At the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit last year, hotelier Sonu Shivdasani spoke extensively about the hospitality industry's responsibility towards the environment.
Leisure can't come at the cost of the future of our planet, he seemed to say.
His competition if you can think of anymay have scoffed. You have to take care of your environment, they could tell him. Your main resorts are in the Maldivian islands, which are in danger of extinction.
The truth is, Sonu's commitment to the environment, local culture and giving back dates to long before these phrases became millennial buzzwords. When I first visited Soneva Fushi and the then Soneva Gili in 2007, they used glass bottles instead of plastic ones. And Sonu always hired local talent, ensuring a touch of Maldives in an otherwise insulated international resort.
Then, in 2019, Sonu and his wife Eva quietly but surely started Namoona, a project aimed at organising waste management on the islands, but has today grown into so much more.
Waste to wealth
"Soneva Namoona was launched to solve a problem that has bedevilled the Maldives for a generation: how to properly dispose of waste. Presently, island communities burn their garbage in toxic, open bonfires, and significant amounts of waste, especially singleuse plastics, washes up on the beaches, litters the jungles and smothers the coral reefs," says Sonu, giving us the very opposite of the pictureperfect image that any thought of the Maldives instantly throws up.
"The word 'Namoona' was a suggestion from the Dharavandhoo Council President, and is a Divehi word that means 'exemplary' or 'ideal'," explains Sonu. "Our ambition is to create a blueprint for empowered zero waste communities in the Maldives, centred around the three core components of reduce, recycle and inspire, and grounded in the reality of the challenges and opportunities that are unique to local islands."
Bu hikaye Brunch dergisinin January 07, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Brunch dergisinin January 07, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Sudhir Yaduvanshi
Playback singer, @Sudhir Yaduvanshi Music
Step, step step... and twirl!
Sangeet routines, wedding waltzes, party moves and those hip-hop pops you thought you couldn't do. Here are 10 accounts to keep you on your toes
A timeless story in three parts
Take a closer look at Anjolie Ela Menon's triptych, Yatra. Like life, it demands that the viewer embark on a journey
Hitting that suite spot
Most hotels go all-out with extravagant frills. But to truly shine, all they need to do is pay attention to the everyday details
It's what we've weighted for
Around the world, drugs that suppress appetite are all the rage for weightloss. We've taken to them faster than any diet. Could the war on fat finally be over?
Remote learning
The small-town success story is changing. Distance matters less. The fire burns brighter. Indians are realising that regional quirks are actually an advantage. See how an artist, an actor, a designer, a musician and a hockey champ celebrate their roots
Is there a bot in your closet?
AI is designing clothes, creating ads, and tracking who's buying what. Relax. We're seeing what it can't do too. Take a look
The big Apple of my eye
Bring back the frothy, shiny NYC romcoms where anything was possible. In a world going mad, that dream is all we have
Fit Check? Look Behind You
In gyms, someone is always filming. We are all in the frame without meaning to be. Is privacy at odds with fitness goals? Is consent even possible with all those mirrors?
Avantika Dassani
Actor, @AvantikaDassani
