For many hotels in Asia, being green as a part of sustainability scheme just has not been the first priority yet. The perception is that being green is too costly and it does not connect to the core business. This perception has created a low response to the possible opportunities that lie ahead, and to anticipate problems ahead in a pro-active approach. However, the global trend in the hotel and tourism industry has shifted to a more eco-friendly tourism. As the beauty of nature has been slowly decreasing, it becomes more precious to enjoy. With the climate change alarms, the world has become aware that business has to take the preventive actions, to ensure that it will survive and it can grow. Being green in business is no longer considered as an alien term; it is a relevant issue that the hotel and tourism industry needs to be aware of and develops its new strategic directions.

"Green" hotels are not only environmentally friendly for the interests of environment. Actually, being green hotel means being cost-conscious and attracts tourists to be part of the world’s mission, ensuring that our one planet can still be enjoyed in sustainable ways. When the managers of green hotels have the program to be efficient in using natural resources - such as saving the water, saving the energy and reducing solid waste – the hotel reduces operational costs and saves money, which is business sound. When the hotel provides green products – healthy food from organic farm that are safe from chemical toxic - they are also selling points. When a green hotel exposes the local beauty of nature – which is only found in the area – it has the special unique attractions to tourists who would like to be exposed in different kinds of nature. To protect fauna and flora of the specific area with the support from the tourists is also a call for a mission for the world, an additional value of the hotel. The hotel can have hundred of ideas to change the environmental problems into business opportunity in the right ways. The company can retain the customers who care for nature. That is how your hotel is being green and being in a good business as it should be.

When a hotel decides to be a green hotel, it will start by having an integrated planning. We call it beyond sustainability, because it involves the staff, the community, the surrounding nature where the hotel located, and the local richness in nature, biodiversity, and culture. The hotel will also need to consider the characters or profile of its targeted guests. It is whole teamwork. The mission of the hotel to be sustainable is a strategic alliance between the hotel and the guests, the consumers. How it will start?

Yayasan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan/LEAD Indonesia in partnership with AtKisson Group International are introducing the AtKisson Sustainability Accelerator Tools (ASAT's)—that provides sustainability planning framework and progress measurement indicators—for Losari Coffee Plantation – Resort & Spa (LCP). YPB/LEAD Indonesia believes that Losari Coffee Plantation – Resort & Spa is committed to be a sustainable business, cares for the people and environment. A workshop on Developing Sustainability Indicators as the start for identifying sustainable indicators for the resort was conducted on November 17-18, 2008 in the resort. Mr. Robert Steele – representative of AtKisson Group in South East Asia – in collaboration with YPB/LEAD Indonesia team facilitates the workshop’s sessions. Ibu Natalia Soebagjo as member of the Supervisory Board of YPB/LEAD Indonesia joined the session and officially opened the workshop. It was an honor for all of us that Ir. Agung Suryawan Wiranata MSc.PhD – Director of Research Centre for Culture and Tourism, Udayana University, Bali and Lecturer at Udayana University, Bali – involved in our workshop.

Mr. Agung Suryawan who is also Chairman of Bali Greenery Foundation – an official agent for Green Globe in Indonesia – stated that to provide a sustainable tourism hotels should make optimal use of environmental resources and maintain essential ecological processes and help to conserve natural heritage & biodiversity; respect the socio-cultural authenticity; and ensure viable, long-term economic operations by providing social-economic benefits to all stakeholders. People can put labels such as sustainable tourism or green tourism or eco-tourism, etc but whatever you prefer to call it, the definition remains the same: holidays that leave the smallest possible ‘footprint’ on the environment and local communities; and environmentally friendly tourism that cherishes, not destroys.

Mr. Agung also explained the scheme that is applied worldwide in the tourism industry such as The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS – a sustainable tourism certification in the UK) and Green Globe (a global certification system for travel & tourism industry). He also explained the Tri Hita Karana Tourism Award – an award-giving concept that bases its assessment upon the Principles of Tri Hita Karana: the reflection of harmonious relations between human being and his/her spiritual, social and natural environment in Bali.

For Mr. Steele and YPB/LEAD Indonesia team, the experience of working with hotel & tourism industry has given different challenges. New ideas and perspectives in looking at sustainability emerged from discussion in the workshop with LCP team. As for LCP team the workshop was able to make the employees realize that they have to find the most important aspects and indicators in order to make the company more sustain. Mr. Sugeng Sugiantoro – Resort Manager of Losari Coffee Plantation – Resort & Spa – who was actively involved in each sessions of the workshop stated that "it is important for Losari Coffee Plantation – Resort & Spa to put balance between economy, society, nature & well-being aspects of the company, and that the company should learn more about sustainable development in order to continue the business."

The next step is for YPB/LEAD Indonesia to facilitate the process of coaching and indexing to measure the company’s progress as the basis for monitoring the indicators, followed by the preparation of sustainability report guidelines.

For further information about Developing Sustainable Business program, please contact Gita Meidita, the Program Officer at (021) 769 5491 or (021) 7581 6941. (GM)