BEST Encourages Rosewood’s Green Initiative
The letter below was sent by Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce [BEST] Chairman Stuart Hayward to Mr. Robert Boulogne, Chief Operating Officer of Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, and copied to Premier Paula Cox, Walter Roban, Minister of the Environment; Mr. Trevor Leach, Director of Planning; Mr. John Scott, President and CEO, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts; Mr. Ed Trippe, CEO. Castle Harbour Limited.
Dear Mr. Boulogne
We congratulate you on the re-branding of one of Bermuda’s finest properties as Rosewood Tucker’s Point Resort and wish you success. We further hope the new venture does well in the future for Bermuda’s sustainable tourism as we anticipate that you will bring a long-overdue global marketing strength to our local tourism industry.
We ask that you proceed responsibly with any involvement you may have in the proposed property development undertaken by your new Bermuda partners, Castle Harbour Limited and Bermuda Properties Limited:
For your own benefit, we respectfully suggest that you make a formal request for any and all submissions made to date to Bermuda’s Department of Planning by the Departments of Conservation Services (DCS), Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Parks in the review of the proposal (for the recently approved SDO) for the Tuckers Point Resort Residential Development. We respect and value the input of the government’s technical professionals in this area. Although neither we nor the public have been given access to the reports, we are aware via ministerial statements that the technical professionals did a thorough job at the review task and expect that the reports are fairly enlightening regarding the potential environmental impact of development. These could have bearing on your future actions as the resort manager and marketing agent as you attempt to comply with your own Verdes Green Initiative.
As a sustainable development advocate, we support Rosewood’s listed corporate core values and Verdes Green Initiative Policy. We want to see Rosewood’s actions validate these values and policies as stated, including:
“We embrace the environment and its surroundings”.”We vow to be noble stewards of nature and proactively seek ways to conduct our business in a manner that puts environmental responsibility and sustainability at the forefront of our business objectives.”
“Respect the unique setting, history, environmental sensibilities and cultural mores for each community in which we are located” In your Bermuda press conference of February 4th, 2011 you mentioned that Rosewood is selective in its projects; that Rosewood “Wants to do the right projects”. You dwelt upon the reasons that Rosewood chose the Tucker’s Point project — the three principal reasons being:
- Access
- Ownership and stakeholders sharing the same dream and
- Likely success
As we are all stakeholders in Bermuda we would like to share a sustainable reality with Rosewood.
Your consideration of likely success asked, “Does the physical property embrace a sense of Bermuda?”
This question falls directly under Rosewood’s Green Initiative Responsibilities Motto
“Embrace A Sense of Place”. In our view this was good and consistent branding for your Green Initiative.
We feel that the “Sense of Bermuda” could be well represented at Rosewood Tucker’s Point by responsible sustainable development with your quality input as a partner in this venture. We look forward to hearing about and seeing actions of substance to implement your values and Green Initiative policies at Rosewood Tucker’s Point.
Respectfully Submitted,
Stuart Hayward
Chair, Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST)
CC: The Hon. Paula Cox, Premier of Bermuda
The Hon. Walter Roban, Minister of the Environment
Mr. Trevor Leach, Director of Planning
Mr. John Scott, President and CEO, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts
Mr. Ed Trippe, CEO. Castle Harbour Limited
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Category: All, Environment
“We respect and value the input of the government’s technical professionals in this area. Although neither we nor the public have been given access to the reports, we are aware via ministerial statements that the technical professionals did a thorough job at the review task and expect that the reports are fairly enlightening regarding the potential environmental impact of development.”
Here’s a rhetorical question: I wonder if these same taxpayer funded technical reports were shared with MPs and Senators BEFORE they were asked to vote on the SDO??