FHTA, 16 July 2022 – If we are the sum of all our parts, then Nanuku Resort Fiji is one of the best around when it comes to pragmatic sustainable practices.
Nanuku is a five-star luxury resort located on the shores of Pacific Harbour and the location is central to the soft adventure and cultural heartland of the destination, which ensures that its visitors have a cultural and environmental experience of both land and sea.
They are extremely proud of their ‘Batiwai project’ within the resort that focuses on environmental systems for day-to-day resort operations, staff wellbeing, community living, and environmental awareness programs for guests and staff both on and offsite.
For day-to-day operations, they have implemented various methods to reduce their energy consumption.
This includes; the installation of LED energy saver bulbs throughout the resort as well as the distribution of solar lights around beach villas and surrounding gardens.
They have also made some positive changes to reduce their environmental impact at the resort.
Some of which include the recycling of all plastic bottles and the replacement of Styrofoam containers and plastic straws with eco-friendly, bio-degradable paper straws and bamboo pulp containers.
They have also introduced the use of refillable pump bottles to replace all single-use amenity bottles in the resort which are Fijian-made.
Bicycles have also replaced the use of resort carts for their guests throughout the resort.
Flip-top bottles have been introduced instead of plastic water bottles plus the fridges in guest rooms have water dispensers.
Through the Batiwai Project, they have also implemented several environmental programs at the resort with their resident Marine Scientist.
Two of these programs available weekly to their guests include coral and mangrove planting.
Coral planting is conducted on the Nanuku reef to not only expand the reef which makes for a good snorkelling spot but also provide natural habitats for marine life.
By protecting this reef, they ensure that poaching is kept at a minimum level while conducting educational workshops for local communities and schools to provide awareness.
A protected reef will also ensure an abundance of marine life and will have a spillover effect on surrounding reefs increasing the population of fish.
To date, they have transplanted 450 new corals onto Nanuku Reef.
Mangrove planting is also carried out in the resort nursery and transplanted to surrounding communities.
Planting mangroves will help sustain fish populations in the area which will also benefit the livelihood of the community.
They have since transplanted more than 10,000 mangroves across Culanuku and Wainiyabia villages and will continue to do so.
Having their very own private island with clear turquoise waters, they have been considered home to nesting turtles.
During nesting seasons, they work in partnership with the University of the South Pacific, studying turtle populations in the Beqa Lagoon Area for the Turtle Moratorium Research.
They have also shown their commitment to the environment by pledging to not serve Kawakawa and Donu (Groupers) during their spawning season and by providing awareness to staff on various issues relating to the environment which they then pass on to their communities.
This includes educational campaigns for their team leaders.
Their Batiwai Project not only focuses on environmental issues but also on the well-being of their staff.
Events like the Biggest Loser competition were organised to encourage staff to develop healthy eating habits and encourage daily exercise for healthy living.
Regular visits from the Navua Health team to the resort allows staff to undergo medical check-ups as well as dental health checks.
There are also regular blood drives carried out by staff to assist with the blood bank in the hospitals.
Community outreach is another aspect of their initiative where donations are made to charities around Fiji.
They have hosted the children from Dilkusha home for a fun day at the resort with games, lunch and activities in their adventure kids club. Several boxes of linen and household supplies were also donated to the orphanage.
Educational supplies were delivered to a local kindergarten to assist teachers with lessons.
For information on the above, you can contact FHTA (info@fhta.com.fj) or contact Nanuku Resort Fiji directly.
Published in the Fiji Sun on 16 July 2022
