This article describes all the steps taken by the new resort in Granada to become truly sustainable.
Energy
They installed an 80 kW windmill with an expected annual output of 180,000 kWh. It is the first utility grade windmill installed in Caricom and we could not find any resort that has already installed a windmill, although there are several with plans and one under construction. With an estimated annual energy use of 120,000 kWh, the complex will be better than zero carbon, once the connection to the electric grid is made later this year.
They encourage other resorts to go wind power and assist with their feasibility study, give practical advice and may even offer installation assistance from a factory-trained team.
For interested students and potential windmill owners, they host free seminars at the windmill.
To minimize energy consumption, the resort uses air conditioners with heat recovery units, which convert lost heat into hot water, as well as solar water heaters. In addition, a high-efficiency dishwasher with hot water connection is installed. Although with a lower impact, energy-saving lamps are used combined with solar lights. Low-consumption refrigerators and washing machines will soon be installed.
This past July and August, the resort sold energy efficient light bulbs to the local public and offered them a free champagne lobster lunch for every 4 light bulbs purchased. On a regular basis, informal seminars are held and articles are distributed to raise awareness of energy saving. In a country where most appliances are only bought on price, and are therefore energy inefficient, this is not a luxury. Homeowners typically recoup the price difference with an energy efficient Class A refrigerator in a year and a half.
CARBON FREE HOLIDAYS: for flights, stays and transportation/activities
They will implement a carbon offset program in which all flights, local transportation/guest activities will be offset with carbon credits purchased by the resort, automatically and audited, in addition to the already carbon-free stay thanks to the windmill returning energy to the electrical grid. Therefore, the guest’s vacation is guaranteed to be carbon-neutral. The carbon offset program plants trees in Ethiopia, which has additional social (firewood) and ecological (stopping erosion) benefits. For a typical transatlantic flight, 50 trees are planted, far more than most carbon offset programs that do not consider the re-emission of carbon dioxide after the tree’s lifetime.
Water
They built a surface well with underground channels to collect rainwater from the hills around the spa. Since there is no industry or inorganic agriculture, the water is extremely pure, so filtering is almost an unnecessary luxury. For drinking water, they go to a source in the mountains, the same water used for commercially bottled source water, and they supply the water in reusable glass bottles.
fossil fuel
Guests are asked to cooperate in combining full cars for tours. When guests go into town, we ask that they take the bus instead of a taxi (on a voluntary basis). We are preparing a project to make biodiesel from used (cooking) oils.
Dirty clothes
The resort asks that guests continue to use towels and bedding for as long as they are comfortable.
Exclusive use of organic materials.
As of December 2008, the resort exclusively uses organic soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion in dispensers, and cleaning materials. They use organic meat and vegetables, mostly from their own organic gardens. They prefer to buy locally made products.
Social responsability
The resort hires local staff whenever possible so that the area benefits from the resort’s presence. After Hurricane Ivan, the resort created a relief organization to distribute food, water, medicine, vitamin pills, seeds, and Christmas gifts to the wider area (report available on request), initially with its own means, then with the support of of teams in Canada, the US and the Netherlands. They also help local cultural organizations with in-kind donations, help local NGOs, and financially support community service projects.
The resort announced a revitalization program targeting crop and tree farmers. Many of them never restarted their farm after Hurricane Ivan and moved to construction. Now that the rebuilding boom is over, they find themselves without a steady job and usually without reserves. This is not just a social problem for the farmers themselves: vegetables now have to be partly imported to meet the demand at very high prices. The program helps farmers get on the same page, from clearing their overgrown land to providing manure and seed, as well as tips on how to grow more economically.
The resort will also initiate community social services and green energy awareness/conversation programs targeting both the local market and the travel industry.
For these programs, the resorts introduced Volunteer Vacations that offer a healthy balance between volunteering and enjoying the island.
