Sheridan and Sustainability (Puerto Princesa, Palawan)

My recent trip to Palawan brought about a mixture of experiences. It was my first time in Puerto Princesa, I was travelling with some bankers and a TV crew (what a totally different group of people, I place myself somewhere in the middle), stayed in a posh hotel, rowed through the famous underground river, visited an organic farm, and went “topless” in front of the camera (not kidding). So, I had a really hard time picking my key topic.

But what struck me most was the time, effort and resources a businessman put into integrating sustainability into the planning of the luxury resort. Yes, it is a business – so we have to understand that the primary objective of all businesses is to make profit. But I do give him credit for trying to minimize his negative impact to the environment as much as possible.

Located about 2 hours or so from the Puerto Princesa Airport, the Sheridan Beach Resort is located along the shore of Sabang Beach, the jump off point for the famous underground river in Palawan. It is easily the most beautiful resort in the area, which is sprinkled with small lodging houses frequented by European backpackers. The only “touristy” part of Sabang is a small port and a strip of stalls selling beach wear and souvenirs.

My main mission was to look at the hotel and to find out why it was considered “green” and “eco-friendly.” As I stepped out of the bright lobby and slowly scanned the sprawling resort, my mind flew … how the heck can you build a resort this huge without drastically affecting the ecosystem?? The leisure-loving part of me screamed, “Beautiful! I can swim and relax all day and drink smoothies and have massages by the beach” but my tree-hugging conscience said, “Disturbance to serenity and balance of nature!” I brushed away my judgments and opened my mind to possibilities.

After two days in the resort and conversations with the owners, the general manager, some employees, their sustainable farmer – I went from “I’m never going to promote this place” to “I want everyone to see this place”. I honestly want to go back again and again.

What makes Sheridan Hotel green and sustainable?

Let us first define what “green” means. This label has been taken advantage of ever since being eco-friendly became cool. Here and there developments are claiming to be green because they have plants, they have a garden or a Zen waterfall or if the building is designed using an earthy color palette. I am sorry, but being green is more than just that.

To be considered really “green” – a business must have the littlest impact to the environment as possible. Not only based on aesthetics or physical structure, but in operations and management as well – the way energy / electricity is being used, the way water is used and wasted, the way trash is managed, the way transportation is utilized, etc, etc. I don’t want to get technical and rattle off percentages, but I hope you get it that putting a fortune plant on one’s desk does NOT make you green.

Built with enough setback and well below the tree line

They saw to it that the hotel did not stick out like a sore thumb. Most of the trees that lined the beach are coconut trees and the highest roof of the hotel did not exceed the height of those. They were also conscious enough not to build too close to the beach line.

Maximized daylight and natural ventilation
Most of the buildings were constructed with the goal of maximizing daylight and the natural airflow. The lobby was not air conditioned, and the hotel itself (two structures on opposite sides of the HUGE pool) limited a/c inside the rooms only. The hallways were wide, airy places with a central atrium (?) The restaurant is also open, but I saw that they had provisions for enclosure and a/c when the weather gets too hot. The paint they used are also water-based, lead free and biodegradeable.

Natural cooling mechanisms: Vegetated rooftop and koi pond
The roofs of the restaurant, the spa, and one multipurpose hall had plants and grass growing on top. Vegetated rooftops enable the roof to absorb less heat, therefore cooling the room below, which either saves your from turning on the a/c or if it has a/c, helps cool the room so you won’t have to consume much energy.

A koi pond also surrounds the pool bar. It doubles as décor, natural cooling system and as aerator for the pool.

Where necessary, they used efficient cooling systems such as inverter type aircons (automatic cooling cycles) and exhaust fans.

Solar powered street lights and mosquito ‘killers’; efficient lighting fixtures and lamps
Yep, they have solar powered lamps (sun “charges” the solar panels , that are hooked up to batteries and they automatically light up when it senses darkness). They also have those electrocution machines for mosquitoes, also ran by solar power! The lights in the rooms and common areas are all efficient (compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs vs the incandescent bulbs that mostly emit heat)

Less concrete pavements
The hotel strived to minimize concrete pathways. This way, rainwater will still get absorbed by the ground to continue to be part of the natural hydro cycle

Rainwater harvesting system and Wastewater treatment plant
Clean, non-salt water is always an issue for island communities. Sheridan is able to maximize water use through a rainwater harvesting system and wastewater treatment. Rainwater that flows through “hidden” pipes along the roofs of the hotel get collected into an underground cistern which can be used for watering the plants and flushing toilets.
Wastewater also gets collected to flow through a comprehensive treatment system. Water from baths, toilets, sinks, etc gets treated with organic bacteria, aerated and filtered, so that it may be used again. Careful though, we still do not recommend drinking this treated water (but it SHOULD be okay to drink :-)

I wish more hotels will invest in green practices, whether in Palawan or not. 50% of the world’s resources go to building construction and 45% of global energy is spent for heating, cooling and lighting of these buildings! So, if consumers get concerned about greener construction, the industry won’t have a choice but to follow.

The Sheridan Beach Resort was featured by ANC’s Business Nightly last month. Really great feature :-)

Sheridan's organic vegetable farm is located about 15 minutes away from the resort. Producing their own veggies saves on transporation costs and prevents them from consuming too much gas and diesel for transport. They also produce their own rice. Communities near Sheridan also benefit from this farm since they get to buy pesticide-free some veggies at lower cost.