This morning, I was sitting in the jungle engaged in a little crustacean meditation when Ark, a rather vocal Koel, kept disturbing me.  I tried to maintain my focus but couldn’t with his constant “koo-oo, koo-oo”.

I accepted that my present moment was with Ark, so stepped closer to hear what he had to say.  To my surprise he wasn’t saying ‘koo-oo’ after all, but ‘now-ow’. I admitted my mistake…

“You only hear when you are ready to listen,” Ark said philosophically. I was intrigued and sat down to find out more. “Transparency, credibility, sustainability – itmustbeNOW.com!” he emphasised.

“Why now, why all the pressure?” I questioned. Ark caw-cawed a deep but kind laugh and flew down by my side.

“NOW isn’t a time but a movement,” he explained. “It’s a way for guests to discover inspiring and responsible hotels around the world and for those properties to step up, show progress, stop the greenwash and be the best they can be for our world right now.”

But what was greenwash?  And wouldn’t it be scary to step up like this, for as much as people could see what you were doing, they would also see what you weren’t…

This morning, I was sitting in the jungle engaged in a little crustacean meditation when Ark, a rather vocal Koel, kept disturbing me. I tried to maintain my focus but couldn’t with his constant “koo-oo, koo-oo”.

I accepted that my present moment was with Ark, so stepped closer to hear what he had to say. To my surprise he wasn’t saying ‘koo-oo’ after all, but ‘now-ow’. I admitted my mistake…

“You only hear when you are ready to listen,” Ark said philosophically. I was intrigued and sat down to find out more. “Transparency, credibility, sustainability – itmustbeNOW.com!” he emphasised.

“Why now, why all the pressure?” I questioned. Ark caw-cawed a deep but kind laugh and flew down by my side.

“NOW isn’t a time but a movement,” he explained. “It’s a way for guests to discover inspiring and responsible hotels around the world and for those properties to step up, show progress, stop the greenwash and be the best they can be for our world right now.”

But what was greenwash?  And wouldn’t it be scary to step up like this, for as much as people could see what you were doing, they would also see what you weren’t…

“That’s the point,” Ark explained. “NOW is about creating a community that works together to encourage one another. It’s not just about ‘greenwashing’ people with an environmentally responsible public image; it’s about committing to do increasingly more to advance global sustainability in all its forms: through corporate social responsibility, ethical causes, and greater protection for the environment. Now-ow! Now-ow!”

Ark flew off to spread his message so I scuttled away to ponder his words. Passing Landaa’s water bottling plant on my way towards the Marine Discovery Centre, with the resort’s solar panels glinting in the distance, I realised that while no one can do everything to save the planet, everyone can do something – from global resorts to the guests who choose to support them.

It’s such an important topic of our times,
everywhere needs a little bird to
shout it from the rooftops.
The time is Now-ow! Now-ow!

“That’s the point,” Ark explained. “NOW is about creating a community that works together to encourage one another. It’s not just about ‘greenwashing’ people with an environmentally responsible public image; it’s about committing to do increasingly more to advance global sustainability in all its forms: through corporate social responsibility, ethical causes, and greater protection for the environment. Now-ow! Now-ow!”

Ark flew off to spread his message so I scuttled away to ponder his words. Passing Landaa’s water bottling plant on my way towards the Marine Discovery Centre, with the resort’s solar panels glinting in the distance, I realised that while no one can do everything to save the planet, everyone can do something – from global resorts to the guests who choose to support them.

It’s such an important topic of our times,
everywhere needs a little bird to
shout it from the rooftops.
The time is Now-ow! Now-ow!