GENERAL ECO INFO

• Do you have an environmental and/or social sustainability policy        YES

If yes, please attach. Stay with us and travel responsibly - put something into the local community and help preserve the environment - our micro-resort is locally owned and all taxes are paid locally, any profits remain in Trinidad and Tobago. It was built using locally manufactured or sourced materials. We employ local staff under excellent terms and conditions including paying them well over minimum wage, offering sick and holiday pay, national insurance payments plus 2 days off each week. We offer guests and staff public liability insurance cover. We collect funds for and donate time, effort, money and visitors’ used items to a local home for displaced children. Our resort is probably the only one in Tobago offering a genuinely green experience, fully powered by renewable energy sources, with solar water heating, some recycling and harvesting rain water for drinking plus our own simple grey/black water treatment systems. Guests may even choose to enjoy “beachcombing with a difference” at Beachcomber Cabins – assisting us with occasional collection of washed up non-biodegradable litter from our secret little beach paradise. We are located above development-free Minister Bay Beach, a mile long swathe of palm-fringed sand, immortalised in the 1960 Disney film classic Swiss Family Robinson, and barely changed since. Please note: We have 3 friendly dogs, 2 medium sized local mongrels which we rescued, and 1 large dog. We help a local home for displaced children in Tobago, "Jesus Cares Family Cottage", by collecting funds and donating time, effort, money and visitors’ used items. Please help us to help the local kids and the environment by recycling old clothes and toys - search your attic or ask friends, then bring second hand kids' clothing including school wear, especially shoes and sneakers (trainers), toys (please ensure these are still safe) and books.
If you wish, we can then take you to deliver your items in person and to meet the kids - there is little more satisfying than actually seeing your old items delight and enhance the lives of developing world children, and a visit can be a useful educational exercise for "first world" children

• Do you have an environmental Management System                                    Sort of! We train guests in how to get the most from the resort with minimum impact butI doubt this would suffice

• Brief Description of property – aim, size, facilities (150 words max)

• Brief description of location (100 words max)

ENERGY CONSUMPTION / CONSERVATION

• Do you use any renewable energy? YES

      If yes, please describe (max 100 words).

• What percentage of your power is made from renewable energy? 100% of cabin-guest power is from renewable sources, sometimes we generate so much that we have to plan our washing machine use on sunny days to use the power we cannot store once batteries are fully recharged

• Do you use any energy saving devices? YES

If yes, please describe (max 100 words).

• Do you have programmes to encourage energy conservation?  YES/NO

If yes, please describe (max 100 words).

GARDENS – ORGANIC FOOD – RECYCLING

• Do you have gardens? YES
• If yes, are they organic? YES, no pesticides or weedicides used
• Do you encourage your food suppliers to be organic?   NO

      If yes, how?

• Do you compost your waste where possible?  NO
• Do you practice any other recycling? YES

       If yes, please describe? (100 words max).

CHEMICALS AND CLEANING PRODUCTS

• Do you use chemical cleaning products? YES
• If yes, which ones and what for?

• Do you use bio degradable cleaning products? YES
• If yes, which ones and what for?

WATER CONSERVATION

• Do you use any water saving devices?  YES

       If yes, please describe (100 words max).

• Where does your water come from? Local reservoir or rain
• Is it potable? YES
• If not, what method do you use to make it drinkable?

• Do you have programmes to encourage water conservation? YES / NO

       If yes, please describe.

ECO EDUCATION / PARTICIPATION

• 23.Do you educate guests about eco best practices? YES
   If so, how? (100 words max).

• Illustrate the opportunities for the guest to become involved in the hotel or restaurant environmental activities

• Are your staff fully aware & do they understand all your eco practices? YES

       If yes, how was this achieved?

• What kind of materials do you have to communicate with your guests (brochures, posters, pamphlets, etc.)? Please list.

LOCAL COMMUNITY

• Approximately, what percentage of your purchased goods is locally produced? 50%
• Do you involve the local community in your activities?  NO

      If yes, how? (100 words max)

• Do you support/sponsor community projects? YES
• If yes, please describe (100 words max).

• Do you encourage your guests to contribute to environmental / charitable causes locally or internationally? YES

If yes, please describe (100 words max)

• Do you provide information on how those contributions are supporting the environment / community? YES

If yes, please describe (100 words max)

FLORA AND FAUNA CONSERVATION / PRESERVATION

• Describe any flora or fauna conservation/projects you are involved in? (100 words max)

• How do you encourage your guests to participate in the programme

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS

• What is the single most significant achievement you have made regarding

local people, (100 words max).

• the environment (100 words max).

• Conservation? (100 words max).

• Education? (100 words max).

• Please describe what you feel is your single most important eco achievement? (200 words max).

MONITORING / FEEDBACK / IMPROVEMENTS

• Do you monitor your environmental impact?  NO

       If yes, please describe?

• Do you get customer feedback? YES

If yes, please describe how you collect the feedback, and what you do with it.

LOCAL IMPACTS

• Please describe (100 words max each answer) what you do to:
• Minimise negative impacts of tourism on the environment

• Minimise negative impact on the local community

• Increase environmental awareness

• Increase cultural awareness

• Ensure local community benefits

• Improve on your eco work?

ECO CERTIFICATION

• If you have a green / eco certification label, please give details and explain: n/a
• your reasons for joining the scheme
• The benefits you feel you receive
• Any negative points

    If you do not have a green certification / label, please explain  

• Your reasons for NOT joining any schemes,
• Any benefits you feel you are missing

• Anything else you feel is relevant or important.(250 words max)

Please provide as much documentary evidence as possible.

Please provide 2 references, preferably one from the local or national government tourist authority or a registered NGO (Non-profit Non Governmental Organization) locally, and the other from your certification scheme if you are in one.

Sorry but we have none. We are not registered with the local tourism division, who are a bunch of incompetent buffoons seemingly far more interested in worldwide junkets to travel shows than improving the visitor experience or keeping them safe. Plus local TDC approval (which is not a legal requirement to operate a resort) requires adherence to many absurd rules for instance providing a mirror of certain dimensions etc etc. While at the same time paying no attention to environmental or security issues and little to safety features (we provide 24hr security, alarm system, smoke alarms, pool rules and warning signs, fire extinguishers and night security lighting) .

Questionnaire created with the help of Jem Winston, owner of award winning 3 Rivers Eco Lodge, Dominica, jem@3riversdominica.com ; http://www.3riversdominica.com ; http://www.jemwinston.com