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earth and how even their small actions
can positively impact the environment.
Also, the implementation of green prac-
tice should be a responsibility of every-
one, not just the government and re-
sorts around Vietnam,” said Gary Leong,
principal of Cat Tien Jungle Lodge.
These hoteliers usually run peri-
odic seminars, meetings and training
courses for staff. Seminars are con-
ducted by external speakers on what
staff can do to help reduce the nega-
tive impact of hotels.
In addition, staff are also encour-
aged to look into different ways to
conserve water and energy, ranging
from the simple, such as turning off the
lights, to the more complex.
STRONG LONG-TERM I
NVESTMENT
Vinpearl is one example of a group
taking effective action to protect the
environment and save water in the lux-
urious Vinpearl Nha Trang complex and
many other properties around Vietnam.
In Nha Trang, Vingroup has invested in
a modern water treatment system at a
total cost of $3 million. Waste water is
treated and used for watering plants. A
desalination system has also just been
put into operation with a capacity of
1,000m3/ day to convert sea water to
fresh water. The effort has means Vin-
pearl is now seen as a green leader.
The Accor hotels group in Vietnam
is reducing water consumption and re-
cycling waste. Accor hotels consume
approximately 15,000 cu.m of water
per year. Accor is currently defining a
work plan to find innovative restaurant
solutions that reduce the impact of wa-
ter consumption. They have released
three commitments and quantifiable
objectives for 2015. Accordingly their
2015 target is to make a 15% reduc-
tion in water, ensure that 85% of hotels
recycle their waste and 60% of hotels
participate in the Plant for the Planet
reforestation project.
JW Marriott Hanoi is actively fol-
lowing the practices of the Green Hotel
initiatives of the city of Hanoi and the
JW Brand. Their energy plant is a high
efficiency system. They have a green
team that meets regularly to review op-
portunities to save electricity and water
throughout the hotel and continue to
seek other ideas and opportunities to
conserve. “Our new meeting package
meets the standards of our brand. We
use no table cloths, we use recycled
paper products and we recycle as much
as possible,” said Bob Fabiano, general
manager of JW Marriott Hanoi hotel.
In addition, the hotel uses cleaning
chemicals with a pH level of 6.5. Some
also use laundry chemicals which are
biodegrade within 28 days.
They also have a water and pa-
per recycling system in place, and the
waste food from their restaurants is
used for farming purposes.
Additionally, more and more beach
hotels and resorts install solar cells so
that their hot water system can run on
solar energy. They also promote an an-
nual beach cleaning day.
Furama Danang runs various sus-
tainable activities, including recycling
water for the garden, a program to save
electricity and using non-plastic bags.
Furama is aiming to get the Green Leaf
Certificate which is granted by UNESCO.
At the while at such hotelier as Cat
Tien Jungle Lodge, they don’t have bath
tubs nor air conditioners. “We use solar
panels for our water heating needs and
keep many big trees (& small bushes
too) to keep our place cool and serene.
This is our conscious effort to reduce
our energy dependency & consump-
tion,” said Gary Leong.
GUEST AWARENESS
Nowadays, there are more and
more hotels and resorts that are aware
of the importance of a green environ-
ment. The ‘greeness’ of a property is
also something some potential guests
factor into their decision.
To promote green development,
guests can get involved in hoteliers’ ac-
tivities in many ways. For example, they
can help to save water and use electric-
ity economically. These are small ac-
tions, but they add up to a large contri-
bution to saving our environment.
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
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