Environment-friendly hotel programs sought

The Cebu City Council on Wednesday will formally ask owners and managers of different hotels and resorts here to strictly implement programs in their respective establishments that will minimize waste and pollution.

Councilor Edgardo Labella has encouraged hotel and resorts managers to follow the steps of El Nido Resort and Shangri-La Island Resort which were recognized by the Association of South East Asian Nations for being “environment friendly.”

Labella said El Nido Resort in Palawan and Shangri-La Island Resort in Mactan had been included in the list of “green” hotels and resorts because they have environment-friendly facilities recognized by the ASEAN Green Hotel Standards.

He said while it is a positive sign that the country garnered two of the 81 ASEAN Green Hotel awardees, still the same should be taken as a wake-up call for the tourism industry to institute immediate environment-friendly reforms, particularly those that will prevent waste, energy inefficiency, and pollution in the daily operations of hotels and resorts.

In his proposed resolution that will be discussed during the regular session on Wednesday, Labella urged the Department of Tourism to stringently implement its so-called Zero Tourism Waste to enhance the protection of environment according to the ASEAN Green Hotel standards.

In its commitment to preserve the environment and protect the country’s natural resources, the DOT recently organized a forum on zero waste management for hotels and resorts in coordination with non-government organizations.

It said that garbage and pollution turn off tourists and even local residents. Waste-free tourism will certainly do well for the environment and assist in attracting more people, both local and foreign tourists, to patronize the country’s interesting destinations. — Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV