Biemans added she hopes that “this award will inspire more of our islands businesses and community members to participate in environmentally sustainable practices in order to protect and preserve our treasures for future generations.”

RAINFOREST ALLIANCE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM GUIDE SHOWS GROWTH OF CERTIFIED BUSINESSES IN LATIN AMERICA

Latin America experienced a 25 percent growth in the number of certified tourism businesses in 2007, up to 167 in October from 136 in 2006, according to the second edition of the Rainforest Alliance's SmartGuide to Sustainable Travel in the Americas.

As of October 2007, Costa Rica was the certification leader with 68 businesses certified by Certification for Sustainable Tourism, up from 51 in 2006. Guatemala followed with 39 businesses certified by Green Deal, up from 20 in 2006. Green Globe 21 certified 36 businesses in seven Caribbean countries, 12 in Mexico and one each in Bolivia and Chile. There were 10 businesses in Ecuador certified by Smart Voyager. In addition, the US had 38 businesses certified by Green Seal.

"Now that travelers, tour operators and agencies have become savvier about what it means to be green, it's no longer enough for businesses simply to make claims about their responsible practices," said Ronald Sanabria, director of the Rainforest Alliance's sustainable tourism program. "Independent third-party certification ensures that businesses are meeting a set of environmental and social standards and can also help businesses identify areas where they can improve."

All the businesses listed in the catalog have committed to conserving resources and contributing to the development of their communities and are certified by one of five certification programs in the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas, an alliance of 94 groups that are working together to promote sustainable travel and share information and ideas.

This rise in the number of certified businesses has been driven by increasing consumer interest in sustainability and preference for hotels and lodges that demonstrate responsible practices. According to a 2003 study sponsored by National Geographic Traveler, 54 million American travelers say they generally choose travel companies that make efforts to protect the environment of the destination. Also, some tour operators, travel agencies and travel Web sites are starting to give preference to certified businesses.

The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization, works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. They work with tourism businesses in Latin America that want to use more sustainable practices — such as to conserve energy and water, recycle, support local residents, protect natural resources — and also the Alliance works with certification programs on developing baseline standards that can be shared across countries.

The organization has been secretariat of the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas since its inception in 2003.

The publication of the catalog was supported by the Global Environment Facility, through the United Nations Environment Programme, and the Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund.

Please

CLICK HERE to visit the Rainforest Alliance website.