UNITE TO PROTECT – JETWING HOTELS JOINS EARTH HOUR

Don’t blow it – good planets are hard to find.  – Time

On the 23 of March 2013, Jetwing Hotels – Sri Lanka’s largest family owned hospitality company will be a part of the single, largest, symbolic mass participation event in the world. This year, over 150 countries and territories will be participating in Earth Hour, with many joining the global movement for the first time.

For Jetwing, the symbolic hour of switching off non-essential lighting is merely one of the many activities planned across the family of resorts and villas. Conscious and committed to the environment through the Jetwing Eternal Earth Programme, which has been uplifting communities and promoting sustainable practices, Jetwing hotels around the island are planning a variety of guest interactive events. In Negombo, Jetwing Blue and Jetwing Beach will feature a presentation for guests on energy saving initiatives and green practices, and redevelop the gardening area of two foster schools in the vicinity. Jetwing Lagoon, Sri Lanka’s first resort and Bawa’s first resort design will hold a beach clean-up with the help of students from Dungalpitiya; Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions and Jetwing Sea will host a tree planting ceremony within the hotel grounds.

In the South of the island, Jetwing Lighthouse will carry out presentations on climate change and the kings of the sea, whales and dolphins to 150 Sunday school students at Thotagoda Buddhist Temple, Galle along with a tree planting programme where 100 trees are expected to be planted. At Jetwing Vil Uyana, located close to the famous Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, free loris watching excursions will be conducted for guests by Chaminda, the resident naturalist, along the recently demarcated Loris Conservation Site. Jetwing St. Andrew’s, Nuwara Eliya, will organize a tree planting programme and series of lectures at Kande- Ella Nature Reserve, which will focus on climate change, green practices, wildlife and biodiversity conservation, and a nature tour for 60 students of the area.

Earth Hour is an international campaign initiated by the World Wild Life Fund (WWF) in order to inspire individuals, societies, businesses and governments to combat climate change. Considered the largest environmental campaign in the history of the world, Earth Hour is a combined effort that takes place in March on the last Saturday of the month yearly from 8.30pm – 9.30pm when lights are switched off for one hour. By being a part of this monumental movement Jetwing Hotels will be joining The Petronas Towers, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the Empire State Building and the Brandenburg Gate.

Earth Hour was first put into practice in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Over 2 million people and 2,000 businesses turned off their lights for an hour. By 2008 what had begun as a country based event had panned out into a “Global Sustainability Movement” with a participation of 370 cities and towns in over 35 countries crossing 18 time zones. By 2010 Earth Hour had become a phenomenal environmental event with the amazing record of 1.3 billion persons taking part in 4616 cities in 128 countries, and more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries in 2011. 2010 also marked the beginning of Sri Lanka’s participation in this exciting event. Last year, more than 7000 cities and towns in 152 countries across all seven continents took part in the initiative, with hundreds of millions taking part – making it the biggest growth since 2009.

Family owned and in the tourism industry for the past 40 years, Jetwing Hotels has surpassed expectation at every aspect. Building on their foundation of being passionate, as well as the experience of true, traditional Sri Lankan hospitality, constantly pioneering discoveries captures the essence of the brand. Such a strong statement and direction have enabled Jetwing Hotels to imagine, create and manage marvels and masterpieces, where distinctive design and elegant comfort complement each other and the environment. Considered a priority, sustainable and responsible practice is implemented through the award winning Jetwing Eternal Earth Programme; with energy efficiency, community upliftment, and education of earth saving measures to schoolchildren being a few tenets of the Programme.