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Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara

Sustainability Report 2018

Moragalla, Beruwala

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Contents

Page

01. Message from General Manager 03

02. About Us 04

03. Sustainability Management Team 05

04. Sustainability Sub Committee Team 06

05. Outline of our Sustainability Programme 07

06. Activities pertaining to Waste

Management Systems at HAMG 08

07. Banana Plantation 09

08. Green Walk 10 - 11

09. Vegetable Cultivation 12

10. Significant Achievements 2018 13

11. Sustainability and Innovation 14 – 15

12. Green Initiative with Guest & Community

Participation 16 – 19

13. Sports Activities 20

14. Staff Activities 21 – 23

15. Awareness Programmes 24 – 27

16. Dogs Spay Clinic 28

17. Weekly Health Camp for Staff 29

18. Employees Annual Trips 30

19. Cookery Demonstration 31

20. Releasing Turtles 32

21. Vata / Pitta /Kapha Corners 33

22. Mixing Christmas Cake with guest participation 34

23. Sustainability Calendar 35

24. Energy Management Report 36

25. Water Management Report 37

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Message from General Manager Since the inception of Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara (2011) we have been steadfast in our belief that our business should have a positive social, economic and environmental input on the local community in which we operate. Taking care of our people and the world around us is simply the right thing to do. Operating a sustainable business model is no longer a choice, it is a necessity. Our hotel’s sustainability objectives are based on 3 core components:

One Earth - Minimizing our carbon footprint by implementing best practices. One People - Taking care of the health and safety of guests and employees. One Community - Social responsibility and business ethics.

In 2016, we continued to drive our One Earth initiative and achieve impressive savings. In one such effort, we recently introduced glass jugs to all guest rooms instead of using 1 litre PET bottles for drinking water as part of our continued effort to minimizing our carbon footprint. Guests are encouraged and motivated to refill their water jugs and join in our environmental efforts. Our One People initiative has given birth to an internal Ayurvedic clinic for staff members, which encourages our staff to present their health problems to the resident doctors for necessary care or cure and obtain information on prevention of illnesses. The Arts and Crafts Centre is an award winning component of our One Community initiative. Sri Lankan crafts are a dying art and our centre provides an idyllic location and customers to enable their skills and trade to flourish. Craftsmen from the nearby area are given a space to practice their trade and thereby add value to the local community. Our sustainability efforts extends the Ayurvedic philosophy followed by Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara further than just to hospitality and guests. Keeping in spirit with the holistic approach of Ayurveda to mind, body and soul, we apply the same to sustainability by our commitment to One Earth, One People and One Community.

Janaka Buddhakorala

General Manager

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About Us

Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara is a specialist Ayurveda hotel that promotes well being in serene and comfortable surroundings with professional Ayurveda treatments. Sri Lanka has a rich history of using Ayurveda to treat mind, body and soul and HAMG is the place to come to experience it. Nestled within 6 acres of lush tropical foliage, HAMG combines luxurious accommodation with professional Ayurveda treatments. Previously the Neptune Hotel (since 1974), an all-inclusive beach resort, it was reborn as HAMG in 2011 to focus on Ayurveda. Maha Gedara, which means “ancestral home”, uses traditional knowledge to combat stress, help rejuvenation and promote weight loss. HAMG is situated in the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, near the village of Beruwala ,which is a 2 hour drive (73 km) from the capital of Colombo. This part of the coast with its beautiful beaches fringed by coconut trees is popular among tourists who visit Sri Lanka. The hotel has 64 rooms and a fully equipped Ayurveda Centre. Guests have standard facilities in their rooms along with special provisions for their Ayurveda treatments. In preparation for the treatment, guests are provided with robes to wear as they walk through a serene environment to the Ayurveda Centre where they will be attended by a team of professionally qualified doctors and therapists. Ayurveda treatments will consist of therapeutic massages, oil treatments, herbal/steam bath as recommended by the resident Ayurveda Doctor. As part of the healing process, special medicines are prepared and administered to every guest by a professional pharmacy team headed by the doctors. Yoga and meditation is carried out periodically to add to the holistic experience. Guests can relax by our pool under the frangipani trees while sipping on fresh fruit juice. The beach which is a few metres from the hotel is easily accessible. Every room and the open air restaurant has a view of the beach. Modern amenities such as the gym, tv room, gem shops are also available. Our award winning Art and Craft Centre provides an opportunity for the guests to mingle with the local community and contribute to the upliftment of their trade. HAMG has 167 employees inclusive of 52 Ayurveda staff members and 19 executives headed by the General Manager. Guests mostly come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia and Japan for our Maha Gedara experience.

