Many Small Efforts at Constance Halaveli Maldives Deliver Big Environmental Impact
Constance Halaveli Maldives is an intimate and luxurious hideaway located on the Maldives’ North Ari Atoll, a wilderness that links land and sea; conservation and culture; along with wellness and innovation. It’s a place that cultivates connection to, and appreciation for the natural world; stirring souls and opening eyes to the Maldives that lies beyond the breathtaking beaches to the fragile underwater world, to the creative communities, to the ancient crafts and traditions, and to the conscious collaboration of people and planet.
Constance Halaveli Maldives is committed to its sustainability goals and has successfully implemented numerous green initiatives over the years. As Sustainability Ambassadors dedicated to delivering the best service while keeping the environment clean and sustainable, the resort integrates environmental leadership into everything they do and adopts best practices while complying with regulatory requirements.
Sustainability Ambassadors, Shermaine Kong, Quality and Sustainability Manager, and Erkaiym Tabyldieve Health & Safety Coordinator, believe, “We as the ‘True People’ care for our guests by offering ‘True Service and True Experience’. And as ‘True People’ we care for the Indian Ocean island, the ‘True Place’, where our property is located along with the planet we all live on.”
Constance Halaveli Partners with NGO Manta Trust
Swimming with Manta Rays ticks the top of the bucket list of many visitors to the Maldives. Being one of the most majestic creatures to see underwater, snorkeling or diving with these gentle giants is the ultimate experience. On the 21st October 2021, Constance Halaveli Maldives wanted to do more to help protect these magnificent creatures, and teamed up with the Manta Trust, an NGO dedicated to protecting manta rays and the marine ecosystems they inhabit. Now, as a Manta Trust Responsible Operator, Constance Halaveli is officially committed to minimizing the impact its guests have on the mantas and mobula rays that they encounter.
Environmental Day
Parley Ocean School
Constance Halaveli has partnered with Parley Ocean School for plastic recycling since April 2018, gathering all plastic bottles on the island and transporting to Malé, then on to Germany as there are no recycling facilities in the Maldives. This initiative coordinated by Parley Ocean, means plastic collected by the resort can be recycled and used to create new items, such as Adidas running shoes. The collaboration with Parley Ocean School is a serious step towards preserving the natural environment and from 2018 to 2020 the resort has sent around 651kg of plastic for recycling.
In Feb 2021 Constance Halaveli formalized its collaboration with Parley Ocean School with a signed Joint Letter of Intent: Under this agreement the resort pledges to avoid the use of plastic; transport waste-plastic via boats operated by the resort; as well as work with nearby local communities and schools to foster appreciation for the ocean and its ability to sustain and nourish. These initiatives bring awareness to the urgent need to protect oceans by synchronizing our lives and economic systems with the biodiversity of the living ecosystem.
Nature Guide Tour: ‘True By Nature Journey’
Constance Halaveli contributes to biodiversity conservation, including supporting natural protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value. Divers are educated about these protected zones before starting their diving program. Sustainability Ambassadors also offer a Nature Guide Tour for guests to help reveal the little secrets and create “a sense of the miracles of nature”. The philosophy of the tour is fun and interactive to highlight some of the special features, such as adaptations of many of the plants and animals on the island. It also ties together with the theme of how to survive on a remote island if stranded, along with the sustainability practices of the resort. This brings in the human-element so that the tour is not just about nature, but also about the connection of people and sustainable living practices.
Sustainability News
To raise awareness and promote the resort’s sustainability efforts, ‘’Sustainability News’’ is displayed on an in-house TV channel in guest villas and on the Constance App, for in-house guest usage. All the annual sustainability events including World Environment Day, Earth Day, World Oceans Day and Global Wellness are promoted with enjoyable activities such as sand sculpting, lagoon cleaning and gardening organized for the participation of the resort team members and guests.
Throughout the year Constance Halaveli hosts a series of local school visits to foster children’s environmental awareness through interesting discussions on a variety of topics. Through nature walks around the resort, school children receive first-hand knowledge from the representatives of each department.
Charity / Corporate Social Responsibility CSR Events: Covid Facility Visit
To thank the healthcare professionals that have been fighting relentlessly on the frontlines, Constance Halaveli offers lunch to the Hulhumale Covid Facility team as a token of appreciation. The facility has been accommodating all the high risk Covid patients since the outbreak till now. The resort thanks the Hulhumale Covid Facility team for their consistent efforts to ensure a safe and healthy destination.
School Visit
In line with its first value ‘Generosity’, Constance Halaveli donates to local schools and invites students to visit the resort and its facilities. Most recently the resort welcomed 24 students from Maalhohu School to celebrate brand week. A presentation about the company and resort was delivered followed by a site visit to the engineering area, F&B outlets, spa and guests villas. These initiatives were mapped onto the Sustainable Development Goals to visualize this contribution to student achievement, and in turn inform the resort strategy in the long term.
ADDITIONAL SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
Promoting Local Culture
Constance Halaveli shines a sustainable spotlight on traditional arts and crafts. The resort supports Boduberu - Heart of Local Music, the most extensively known form of music in Maldives’ culture. Ethical souvenirs, including wooden lacquerware, artisan-created boxes and objects in all shapes and sizes are promoted in our souvenir boutiques. And overall, the resort promotes local cuisine and local culture.
Constance Halaveli also supports the local community in many other ways; the most significant being employment. The resort also sources food locally by purchasing local fair-trade fish, bananas, melons, coconuts.
Promoting Green Acts:
Plastic straws are banned and have been replaced with paper straws. To encourage guests’ participation in waste reduction, a Batteries Recycling Bag is provided for visitors to take their old batteries (as well as those used by others) back home for recycling as there are no recycling facilities located nearby.
Constance Halaveli’s housekeeping policy is to change all guests’ bed linen once daily. However, to help save water and reduce the use of detergents, the resort encourages all guests to actively use the small Kahambu Turtle, the resort’s environmental mascot. By placing Kahambu on top of the bed, the linen is changed once every 2 days instead of everyday.
Constance Halaveli also bottles its own house water on site via the Echo Pure System. This water is served to all our guests with an average of 350 bottles being produced and consumed daily. The resort can save up to 126,000 plastic bottles per year making this an environmentally friendly and sustainable option for the planet. As a further commitment, the resort encourages guests to purchase reusable water bottles which are available at the resort boutique.
Contacts:
Shermaine Kong
Quality and Sustainability Manager
Constance Halaveli - Alifu Alifu Atoll
Halaveli 09130
Republic of Maldives
Phone: +(960) 666 7149
Mobile: +(960) 7947129
Fax: +(960) 666 7001
qm@halaveli.com
www.halaveli.com
Bradley Cox
Director Communications
Green Globe Certification
1223 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 925
Santa Monica, CA 90403 / U.S.A.
Phone: +1-310-337-3000 ext. 105
Skype Direct +1 760 536 6581
Mobile +61 400 848 746
bcox@greenglobe.com
www.greenglobe.com
About Green Globe Certification
Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). For information, please visit www.greenglobe.com
