Fiji and India hotels win green awards
HOTELIERS in Fiji and India have scooped the environmental awards from the International Hotel and Restaurant Association, presented in Durban, South Africa.
The awards were for efforts to promote sustainable development and conserve the natural and cultural resources that underpin their businesses.
The corporate winner was Harinakshi Desai, environment officer at the Orchid hotel in Mumbai. The hotel, owned by Kamat Hotels, has coat hangers made of recycled sawdust and bedroom slippers made of reeds. Hotel cars run on lead-free petrol, plastic bag use is minimised, and water is recycled for gardening and air conditioning.
Richard Evanson, who owns the Turtle Island resort on Fiji's Yasawa Islands, was voted Independent Green Hotelier of the Year. His projects have created a benchmark for developments on Fiji, and he will put his $2,500 (£1,493) prize towards a hospital for the 3,000 Fijians on neighbouring islands.