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1. Mr. Janaka Buddhakorala General Manager Administration

2. Ms. Nilanga Weerarathne Assistant Manager Administration

3. Mr. Janaka Manamperi Sustainability Coordinator Engineering

4. Ms. Marsha Mendis Ayurveda Centre Manager Ayurveda

4. Ms. Amitha Kariyawasam Executive Secretary Administration

5. Ms. Harshani Perera Asst. Front Office Manager Front Office

5. Mr. Rajith Abeysekara Executive Sous Chef Kitchen

6. Dr. Kalpana Ratiyala Chief Physician Ayurveda

7. Mr. Menu Lakmina Guest Relation Executive Front office

8. Mr. Nihal Wijayananda Administrative Executive FO/HK

10. Mr. J. N. Paranavithana Restaurant Executive Restaurant

Sustainability Management Team

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Sustainability Sub Committee Team

Dr. Sumudu Perera

Mr. Sunil Premalal

Ms. W.A. Chinthani

Ms. Chitha Namali

Mr. Rajitha Samaraweera

Mr. Sampath Aravinda

Ms. Chamila Vinodani

Ms. Nelka Damayanthi

Mr. Janaka Priyashantha

Ms. Janaki Chathurangi

Mr. Indika Kumara

Ms. Gimhani de Silva

Ms. Maduka Manohari

Ms. Hansani Jayasinghe

Ayurveda Department

Account & Admin. Department

Ms. Ayesha K. Bandara

Ms. Nirosha Paul

Ms. Indika Wickramasinghe

Front Office Department

Ms. Githmi Premathilaka

Mr. Pramith Perera

Mr. Dimuthu Karunarathne

Restaurant Department

Mr. M.A.N. Chaminda

Mr. Sujith Sujeewa

Housekeeping Department

Ms. Thushari Jayarathne

Mr. Sanjaya Sirimannna

Mr. Sajeewa Silva

Kitchen Department

Mr. Lakshan Vidanaparthirana

Ms. Peshila Dilhani

Mr. Ruwan Hettiarachchi

Mr. Anura Priyankara

Maintenance Department

Mr. D.N. Jayanetti

Mr. Jagath Kumara

Mr. Saman Kumara

Mr. Alex Harshan

Mr. Sanjaya Godakumbura

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Outline of Our Sustainability Programme - In keeping with the Aitken Spence policies on sustainability and the vision of our General

Manager on sustainable growth, our Sustainability Committee is committed to continuous

improvement of the key components that we have identified.

At re-branding stage our hotel was named and reopened as Heritance Ayurveda Maha

Gedara. " Heritance " being the combination of the two words heritage and

inheritance is a brand name dedicated to social upliftment. Therefore, at the

re-furbishment stage, our mother Company, Aitken Spence Hotel Management made

several investments on these our key areas of interest.

One Earth Minimizing our carbon footprint by implementing best practices.

One People Social responsibility and business ethics.

One Community

Taking care of the health and safety of guests and employees.

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Activities pertaining to Waste Management Systems at HAMG

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Banana Planting Campaign

We commenced a Banana planting campaign in the adjoining bare land, on 07th April 2017

to eradicate breeding grounds for mosquitos. Our target is to plant 100 Nos. Banana trees by

the end of 2018. The Executives and staff of the hotel took part in the project very

enthusiastically. Since we do not serve sweet meats in the hotel our fruit consumption is

high. Therefore, the benefits from planting fruit trees is great since we can make use of the

produce for guest consumption.

Before - 2017

After - 2018

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Sie sind herzlich eingeladen, an einer Tour auf der Heritance Maha Gedara teilzunehmen, um unser umweltfreundlichen Projekte und Praktiken zu erleben und verstehen. Wir sind sehr stolz auf unsere Bemühungen, ein umweltfruendliches Hotel zu sein.

Tour time : Today at 4.00 p.m

Meeting place : Main Reception

You are welcome to join us on a guided tour around the back of Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara, to experience and understand our environment friendly projects and practices. We are proud of our efforts to be an environment friendly hotel.

Our efforts to be as environment friendly as possible makes us think of new ways to protect the environment. We also like to promote these practices to our guest so that we can get their support to make these activities more functional. One such promotion is our “Green Operation Behind Maha Gedara” which is a tour of our environment friendly projects and practices which we carryout on a fortnightly basis. Our Guest Relations Executives who are well versed on the subject take interested guests on a tour, explaining our activities. We have had exceptional comments on this tour.

