Half Moon – the luxury resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica – has the aim of becoming the world’s most environmentally friendly hotel. The hotel’s commitment to protecting the environment includes solar water heaters, an organic herb garden, vegetable garden, an array of fruit trees and a 21-acre nature reserve. The resort also has a state of the art waste water treatment plant which uses ultraviolet light to treat effluent which is then used to irrigate the golf course, gardens and lawns.
Additionally, the resort practices a policy of self sufficiency and aggressive recycling, such as making its own furniture and using the scraps for horse bedding at the Equestrian Centre. Material left over from the on-site upholstery shop is used to make dolls for the resort’s Anancy Children’s Village.
The hotel composts food scraps from the kitchens and waste from the equestrian centre. This compost is used to pot up plants, most of which are grown on site, for use throughout the hotel and also in the on-site herb and vegetable garden.
Half Moon also has a tie up with a local school which includes providing expertise for repairs to the school, helping with training and staff from the hotel even helped to clean up the area around the school.
Half Moon is currently working towards achieving Green Globe certification. The resort passed several criteria before receiving Benchmarked status. The criteria included: waste water recycling, paper recycling and community involvement as well as having a comprehensive and sustainable environmental policy for which the resort rated very highly. The benchmarking also recognised the resort’s use of energy saving light bulbs, water saving toilets and showerheads, towel reuse programme and state-of-the-art waste water treatment plant.
Half Moon was the first hotel to be inducted into the Caribbean Hotel Association’s Green Hotel Hall of Fame. For three years in a row, Half Moon has won the top hospitality environment award, “Green Hotel of the Year” given by the Caribbean Hotel Association. The Resort also received British Airways’ Tourism for Tomorrow award, and an honourable mention at the prestigious International Hotel Association awards. . Half Moon has also won the Ecotourism Award from Conde Nast Traveler (US) and the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust’s Green Turtle Award for most environmentally friendly service and practice.
For more information visit www.halfmoon.com
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Half Moon also has a tie up with a local school which includes providing expertise for repairs to the school, helping with training and staff from the hotel even helped to clean up the area around the school.
- The resort also has a state of the art waste water treatment plant which uses ultraviolet light to treat effluent which is then used to irrigate the golf course, gardens and lawns.
- This compost is used to pot up plants, most of which are grown on site, for use throughout the hotel and also in the on-site herb and vegetable garden.
