HAWAII - Tourism industry a good place for conservation

eTN, 13-11-2006

Tourists gobble a sizable portion of Kaua‘i’s resources, but businesses can take steps to reduce the strain on the island environment, industry leaders said at the Greening Kaua‘i’s Visitor Industry conference last week.

For example the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa converts 670 gallons of cooking oil to biodiesel each month, said Doug Sears, general manager. The Sheraton Kaua‘i cut its power bill by investing in a combined heat and power co-generator, energy technology that reduces consumption and saves the resort thousands of dollars each month, said Ed Fiegler, project manager of Starwood Vacation Ownership Pacific’s Princeville property. “There is a lot of business opportunity in doing things differently,” said Ivo Martinac, director of Environmental Sustainability in Tourism at the School of Travel Industry Management of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. “It’s not an obstacle. It’s not something we need to overcome.” But despite long-term financial incentives and the promise of good will, many businesses in the industry are not signing on to green initiatives, leaders said. “One of the myths we’ve got to do away with: It is expensive to be green,” said David Simmons, professor of Tourism, Environment, Society and Design at Lincoln University in New Zealand.

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