ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
Hotel Mocking Bird Hill
2003/2004 Sustainability Report
Section 3: Policies, Management Systems and Relationships
Environmental Policy
Energy management
• Hot water is provided by a solar hot water heating system. This significantly reduces electricity requirements
• Without reducing the comfort of the guests, the management has chosen not to install equipment that is high in energy use in the rooms. Given the advantage of the hillside location, the rooms receive cool breezes. Fans that use far less electricity than air-conditioning enhances the natural ventilation. Minibars and televisions are not provided in the rooms. Television is available in the lounge, but generally most guests enjoy the natural vistas and the twinkling stars of the tropical nights..
• Notices in the rooms request guests to assist the management in their efforts by turning off lights and fans, etc. when leaving the rooms.
• Motion detectors regulate all security lighting. In addition, outdoor lighting uses low-energy consumption mercury vapour lights. Energy saving light bulbs is installed in all areas of the hotel.
• By reducing the amount of laundry, the electricity consumption is also reduced. As this is a small property we are able to manage without laundry dryers. Clothes are dried using our solar dryer otherwise known as a washing line.
• As far as possible and weather permitting breads are baked and chickens and meat roasted in the sun ovens. Apart from free energy, this type of oven has the advantage of slow cooking resulting in a juicy, soft, aromatic product.
• The public areas and rooms are tiled rather than carpeted thus avoiding the need for vacuum cleaning and the resulting energy use.
Water Management
• No pesticides or insecticides are used in the garden.
• Only phosphate and chlorine free detergents are used.
• No strong chemical cleaning agents are used, but household, environmentally sage products such as baking soda and vinegar.
• Use of chlorine in the pool is kept to a minimum by using a algae inhibitor that is connected to the pool’s filter as well as a floatron. Acetic Acid is used in the pool rather than sulphuric acid.
• Unless specifically requested otherwise, the linen is changed every three days in order to reduce water and electricity consumption as well as reducing the use of detergents guests are requested to drop their towels in the showers if they are to be replaced.
• In the restaurant place mats are used instead of tablecloths, thus if any food spills occur only the place mat in question will require laundering making the total laundry load far less than tablecloths.
• Long staying guests are presented with a serviette pouch that is embroidered with their room number and differentiate by the colour of the embroidered flowers, unless very soiled, the serviettes are used more than once, just as one would do at home
Proposal to Improve Water Management at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill
The recent drought in Jamaica and the growing debate over climate change underline the fact that water is not an unlimited resource. The region is suffering increasingly from the longer periods of drought accompanied by increasing strains on the existing water supplies and the sources they are taken from. Water resources are coming under increasing pressure due to a combination of increasing demand, increasing climatic extremes and the need to protect and enhance the water-dependent environment. There is a greater understanding today that resource management is crucial to the sustainability of any business, particularly a tourism-related enterprise. Water and energy management represent the two most important key aspects, whereby water is the most critical and elementary one. Using less water means more competitive businesses and more resources for other activities.
The need to meet existing commercial demand for water, while minimising impacts of water discharge on the environment is critical. We have to use a combination of demand management in order to promote water conservation initiatives and increase uptake of water saving practices as well as utilise and maximise on as many recycling possibilities in order to cover the needs without increasing the use of potable water. In addition the suggested strategies will also help to reduce energy costs. In general unit costs of energy resources often exceed water costs (in general, four units of electricity are used to heat one unit of water). Therefore, by reducing water use the associated costs of heating water can also be reduced.
We have already started a water management programme at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. However, we recognize that we need to continue improving and building on the systems already in place. The points mentioned below are to be seen as a long-term commitment that the hotel is seeking sources to augment it’s own efforts so that we can achieve better results as quickly as possible.
We have listed the various points that need to be addressed in order to achieve maximum efficiency of the hotel’s water management system. This will of course be implemented in conjunction with an ongoing educational programme. This is vital to the process as both staff and guests are key players in our efforts to reduce water use. To this aim, new water saving signs have been placed in all bathrooms.
