Shangri-la wins Asean award

SHANGRI-LA’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu received its second Green Hotel Standard Award at the recent Asean Tourism Fair in Brunei Darussalam, for its initiatives on the environment and energy conservation.

Each year, the Department of Tourism nominates establishments for the award based on the standards set by the awarding body, the resort said in a statement.

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These standards include the hotel’s environmental policy and actions for operations, use of green products, collaboration with the community, human resource development, solid waste management, energy and water efficiency, air quality management, noise pollution control, wastewater treatment and management and toxic and chemical substance disposal.

Some of the green programs of the resort are its commitment to protect the Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary and its regular coastal clean ups and coral recovery dives.

Aside from efforts to preserve and enhance the marine ecosystem of Mactan, the resort has also established a solid waste management program.

In 2008, an area dedicated to producing vermicompost was built in the resort garden. (Vermicompost is an all-natural fertilizer made from leftover fruit and vegetable peelings and processed with the aid of earthworms.)

Smaller footprint

To conserve energy and reduce its carbon footprint, the resort has implemented several programs in different departments and has enabled its guests and staff to make better choices for the environment. In rooms, the resort has replaced all incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving lamps.

Water-saving devices in water taps and showers in all guestrooms have also been put in place. In the kitchens, less harmful refrigerants are used for its refrigerators and chillers to minimize the emission of CFCs, the resort said.

The resort offers experiential school tours for children, giving them the chance to learn about what they can do to help conserve nature through lessons on vermicomposting and urban gardening techniques, snorkeling, fish feeding and tree planting.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu is the first resort in the Philippines to achieve ISO 14001 recognition for its environmentally friendly and cost-efficient practices. ISO 14001 is the environmental management system standard recognized worldwide. (PR)