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Guest Tour of Sustainable project areas

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Vegetable Cultivation

In November 2018 a vegetable cultivation was commenced and Phase I of this

programme is given in the picture evidence below. The harvest from this is used for

staff consumption at the moment. After expansion of this programme we hope to have

a “Home grown Dish of the day”. One vegetable curry or Mallum using leaves to be

placed in the buffet for the guests to enjoy, which will be straight from the garden to the

table. We also hope to add a tour of the cultivation to our “ Green Walk”

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Significant Achievements 2018

• Certificate of Quality Selection 2016 (5.3/6). Awarded by Holiday Check – in Germany. July 2017

• Travelife Gold Winners – Re Certification. Awarded by Society of Travelife of England Nov. 2016 - 2018

• Winner of FIT Premium Quality Hotel in the category of – Ayurveda & Yoga. Awarded by fit Reisen – Specialists Ayurveda Tour Operator in Germany. Jan 2018

• Certificate of “Best Partner Ayurveda Resort 2018 “ in the category of “Ayurveda & Yoga”. Awarded by Neue Wege – Specialist Ayurveda Tour Operator in Germany. March 2018

• Certificate of Leading Wellness & Spa Hotel / Resort – Sri Lanka. Awarded by South Asia Travel Awards (SATA) 2018 in Mumbai India. 15th September 2018

• Certificate of Quality Selection 2018 (5.3/6). Awarded by Holiday Check – in Germany.

April 2018

• SLS ISO 50001 Certification, awarded by Sri Lanka Standards Institute. 22nd February 2013 & recertified upto 21st February 2019

• Winner of “ Silver Trophy “ for National Green Award 2018. Awarded by Central Environmental Authority (Ministry of Mahaweli Development & Environment) 19th October 2018

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Sustainability & Innovation

a) Our energy saving Projects and practices demonstrate our commitment to environmental

sustainability

Energy Saving projects - Solar Photovoltic system, Bio Gas Plant, Solar Heating System

Energy Saving practices - 1. Air condition - sticker in all guests rooms, Guest areas, to

educate the important of saving energy. 2. Key switches – the entire power consumption of

all 64 guest rooms in the hotel are controlled by a key card system 3. Switching schedules –

An on/off schedule is actively in place throughout the hotel to use electricity only on

necessity, of which the hotel staff have been educated. 4. Sensors – Garden lights are

switched on and off according to the brightness of sunlight. 5. Boiler is shut down for

6.00pm to 4.30am onwards. 6. Laundry closed every other day during the off season.

During this period the Boiler is also shut down at 10.00am on the days that the Laundry is

closed. 7. Lights are switched off in the Lobby and Sundeck at 10.00pm 8. Sticker is placed

in all guest washrooms, public area washrooms, and staff areas to conserve water. 9.There is

a system in place to engage the guest in towel re-use and Linen reuse. 10. Flow restrictors

are fixed in all guest room, executive rooms and staff area showers. 11. Guest are issued

blanket on request only if necessary to reduced use of an extra sheet with the blanket.

12.The used soap and toilet roll is not removed from the guest

rooms until discarded by guest

Substituting Glass water pitcher for PET bottle ( 1 Ltr) in guest rooms to minimize use of plastic

Zero emission vehicle with no sound pollution

Substituting pang boxes instead of polythene packet

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Water Efficiency :

2316 m³ (per month) of the water used within the hotel is

treated through a water treatment plant using aerobic

treatment with Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC).

The treated water is used for gardening purposes.

Respect to local community, values and culture

1) Involvement of local craftsmen & women in the Art & Craft Centre. 2) Oil Used in the

Ayurveda Center after treatment is reused by local community member for the production

of PVC & Conduit bend sockets. 3) Purchasing herbal leaves, roots and flowers necessary

for Ayurveda treatment from a local supplier. 4) Vegetables & Fruits purchased for the

kitchen from a local supplier. 5) Supporting the local temple and church by giving alms &

cleaning places of worship.

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Green initiatives with guest & community participation

Participating in Blue flag initiative

Mitigating sea erosion

Guest participation in tree planting

campaign for World Environment Day.

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Installation of 4 Nos Solar power lamps

around the pool as an energy saving

measure.

We commenced a “Nature Healing program”

which corresponds with the Ayurveda concept as

a stress relief measure. The abundance of Animal

species in our vast garden have been captured by

photographs and is displayed in the Lobby and

Ayurveda Reception. A nature trail has been

developed for guests to observed the birds and

animals in their natural habited

Guest & Community participation in Beach

cleaning for Marine Protection Day, as blue

flag initiative.

