It is 6am!
Just time to eat a quick breakfast, get the materials together, then (just one hour later) give a lecture to the entire personnel of Hotel Viva Tangarine (350 rooms) in Cabarete.
'Professor' Garry Kooy
To my amazement, everyone is already there when I enter the building, so this was no 'Dominican appointment' (two hours later than agreed) - no, 7am is 7am, said the hotel management.
During the introduction, the Gerente Generaal tells the audience that Eco-tourism is big business, and that this is why the personnel of all hotels need more education, so they know the importance of clean beaches and environmental awareness.
He tells everyone that educational institutes such as 'Infotep' are very important for the further (positive) development of tourism in the Dominican Republic, because they not only train bakers, electricians, waiters, they also include ecology as an important part of the course.
Once 'Professor' Garry Kooy has given a detailed explanation of how household refuse can be recycled, the advantages of using organic waste to make compost, using plastic asphalt (to fill in the potholes in the road), and remelting metal, the audience watches a stimulating video showing the plant that recycles household refuse in the Netherlands (Niholt), before heading out, full of enthusiasm, to give the beach a complete facelift!
Sacks of assorted materials that are washed up by the ocean are collected by the volunteers and removed.
The next project for this group of hotel personnel is a tree-planting day.
Each employee at the hotel will plant a number of trees in a designated area, which will be named 'Via Tangarine', to commemorate this noble attempt to improve the environment in the Dominican Republic.
More info: Garry Kooy
Pedro Clisante 143, Sosua, El Batey
Tel: 809-571-4285, Mob: 809-880-1505
Garry with a 'student'
