ASIAN HOTELS AND PROPERTIES PLC AnnuAl RepoRt 2012/13

sustainability reportPASSIONASIAN HOTELS AND PROPERTIES PLCAnnual Report 2012 /1386Conservation of BiodiversityCinnamon Grand stands in the concrete jungle of Colombo, thus the hotel has created a site for enhancing biodiversity in the form of a village inthe city namely the ‘Nuga Gama’. Throughout the hotel premises, we have created areas for small animal species, for example, the artificial pondat the Lagoon restaurant has a variety of fish and around the Lagoon garden we have natural species of animals and small habitats being formed.Case StudyThe village in the city“The Certification of NUGA GAMA as South Asia’s First Carbon Neutral® venue, by the Carbon Consultancy Company is a landmarkachievement for the Sri Lankan tourism industry. The Carbon Consulting Company is proud to partner the Cinnamon Grand in thisgreat undertaking. The achievement of this significant Green Milestone is yet another indication of the Cinnamon Grand’s continuouscommitment to push the boundaries of sustainability practices in the local hospitality industry. It is great to see a Sri Lankan Hoteltaking the lead in creating a carbon neutral facility” (Scientist and Nobel Co-Laureate Prof. Mohan Munasinghe).Cinnamon Grand Colombo believes and supports the conservation of biodiversity. The 200-year-old Nuga Tree which has beengrowing in the hotel premises stands as a testament to our commitment to nature. Our aim was to provide visitors an experiencebased on the ambience of rural life without leaving the city and hence the ‘village in the city’ emerged. The very fact that Nuga Gamahas infused the true village concept into its entirety demonstrates our commitment to environmental sustainability. The rural village ofCinnamon Grand was built on an environmentally sustainable platform, where eco-friendly practices were inculcated throughout theentire village.The lifestyle restaurant is set within the picturesque location of farmland, thatched mud huts, free roaming poultry and other paddyharvesting features. The environmentally friendly concepts practiced within the village are manifested in all aspects of the milieu. Thefloors, roofs and walls of the huts, community hall and the kade (shop) are built with eco-friendly substances such as mud, iluk andcoir rope.The farming practices established are organic and devoid of artificial fertilizers which are harmful to the environment. Drinks servedare from local seasonal fruits, hence no preservatives, while the cuisine, cooked on a firewood hearth in earthenware pots, isprimarily organic, using local spices, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish sourced from village suppliers or from the Nuga garden. The Nugagarden is enriched with about 45 varieties of plants species including indigenous medicinal herbs, leafy greens, fruit trees andspices. We also have a number of endemic floras such as the Honey Tree or Mee, of which bark and seed-oil are used to treatvarious ailments. We have created habitats for small birds and insects and all plants in the Nuga garden have been categorised andrecorded and plans are under way to categorise birds and butterflies.We do believe that having infused the best practices prevalent in a true Sri Lankan rural village, environmental sustainability becomesa natural phenomenon rather than one that has to be consciously put in place.Carbon Neutral Venue at Nuga Gama: One of our objectives was to create a Carbon Neutral Venue to encourage Carbon Neutralevents, meetings and conferences. Nuga Gama has now been certified as South Asia’s first Carbon Neutral Venue by the CarbonConsulting Company and endorsed by Professor Mohan Munasinghe. Cinnamon Grand Colombo with its passion to excel hopesto take it one step further with plans under way with our innovative Nuga Gama chef creating a typical village style menu wheresourcing, transport and preparation has a minimal impact on the environment.