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All computers at the hotel are Energy Star rated, have Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors/screens (or best performing

equivalent), and are set to default sleep mode

CCTV cameras in all prominent areas to enhance security reduced manpower

POE – Power Over Eithernet transmitters (transmits data over power) Power saving technology

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Our participation at the “ Walk for awareness on Coast Conservation ”

held for world tourism day 2017

Route from Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha to Eden Hotel

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Winners of the Aitken Spence Hotel Management Premium League cricket tournament by our own ladies cricket team on 30th June 2018

Sports Activities

Champions of the Interdepartmental Cricket Tournament (Ayurveda Department) on 02nd August 2018

Runner up of the Travel Trade cricket tournament by our own ladies cricket team on 30th September 2018

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Staff Activities

Staff Day on 18th August 2018

Religious Songs Bakthi Geetha Carol Service on 23rd December 2018

Independence Celebration with Guests & Staff

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Religious Pirith Ceremony was held on 22nd June 2018, to invoke blessing on

the hotel. A highlight at this annual event was the creativity shown by the staff

who fabricated the “Pirith Mandapaya” in a joint effort.

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Appreciation of staff commitment by choosing employee of the month.

Champion of the Hotel Show “ National Room Stylist Challenge” organized by CHSGA held at BMICH on 22nd July 2018.

Blood Donation Camp held at Eden Resorts & Spa on 10th July 2018 where a few of our staff members participated and donated their blood.

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“ Beat Plastic Pollution” was the theme of our programme held on 28th August 2018 for World

Environment Day. Beach cleaning was held a week previous to the day and all plastic items

collected on that day together with items which are used in the hotel were (water bottles,

shampoo bottles.. ect) by the staff to make useful creative items for day to day use. The

creations were presented departmentwise and judged by Mr. Rishard Preena to choose an

Awareness Programmes

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Awareness to create interest in the hospitality industry among school children was held on 2nd

October 2018 to commemorate World Tourism Day & World Children’s day. 21 school

children accompanied by 5 teachers from Moragalla Primary School & Maggona Sangaraja

Vidyalaya were invited to the hotel and given a practical lesson on bakery item ( how to

prepare fish buns) by the Executive Chef. They were also taken on a familiarization Tour of

the Energy Saving Projects.

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A Departmental Quiz Program to was held with staff participation from all departments on 18th

December 2018 to enhance general knowledge. The criteria included knowledge on

Company, hotel, Energy saving / 7 S practices and world events. The winners of this

competition were nominated for the Head Office Spence Star Quiz held on 13th November

2018, where they were judged “Runners Up”

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20 University students studying sustainability introduced by Mr. Ravi de Silva, were educated

on the hotel’s Energy saving Projects and practices and taken on a familiarization tour on 30th

October 2018.

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Stray Dogs in the surrounding area were vaccinated, treated for wounds and

sterilized by a special veterinary team ( KACPAW Association) on 19th October 2018,

facilitated by the hotel

Dogs Spay Clinic

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The following plan was developed before commencement. The clinic will be functional once a week,

on Wednesday from 1.00 p.m to 2.00 p.m where one of the doctors will be free for consultation with

the staff. At that time, the doctor will carry out consultation for the staff member and depending on

the ailment, will do the following :

Future Plans : The success of the clinic will be monitored and depending on this and it

will be discussed if this program could be made available to the families of the staff and the

local community as well.

Doctor's Consultation

Option 1 Single treatment will be carried out, by the doctor if it is a small ailment, which has happened while working, or if it would prevent the staff member from continuing with work.

Option 2 A treatment program will be suggested by the Doctor, if it is a major ailment. 1) The staff member will be required to come for weekly consultations 2) He/she will be prescribed medicines which should be purchased from a herbal medicine shop, outside. 3) Instructions for preparation of the medicines will be given by the Doctor 4) Progress will be monitored by the Doctor at weekly consultations. 5) Diet plan will be advised.

Option 3

Referrals will be made to a specialized outside Doctor, if a chronic ailment is diagnosed, and progress will be monitored.

Weekly Health Camp for Staff

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Employees Annual Trips

Girls Trip to Vijaya Holiday Resort, Kiriella

Staff Trip to Minneriya

Executives Trip to Ella

Supervisors Trip to Makeliella

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Weekly cookery demonstration is held for guests to learn the cooking method of traditional dishes.

Menu is printed and handed over at the time in German and Japanese languages

Cookery Demonstration

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A special Program was help for World Turtle Day by releasing hatched turtles to the sea by our own guests.

The turtle eggs were collected to keep them safe from stay dogs in the area and given to the coastal guard

point until they hatched. The hatched turtles were then released to the sea.

Releasing Turtles

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Vata / Pitta / Kapha Corners

In keeping with our Ayurveda concept, we implemented a special corner with suitable food

for the three Doshas and use only Clay Pots to serve the dishes as an environmental

initiative.

Kapha

Vata Pitta

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The Christmas cake was mixed by the

guests and staff under the leadership of

the Ex. Chef for the first time.

Mixing Christmas Cake with guest participation

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