East model for region – USAID mission director
Jamaica’s Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) project which is being hailed for its success in “greening” the local hospitality and tourism sector is being replicated in various Caribbean countries.
This was announced by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) mission director, Mosina Jordan, at a recent meeting with the EAST team.
EAST is a collaborative initiative between the United States government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the Jamaica manufacturers Association with technical assistance being provided by a US-based consulting firm, PA Consulting Group (formerly, Hagler Bailly Services).
Noting that since its launch in 1997, EAST has assisted over 50 hotels and 15 manufacturing companies in completing environmental audits, Jordan said that the practical nature of the project makes it applicable across the region.
She said her office, which has responsibility for several other Caribbean islands, has already begun the groundwork for replicating EAST in Barbados and various territories in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
One of the major achievements of EAST in Jamaica has been the certification of 13 hotels by Green Globe 21 (GG 21), the UK-based environmental standards body. Another 10 hotels and three attractions are being prepared for certification this month.
EAST has also contributed a great deal to the “greening” of the education sector including the hosting of an environmental education forum last May and collaboration with the Runaway Bay HEART Hotel and Training Institute in environmental curriculum development and train the trainer programmes.
EAST will next year focus on the “greening” of entire towns, as part of a destination management approach, beginning with Port Antonio.
Noting that tourists all over the world are becoming more and more environmentally aware and demanding facilities which meet approved standards like Green Globe, Jordan said the USAID would be working to “strengthen the Caribbean’s environmental profile”.