The two winning properties obtained the highest combined scores, based on the criteria of awareness, resource conservation, stewardship and infrastructure.  Coincidentally, both properties earned the Achievement Award in their respective categories in the 2002 edition of the Green Hotels Awards.  The "2003 CHA Green Hotels of the Year" award winners are as follows:

• Small Hotel Category - Bucuti Beach Resort, Eagle Beach, Aruba
• Large Hotel Category - Sandals Negril Resort & Spa, Jamaica

The Bucuti Beach Resort, Green Globe Certified since 2000, has successfully created a clean, natural setting that energizes and preserves its natural surroundings.  Their resource conservation program includes the use of water saving devices in toilets, faucets, and pool - and reuse of gray waters for garden and ground irrigation.  Meanwhile, electricity is conserved with the use of low wattage light bulbs, air conditioning sensors, and insulated draperies.  The hotel has also installed 14 fifty-gallon solar water-heating panels that have considerably reduced gas and

Bucuti Beach Resort L.G.Smith Boulevard #55B Eagle Beach, Aruba

Bucuti stands behind a strict purchasing policy that commits to the purchase of resource-efficient equipment, reusable and recyclable packaging, and biodegradable and less hazardous products.  This purchasing policy extends to the community, with guidelines to protect local labor and source local products and services with minimal environmental impact whenever possible.  Bucuti Beach Resort also reaches out to the community through island-wide recycling contests, environmental art competitions, road and beach cleanups. 

Promoting environmental awareness through the education, training, and involvement of the staff, the hotel engages the full support of its team to make good green decisions both on the job and at home.  As an incentive, Bucuti's Best Program recognizes staffers who suggest and implement new environmental practices.  This process is overseen by a Green Team that meets regularly to monitor compliance, discuss pending issues and discuss new issues, challenges and opportunities. 

Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa, Jamaica

The environmental management program of this Green Globe certified hotel is extensive. Beyond resource efficient practices, the hotel engages staff, guests, and even suppliers to support the efforts.  Consumption of resources in controlled in a number of ways.  Energy is conserved through solar panels to heat water and the use of gas, rather than electricity, for supplementary heating.  Further, most common areas are open air and utilize natural light as much as possible.  For their efforts, the property has saved almost US$43,000.00 in the past 12 months in water, electricity, diesel oil and liquid petroleum gas. 

In addition, the property operates an broad waste management program, with interesting features:  food waste is collected by pig farmers to reuse as feed; shredded paper is collected by funeral homes for the filling of coffins; glass bottles are returned to the manufacturer for recycling; and PET bottles are given to the hotel's adopted school.  Through the Recycle for Life Project, the school receives computers upon reaching an established quota of collected PET bottles.

The hotel staff is an important of the success of the program.  Every member of staff must undergo periodic training on the hotel's official Environmental Policy and best practices, recognizing the efforts of departments that meet or exceed its annual environmental management system targets and even providing funding to the special projects suggested by them.  The hotel also awards any suggestion or idea that a staff member gives to the environment, health and safety committee when their idea is adopted as a best environmental management practice. 

Another important stakeholder is the hotel guest.  Information about relevant environmental practices and safety measures are visibly posted in guestrooms and public areas.  Under the slogan "One Person can make a difference," guests are constantly encouraged to help conserve resources, water and energy.  The third link in Sandals Negril's winning formula is the suppliers.  The hotel has developed a Guide for Suppliers and Contractors that outlines their policies to review the environmental impact of the supplies they purchase, promote better alternatives, and ensure that they do not stock or sell products made from endangered species.  To reduce packaging waste, the hotel does not accept packaging that cannot be returned or recycled.   The Sandals Negril goes one step further to support the local Jamaican economy with a policy not to import anything that is produced or grown locally, provided it meets the Sandals standards and specifications.

Green Awards Criteria

The "Green Hotel of the Year" awards demonstrate the Caribbean travel and tourism industry's continued commitment to pursuing sustainable tourism development in the region.  The awards program is designed to encourage investment in environmentally-friendly technologies and sustainable management practices within hotels and resorts by recognizing those properties that have realized significant achievements in "greening" their operations.

A team of qualified environmental experts from the Barbados-based Caribbean Conservation Trust performed site inspections and evaluated the properties in four categories:

1. Resource Conservation is judged on how well the applicants apply the "reduce, reuse and recycle" principles in the hotel's daily operations;
2. Awareness reviews environmental and conservation training programs for the staff, environmental and conservation policies established as standard operating procedures, and the efforts made to communicate the hotel's conservation and protection policies to guests;
3. Stewardship is based on a property's ability to create environmental programs with the local community;
4. Infrastructure examines environmentally-friendly architecture and the ability of a hotel's short- or long-term plans to positively impact the engineering of environmentally-compatible structures.