Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts-a leading all-inclusive hotel brand in Mexico, the Dominican Republic (DR), Jamaica and Spain-is further bolstering its longstanding commitment to sustainable hospitality with the addition of fresh initiatives to reduce the brand's carbon footprint, conserve marine resources and promote reforestation.
Bahia Principe, part of Groupo Pinero, is calibrating its efforts based upon the Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was formally adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at a historic U.N. Summit, and outlined seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an effort to end all forms of poverty, fight social inequalities and comprehensively tackle climate change.
"In 2017, we made a commitment to follow the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a blueprint created by the U.N. with a stated aim to achieve peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future," said Antonia del Toro, director of corporate social responsibility at Grupo Pinero. "There are seventeen SDGs that stand at the core of the 2030 Agenda. We're pleased to report that in the past year alone, Bahia Principe [has] initiated proactive measures to contribute to ten of them."
Strategic highlights include:
-This year, Bahia Principe enacted its Strategic Energy Efficiency plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the destinations where the brand operates, which has yielded a four-percent carbon footprint reduction per hotel stay, as compared to the previous year. This initiative directly supports SDG 13, 'Climate Action.'
-Bahia Principe's Sustainable Mobility plan was also implemented in 2019, which saw 100 percent of the vehicles operating on its La Romana and Riviera Maya golf courses upgraded to electric models. Now, 90 percent of guest-transportation vehicles used on the brand's hotel properties are also all-electric.
-At its destinations, Bahia Principe collaborates with numerous organizations that share its sustainability objectives, which speaks to SDG 17, 'Partnerships for the Goals.' One example might be the Humpback Whale Museum in Samana, DR, the purpose of which is to help educate visitors about these magnificent marine animals and their conservation.
-The Eco-Bahia Foundation, an environmental conservation program in place at Bahia Principe's Mexican Riviera Maya properties, actively works toward the preservation of native flora and fauna and contributes directly to SDG 15 ('Life on Land') by educating its guests and employees about the value of conservation. There's even a kids' program centered on learning about the importance of protecting and caring for the environment. The Eco-Bahia Foundation also works to protect marine life, and runs a sea-turtle rescue program, therefore also contributing to SDG 14, 'Life Below Water.'
-In the same vein, and further contributing to SDG 15, Bahia Principe has beefed up its reforestation efforts in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, planting over 15,000 native trees and plants in these destinations. In partnership with local environmental protection entities such as the National Botanical Garden Dr. Rafael Maria Moscoso in the DR, the brand helps to conserve endangered flora and protected species, including the DR's national flower-the Bayahibe Rose-and the Ceiba and Guayiga. Specimens now populate the gardens of the recently refreshed Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar in Punta Cana.
At Ocean's 4 golf course in La Romana, also in the DR, reforestation efforts of the past few years have resulted in the planting of more than 3,000 trees, including endangered species and the DR's national tree, the Caoba. In Mexico, over 3,000 palms have also been bedded into the Riviera Maya Golf Club's terrain, including such endangered species as the Nakax Palm, Chit Palm and Kuka Palm.
The U.N.'s seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, in order, are: No Poverty; Zero Hunger; Good Health and Well-Being; Quality Education; Gender Equality; Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Reduced Inequalities; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Responsible Consumption and Production; Climate Action; Life Below Water; Life on Land; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; Partnerships.
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