THE COLONY CLUB Hotel is going green – literally – with the introduction of an organic garden.
And on Tuesday it held the first of what will be monthly farmer’s markets on the grounds of the Porters, St James hotel.
Operations manager Lisa Batson explained to the media how it came about.
“We are into wellness here at the Colony Club Hotel and this is one of our projects we have recently launched. This project was started in October; the various department heads formed different groups and we held a competition which the Living Well group won and they decided on the garden,” she said.
Head gardener Sharon Smith-Callender is a member of the winning group. She said the garden fitted in well with a healthy lifestyle.
“We sat down and decided what to come up with and since people in Barbados are starting to go healthy, we thought a garden would be a nice idea seeing as we had the space. So far, it is doing pretty well,” said Smith-Callender.
The market featured many different aspects centred on the garden such as an aquaponics system; a fish pond where tilapia will be raised for consumption; a juice bar and a compost heap. It also included a cooking demonstration; art and craft; massages; live music and a guided tour of the 6 000 square feet where the garden is located.
Batson said the effort was an example of a hotel utilising local produce.
“This is something we created. Before there was just idle land here and through a lot of hard work and money, we built a garden. This is the first farmer’s market which will be held once a month,” she said. (CA)
