Making Green the Norm

(Dive Travel Business News - March 14, 2010) --  Vacation Agent - With some of the finest reefs on earth, crystal-clear water and endless shorelines of sugary sand, the Caribbean is attracting the particular attention of environmentalists, who wish to ensure the sustainability of the region’s tourism product. As more and more travelers opt for stays in eco-astute properties, the goal is to make “green” the norm, not the expensive alternative.

Organizations such as Green Globe International and, the new kid on the block, Green Hotel Certification, are working with properties throughout the region to bring them up to current green standards, which means more than a recycling bin and a ceiling fan. From lodges in the woods to uber-luxe suites on the beach, the following are some of the top green properties in the Caribbean.

Aruba Fronting 14 palm-studded acres along EagleBeach, the European-designedBucutiBeach Resort and Tara Beach Suites has made the environment a priority. With Green Globe certification for the sixth consecutive year, the resort features rooms and suites that are equipped with energy-saving lamps and with insulation systems that retain cool air.

Owners Ewald and Susan Biemans are the driving forces behind the eco-efforts, employing an on-property Green Team that encourages guest participation in resort-sponsored beach cleanups and projects that monitor the giant leatherback turtle, who lays its eggs on the beach from March to October.

“American travelers are choosing a property based on the eco-safeguards in place,” Ewald Biemans says. “Climate change and high fuel prices at home are creating a very eco-astute generation of tourists.”

297-583-1100 | www.bucuti.com

Barbados The 267-room Casuarina Beach Resort is located on the white sands of Maxwell Beach is the fifth property in the Almond chain of all-inclusives. With resort-wide Green Globe certification (Barbados and St. Lucia), Almond has long demonstrated a consistent eco-sensitivity. The newest property, nearBridgetown, is already a leader in the preservation of endangered sea turtles, who nest on CasuarinaBeach.

Set on nine acres of tropical forest, the resort heats its water with solar power,and its lighting system operates on photo cells. “It is simply good business to pay close attention to our surroundings, says Ralph Taylor, the chairman.

246-428-3600 | www.almondresorts.com

Cayman Islands In Grand Cayman, the 365-room Ritz-Carlton, set on 144 acres from the Caribbean to the North Sound, sets the gold standard for both luxury and unrivalled commitment to the environment. The Ambassadors of the Environment program, created by preservationist Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, has opened its programs to islanders as well as guests of the property.

The resort offers participants a chance to learn about the environment through interactive exhibits and hands-on adventures. Activities include a weekly reef survey using underwater writing slates to record marine life and a turtle tag program that tracks the movements of the endangered creatures.

345-943-9000 | www.ritzcarlton.com

Grenada With its own desalinization plant and a strong “reduce, reuse, renew” mindset, AAA Four-Diamond Spice Island Beach Resort is a lot more than just a pretty face. Blending environmental ethos with practicality, the elegant 64-room all-inclusive that fronts the spectacular GrandAnseBeach was the first property inGrenada to be Green Globe certified, and it continues its commitment to the environment without compromising the luxury vacation experience.

Green initiatives include solar rooftop heaters, compact fluorescent bulbs, grinding of used bath soap to make laundry detergent, composting of the vegetable gardens, and cleanups of the reefs and the surrounding Mourne Rouge area. “We are proud of our environmental efforts and how they make a difference in our operation,” says owner Sir Royston Hopkin, who is chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), a position he has held for five years.

800-448-8355 | www.spiceislandbeachresort.com

Jamaica In Ocho Rios, the British colonial-inspired and Green Globe-certified Sandals Royal Plantation takes environmentalism seriously. The 74-room oceanfront property has incorporated sustainable practices into daily life both at the resort and in the surrounding communities. Paper is recycled, shredded and donated to Wassi Arts—a local pottery company, and plastic bottles and aluminum cans are sent to the Jamaica Unified Recycling Company.

Onsite environmental managers oversee programs that reduce energy and water consumption, improve wastewater disposal, and protect marine life, including the coral reefs, turtles and dolphins. Every Sandals and Beaches Resort in Jamaica, Antigua, Turks & Caicos and St. Lucia is Green Globe certified.

888-726-3257 | www.sandals.com

St. Lucia Eco-savvy from top to bottom, Discovery at MarigotBay on the picturesque west coast achieved an environmental milestone with the launch of the Caribbean’s first solar-powered ferry. Designed and built by a naval architect, the Sunshine Express is a clean, quiet and energy-efficient craft, and the latest in a long list of environmentally friendly initiatives adopted by the resort.

“We have always tried to do our best to protect this bay described by James Michener as the most beautiful in the Caribbean,” says owner Judith Verity, who initiated the building of the ferry. Other eco-sustainable measures include a high-tech sewage system that filters grey water so nothing goes into the bay, as well as a beach regeneration program.

Advise clients to pack a DEET-based repellent for evening strolls and midnight martinis; the resort does not use toxic pesticides to control insects.

758-458-5300 | www.discoverystlucia.com

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ringed by five beaches and traversed by a tapestry of nature trails, Palm Island in the Grenadines is an eco-chic hideaway appealing to tourists who want more from a vacation than a suntan. Without TVs or telephones, the 135-acre retreat relies on Mother Nature to keep guests entertained.

Owned by EliteIsland resorts, the property’s attention to the environment is paramount, with all four properties certified green by the California-based Green Hotel Certification. “EliteIsland Resorts demonstrated great commitment by choosing a certification program that sends auditors to each property for detailed inspections and then monitors the properties continually,” says Guido Bauer, CEO of Green Hotel Certification. Organic waste is given to local farmers, only biodegradable products are used and a carbon offset program is in place at all resorts.

800-345-0356 | www.eliteislands.com,  www.palmislandresortgrenadines.com

U.S. Virgin Islands The granddaddy of Caribbean sustainability dates back to 1976, when “eco-astute” was just a buzzword and Stanley Selengut opened Maho Bay Camps on 14 acres bordering Virgin IslandsNational Park in St. John. Selengut set the property on platforms within the forest so the plants and animals could continue to exist undisturbed.

With rates from $80 per night, MahoBay offers 114 screened-in tent cabins connected by a network of stairs and boardwalks along a hillside overlooking the bay. Not for everyone, the resort offers no air-conditioning. The camp also runs St. John’s only recycling program and operates the Trash to TreasuresArtCenter, where guests take classes in everything from jewelry design, which incorporates used bottles, to papermaking from 
shredded office paper.

Maho has a more upscale eco-sister on St. John called the Concordia Eco-Tents, with rates starting at $105 per night.

800-392-9004 | www.maho.org

By Melanie Reffes - Vacation Agent Magazine

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