TTG@WTM Special Feature EU SWITCH-ASIA Greening Sri Lanka Hotels CLUB BENTOTA, BENTOTA
With electricity prices spiralling in Sri Lanka, it was the cost-saving elements of GSLH that first persuaded the chief engineer of Club Bentota to take part. The GSLH team carried out a full
energy audit of the hotel, and advised that installing a capacitor bank to improve the power-factor of the hotel’s electrics could lead to significant savings. “The capacitor cost 650,000 rupees but it soon paid for itself – the
payback period was only two and a half years,” says Nihal Swaris. In 2011, on the GSLH team’s advice,
Swaris changed all the lightbulbs in public areas from incandescent bulbs to CFL bulbs. Reducing water-pressure in taps and
An energy-saving capacitor bank
showers throughout the hotel from 3.5 bars to 2.8 bars in 2011, meanwhile, enabled the hotel to save between 1,000-1,100 litres of mains-water (which is paid for in 1,000-litre units) per room night compared to the previous year. Swaris has also found the GSLH
“eco-marts”, which bring together suppliers of various eco-friendly products and technology, a good opportunity to research and purchase hard-to-find products. “It’s very helpful to learn where we
can buy these things. We also get a very good deal through Switch-Asia,” he says. It’s not just saving money that
Club Bentota is a popular west coast beach resort SARAII VILLAGE, WEERAWILA A comprehensive recycling system minimises waste
Saraii Village is one of Sri Lanka’s newest and most unusual places to stay, comprising two “treehouses” and two wattle-and-daub mud-huts. Founder Charitha Abeyratne Hettiarachchi studied global social sustainable enterprise in the States and devised Saraii Village as her MBA project. Then, returning to Sri Lanka, she wanted to make it a reality. “When I first met GSLH director Srilal
Miththapala, Saraii was only a concept. I told him about my grand ideas, and he was able to clarify and confirm most of my thinking,” she explains. The treehouses are built using wood
from Saraii’s own forest, and the mud- huts have been thatched with iluk grass – an invasive species that would otherwise be burnt to get rid of it. Sustainably-sourced bed linen is all
dried by the sun and GSLH-branded signs ask guests to re-use linen and towels where they can. Nor are chemical cleaning products or insect repellents used. Though the guest-accommodation opened only last year, Hettiarachchi acquired the plot of land in the south, close to Yala National Park, almost 20 years ago. Since then, she has planted
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nearly two thousand different trees and plants, to create a biodiversity-rich forest where previously there had been only scrubland. Kitchen waste is composted to create organic fertiliser, and Hettiarachchi hopes the existing small plot of farmland will be expanded in future so guests can select their own fruits and vegetables. Other future plans include the addition
of three more treehouses and another mud-hut, as well as a natural swimming pool, and the installation of solar power for lighting and water-heating. “We’re working hand in hand with GSLH and I give credit to the project for showing me the way,” Hattiarachchi says. “I know there’s lots more to do, but I feel we are on the right path.”
motivates Swaris, though. Seeing changing weather patterns across Sri Lanka has convinced him of the very real impact of climate change. “We have to look after this world for the next generation,” he concludes.
RANDHOLEE RESORT, KANDY
When maintenance executive Ajantha Wijayapala came to work at Randholee Resort in 2012, he was quick to start implementing what he had learnt from the GSLH programme at a previous hotel. “Randholee was already doing some good things, but I knew there was much more we could do,” he explains. Lighting was quickly addressed, with 25% of the hotel’s lightbulbs now 3W
Treehouse accommodation at Saraii Village
Al fresco bathrooms at Saraii
Staff
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