Boracay Eco & Sustainability Focus Group Update
Your Hospitality Hub has been facilitating a number of Focus Groups on Boracay Island, including the Boracay Eco & Sustainability Focus Group.
These Focus Groups are an activity that Your Hospitality Hub will be replicating in other destinations, in time. However, with the closure of Boracay, and with YHH employees living on the island, it was a priority to start with Boracay. The YHH Boracay Eco & Sustainability Focus Group, facilitated several meetings, which Islanders and Business owners attended (see the minutes of the first meetings here).
This group presented the first of their discussion topics to SB (Sanguniaang Bayan or Councillor) Maylynn “Nenette” Aguirre-Graf requesting consideration for a Ban on Single Use Plastics, for a proposed Ordinance for the island. This proposal was further supported by research from Ethel Tornberg, of Watercolors.
Ethel had previously undertaken a survey at the local MRF (Municipal Recycling Facility) and learned that the greatest amount of plastics being thrown away, were ‘single use plastics’ coming from hotels. This includes complementary shower, shampoo and conditioner bottles, toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes, shaving kits, slippers, water bottles, etc. As Boracay is popular for travellers staying for only 2-3 days, this results in a huge amount of single use plastics being disposed.
On June 2, 2018 SB Maylynn “Nenette” Aguirre-Graf announced that the proposed Ordinance document had been prepared, ready to be presented to the Council for consideration.
