The Urban Development Corporation-owned Green Grotto Caves and Attractions in Discovery Bay, St Ann, was recently promoted to EarthCheck Master status, the first cave in the world to hold the designation.

EarthCheck is the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism.

Zoe Ma, relationship manager for EarthhCheck, said the master level certification now places Green Grotto — an attraction operated by the St Ann Development Company, a subsidiary of the Urban Development Corporation — as a leader in the unique, worldwide group of sustainable tourism operators that are certified to the internationally recognised EarthCheck Company Standard.

Sandraleen Tucker, manager of Green Grotto Caves & Attractions, said the attraction’s team was very proud of the certification.

“We were first certified in 2003. At that time we were Green Globe Certified and then they changed to EarthCheck. We got the Earthcheck Gold Certification in 2009, having been certified for 10 consecutive years, and then Platinum Certification in 2012. This year is our 15th year, so we are at the master level,” Tucker said, chronicling the attraction’s journey.

“Getting to that level was no walkover… Each year we try to lessen what we use in terms of utilities and so on. For benchmarking, we have to do a lot of paperwork because daily we have to record what we use in terms of utilities at a set time. We have to ensure that all our licences are in place and that the property is in good shape in terms of safety and security. We practice the four Rs, which are: rethink, reduce, recycle, and reuse,” Tucker outlined.

The impact of those practices has gone beyond the boundaries of the caves property, she noted.

Green Grotto Caves and Attractions is situated on 64 acres of land between the resort centres of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

The EarthCheck Master Certification achievement took effect in November, representing 15 years of continuous accreditation with EarthCheck.