Green Globe at the Caribbean Travel Marketplace
Q & A with Guido Bauer, founder and owner of Green Globe Program
Green Globe was founded in 1993, originally in Australia and was brought to the United States in 2007. Ever since, the headquarters has been in Los Angeles, California, though it has representations in Amsterdam, Barbados, Dubai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Cairo and other countries around the world.
Within the framework of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2018, held recently in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Caribbean News Digital sat down with Guido Bauer, founder and CEO of the Green Globe certification program.
When was Green Globe founded?
Green Globe was founded in 1993, originally in Australia and was brought to the United States in 2007. Ever since, the headquarters has been in Los Angeles, California, but we have representations in Amsterdam, Barbados, Dubai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Cairo, all over the world.
There was a need to have a standard to measure sustainability. We have redeveloped the standards eight times and this year we are moving on to version 2.0. The standards are being updated and are more compatible with international standards by the United Nations.
How many programs do you have?
There is one standard program that has 41 indicators with different standards for the hotel industry, attractions, business. The standards are applied according to which business would like to get certified.
How many people work for the company?
Green Globe is a certification company and there are eleven people working in terms of the certification. However, we have consultants, auditors, so altogether it’s a little bit over 100 people worldwide.
How much does getting Green Globe certified cost?
To get Green Globe certified, the cost depends on the size of the business, from 750-5,000 US dollars.
The fact is that we have over 1,200 base practices. Each hotel, depending on where it is, develops its base practices. It’s not only energy. It’s also responsibility, heritage, community, culture, gastronomy; all that is part of sustainability.
The Green Globe Academy is now a separate company; however, fully owned by Green Globe. Over the years, we realized that many people came to us to learn more about sustainability, they want to assist us, they want to build a business on it; however, they don’t have the time to do a PhD, so we developed e-learning tools for professionals to add an additional credential to what they already do.
These e-learning tools can be found online starting April 1st. There is a course for students, a course for professionals, multiple languages (German, English, Spanish and French). Other languages will be added later. The prices starts in about 249 dollars to 600 dollars depending on what course it is.
The courses are open to everybody, as a clear guideline on how to apply sustainability in life and business.
Can anybody apply to Green Globe?
We have a clientele in 94 countries from Dubai, Asia, Caribbean, South America, Mexico, and the United States. What matters is that the business, hotel, attraction has a mindset to become seriously sustainable, not just talking about it. The Academy is here to train the staff within companies or anybody.
