From Mangrove-Lined Coasts and Flourishing Farms on Composted Soil to Solar-Powered Schools: These are Our Living, Breathing Caribbean Islands

The thousands of people who work at Sandals and Beaches Resorts say, “The Caribbean is our sandbox.” It’s also our delicate garden and our precious slice of earth. This is a daily mindset for Sandals Resorts International (SRI), the Sandals Foundation and its partners, who commit every single day to making sure all that we’ve been entrusted with is healthier tomorrow than yesterday: the islands, the ocean, and the people. Why? Because it’s all connected. You can learn more about this commitment from the brand’s Corporate Social Responsibility report. In the meantime, and in celebration of Earth Day, we invite you to walk through just a few of the ways all of us are making positive differences for today and into the future.

How We Feed an Amazing Food Cycle

It’s okay to ask the obvious question at Sandals and Beaches, like, what happens to the leftovers? The Sandals Foundation answers that question by training resort staff, students, and farmers on the wonders of sustainable composting. So far, more than 20,000 tons of organic food waste has been diverted from landfills to Caribbean farms, where soil is now healthier with less reliance on expensive fertilizers. As a result, more food can be grown locally, which reduces food insecurity. Today more than 1,700 farmers and SRI team members around the islands are skilled at food management techniques. The holistic supply chain returns to where it all started, too, as the majority of the food served at Sandals and Beaches comes from these same farmers, providing them with reliable income.

Supporting the Female Leaders of Island Agriculture

Among the farmers leading the way to a healthier Caribbean are the 75-plus women of GRENROP (Grenada Network of Rural Women Producers). Women have worked this land for generations, but with support from the Sandals Foundation, they are now merging sustainable farming practices with sound business practices. The foundation has trained them on composting, built shade houses, developed self-sustaining irrigation systems, provided seeds, and shown how to market the produce they grow. Sandals was also the first resort to partner with GRENROP farmers to provide its restaurants with the farm's fresh produce, and now Island Routes offers guests a farm-to-table experience at GRENROP farms.

Welcome to a Garden For All

Rochelle Burke embodies the pure joy of the Caribbean. After a series of strokes left her physically challenged, she has inspired people of all abilities in Barbados and beyond with her passion for gardening through her inclusive YouTube channel where she shows how activies like gardening are for everyone. Recently, the Sandals Foundation and Passiflora Limited collaborated to spread this same appreciation for the earth by creating Rochelle’s Garden and Composting Area at Andromeda Botanic Gardens in Barbados. The expansive garden provides a beautiful outdoor environment for differently-abled people to enjoy, with wheelchair accessibility, safety rails, and murals created by schoolchildren with diverse abilities. It has become an idyllic spot for hands-on lessons about sustainable gardening methods that are sources of joy for Rochelle.

Empowering Local Bird Guides in Barbdaos

Birds tell us a lot about the character and health of each Caribbean island. They pollinate, disperse seeds, and provide natural indicators about the ecosystem with their flight paths and sheer numbers. If you know what to look for, tropical birds are also fascinating to the eyes and ears. With this in mind, the Sandals Foundation has funded a Caribbean Birding workshop for tour guides in Barbados, an important stopover island for tens of thousands of birds. The knowledge aquired over this four day course makes the guides more effective storytellers with guests and more influential stewards of the environment within their own communities. Experince it for your self and take a special eco-tour and bird watching adventure with Island Routes.

Taking School to the Sea

As part of an ongoing program to expand mangrove habitats across the Caribbean, team members from Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Royal Caribbean lead schoolchildren from the nearby Flanker community to the edge of the sea so they can plant mangroves while planting their feet in the soft, muddy shoreline. Field trips like this show children how mangroves protect coastlines from erosion, provide homes for wildlife, and make all life on the islands healthier. The mangrove program is one of many intended to spread environmental awareness among young people who will pass healthy habits on to future generations.

The Transformative Powers of Sunshine

The same ever-present sun that makes the islands so beautiful is also being used to improve education in the most rural Caribbean communities. It’s part of the “Power of 15” initiative, the Sandals Foundation’s 15th Anniversary project, where the organization helps install solar panels in under-resourced schools so students can use computer technology without power interruptions.

“Providing a reliable and cost-efficient energy source will limit carbon footprints while also closing the important digital divide in education,” says Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, adding, “These schools also act as safety places for the communities during natural disasters, which makes these improvements even more critical.”