While International Earth Day is celebrated once every year, at Constance Hotels and Resorts, they celebrate everyday with care and commitment to delivering the best of service while keeping the environment clean and sustainable. With deep understanding of the climate change issues and acknowledging the responsibility towards the planet; the group has implemented a number of eco measures, as well as adopting the best sustainable practices and green initiatives to become a leading eco-luxury hotel brand in the Indian Ocean.
Six Constance Resorts and Hotels are Gold members of the Green Globe certification with an average score of 90%, which is a proof of the rigorous commitment towards continual improvement in sustainability performance. Across all the properties green actions are encouraged to be practiced by both guests and team members to regenerate and enhance the natural assets of each location.
There are also different awareness programs designed to rebuild the connection with nature and preserve the local culture. Constance Ephelia in the Seychelles do mangroves planting and conservation where the hotel welcomes guests and community members, especially students for environmental education tours to learn about the contribution of the mangroves in the global ecosystem while conducting regular planting activities with them. The resort has its own mangrove nursery where all planted seeds are monitored helping in propagation and rehabilitation of the seven different mangrove species growing in that area. And, there is a new nature hike trail which allows guests to visit and connect more with the nature and flora at the property – a scenic route which takes guests to the highest viewpoint of the resort with the most breath taking views.
At Constance Lemuria, the Grande Anse Kerlan beach remains the number one site on Praslin Island with a proper Turtle Conservation Program which is overseen by the Turtle Manager, Robert Matombe. Eco-guided tours are available upon request where Robert takes great pleasure sharing his knowledge on the fauna and flora around the hotel to the guests. The resort also gives a "Lemuria passport" to every guest upon arrival which includes a list of endemic and local plants, fruits and animals that they can encounter during their stay and visit in the Seychelles.
In the Maldives, Constance Halaveli contributes to supporting the biodiversity conservation; including supporting natural protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value such as educate the divers about the protected zone before starting their diving program. The resort offers the "Nature Guide Booklet" in each villa which provides information on native wildlife and plant species that are found on the island. The "Green News magazine" displayed on the in-house TV channel in guests’ villas raises awareness and promote the resort’s sustainability practices. Guests are also educated about ethical souvenirs and are encouraged to purchase and support native crafts that use traditional plant materials like coconut husk or leaves for woodwork and woven products.
On the other hand, Constance Moofushi has done substantial efforts to drastically reduce its use of plastic. The implementation of re-usable glass water bottles since 7 years, the take-back policies with suppliers such as for egg trays & vegetables crates, the room amenities have been replaced by wooden amenities while all plastic water bottles at the mini bar have been removed and replaced by recyclable glass. A brand new micro plastic initiative encourages guests to collect all the micro plastic that they see on the beach to bring back home with them and at the same time raising awareness on ocean pollution.
The team members keep looking for the best green initiatives which can be implemented at the hotel. Last month, a recycling competition on the occasion of the Global Recycling Day was organized at Constance Moofushi. The winner of the competition made an eco-friendly bottle out of coconut shells in order to replace all existing plastic sanitizer containers. This project will be implemented as part of their actions in banning plastic and promoting recycling.
At Constance Moofushi, in house productions are also eagerly encouraged: the resort makes its own sea salt in four flavours (beetroot, lemon, herbs, smoked), charcoal, chili as well as aloe vera at the Spa. They also make their homemade compost. Remaining food wastes, mainly biodegradable, are composted onsite for use in the gardens.
On April 22nd, Constance Hotels & Resorts will celebrate the international Earth Day with the guests and staffs.All along the year the group thrives to achieve a positive environmental impact and look forward to continuing the implementation of eco-friendly and culturally enriching practices that can only enhance and nurture their destinations habitat and guest experiences.