Sandals Regency La Toc, A Pillar of Sustainability

Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort and Spa Saint Lucia, for the 20th year in a row, received its EarthCheck certification, with the last five of these years ranked at master status.

EarthCheck is the world’s leading certification, consulting and advisory group for sustainable destinations and tourism organizations. Established over 30 years ago, the entity collaborates with prominent research institutions and universities globally to address sustainability and climate change challenges in tourism destinations and businesses. EarthCheck’s principal certification programme, EarthCheck Certified, is operational in over 70 countries, aiding members in achieving sustainable tourism outcomes.

Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort and Spa’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager, Rodesha Reid, explained just how significant a role the certification plays in validating the resorts conservation efforts. According to EarthCheck for 2023, the resort was the regional leader in waste management, diverting a significant amount of waste from the island’s landfill. “Our commitment to sustainability encompasses various projects focused on energy management, waste reduction and active community engagement. In our ongoing efforts to enhance waste management, we have introduced several initiatives this year. Notably, we have embraced composting as a sustainable practice. Additionally, we’ve taken significant strides in diverting High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) plastics from landfills by establishing a fruitful partnership with local recycling company Renew Saint Lucia. Through this collaboration, our HDPE plastics are repurposed into innovative and eco-friendly furniture. In 2023 we diverted over one hundred thousand kilograms of waste.”

Additionally, the resort has increased its linen donation to several community groups and elderly homes on the island, particularly the St. Lucy’s Home, which remains a vital part of the resort’s Earth Guardian Programme. Reid highlights that “our dedicated team members are enthusiastic participants in all things environmentally friendly and sustainable. The Earth Guardians group plays a pivotal role in coordinating and implementing various activities at Sandals Regency. Whether it’s composting, waste separation, or actively engaging with our guests, they are at the forefront of promoting and emphasizing the importance of adhering to our sustainability practices.”

Throughout 2024, the environmental health and safety team is expanding its sustainability endeavours. The EHS manager says the team continues its research into the prospects of biogas and how adaptable it is to the resort’s operations. “We are looking to see what new technologies we can implement within the organization that will continue strengthening our sustainability efforts. The prospect of biogas stands to aid us tremendously by diverting even more waste from our landfill and creating a new energy stream.”

Reid says the team also looks forward to commemorating special environmental events and pressing ahead with some of its well-established practices. “Our team members are eagerly anticipating our upcoming lionfish culling activities and we continue fostering a sense of environmental stewardship through these impactful initiatives.”

The EHS team at Sandals Regency La Toc says it remains resolute in bringing about positive change to the resort and, by extension, Saint Lucia through continued and bolstered sustainability practices.