The annual Hotel Investment Confer­ence Asia Pacific (HICAP) has an­nounced the winners for the HICAP 2018 Sustainable Hotel Awards and Six Sens­es Fiji is thrilled to have taken the title in the Climate Action Category.

The awards are designed to recognise hotels in the Asia Pacific region, creating innova­tive new methods, strategies and technolo­gies to face today’s sustainable development challenge, while providing tangible exam­ples of sustainable best practices that can be replicated and adapted across the region.

For climate efforts, Six Senses Fiji is hon­ored to have been awarded top spot for a range of initiatives that are practiced within the resort.

Carbon footprint responsibility

In line with the commitments of the group, Six Senses Fiji develops sustainability and invites guests to share the responsibility to offset their carbon footprint.

The resort is designed to be 100 per cent so­lar-powered using Tesla battering packs and with the largest microgrid in South Pacific.

Energy from the sun is converted, stored and then used to power the villas, residences and facilities.

There is a desalination plant on the proper­ty that draws water from the ocean for irriga­tion and use in pools throughout the resort which is also powered by the Tesla batteries as much as possible.

A water bottling plant draws water from a bore and purifies it to the high­est drinking standards be­fore being decanted into Six Senses glass bottles for dis­tribution within the resort, with the aim to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bot­tles.

Organic Garden

The organic garden at Six Senses Fiji is where fresh produce such as lettuce, spring onions, tomatoes, passion fruit, limes, cauli­flowers and a range of herbs can be found.

The fruit and vegetables are used in the re­sort’s three restaurants.

Six Senses Spa Fiji also has its own garden with the produce being used in the Alchemy Bar for mixing body scrubs, poultices and lip balms.

Crested Iguana

There are less than 5,000 Fijian crested iguanas left in the world and Six Senses Fiji is proud to be home to 17 individuals of this critically endangered species.

A recent visit from iguana specialists pro­vided positive insights to the species and, with the sighting of two babies, demonstrat­ed that they are successfully reproducing in their protected habitat within the resort.

Giving back to the environment is just as important as reducing energy consumption and working with a zero-waste mindset, therefore Six Senses Fiji works diligently to reforest, both on land and underwater in the surrounding area.

A marine conservation project is ongoing with the team planting coral in the bay in front of the resort and regularly monitoring the results.

Since the initiative began three and a half years ago the group has seen brilliant pro­gress, with a thriving coral garden as the outcome.

Additional efforts can be seen throughout the resort and also behind the scenes, in­cluding the use of stainless steel straws, low chemical pool infiltration and worm-based septic systems, to name a few, ensuring that the resort and guests drastically reduce their environmental footprint.

Six Senses Fiji has Jessie Matai as sustain­ability officer to oversee the eco practices taking place on a daily basis at the resort.

Jessie is thrilled that the efforts she and the team are making are being recognised throughout the South Pacific.

Jason Kruse, general manager said, “We take pride in incorporating sustainability into every aspect of our resort and opera­tions.

As a core value it is what we’re made of, not just a side project, and therefore we’re keen to set a high benchmark for ecotourism in our region.”

Source: Six Senses Fiji

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