Sandals Negril Gets Green Recognition

The Sandals Negril Resort recently received Green Globe's Platinum certification for its achievements in sustainable tourism. Platinum is the highest of four certifications, outranking, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

The recognition comes just more than 10 years after the resort received its first Green Globe certification. In the three years following their initial recognition, every Sandals property was revamped and retrofitted to reduce environmental impact, subsequently earning Green Globe certifications.

Green Globe director Claire Hendrie presented the award to Sandals' CEO Adam Stewart on February 5th.

"Looking to the future, we are changing the way we run our hotels to suit Mother Nature," Stewart said. "We created a division called Earthguard, composed of personnel with expertise in operations, design, engineering and the environment."

Any design project at the resorts must first pass muster by Earthguard to ensure that environmental preservation and protection are top of mind, according to Stewart.

"Anything we are designing from the onset has to be designed with environmental standards in mind," Stewart said.

Besides "greening" the resorts themselves, Sandals is trying to incorporate sustainable practices into all aspects of their business. For example, a new biodiesel refinery is being built to support the three Sandals properties on St. Lucia. If the initial efforts are successful, more "green" programs are expected to follow.