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DREAMS CANCUNRESORT & SPAResponsible Waste ManagementBecause improper waste management canpose major problems for any tourist destination,Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa implementeda comprehensive waste managementprogram. It began with a waste-sorting plan;the recycling of plastic, aluminum, cardboard,glass and various metals. The initiativeincluded 84 training courses taken by 1,138employees, including kitchen staff, room staffand public area attendants. The initiative hasinvolved nearly 200 people, including kitchenstaff, and room and public area attendants.The result is a reduction of more than 312,967kg of waste going to a landfill, equivalent tothe waste generated by more than 85,000people in one year.In its second phase, the program used organicwaste to make compost, keeping 9,000 kgof material out of the dump and convertingit into three tons of compost to fertilize thehotel’s gardens. The amount is equivalent tothe organic waste generated by 300 peopleevery month over a 12-month period.DREAMS HUATULCORESORT & SPAA Good Neighbor to the CommunityDreams Huatulco Resort & Spa is located nearSan José Cuajinicuil, a rural community thatsuffers from high poverty, unemploymentand school dropout rates. After analyzing thecommunity’s needs, the hotel offered trainingcourses in cooking, food service, waitingtables, bartending and housekeeping andsubsequently hired trainees who demonstratedinterest, capacity and skills.The resort also organized an annual eventto promote helmet use among motorcyclistsand bicyclists in an effort to reduce serioustraffic casualties in the area. During the event,called “Rolling for Life,” hotel employees onmotorcycles and bicycles encouraged the useof helmets, first-aid workers gave demonstrations,and information on the myths and realitiesof helmet use was distributed. The hotelprovided financial assistance to employeesfor the purchase of helmets. Helmet use byemployees is now monitored on a daily basis.4

DREAMS LOS CABOS SUITESGOLF RESORT & SPA ANDZOËTRY CASA DEL MARLOS CABOSA Helping Hand to the Most VulnerableIn recent years, the Dreams Los Cabos SuitesGolf Resort & Spa and Zoëtry Casa del MarLos Cabos have supported community developmentby participating in big events likethe Telethon and the Festival of Values, Musicand Color.The hotels have also provided support toorganizations assisting the elderly, such asthe Grandparents’ Day Home of San José delCabo and the San Miguel Grandparents’ Club.Dreams Los Cabos and Zoëtry Casa del Mardonated clothing and food and hotel employeesvolunteered to spend time with theresidents.The hotels also participate jointly withthe General Directorate of the Ecologyand Environment of Los Cabos to clean upthe estuary of San José del Cabo, an areafrequently used for recreation by the generalpopulation. In the past, about 90 people havegathered to assist in recovering the estuary’srich biodiversity.DREAMS PUERTOAVENTURAS RESORT & SPASuppliers Also CountIf a business is to be sustainable, it mustdo more than simply find suppliers whooffer top-notch goods and services. It hasto look closely at both its suppliers andthe products it purchases. Dreams PuertoAventuras Resort & Spa verifies the originsand biodegradability of the products it uses,as well as the disposal of product packagingand waste. What’s more, it supportsits suppliers: members of the Maya CobaHoney Cooperative, for example, producersof distinctive honey made by Melipona bees,were required to send their children to thecommunity school before the resort wouldpurchase Maya Coba products. This propertyalso provides incentives for the children withthe best grade-point averages and donatesschool supplies, toys and clothes.Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spapurchases from local micro, small andmedium-sized enterprises, such as a group ofwomen artisans in the Maya area that makesjams. This benefits Chumpon, a Maya communityclose to the buffer zone of the Sian Ka’anBiosphere Reserve, by reducing the need tomigrate and improving the quality of life ofmore than 100 people.Fotografía de Travel Foundation.5

DREAMS PUERTO VALLARTARESORT & SPAConcrete Actions for the EnvironmentDreams Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa recognizesthat the region’s natural resources playa key role in strengthening its business. Thehotel has set aside an area for the conservationof olive ridley sea turtles, an endangeredmarine species that returns every yearto lay eggs on the hotel’s beach. The hotelstaff works to protect the eggs during theirincubation period, monitoring as many as900 nests in a season. Guests, communitymembers and employees receive trainingin how to correctly handle turtle hatchlingsand help with the eventual release of thetiny creatures. In 2012, this program aidedin the release of some 63,000 hatchlings—anincrease of five percent from the previousyear.In addition to the sea turtle program, DreamsPuerto Vallarta educates its staff on a varietyof sociocultural and environmental topics.More than 1,700 employees have takencourses on waste management, biodiversity,human trafficking and other important issues.DREAMS TULUMRESORT & SPAProtecting Our WaterDreams Tulum Resort & Spa has developeda comprehensive program for the extraction,use, treatment and discharge of water. Inaddition to being verified by the RainforestAlliance, the hotel holds a certificationfor “Tourism Environmental Quality” fromMexico’s Federal Environmental ProtectionProsecutor’s Office.In addition to its water program, DreamsTulum works to support neighboring communities.The hotel made cash donations andstructural improvements to a local school of150 students and provides scholarships for80 students at nearby universities. DreamsTulum also created the Tulum Foundation,which provides full university scholarshipsto youth from low-income families.6