1. Rain water harvesting and storage: The existing rain water storage facilities are not large enough (160,000 litres) to sustain regular hotel operation for more than a month at low occupancies in a drought situation. During times of heavy rain, we loose a lot of the rainwater because of inadequate storage capacities. Increasing collection capacity will be on going as allowed by the availability of funds. In order not to loose any of this valuable resource as will as to enable us to remain self-sufficient for longer periods without compromising quality of the hotel gardens, additional water tanks must be installed. Presently, the gardens are seldom watered, we depend on rainfall. Increased collection capacities for rainwater will enable us to maintain the gardens and landscaping. So far rainwater is collected only from the roof on the main building and one side of the bungalow. In order to collect more water, more tanks need to be installed below the bungalow and connected to the guttering of the unused side. In addition the gallery with its very large roof surface needs to be guttered along with additional rain water storage tanks. As the gallery is at a higher level than the rest of the hotel, water collected from this roof can be gravity fed from storage tanks below the gallery to the tank under the main building.
2. Water filter system: Install a water treatment plant to remove residue and then subject water to ultra-violet light to kill bacteria. Completed.
3. Additional Pump: Benefits: control of water pressure within the facility, ensuring consistent pressure and reducing wastage and lessening wear and tear on the single pump now in operation. Completed
4. Replace old solar panels: The solar panels were locally made with wooden frames. After 9 years, the wood has warped and the panels are not airtight which greatly reduces their efficiency. The solar panels need to be replaced with new ones. Completed.
5. Replace hot water storage tank: The last of the original hot water tanks is still in use in the main building. All others have burst, as they seem to have been built with a fault. Completed
6. Re-plumb hot water system in main building: The delivery of hot water to the rooms and bar in the main building is not efficient. We have established that this is due to the way in which hot water piping has been installed. This piping will have to be re-installed so that we can maximise on the solar heating capacity.
7. Establishing additional water meters: Set up sub-water meters for the departments of laundry and kitchen. Link all the meters to a central control unit that provides a target and monitoring unit. Fitting water meters in wall mounted boxes and fitting water meter readout units in prominent places in the kitchen and the laundry and the office. We need to install a meter to register how much rainwater is collected in order to compare these figures with our total usage. The last item completed
8. Replace cpvc water pipes: Due to the heavy usage and poor quality, these pipes continuously spring leaks at the joints. These should ideally be replaced with copper, but using insulated galvanised piping would be adequate. This applies to all pipes from the solar water heating panels to the rooms and laundry as well. At present some of the pipes leading from the solar panels are not insulated.
9. Install water savers on all taps and replace toilets in all rooms to water saving toilets. Completed
10. Recycling of grey water: Grey water is presently soaked away. A system is to be installed to allow us to pump this water up the hill to the area below the pool for irrigation of the garden being developed there and for public toilets which will be installed there once the gardens are established. Any future expansion of the hotel will see this water being used for the toilets. An ultra violet light will be installed for the purification of the grey water thus eliminating the need for chlorine use.
11. Electrical backup system: It will be necessary to install an electrical backup during power cuts so that the water supply to the hotel is uninterrupted.
12. Conduct promotional campaign
• With the school that the hotel sponsors
• With hotel staff: distribute water saving devices to staff (flow restrictors in shower heads (if they have a shower) and “save a flush” together with a Wise Water User’s Pack. The “save a flush” could consist of a litre bottle filled with sand.
Waste Management
• Single portions and single packaged items (food and toiletries) are not used. For example, liquid soap dispensers replace individual bars of soap ensuring no waste from the wrappers and a hygienic soap dispensing system.
• Reusable or recyclable products are used in all departments. To this extent no paper napkins are used. Instead cloth napkins that are washed and reused are preferred. In the rooms cloth laundry bags are used instead of the plastic or paper version.
• Products that are not necessary such as straws and paper coasters and small paper serviettes are avoided. Guest response is very positive once they have received the information about the environmental objectives that are served by observing these policies.
• The daily menu is written on a blackboard in the restaurant to highlight the daily specials-instead of printing new sheets each day
• Picnic lunches are packed in re-useable boxes rather than disposable boxes.
• Reusable containers are used for storage rather than depending on aluminium foil and plastic cling wrap
Social and Economic Policy
• Developing the business on a scale that will provide a balance between the community’s needs and priorities and the tourist’s demands in order to attain a profitable co-existence. Very large projects have shown that they strain the resources and place unwelcome pressure on the local population.
• Buying local products and services. This generates additional income in the 
community and since these items are not packaged, it helps to avoid garbage problems. Tinned products are seldom used.
