Andrew Jacka: President of the Thai Spa Association, Director of Horwath Spa Consulting, APSWC Councillor for Thailand and APSWC Task Force Leader for Planet. Interview by Jacqueline Le Sueur
JLS: Andrew, first of all, our thanks to you for being the first person to volunteer to lead a task force. We all really appreciate you bringing your expertise and personality to the table. I guess the first question I would like to ask you is how do you find the time to juggle your consulting commitments with the work that you do for the Thai Spa Association and the APSWC?
AJ: Juggling work and TSPA/APSWC commitments is not as easy as I had thought it would be. Fortunately APSWC work is not so involved or time consuming at this stage, but being President of TSPA means that I have to spend at least 1/2 of each working day dedicated to TSPA; in turn that means some late nights in the office to get everything completed. However it is something that I enjoy immensely and am very happy to do. The added support of my fellow TSPA Board members is invaluable in being able to get everything completed in a timely manner as I can delegate a significant amount of work to them also.
JLS: What do you think is the major environmental issue facing the spa/wellness industry the region at the moment? What do you think we, the industry can do, to have an immediate impact on this?
AJ: The major environmental issue facing our industry can be juggled between water and organic. Water - even though we are told that global warming is contribution to rising water levels (thereby meaning more water - correct?), we see countries in severe drought. Regardless, we need to look at our use of water and ensure that it is being used wisely, even in countries where there is plenty. Are we recycling it with filtration systems onto our gardens/landscaping, or just pouring it down the drain after it has been used once? Unfortunately most are just pouring it down the drain and we do seriously need to review this matter. The element of organic can apply to water as to every other element of our industry's operations. If we are polluting our water, applying chemicals to our body, living in a chemical laden world - our overall level of health can only suffer. With the emphasis of our industry now starting to focus on longevity, and with many countries around the world now having major sections of their citizens in the 'over 60' categories, we are living long lives, so if we want to live them more productively then we have to do so as 'organically' as possible so that we maximize these new-found years rather than just being a burden on our communities and becoming a hospital statistic.
JLS : Do you think that the industry will be committed enough to self-regulate on environmental issues or do you see, looking into the future, that regulation will have to come from Government?
AJ : The demands for change that have been initiated by consumers have been taken on board by the industry, but long term success can only work with the support of Government. We can regulate our industry, but we are but a very small sector of the business community and unless there is a unified approach for all industries, our impact on the health of the environment will be minimal - united we stand, divided we fall!
JLS : Lastly, do you have any tips on how we can reduce our personal impact on the environment on a daily basis...one or two things we can all embrace that take little time or money to implement?"
AJ: Actually is not that difficult. It is widely known that switching off electrical appliances does not stop electrical consumption - appliances have to be unplugged - something that we can all do with a little thought. There are plenty of 'energy efficient light bulbs on the market - so why are we not using them? Surely it is a case of putting our money where our mouth is; as this is an obvious environmental consideration we can all action TODAY! Use of cleaning products - do they need to be as caustic as we have become accustomed? TV programmes show that lemon and salt (and a little elbow grease) can clean even some of the most grotesquely dirty bathrooms, yet we persist with toxic bleaches and solvents; and the list goes on. What it needs is a few minutes thought about our actions and we can all contribute to the overall health of our environment in very simple ways. Strong and wise words, Andrew. As leader of the Planet Task Force we look forward to receiving on-going pointers from you all that we can implement without delay! Thank you.
JLS: Andrew, first of all, our thanks to you for being the first person to volunteer to lead a task force. We all really appreciate you bringing your expertise and personality to the table. I guess the first question I would like to ask you is how do you find the time to juggle your consulting commitments with the work that you do for the Thai Spa Association and the APSWC?
AJ: Juggling work and TSPA/APSWC commitments is not as easy as I had thought it would be. Fortunately APSWC work is not so involved or time consuming at this stage, but being President of TSPA means that I have to spend at least 1/2 of each working day dedicated to TSPA; in turn that means some late nights in the office to get everything completed. However it is something that I enjoy immensely and am very happy to do. The added support of my fellow TSPA Board members is invaluable in being able to get everything completed in a timely manner as I can delegate a significant amount of work to them also.
JLS: What do you think is the major environmental issue facing the spa/wellness industry the region at the moment? What do you think we, the industry can do, to have an immediate impact on this?
AJ: The major environmental issue facing our industry can be juggled between water and organic. Water - even though we are told that global warming is contribution to rising water levels (thereby meaning more water - correct?), we see countries in severe drought. Regardless, we need to look at our use of water and ensure that it is being used wisely, even in countries where there is plenty. Are we recycling it with filtration systems onto our gardens/landscaping, or just pouring it down the drain after it has been used once? Unfortunately most are just pouring it down the drain and we do seriously need to review this matter. The element of organic can apply to water as to every other element of our industry's operations. If we are polluting our water, applying chemicals to our body, living in a chemical laden world - our overall level of health can only suffer. With the emphasis of our industry now starting to focus on longevity, and with many countries around the world now having major sections of their citizens in the 'over 60' categories, we are living long lives, so if we want to live them more productively then we have to do so as 'organically' as possible so that we maximize these new-found years rather than just being a burden on our communities and becoming a hospital statistic.
JLS : Do you think that the industry will be committed enough to self-regulate on environmental issues or do you see, looking into the future, that regulation will have to come from Government?
AJ : The demands for change that have been initiated by consumers have been taken on board by the industry, but long term success can only work with the support of Government. We can regulate our industry, but we are but a very small sector of the business community and unless there is a unified approach for all industries, our impact on the health of the environment will be minimal - united we stand, divided we fall!
JLS : Lastly, do you have any tips on how we can reduce our personal impact on the environment on a daily basis...one or two things we can all embrace that take little time or money to implement?"
AJ: Actually is not that difficult. It is widely known that switching off electrical appliances does not stop electrical consumption - appliances have to be unplugged - something that we can all do with a little thought. There are plenty of 'energy efficient light bulbs on the market - so why are we not using them? Surely it is a case of putting our money where our mouth is; as this is an obvious environmental consideration we can all action TODAY! Use of cleaning products - do they need to be as caustic as we have become accustomed? TV programmes show that lemon and salt (and a little elbow grease) can clean even some of the most grotesquely dirty bathrooms, yet we persist with toxic bleaches and solvents; and the list goes on. What it needs is a few minutes thought about our actions and we can all contribute to the overall health of our environment in very simple ways. Strong and wise words, Andrew. As leader of the Planet Task Force we look forward to receiving on-going pointers from you all that we can implement without delay! Thank you.
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