DREAMS VILLAMAGNANUEVO VALLARTARespecting Our Ancestral CulturesLocated in an area of extensive cultural richness,Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallartamakes a point of sharing with its guestsand employees the customs of the Coraand Huichol indigenous peoples, who haveretained their distinctive language, cultureand religion.The hotel promotes Huichol crafts and ritualsin its facilities, makes in-kind donations tothe community and supports the “New Life”children’s shelter, where about 16 childrenreceive an education and improved quality oflife. At the shelter, hotel staff organize recreationalactivities and cleanup campaigns,remodel rooms, and make donations.NOW JADE RIVIERA CANCUNAND NOW SAPPHIRERIVIERA CANCUNKnowledge is an Ally to PerformanceNow Jade Riviera Cancun and Now SapphireRiviera Cancun are committed to reducing,treating and safely disposing of hazardousand non-hazardous wastes. Their first step indeveloping an integrated waste managementprogram included an analysis of the existingconditions and educating their personnel.The hotels worked closely with professionalstrained in identifying, handling and sortinghazardous, chemical and solid wastes. Theyalso held a series of training events for hotelpersonnel who routinely handle waste.Thanks to the training events, the hotels havemade great strides in their comprehensivewaste management plans, recovering andrecycling more than 32 tons of materials thatwould otherwise have ended up in the municipallandfill. In addition, the courses raisedawareness about the hazardous nature ofsome waste materials and the health concernsthat could arise from improper handling.7

SECRETS HUATULCORESORT & SPAUnited Efforts with the CommunityWhen Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa decidedto tackle the problem of electronic waste, ittook its efforts far beyond its own facilities.With the participation of other organizationsin the community of Santa Cruz Huatulco,the resort organized “Reciclon,” a recyclingevent for electronic items, during which familiesand small and medium-sized enterprisescould safely dispose of electronic equipment.Thanks to the participation of 11 businessesand 22 households, the resort collected andrecycled 365 items weighing a total of aboutnine tons.Secrets Huatulco also held a drive for basicfootwear, a necessity many local residentswere lacking. The hotel solicited contributionsfrom guests and collaborators for children’sshoes, and donations were later deliveredby hotel staff, who created pop-up“shops” where shoes were given away.SECRETS MAROMA BEACHRIVIERA CANCUNGuardian of the ReefThe managers at Secrets Maroma BeachRiviera Cancun understand that the nearbyreef is a distinctive feature of the local landscapeand a powerful draw to guests; they alsoknow that trash can damage the reef’s fragileecosystem. Every Sunday, hotel staff, includingtop executives, patrol the beach, armedwith bags, to pick up litter.The Saturday morning beach cleanup is justone way that Secrets Maroma Beach upholdsits environmental policy, which complieswith the country’s environmental laws andbalances business and ecological capital.Other important efforts include ongoingprograms to promote the efficient use ofwater and energy and to recycle and reusewaste. With this approach, Secrets MaromaBeach aims to achieve savings and strengthenthe supply chains involved in its activities.8

SECRETS CAPRIRIVIERA CANCUNConnecting Tourists withthe CommunitySecrets Capri Riviera Cancun developedan innovative program called the “Circleof Prosperity and Happiness,” which linkstourism, Mayan artisans and the integrateddevelopment of low-income communities.Each hotel guest receives a handcraftedbracelet that reflects Mayan artistry andsymbolizes a circle of energy and community.The bracelets come from a small communitylocated 12 kilometers from the archaeologicalsite of Coba, providing income and artisticopportunities to 30 artisan families.In addition, Secrets Capri buys honey fromthe community of San Juan de Dios, whichproduces an exclusive product extractedfrom Xtabentun and Dzidzilche tree flowers,found only on the Yucatán Peninsula. Thechildren of the community are required toattend school.SUNSCAPE DORADOPACIFICO IXTAPAJobs and Opportunities for AllTo stimulate job creation, Sunscape DoradoPacifico Ixtapa regularly purchases coffee,honey and other foods from the local communityand allows artisans to exhibit and selltheir handcrafts directly to employees andguests. The staff members are educatedabout the products and their cultural significanceso that they can share that informationwith guests.Sunscape Dorado Pacifico participates ina monthly cleanup of El Palmar beach, thepride of the hotel and all of the inhabitantsof Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. As a result of thiscommitment to conservation and sustainabledevelopment, the beach has been certified asa “Clean Beach.”10

SUSTAINABLE TOURISMsustainabletourism@ra.orgwww.rainforest-alliance.orgThe Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensuresustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices,business practices and consumer behavior.For more information about our verification services in sustainable tourism,contact: RACert.Mesoamerica@ra.orgUnited States • Bolivia • Canada • Costa Rica • Ecuador • España • Guatemala • Indonesia • México • Perú • United Kingdom233 Broadway, 28th Floor • New York, NY 10279-2899 • Tel: 212/677-1900 • Fax: 212/677-2187www.rainforest-alliance.org