Half Moon continues to pioneer in environmental stewardship
Half Moon has long been a pioneer in environmental stewardship. The resort has many firsts in the environmental movement; the first hotel in Jamaica to be inducted in the Caribbean Hotel Association's Green Hall of Fame as well as the first Jamaican hotel to be Green Globe Certified.Ê Additionally, the resort is the recipient of five major green awards including the Emerald Green Award for Sustainable Tourism as well as the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust's Green Turtle Award for most environmentally friendly service and practice.To add to this distinguished list of accolades, and continuing in its philosophy of environmental best practices, Half Moon recently installed a state-of-the-art Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) system, equipped withÊ an ultra violet (UV) disinfection system that treats the waste generated on the resort in a series of steps that will safeguard the integrity of the environment.
According to the Jamaican Scientific Research Council, Half Moon's SBR is the only one of its kind in the island. The acquisition of the US$1.6 million treatment plant comes as Half Moon looks to aggressively maintain its environmental best practices. As a result of this continued thrust, the resort will see the complete elimination of septic tanks and soak-away pits being used at the 400-acre resort.
Unlike the more conventional waste water systems that use septic tanks and soakaway pits, the SBR allows for almost all stages of waste water treatment to be completed at the plant located on the property. It completes the primaryÊ and secondary stages while the UV disinfection does the tertiary portion.
This process is noted as one of the safest and most complete form of treatment of its kind, as it removes the feacal coli form and the unsafe organics from the sewage.Ê Moreover, the cost efficient SBR allows the resort to conserve on its utility bills as the recycled water generated from the plant is used in irrigating the 6,585-yards Half Moon Golf Course.
"The new system is helping us save at least 100,000 gallons of water per day. At a cost of $217.33 per gallon, we are saving at least $21,733 per day," said Environmental Officer, Antoinette Johnson. "Additionally, the water also flows through the resort's nature reserve, which supports a rich mangrove ecosystem that provides a breeding ground for several species of fish, as well as a wide range of water fowls."
Half Moon has a vibrant environmental programme that includes mentoring programmes with local schools, a stringent waste management policy as well as a community outreach programme. ÊThe resort remains committed to the preservation and sustainability of the environment.ÊÊ
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