Kandalama Hotel - Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka possesses the most intact biodiversity on the Asian continent. The hotel is located at the crossroads of different ecological zones harbouring a spectrum of wildlife in the heart of the Cultural Triangle. It is common place to watch herds of elephants migrating across the plains towards the seasonal ìtanksî (lakes).

The Kandalama hotel was the first environmental hotel project in Sri Lanka when it was conceived with significant consultation with the local community in 1992. Initially, the development was met with much public debate as many people living in the relatively pristine and undeveloped region were opposed to any tourism development, as the area is one of the most significant regions of the country for wildlife. However, the developers took the communities concerns to heart and instead of fighting them, decided to embrace them, which led to the design and construction of one of the most environmentally friendly hotels on the planet.

Since its opening in 1995, the Kandalamaís presence in the domestic and international marketplace has influenced 3 other hotels in the country to become Green Globe 21 certified and two other companies to join the Green Globe 21 program.

Case Study: Kandalama Hotel
Visit Kandalama Hotel website: http://www.heritancehotels.com/kandalama/ and read about itsGreen Philosophy

Orchid Hotel - Mumbai, India

The Orchid Hotel in Mumbai showcases eco-friendly business practices that can be replicated in the hospitality industry. It was envisaged as a hotel that would be taken not only as a benchmark in the hospitality industry, but also as a hallmark of eco-sensitivity in the world. – Dalai Lama

CONTEXT
The Orchid is located in the heart of rapidly growing suburbs with the domestic airport virtually in its backyard. In a polluted city like Mumbai, having won the accolade of being the most eco-friendly hotel is no easy achievement.

DESCRIPTION
The Orchid in Mumbai displays a heightened level of environmental sensitivity in its revolutionary architecture, design and interior decoration. Rehabilitation of the site, which originally included an old building, provides an interesting backdrop for this leading environmental business. The Orchid is flanked by drip irrigated greenery on either side providing the much needed break from pollution. The hotel while rather ordinary on the exterior, includes one of the largest array of environmental technologies ever assembled in a hotel building. Double glass doors open into an imposing 70-feet tall fibre fountain. Passive solar design including a rooftop pool to reduce heat loads on the structure is coupled with adequate daylighting via a central atrium. Triple glazed windows, an anomaly in most of Asia, provide increased thermal and acoustic insulation. The building is constructed from a variety of low resource consuming materials and is finished with low-VOC paint. Guests are treated to a host of environmental products from recycled paper guest programs to herbal amenity products. A revolutionary eco-button allows guests to participate in the environmental activities by reducing their air conditioning uses. There are two special guestrooms for the physically challenged people.

Employees and management are actively engaged in the environmental operation of the hotel. Over 10,000 local students have been educated on the environmental features of the hotel. Employees have developed a CD that illustrates and educates viewers on the environmental design and performance of the hotel. And the director has spoken at numerous seminars about the environmental virtues of the project. The Orchid’s commitment to environmental excellence is evident everywhere in the hotel. The property’s mantra is “Deluxe need not disturb, Comfort need not compromise and Entertainment need not be insensitive.”

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION
The Orchid Hotel is the first 5-star ECOTEL (1997) in Asia and the only ECOTEL in the world that is ISO 14000 certified (1996). Other awards include: PATA Gold award (2001), Green Globe Environmental Company award (2000), Green Globe Achievement award (2000), Hotel & Catering International Management Association Award ñ Best Environmental Policy (2000), Dr M.S.Swaminathan award for environment protection (2000), Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Association of India ñ Environmental Champion (1999-2000), Green Hotelier ñ Environmental award (1999), ECOTELÆ Industry Pioneer award (1999), Green Globe Environmental Company award (1998), World Travel Market’s (WTM) Environmental Company Awards (1998), and the Golden Peacock Environment Management Award.

Case Study: Orchid Hotel

Visit the Orchid Hotel website: http://www.orchidhotel.com/

Ecolodge Bukit Lawang - Indonesia

Designed to serve as a model for sustainable livelihoods, running the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang is just one of the activities of PPLH Bohorok (The Bohorok Environmental Education Centre) run by Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari or YEL;the Foundation for a Sustainable Ecosystem. As a non-profit organisation all revenues realised by our Ecolodge are put straight back into community development, social programmes and nature conservation.

Ecotourism plays a critical role in protecting and enhancing the environment, both for the guests and for the local communities. We warmly invite you to learn more about us, our acivities, and our green heartbeat.

Located 80 kilometres from Medan, our Ecolodge is nestled in the rain forest bordering the Gunung Leuser National Park, on the banks of the Bohorok river.

We provide you a unique opportunity to enjoy the tropical rain forest, its orang-utans and over 700 other animal species, an enormous wealth of different plant species, jungle treks, including to the bat caves, rafting, our traditional medicine garden, our organic food or just the natural peace and tranquillity of relaxing at the Ecolodge itself.

Visit Ecolodge Bukit Lawang:  http://ecolodge.yelweb.org/