The Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council.

www.stscouncil.org

They are being set up to certify the certifiers by expert audits that will be independent and done at arms length.

Claims of being green will be qualified and quantified as far as possible. This dovetails with the now realised need to place a $ value on Natural Resources instead of seeing air, earth and water as being infinite and capable of tolerating any procedures that go against the Natural Order.

Just as commercial organic farmers need certification to justify their claims on the package, so will all of us that operate or support such developments require expert and recognised certification if we are to be taken seriously and be attractive to the growing number of informed travellers.

More red tape says my right brain. In this case I am willing to set aside time and attention to answer questions and open my proposals for rigid and dispassionate scrutiny. Not so much for any expected custom; but for: 'All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small...'.

A definition:
Sustainable tourism in its purest sense, is an industry committed to making a low impact on the natural environment and local culture, while helping to generate income and employment for locals

I think that this is so important for Treasure Beach and think that to a degree things are already happening here.

However in regards to the environment there can always be improvement.

A big problem is there is a national un-environmentaly friendly system in place (which can be used as an excuse) and alot of Jamaican's simply are not aware of dire environmental issues or if they are, of positive solutions available to them.

where there is a will there is a way.


I think that all tourism operators have a commitment to try and be environmentaly aware and have sustainable practices in place.

There is a fantastic environmental group in Jamaica the Jamaican Environmental Trust who are doing wonderful things www.jamentrust.org/aboutus.html
Their thoughts:

'Jamaica's original inhabitants, the Taino Indians called the island "Xayamaca," which means "Land of Wood and Water." However, Jamaica is currently affected by many environmental problems. We have high rates of deforestation, a growing solid waste problem, our coastal waters are over-fished and polluted in some areas, our coral reefs are threatened, air quality in towns and cities is deteriorating and is rarely tested, and rivers are affected by agricultural run-off and sand mining. Yet environmental awareness is low in Jamaica. We work with children and young people to develop understanding of how poor environmental stewardship affects quality of life for both present and future generations.'

One big problem rose when plastic bottles replaced glass returnables. Used to be you could set an empty bottle on a ledge and 10 minutes later it was gone. Now, I will see the same plastic bottle sit in a particular spot for the whole 10 days I am there. I have even seen several times a local walking down the beach and just throwing his plastic bottle in the water. Now we Americans are not the best role model by any stretch, but seem to be more respecful of the environment of others. Education begins one person at a time.
Reminds me of my sea turtle mission. When I was there a couple of times ago, (Been there 2 times this year so far) I heard about people tipping over sea turtles when they came up to nest. And the folks didn't think any differently about preserving them than they did something abundant, say a fish. I had to convince some that you do not treat a sea turtle as you would a chicken. I spoke of the amount of eggs that live and make it to adulthood. and that of those very few they do not start to reproduce until they are 30 years of age. And the ones they see are generally the young ones, under 30, who stay off shore for years. And that it is only the females that come up, so do the math. That the turtle lays her eggs with the male eggs on the bottom and the female eggs on top...(Can you tell I love and am fascinated by these fabulous creatures?) Anyway, as I spoke I could see the wheels turning. And when I returned a few months later, these few that I told this story spread the facts. I had people telling me what Cliff had taught them. And he will not allow turtle tipping on his watch...
Moral of the story is if you are passionate about something, get out there and speak your mind. Educate people. One person at a time. It will not solve everything. But it will make a difference and every little bit helps. And in 30 years there may be some turtles swimming around out there who would never have been born if I didn't get Cliff excited about it in the first place.

Thanks Minnesota Ken for taking the time to care about Mother Earth and sharing your knowledge