• With the exception of a few alcoholic beverages such as whisky, sherry, campari, we concentrate on using locally made alternatives. In terms of liqueurs the world-famous Jamaican Sangster’s liqueurs are offered rather than the established international, imported alcohol beverages. Guests are encouraged to sample and enjoy Wild Orange Liqueur for example, instead of the well known Cointreau. In terms of the cuisine, recipes are adapted to use local alternatives. An example for this is locally solar-dried tropical fruits instead of prunes, raisins, dates, etc. The menu uses a variety of local produce such as the dasheen, coco, yam, etc., and thus introduces visitors to these often otherwise untried alternatives. 
The restaurant has a reputation for fine cuisine using only fresh, seasonal produce.
• Promoting the cultural heritage of the area (maroon history as well as the natural sites such as the various waterfalls, caves, plantations etc.) To further facilitate this plans are currently being made to offer tour-co-ordination services.
Environmental Management
• Resource management and ecological considerations in terms of physical-biological parameters rather than clearing lands, existing infrastructure was used by adapting a private villa to meet the requirements of a hotel. The existing infrastructure serviced the property thus eliminating the need to extend roads, etc.
• The planning design and sitting of the property have been keeping with the landscape and wherever possible enhancing it, for example by terracing the hillside and filling with soil that has been washed down to the bottom of the property by rain. Terracing helps o prevent further soil erosion. The buildings have also been planned to maximise on natural ventilation; built up areas have been kept to a minimum; pathways are covered with gravel allowing the seepage of rainwater into the ground rather than running off surfaced areas.
• Conservation of natural resources: the natural forest on the property has been preserved, the building fits into landscape and does not jar or obstruct the view of the natural hillsides. The gallery was built between two old fig trees and incorporates them in to the design. The use of large windows allows the maximum use of natural light and keeps the use of electrical lights to a minimum.
• All aspects of operations have been reviewed with the goal of choosing the least damaging options. An algae inhibitor and floatron are used in the pool to reduce the use of chlorine to a minimum. No insecticides or pesticides are used. Instead age-old household remedies such as pepper teas, mixed cultivation, etc. achieve good results. Phosphate free cleaning agents are used. Natural, non-toxic agents such as baking soda for cleaning, boric powder instead of chemical anti-roach poisons and khus-khus root instead of mothballs, etc are used.
• Minimising waste and reducing the burden on the environment by recycling, re-using, pollution control and responsible disposal such as composing. The emphasis here is on avoiding waste problems rather than on solving problems once a difficult situation has arisen.
• Treatment of wastewater with a biological system. Future plans intend to develop the system further by installing a pump and using the recycled water for those purposes that do not require drinking such as irrigation, cleaning cars and grounds, etc.
• Use of renewable energies (solar water heating) and energy efficient equipment and lighting.
• Use of water efficient or water saving equipment (water efficient dishwashers, water savers in toilet tanks).
• Increasing awareness of environmental issues within our own organization through staff training as well as working together with local environmental groups to increase the level of public consciousness for the environment. As representative of the local environmental group P.E.P.A. and an expert in the field of sustainable tourism Shireen Aga has conducted a series of “Greening” workshops for departmental staff of all hotels and villas in Port Antonio resort area.
Supplier Policies and Management Systems
We understand that purchasing decisions can make a significant contribution to improving the property’s environmental performance and our contribution to protecting the surrounding environment. Choosing products that are “environmentally friendly” in terms of content, packaging, and ease of recycling and disposal are fundamentals to the environmental purchasing guide of our hotel. In purchasing responsibly, our hotel becomes more cost-effective, and by stimulating the local economy, enhances the local environment. To implement environmentally-friendly purchasing in our hotel, we:
o Review all products purchased and assess their environmental impact
o Review services provided by the hotel and assess their impact
o Determine the availability on environmentally friendly alternatives
o Promote supply of better alternatives with suppliers
o Observe the following guidelines:
1) Buy only what is necessary. Do not be bound by tradition or habit. Avoid purchasing manufactured items that can be substituted by natural materials from the garden or other sources. Example: Cocktail decorations, where flowers and fruit can be attractively used instead of the paper umbrellas or other similar objects.
2) Be creative!
3) But quality goods. In the long run they last longer and need replacing far less frequently therefore producing less waste of the various resources.
General Purchasing Guidelines
• Buy in bulk
• Avoid over-packaged goods
• No single portion, one-use, disposable items
• Dispensing units are to be installed as far as possible in guest bathrooms, public toilets etc. for toiletries, soap, etc.
