Poster competition for international conference on environmental sustainability within the hospitality industry |27 October 2020
Viewing some of the posters on display (Photo: Anel Robert)
Students’ efforts rewarded
All students who took part in a poster competition in relation to an international conference on environmental sustainability within the hospitality industry that did not get to materialise, were rewarded for their efforts.
As part of celebration for its 10th anniversary on September 17, 2019, the University of Seychelles (UniSey), in partnership with Hilton Labriz Silhouette, planned an international conference on ‘Sustainability with the hospitality industry: contributions of all-type resorts’ which was to be held on Silhouette from December 4-7, 2019 but it did not take place because of bad weather. The conference was further pushed to March 2020 but was again cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19).
But around this time in 2019, following the launch of the competition in relation to the conference, primary, secondary and post-secondary students were busy finalising their posters to share ideas on sustainable environment within the hospitality industry. They had three themes to work on ‒ ‘A sustainable design’, ‘Climate actions’ and ‘Positive community impact’. It was the delegates who were to judge their work.
The conference was to discuss sustainable practices in the hospitality industry. As for the poster competition, it was to bring the students towards the thinking philosophy for sustainability in the industry and in the community.
After almost one year, both partners decided that the participants are rewarded for all the efforts they have put into their posters that were put on display at the Labriz Silhouette Lounge in the morning of October 21, 2020. Six schools took part in the competition and they were the Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (SIAH), Seychelles Institute for Art and Design (Siad) with one submission each, Beau Vallon secondary with three submissions, Grand Anse Praslin secondary with five submissions, Grand Anse Praslin primary with one submission and the Anse Boileau primary with five submissions.
It was the vice-chancellor of UniSey, Dr Justin Valentin, the operations manager of Hilton Labriz Silhouette, Thomas Porter, and Duncan Bond, the operations manager of Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa, who rewarded the students for their efforts. They each received a certificate and a bag containing educational materials. Those who were not present had their rewards collected by a representative.
Dr Valentin said though not a large group of students took part in the competition, they were very satisfied with the quality of work and ideas coming out from them. He further said that such a competition brings students closest to the industry.
On his part, Mr Porter said it was very interesting to see from the posters of young minds who are already thinking about their future and the future of the planet and the industry they will want to go into. He called on them to continue to think in the same direction for their own benefit and that of the planet.
Curtis Pool, a 12-year-old secondary one student from Grand Anse Praslin, who was in primary six when he took part, said that he and his brother Kirt Pool, wanted to show through their poster how hotels can use renewable energy from different sources to sustain their development. As for Jamila Marie from SIAH, she and her two team members wanted show how water could be saved through latest technology.
Patrick Joubert
