Singapore (TAN): Singapore-based hospitality chain Banyan Tree Holdings Limited, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a range of sustainability efforts to raise awareness on environmental issues, also works to empower communities and people.
The company, under its Stay for Good Greening Communities, plans to plant over 25,000 trees by the end of 2019 at participating resorts across the globe.
“We will plant 25,000 trees this year, which means that by the end of 2019, our group would have planted half a million trees. In addition, we will support 25 local schools across different regions in capacity building,” Banyan Tree’s co-founder Claire Chiang said.
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The group has also been operating the Seedlings programme since 2007, which seeks to provide youths with mentorships and scholarships.
“It’s a yin and yang thing – we’re not just about embracing the environment and saving endangered species. We also want to help develop the people in the communities we work in,” Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree, Ho Kwon Ping said.
On the other hand, Banyan Tree Gallery, the company’s retail arm, serves as a platform to exhibit items crafted by rural craftswomen.
“That idea of enabling local communities and showcasing their talents is something that is also very strong in our hotels in terms of how we source our artwork, the upholstery and fabrics that we use, and the design principles that underlie each of the hotels’ local sense of place,” Chiang’s daughter Ren Yung said.
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Guests can donate USD2 for each night of stay towards the company’s Stay for Good programme, which will then be spent on various sustainability initiatives through the group’s nonprofit extension, the Banyan Tree Global Foundation. The foundation has spent nearly USD8 million towards sustainable efforts since its journey began in 2009.
“So regardless of the profitability of the business itself, we match our guests’ contributions. And our guests also realise that they are part and parcel of this whole sustainability enterprise,” Ho added.