• Buy locally produced goods as far as possible
• Buy energy efficient equipment
• Buy solar-powered technology as far as possible
• Consider renting instead of buying
• Avoid products made with, or containing environmentally harmful materials
• Building materials such as wood must be from sustainable sources
• No hard tropical woods are to be used. Use of locally grown bamboo is a wonderful substitute that is also optimal for contributing to the “Caribbean, tropical atmosphere”
• Avoid installing equipment with high energy usage that are not necessary such as minibars and air-conditioning
• All equipment using water should be fitted with water-saving devices
• Avoid aerosols. Instead choose manual pumps that can be refilled
• If aerosols are unavoidable they must be CFC-free
• New refrigeration units must be CFC-free
• Electrical or power generated equipment must have low noise levels
Food Purchasing Guidelines
• Buy fresh, seasonal produce as far as possible. Avoid tinned produce. If particular fruits are not in season offer another alternative option
• If choice is available, choose products in glass bottles rather than plastic. We have various small cottage industries that will use the bottles again as opposed to plastic for which there are no recycling facilities locally or nationally.
• But organically grown produce from known sources to help promote reduction of pesticides and other chemicals
• Purchases whole grain foods as far as possible for greater nutritional value
• Do not buy products on endangered list such as conch
• Do not buy produce during the breeding season such as the closed season for the lobster
Cleaning Agents Purchasing Guidelines
• Purchase products that as far as possible are multi-purpose thus reducing the total number of products in use. Examples are baking soda, vinegar, and all-purpose liquids.
• Substitute chemical products as far as possible with natural products
• Any chemical products must be phosphate free and biodegradable
• Only chlorine-free bleach is to be bought. Oxygen based bleaches do not destroy the natural flora of the wastewater treatment plant.
Office/Paper Purchasing Guidelines
• Use chlorine-free bleached and recycled paper as far as possible. Since this paper has to be imported to Jamaica, we compromise and use the regularly available standard paper for internal use, while using the recycled paper for all promotional and guest use
• Collateral material should be printed with Soya ink
• High gloss collateral is avoided because the varnishes contain chemicals that are not environmentally friendly
• Reduce paper usage as far as possible by directing all correspondence as far as possible via e-mail and fax via the Internet
• All photocopying equipment must be ozone-free
• Buy refillable ink cartridges for the printers
• Use folders made from recycled board rather than plastic folders
• Buy recycled toilet paper
Linen/Rooms Purchasing Guidelines
• Only cotton, preferably organically grown cotton linen and towels are to be purchased. Climatically the synthetic items are uncomfortable
• Avoid thick, quilted bedspreads that use a lot of water and energy to be washed because of their bulk. Lightweight bedspreads generate less laundry
• Tablemats are more economical than tablecloths. In case of spills/stains the whole tablecloth must be laundered whereas with tablemats, only the particular one in question needs to be washed
• Furnishings must be chemical free
• Washable materials such as cotton are to be chosen so that there is no necessity for dry-cleaning
The following is a list of suppliers that The Hotel Mocking Bird Hill uses in purchasing goods and services:
• Better Life – Grains and nuts
• Blue Mountain Aromatics – Guest amenities
• College of Agriculture – Milk
• Country Farm House – Rice, wheat, and soy products
• Diversey Lever – Chlorine/Algaecide, laundry and dishwashing detergents
• Euro Imports – Olives, tinned tomatoes, olive oil
• Thomas Finnigan – Wines, olives, and cheeses
• Groovy Grains – Cereals
• International Ingredients – Yeast, baking soda, acetic acid
• Island Spice – Spices
• Jamaica Paper Products – Paper, Toilet paper
• J. Wray and Nephew – Appleton Special and other alcoholic beverages
• Kamal’s Supermarket – Groceries
• Lacelles – Liqueurs
• Lenn Happ Supermarket – Groceries
• Long Road – Chocolate tea balls
• Nature’s hand made paper – Guest amenities (paper/sewing kits)
• Uriah Palmer – Fruits and vegetables
• Sea Spice – Smoked marlin
• Vincent Slimforte – Fruits, vegetables, and meats
Introduction: Why We Produced This Report
Section 1: Key Indicators and Vision
Section 2: Organizational Profile
Section 3: Policies, Management Systems and Relationships
Section 4: Environmental Performance
Section 5: Social and Economic Performance
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