SUSTAINABLE DESTINATION COUNCIL CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE PERSONS TO BE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS

Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 03, 2021 (SKNIS): The Sustainable Destination Council (SDC) in St. Kitts continues to work assiduously to encourage individuals to be environmental stewards so that they can be responsible for using and protecting the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices in order to enhance ecosystem resilience and human well-being.
 
“We are relaunching the Heart of St. Kitts Sustainability Charter which encourages visitors… the scope for many other businesses to be involved. We promote sustainable practices with tourism and your business whether in terms of environment, printing on both sides of the paper, turning your lights off, conserving energy,” said Kenney Manning, Sustainable Tourism Coordinator, during his appearance on Working for You on June 02.
 
According to sustainabletravel.org, in 2016, Sustainable Travel International launched the Heart of St. Kitts Sustainability Charter and Foundation with the aim to identify a coalition of local businesses committed to sustainability on the island and establish a baseline for evaluating sustainability performance of local tourism enterprises.
 
The Foundation builds awareness around sustainability priorities on the island, inspires locals and visitors to be stewards of the island’s cultural and environmental assets, and provides funding for community-based projects that make St. Kitts a better and more sustainable place to live and experience.
 
Mr. Manning noted ways in which persons can be environmental stewards. For example, he encouraged small restaurant bars to make compost of their potato, dasheen and yam peelings or donate them to a farmer to help feed some pigs instead of sending them to the landfill. By doing this, Mr. Manning said they will help to manage the waste.
 
He also encouraged people to give back to society in whatever way they can.
 
“We are also looking at philanthropy, giving back. People can give back their expertise or skills; it doesn’t always have to be money. We are a very educated bunch of people and very knowledgeable. We want you to give back whether in cash or kind. It could be in time because we also have beach cleanups, community cleanups, and beautification,” he said. “That is what we are trying to do, encourage people to be more active in terms of sustainability and overall, especially in the businesses because that is where we spend most of our time.”