BLOG: Hospitality Matters – And so does our planet
| In this issue of Hospitality Matters, I wanted to talk about an issue that has been gnawing at me for a long time, an issue that needs to be addressed not only in the hospitality industry but one that concerns me, you and each and every one of us.
The harsh truth of today is that we are in the midst of the biggest environmental crisis of our time. I don’t remember another time where our environment has been at as much risk as it is today. Global climate change continues to have observable effects on our environment. Glaciers are sinking, rivers are drying up, sea-levels are rising, heat-waves are occurring more frequently, while volcanoes continue to threaten livelihoods among other devastating natural disasters that have rocked the world in the recent years.
All as a result of human action or perhaps should I say...inaction. Did you know that 16 of the 17 warmest years on record have occurred between 2001 and 2016? With 2016 being the warmest year recorded in history?! Warning bells have been ringing for almost a decade now but we human-beings seem to be hell-bent on turning a deaf ear and accelerating our own destruction.
Let me ask you a question, we all know that the environment is being aggressively damaged by us everyday – so how many of us actually put in a conscious effort to reduce if not reverse this damage? How many of us carpool or take the public transport to work as we actively count our carbon emissions? How many of us take our own reusable bags to the grocery store and avoid heaps of plastic bags that stores so generously dish out to us? How many of us turn off the sink while we’re brushing our teeth? Or consciously make an effort to limit our food wastage? I could point out a hundred little things on the top of my head that we could do in our everyday lives that would make a huge impact on environmental protection – that we just don’t bother to do.
Being apathetic to the situation is not going to make it go away and regardless of what certain world-leaders may say – this problem is real. It is here and it is getting worse. The damages done to the environment are irreversible but we do have a chance to stop it from getting worse. Governments all over the world are not doing enough but we, we as consumers, corporations and individuals have the power to make a difference.
We do not have to look far to see the effects of our negligence. Thailand is one of the biggest polluters in the world! A study in 2014 estimated that around 1.26 million tons of toxins are found in rivers and seas every year in Thailand. Can you imagine what that number is today? Last year, The Nation reported that the efficiency of wastewater treatment processes in the residential sector were only 18% effective while only 52% of wastewater is treated as a result of weak law-enforcement and poor-monitoring systems.
The Thai government is hell bent upon increasing the number of tourists into the country but this is at the expense of huge environmental degradation especially at the beautiful beaches and islands of the country. Just take a quick visit to Maya Bay in Koh Phi Phi which is part of the protected National Parks of Thailand and you will see the devastation. Anchors of long tail boats and ferries have destroyed the beautiful corals that once covered the entire reef. Swimming on the shores of the beach you will find more plastic bags and litter floating than ocean life. And it’s not like we are lacking in resources or funding. The National Parks of Thailand charges up to 400THB to foreigners as an entrance fee to any island in the so called protection area. Recent research estimates the National Parks receive up to 20 million Baht per month from entrance fees to Maya Bay alone, not including other islands.
Although our economy is more prosperous than ever, it is destroying our ecology and that needs to change. I certainly have not lost hope in our humanity and believe that all is not lost. There is some light at the end of this dark tunnel as some organisations are taking it upon themselves to do their part in environmental protection. Take for instance Lykke.blue – a Swiss fintech company developing a global marketplace utilizing the blockchain, which launched TREE – a digital token that allows companies to offset their carbon footprint by investing in natural capital. Each TREE represents a living mangrove tree (mangrove trees are five times more efficient in carbon sequestration than rainforest trees) planted on 1 sqm in Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park in Myanmar managed by Worldview International Foundation – a world leader in mangrove restoration. The more good you do, the more natural value you will earn.
For an example closer to home, I personally laud Starboard, a Bangkok based watersport board manufacturer, for its commitment to offset their carbon footprint by investing in mangrove trees. Starboard have their own pioneer forest of over 200,000 trees to maintain their zero carbon footprint. Additionally, Starboard is engaged in a Plastic Offset Program to combat plastic pollution by taxing themselves on their own plastic use, thereby creating a fund for ‘plastic offsets’. The program mitigates their CO2 footprint and incentivises the proper disposal of trash so that it can be recycled. Starboard have set a precedent to redefine industry through their ingenuity and taught us that environmental protection is just one good thought and one positive step away.
Following suit, F&B outlets and the hospitality industry will benefit immensely from investing in sustainability in a big way. We need to as an industry assess the social, economic and environmental impact of our businesses. In addition to achieving zero carbon footprint, the industry can focus on waste management, reducing energy and water usage, elimination of plastic use, and greater usage of local, organic and pesticide free produce. In the near future, I’m excited to announce that Soho Hospitality will take the lead on this with the launch of The Greenhouse Project, a sustainability initiative that hopes to redefine the F&B industry making our restaurants and hotels eco-friendly, sustainable and of course – absolutely delicious!
Experience has proven that zero carbon footprint companies with renewable policies are the winners in the competition to attract environmentally conscious consumers who seek products and services with a similar value set addressing some of mankind’s ultimate environmental and social challenges.
Till then, remember that even the littlest changes to your daily life can help the environment in a big way. Let us all do our bit to save mother Earth – because she’s all we’ve got. You can start by taking your own reusable bags to the supermarket and also refusing a plastic bag the next time you walk into a 7/11!
Watch the video above to learn more about our green initatives! |
