ASR Group recently held our first annual Global Sustainability Week in Belize! Our sustainability leads from around the world attended the event hosted at our Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) Mill in Orange Walk.
The team participated in many activities, including visits to our farms in Belize and personal development trainings such as one titled “Understanding and Influencing Complex Systems.” This training covered the “complex living system” that is sugar production from farm to mill and was relevant to the focus of the event: recognizing our place in the value chain and what that means for our collaborative sustainability efforts.
“Widening our perspective was an important focus of the event and was of great value,” said Sr. Director of Sustainability Daryl Sabourin. “Experiencing camaraderie with all our sustainability leaders was also a great benefit during the first ever Global Sustainability Week.”
Participants were excited to experience Belizean cultural events presented by the local BSI team. They enjoyed a demonstration of an ancient Mayan game called Pitz, indulged in local foods and took trips to nearby historical sites.
The team enjoyed outings to explore the local scenery, including a group visit to Caye Caulker, a popular island in Belize. On the last day of the trip, the team had the opportunity to visit the ruins of an ancient Mayan city called Altun Ha, where one of Belize’s national treasures – a large, single piece of carved jade – was discovered in 1968.
“Everyone was so thankful to the local BSI team for providing so many enjoyable and unique experiences,” said Daryl. “Many participants expressed interest in holding the next Sustainability Week in their towns so they too can share their culture, with the recognition that the bar has been set quite high.”