Power Up
With many luxury hotels being surrounded by stunning natural resources, it is no surprise that energy is one of the biggest ways in which to reduce their carbon footprint. As guests are topping up their tans on loungers, solar photovoltaic panels also make use of the sun’s energy, which is renewable without harmful emissions. The Brando in French Polynesia is a prime example of making use of what’s around it. The resort relies solely on renewable energy sources such as solar and coconut oil and even employs a deep seawater air conditioning system, making it a totally carbon neutral resort.
Style and Substance
Locally sourced, recycled and renewable materials are the building blocks towards sustainable tourism, literally. Using local labour and traditional techniques also help preserve local cultures and communities. Campi Ya Kanzi in Kenya went one step further and is built solely from materials that have already fallen from the trees, employing the local Maasai people during its construction. Recycled materials can also be implemented into hotel accessories. The 1 Hotel Central Park in New York has found creative approaches to this, which include using chalk boards to display messages instead of paper and printing stories on the hangers to tell guests what they were recycled from e.g. “wrapping paper” or “homework”. While Tri Lanka promotes sustainable practices at all times; carefully monitoring its consumption by using living walls and green roofs (such as dwarf bamboo and water grass) in its design to help minimise erosion. The eco-property also uses 100% recycled local jak wood for the windows, flooring and cladding and even uses cinnamon sticks to keep the bedrooms cool.
Blending In
In an act to reduce ‘visual pollution’ by disrupting the natural scenery of a landscape, architects have come up with unique and beautiful designs that are functional yet also blend seamlessly into the natural surroundings. Sitting amongst the Swiss Alps you will have to look close to notice the igloo-style pods that make up the Whitepod resort in Switzerland, while at the Keemala resort in Thailand, luxury tree huts are suspended amongst the green canopy and are almost camouflaged into the backdrop.
Flora, Fauna and Friends
Many resorts make efforts to preserve the natural wildlife as well as the local communities around them. The Song Saa Foundation associated with the Song Saa resort in Cambodia, for example, actively promotes the conservation of the natural environment of the Koh Rong Archipelago and also invests in the welfare of local communities. From saving sea turtles to restoration of the rainforest, from facilitating local education programmes to managing waste through recycling and composting, the Foundation’s holistic approach to sustainability focuses on the sea, the land and the local people.
Under the Microscope
Focusing on future efforts to protect the environment is just as important as measures taken today. More investment is being made into conservation and preservation research and learning more about how to live harmoniously with nature and the environment without damaging it. Leonardo DiCaprio’s highly anticipated eco-resort Blackadore Caye in Belize intends to do just that by setting up a research station focused on climate change and habitat impacts, which the celebrity is well known to take a strong interest in.
There are indeed many ways in which the tourism industry can be greener and reduce its impact on the environment, and even benefit it. The responsibility lies not just on hotel’s, but also on the guests who stay there, who control the demand for such destinations. With more projects such as DiCaprio’s gaining attention in the media, the hope is that the move toward sustainable tourism is not just a trend, but rather a movement that is here to stay.
For more information on hotels and resorts who focus on sustainability, get in touch with our Travel Specialists.
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