Record-breaking Green Globe recertification for Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo

Wednesday, 28 August 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, in a record-breaking feat, was presented Green Globe recertification for the fourth consecutive year. The locally and internationally awarded hotel remains the only one in Sri Lanka to be thus recertified by the premier international sustainability body. Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has continued to grow as a beacon amongst Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, managed by John Keells Group, the country’s premier conglomerate. Year after year, the hotel has continuously been recognised for its initiatives to save energy and water resources, reduce operational costs, positively contribute to local communities and its environment whilst meeting the high expectations of green leisure and business travelers. The hotel’s continued efforts demonstrate its sustainable green commitments, in keeping with the John Keells Leisure Sector pledge ‘I will be Green’.

Green Globe is the global travel and tourism industries’ certification program for sustainable tourism. The Green Globe Standard is a structured assessment of the sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses and their supply chain partners. Businesses can monitor improvements and document achievements leading to certification of their enterprises’ sustainable operation and management. In 2010, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo became the first green globe certified city hotel in Sri Lanka when evaluated on 248 Green Globe standards. In 2011 Green Globe standards were increased to 336 under four main categories. The hotel succeeded in all thirty nine sub categories broadly classified under the main categories – Sustainable Management, Social/Economic, Cultural Heritage and Environment. To achieve certification for the third year, the hotel demonstrated 5% growth on the standards compared to 2011. For the year 2013, Green Globe conducted an on-line audit which required the submission of formal documentation of all necessary procedures and process which the hotel had adhered to over the course of the year. Careful evaluation of the submissions qualified Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo as the only hotel in Sri Lanka to be recertified by Green Globe for the fourth year in succession. Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has an array of green practices in place, spearheaded by an environmental task force named the Green Team. Illustrating this is a rainwater harvesting system that has been implemented for gardening purposes, ensuring water is recycled for daily use. Furthermore, native plants or low water plants are used in landscaping to minimise water use and garden waste is converted to compost. Irrigation takes place early morning before 10 a.m. or in the evenings after 5 p.m. when evaporation is at a minimum. The hotel has developed a long term action plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and a pollution management plan to reduce its carbon footprint. It also manages waste by applying the 3R concept. The green initiatives implemented have not impacted or jeopardised the provisions of water, energy, sanitation and other basic services to neighbouring communities. Sustainable practices extend to Cinnamon Lakeside’s purchasing processes. Ethical products are used at the hotel, such as Fair Trade certified coffee and organic food while preferences are given to locally produced goods, products and services. Environmentally friendly supplies are purchased such as recycled or non-traditional paper and certified wood. Recycling is a key part of the hotel’s sustainability drive with cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminium, waste papers and “hard to recycle” products recycled regularly. Cinnamon Lakeside is strong in its conviction that creating awareness is the key to strengthening green initiatives. As such messages are displayed at the Sir C A Gardiner Mawatha round-a-bout and nature strip maintained by the hotel’s gardening team. The hotel believes in the unification of its efforts and regularly invests in training sessions, emails and posters to increase associate awareness. Guests are also encouraged to be environmentally conscious by participating in a towel and linen reuse program. Furthermore, eco-friendly slogans are displayed in all guest bathrooms to create awareness. More information about Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo’s Green Globe initiatives can be found via the hotel’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/CinnamonLakeside