Sandals Resorts International which operates two resorts here, continues to receive much praise for its sterling contributions to the preservation of the environment in Antigua and its Caribbean sister territories. Following the Antigua Hotel association’s sustainable tourism award and Green Globe and Earth-Check endorsements over the years, the resort chain has received its latest accolade for strong support of environmental preservation work from the Jamaican Environmental Trust.  

In a release issued by the JET, Sandals Resorts International has been named among a group of private sector companies for their financial support over the years. The Gordon 'Butch' Stewart owned-hotel chain has been given the title Champion of the Environment, and shares the spotlight with CIBC FirstCaribbean, the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, and other regional private sector groups.

According to JET, champions of the environment are those companies that have donated over $1 million per year in "unrestricted funds"; leaders of the environment give between $500,000 and $999,9999; protectors donate between $250,000 and $499,999; and supporters are awarded for giving between $100,000 and $249,999.

"The Jamaica Environment Trust is pleased to recognise ten private sector companies for their significant and long-standing support of JET and Jamaica's natural environment," said JET CEO Diana McCaulay in a release to the press.

"We are coming to the end of our 20th anniversary year and we wanted to say thank you to the institutions that have given generously to JET over the years. As such, we have created our corporate honour roll programme and we are happy to announce this on Earth Day," she explained.

The announcement comes as Sandals Resorts through its philanthropic arm; the Sandals Foundation undertakes several environmental projects in Antigua and the Caribbean to celebrate Earth Day. It is at a time when Sandals Foundation and the Antigua Environmental division implement an ongoing climate change project which has planted 3,000 trees thus far. In addition to all Sandals resorts meeting the earth check requirement for sustainable tourism practices, Sandals Foundation has embraced the environment as one of three main pillars on which its development philosophy is built.