Hotel Mocking Bird Hill Launches Carbon Offsetting Programme.
As part of its ongoing commitment to operating an environmentally friendly business, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is working towards becoming a climate neutral eco-boutique hotel not only by enabling its guests to offset the carbon emissions produced by their flights to Jamaica, but also by offsetting its own carbon emissions and making continued efforts to reduce them thus reducing its environmental footprint.
Currently there is much debate about the validity of carbon emission offsets, that they are merely a form of ‘greenwashing’ and do little towards reducing the effects of global warming. The operators of Hotel Mocking Bird Hill agree that carbon offsetting is not the final solution towards addressing climate change however they believe that by offsetting the unavoidable emissions produced by their operations and simultaneously working towards reducing these emissions in an effort to becoming as carbon neutral as possible they are tackling the issue of global warming.
Their approach is fourfold: firstly, by paying into an accredited carbon offsetting programme (Sustainable Tourism International’s My Climate) to offset their carbon emissions they are putting cash towards carbon-cutting projects; secondly by improving their environmental performance they reduce the carbon emissions they produce; thirdly by seeking their guests’ involvement and fourthly by contributing to a local programme which is trying to mitigate some of the environmental problems faced in Jamaica.
By integrating a link to Sustainable Tourism International’s carbon calculator on their website they hope to make it easier for guests to take responsibility for neutralising the carbon emissions resulting from their flight to Jamaica. Guests can also support the hotel’s efforts by contributing locally to help preserve the Jamaican environment by making contribution to offsetting the carbon emissions they generated by their travel.
The contribution towards a Jamaican project that seeks to preserve and improve the Jamaican environment is important. The Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT) is a non-governmental organisation promoting sustainable resource management and helping to increase local awareness of environmental issues while training park rangers, developing and promoting community based tourism and providing a source of income generation for the communities in the John Crow and Blue Mountains. While the question of reforestation is hotly debated, it is generally agreed that where this could prove counter-productive in temperate zones, the effect in the tropics is valuable. The JCDT’s programme is particularly important as it plants in areas that have been identified (using satellite imagery and ground-truthing) as high priority areas for rehabilitation using mainly native Jamaican forest trees, particularly those that are fast growing and have little value for lumber but which are excellent for biodiversity and includes the Hernandia catalpifolia - Water Mahoe, the tree that the endangered Giant Swallowtail Butterfly lays its eggs on and the only plant the caterpillars will eat. In addition, The JCDT grows most of the seedlings in their nursery at Holywell as well as in some community nurseries. In areas closer to communities the JCDT also plants fruit trees.
The decision to make these contributions is not about easing conscience, but is part of the hotel’s strategy to operate in environmentally sound manner. Every holiday has an environmental impact. The operators of Hotel Mocking Bird Hill believe that sustainable tourism is a desirable activity of economic benefit to local communities and believe that by addressing the carbon emissions produced by their clients’ trips to Jamaica, the operators of Hotel Mocking Bird Hill are also taking responsibility for the emissions generated through their business. This initiative is about investing up front to conserve for the future without sacrificing on the comforts associated with an eco-chic hotel.
STI has recently calculated the hotel’s emissions at 68.78 VERs (verified emission reductions, ton of CO2 equivalent) annually.
For information about Hotel Mocking Bird Hill’s environmental commitment click here.
