ROTARY CLUB OF PATONG BEACH
CLUB MEETING AT MILLENNIUM HOTEL
TUESDAY 13 Aug, 2019
Note Taker: P.P.O.B.
Members and guests were upbeat and ready to create a good meeting and that we did!
Good to see Jonathan up to his presidential charm. Always a pleasure to have a few returning guests in Michael M, Daren, and Marvin K engage with the stalwart members of Jonathan, PP Walter, P.P Karen, Dr. Johan, SAA David, PP Sam and the notetaker PP OB. We were especially blessed tonight with a new guest in Khun Uma who is a Thai Office Manager and Real Estate Sales Person. Our Guest speaker who became even more charming as the evening went on was Florian.
(Sam's photos will attest to the full tables of smilers.)
The guests sign in sheet will be more accurate about names of attendees, if my memory is flawed:
All of the guests were introduced prior to the scrumptious dinner being devoured.
At pretty much 8:00 sharp, SAA David asked President Jonathan to call the meeting to order, and he did so with a ceremoniously bong of the gong which commenced some sincere, but slightly staccato singing of the National Anthem.
Club Business: (abbreviated notes of well-presented materials)
P. Jonathan
P. Jonathan had shared just prior at the Board meeting, but repeated his want for our club to outreach and get more participatory with other Phuket Clubs in Rotary.
He also introduced and praised Dr. Johan for the work he was doing with Water Safety:
- Dr. Johan on Water Safety:
Water safety program is in full swing and continues til Aug 21. There were volunteers to help with this program but it is noted that most of heavy lifting was done by the tireless and super charitable Dr. Johan. The project is very worthy and deserves to be bigger and bigger next year. PP Sam defined how matching grants status could greatly help our club grow this worthwhile program. Dr. Johan is working with the lifeguards (PADI certified) and kid organizers.
When completed, we hope to use the photos and videos of this program to really show- case how Rotary generally and, our club specifically do praiseworthy works. Note: 3 drownings per day in Thailand
- Richard on Helmets for Kids:
This program is alive and well -AND- will be re-invigorated by Richard and the Andaman Club. Richard was not on hand to share about this program (Which is now named in honor of Gary Moody whose dedication and hard work was very significant in this program.)
Pending Visit of the DG coming soon. Please check the bulletin and Club Runner.
- Fundraising OB: OB spoke uncharacteristically briefly about another big fundraiser in April and suggested that it will, in some way, sponsor the waste management for kids on Koh Siray.
Guest Speaker GM Florien of Zeavola Resort on Phi Phi Island:
Khun OB by exuberant mistake introduced the Guest Speaker as a Local Hero of the Green Hotel movement.
First of all, Florien was an active and strong member of our Club many moons ago, so it was with a warm welcome back that he joined us as a guest speaker. Brought to us by David’s kind invitation:
He is the GM of the Zeavola Resort on Phi Phi, and has been for some time – ever growing it and improving its sustainability and fine position in the Green Getaway Resorts of Asia. He has preserved for his owners to lower the running costs while he has delivered his guest a five-star experience that is low carbon. He speaks well, was well prepared and obviously enjoys his mission.
--ZEAVOLA IS LIVING PROOF THAT GREEN SAVES MONEY WHILE SAVING COSTS AND IMPROVING GUESTS’ EXPERIENCES. —
He started his presentation by showing us a veiled and small object on a pedestal in front of the projector screen….this object he suggested….drum rolls could be heard….this object was worth 8,000,000 Thb in savings. But he would share what it was only later.
In a delightfully candid, humorous and energetic way Florien presented many ideas and systems that he and his team had worked out at Zeavola to save on water consumption, energy production and waste management. To list a few of his ideas presented – which only really was a great sell for all of us to visit his resort and enjoy what real Sustainable feels like.
The following were only a few of what he spoke eloquently about:
- Laundry: Typical laundries are very consumptive of water and electricity and often have high traveling (carbon) costs. The team at Zeavola developed their own laundry and: using recycled water, using low phosphate detergents, and using their own labor, they were able to save dramatically the energy, the waste, the carbon and the COST of doing their own laundry rather than out-sourcing it.
- Food Waste and other Wet Waste: Florien reckoned correctly that the issue with most organic wastes are two-fold….they are mostly water and they tend to smell if not exposed to sunlight or oxygen rich bacteria. He bought a machine to extract the water from food waste which allowed the water to be recycled and the by-product to be a non-smelly, very rich fertilizer. The Waste Water is a bit trickier but still can produce safe, non-smelly milorganite with some careful handling.
