Online version: PDF - DTIE
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130<br />
UNIT 4: ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS<br />
• Hazardous materials, such as batteries, are shipped to the mainland<br />
for recycling;<br />
• All plant waste is fed into a high-powered chipper to create compost.<br />
This is stored in large heaps to enable bacteria to heat the compost<br />
and increase the rate at which it is converted to useful organic humus.<br />
This takes about seven months. The compost is then used as a soil<br />
enhancement in tree planting around the island and in the vegetable<br />
garden.<br />
MONITORING<br />
Turtle Island has commissioned a full Environmental Audit, which<br />
not only reports on what the Island is doing, but also makes<br />
recommendations as to how improvements can be made to environmental<br />
conduct. Regular updates to the original Audit act as benchmarks<br />
for assessing every new project undertaken, and many of the<br />
recommendations have now been implemented and absorbed into the<br />
daily life on the Island.<br />
TRAINING AND MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES<br />
• Environmental awareness programmes and training are constantly<br />
being developed to ensure that all staff understand the importance of<br />
their surroundings;<br />
• Environmental meetings take place on a daily basis, and a scheme<br />
to award those staff who show the greatest initiative in regard to<br />
environmental conduct is currently being implemented.<br />
COMMUNICATION<br />
SEA TURTLES<br />
Between the coral reef and shore lies the<br />
lagoon, a shallow but rich area of marine life.<br />
In the “Blue Lagoon” facing the western side<br />
of Turtle swim hawksbill turtles, green turtles<br />
and manta rays. The staff of Turtle Island pay<br />
local Fijian fishermen a fee for any sea turtles<br />
delivered live. The shell is then scratched<br />
by Turtle staff and so becomes valueless to<br />
poachers and souvenir seekers. (No harm is<br />
done to the turtles in this process; it is just<br />
cosmetic.) These endangered turtles then have<br />
more of a chance to survive. In deeper waters<br />
cruise coral trout, swift barracuda, wahoo, mahi<br />
mahi, dolphins, walu and the occasional pilot<br />
whale and billfish.<br />
S<br />
E<br />
C<br />
T<br />
I<br />
O<br />
N<br />
4<br />
(Extract from brochure: “The Ecology and<br />
Culture of Turtle Island”.)<br />
• Guests are exposed to the Turtle’s ecological activities even before<br />
setting foot on the Island though the resort’s promotional material, and<br />
in most cases, arrive keen to learn more about their role in preserving<br />
the environment. Accordingly, they are offered a tour of the island’s<br />
ecological zones and are encouraged to read the Environmental Audit,<br />
a copy of which is displayed in each bure.