Starting this morning, the Blue Ecological Flag (BAE) with six white stars and one silver star in the category of “Climate Change” will be flying from the highest part of the roof of the building of the Central Headquarters of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute. The six stars represent the highest level of this recognition and the silver star is awarded for being part of the Ecoins initiative.
This distinction was celebrated for a few minutes with the presence of approximately 100 officials, who came out to the front of the building and were honorary witnesses of the raising of the BAE. They have actively participated in the multiple efforts to include sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in most of their processes, all led by the Institutional Environmental Management Commission. Now, all pedestrians who walk near the ICT, as well as drivers who travel over or under the Juan Pablo Segundo bridge in Uruca, will be able to see the national flag accompanied by the recently raised Blue Ecological Flag with the highest level.
“I would like to thank the efforts and commitment of all the officials for obtaining this Ecological Blue Flag with the highest award, thus demonstrating our awareness in applying sustainable practices. In addition, we send a message to the entire national tourism community to integrate sustainability more and more into our DNA so that together as a country we can face all the effects of climate change and continue to be a leading and benchmark destination,” said William Rodríguez, Minister of Tourism.
For his part, Rafael Soto, General Manager of the ICT, expressed his joy and happiness for obtaining the BAE, highlighting the collective effort and the permanent actions carried out by the Institutional Environmental Management Commission. “By achieving an Ecological Blue Flag with six white stars and one silver star, it commits us as an institution to be an example for other organizations or companies in the Costa Rican tourism sector, to also carry out this type of practices related to sustainability, but, above all, to redouble actions to maintain these stars and this award next year,” emphasized Soto.
Committed process wove the Blue Flag
According to Andrea da Cruz, environmental manager of the ICT and coordinator of the Institutional Environmental Commission of the ICT, within the framework of the Ecological Blue Flag Program, in the period 2023-2024 actions were implemented in various areas, such as the rational use of electricity, water, proper waste management, as well as the reduction in the use of fossil fuels.
Among the most outstanding aspects for which the six stars of the Ecological Blue Flag were achieved, the reduction in water consumption of 26% compared to the previous period stands out. Likewise, improvements were recorded towards the implementation of the “zero paper” policy, achieving a reduction of 16%. Also noteworthy is the replacement of light fixtures with more efficient bulbs and the recovery of 334.28 kg of organic waste to obtain fertilizer, through composting practices.
In addition to the above, 80.8 kg of plastic lids were delivered for the “Dona Tapa” program, created for more accessible tourism, through the creation of plastic wood for the generation of retractable walkways so that people in wheelchairs can enjoy the beaches and on the other hand, 633.49 kg of recyclable waste were recovered from the homes of people collaborating with the institution, among other complementary actions. In the case of obtaining the additional silver star, this additional distinction was achieved thanks to the awarding of 15,758 ecoins to ICT officials in line with the program that encourages the contribution of recoverable waste, a green and supportive economy, more than double compared to the same previous period.
Finally, it should be noted that two Regional Centers for Tourist and Business Attention of the ICT also obtained their Ecological Blue Flag for their efforts in sustainability at their headquarters. The Northern Plains region achieved a BAE with a white star and a silver star. In the case of the Caribbean region, it was awarded a BAE with a white star, a green star and a silver star.
The reports of actions carried out are delivered annually to the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity, the institution in charge of carrying out the corresponding evaluations of the BAE awards, Climate Change category.
Source: ICT.