- Staff Drinking Bottles: He found that the staff were willing to use their own personalize, refillable drinking bottles with pride. Thereby, reducing a big item that would otherwise have to be washed and/or recycled and/or wasted.
- Staff Involvement: By far the most heartwarming piece of Florien’s presentation was his admission that being able to lower costs and lower waste; and to increase sustainable success was because of his STAFF. – without whom it would just be another wannabe.
- THE 8MTBH WINNER: DRUM ROLL PLEASE……The big winner at the resort was simply getting off of those little plastic bottles that clutter the bathrooms and clog the waste dump – shampoo, hand cream, conditioner and body soap…..all are decanted into attractive reusable Ceramic Bottles….saving a fortune.
We all thanked Florien with many questions and much praise:
- P Jonathan closed with a fine toast to Rotary Good Works, which stimulated several contributions to the Happy Hundred box.
Not sure what happened here. Everyone gone phones & drinks left
Did the FIRE ALARM GO OFF?
Ed Denis
Footnote: please add to or subtract from these notes as per enhancing your experience of the evening. Any inaccuracies or omission in these minutes are not intentional and should be corrected by those with better memories than the note taker.
Night report: PP O.B. Photos: PP Sam E&OE
3 ways to make your club more inclusive
By Katey Halliday, Rotaract Club of Adelaide City and the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light, South Australia, Australia
Rotary recently adopted a diversity, equity, and inclusion policy that sends a strong message that we embrace inclusivity. Rotary has clubs all over the world and reaches a broad range of people with our service projects. So we are already diverse, but a second ingredient, inclusion, is the key to unlocking and maintaining the full benefits of that diversity.
How inclusive is your club?
Verna Myers, founder of the Verna Myers Company and vice president of Inclusion Strategy at Netflix, has explained the difference between the two concepts as “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.”
In the context of Rotary membership, this means it is not enough to invite people from diverse backgrounds to our meetings and events. We need to include them in club planning and decision making, and value their contributions.
Below are some ideas for cultivating inclusion:
Make your club accessible
- Do you meet in a convenient location for everyone? If not, consider meeting in more than one venue.
- Can people find information if they are unable to attend?
- Does the time of your meeting work for the demographic you are trying to attract? You could provide options, such as some morning and some evening meetings. Not every meeting needs to include a meal.
- Are there any unnecessary costs that block some from attending, such as the cost of a meal? A limited menu can also create unintentional barriers for those with dietary restrictions. Also consider providing the choice of not eating at all.
- Can you bill for fees on a monthly or quarterly basis instead of annually, for those who would manage better this way? You could set up a small premium to cover the added cost.
Give all members something meaningful to do
This requires club leaders to understand why each member is there and determine what activities would fulfill their passion and purpose for joining. It is sometimes easier to do a task yourself then delegating, but handing tasks over to someone new is a great way to include them.
Provide diversity and inclusion training
Every club can benefit from an honest discussion about these topics. I have received feedback from many members and have heard in consulting with districts that some people hesitate to join because of inappropriate comments or behavior they have experienced. Bring in a speaker or conduct a training session on any of the following topics:
- Using inclusive language: Learn about the effects our words have on creating a culture of normalised behavior. Gendered language, for instance, is a barrier toward achieving gender equality. To achieve the goal of having women comprise 30 percent of membership and leadership by June 2023, we need to take positive action in this arena.
- Detecting and avoiding unconscious bias and discrimination. Sometimes people can unintentionally be treated unfairly because of a personal characteristic.
- Understanding and avoiding sexual harassment. The “me too” movement has raised awareness of sexual harassment. Bring in an expert to raise your club’s awareness of the issue and what they can do to prevent it.
- Calling out inappropriate behavior as a bystander. David Morrison, retired Lieutenant General of the Australian Army, and current chair of Diversity Council Australia, notes “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
- Participate in International Women’s Day, Harmony Day, your local Pride celebrations and other days that celebrate diversity.
There are many strategies your club can employ. But for any to work, you must accept that change is vital to Rotary’s continued success. We can admire Rotary International for approving the diversity, equity, and inclusion policy.
Now it’s up to members to work it down to the club level.
About the author: Katey Halliday is a past president and charter member of the Adelaide City Rotaract Club and recently joined the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light. She has also served as a team leader, coordinator, and trainer for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).
She is a project officer and training facilitator in the Diversity and Inclusion Branch of the South Australia Police.
