Sustainability has become everyone’s topic. From young adults to grown-ups, everybody is talking about sustainability and how to embrace this new phenomenon.
People have started paying attention to the consequences of their actions on the environment and that’s why each individual is starting his own movement towards sustainability, whether it is from the clothes they choose to wear and recycle, the food they consume, the way of traveling, the way they use water and electricity and many more.
Hotels and houses are also built to support environmental sustainability. Yes, you read it well! You can go to a hotel which is eco-friendly.
Travellers are aware of the importance of preserving the ecosystem, taking care of the environment by supporting sustainable tourism.
Many hotels around the world are developing award winning environmental, economic, and socio-cultural programs that support the local economy.
It is fundamental that each of us is aware of his actions and starts supporting individuals, companies and organizations that are mainly focused on the protection of the environment.
Below you may see some of the most famous eco hotels by Condé Nast Traveller.
1. CASA DE LAS OLAS, TULUM
Casa de las Olas is not just the only property in Mexico with a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) review, it’s also the only one with a Platinum rating LEED review. The internationally recognised organisation certifies sustainable buildings such as Olas, which was built in the 1970s by Austrian engineer Carlo Shuber. The design was already ahead of its time, but current owner Jimmy Greenfield also retro-fitted solar panels and has taken the time to get things right here, down to the hand-sorted trash (stored for the recycling truck, which only comes once a month in Tulum) and the so-natural-they’re-almost-edible toiletries.
2. ZURI ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA
Designed to resemble an African village, Zuri Zanzibar is built around nature rather than through it. Each of the property’s thatched-roof villas balances on stilts above native plants and beachy grasses and under shady umbrellas of ancient baobab trees. Recently recognised as the world’s first hotel to be awarded EarthCheck’s Sustainable Design Gold Certification, the complex’s other standout features include organic toiletries, an energy-efficient Evening Breeze air-conditioning system and a magically fragrant spice garden.
3. SVART, NORWAY
The ambitious goal of the not-yet-constructed space-age Svart hotel in the frosty Arctic Circle is to generate more energy than it uses over the course of its lifetime. This means that everything from raw materials used during the building process to the ins and outs of daily operation – and even its eventual demolition – is being considered from the outset.
4. SIX SENSES FIJI
This pioneering private island, packed with forests and encircled by bright-green tides, is powered entirely by a solar installation feeding Tesla battery packs – one of the largest off-grid energy systems in the South Pacific. Also, you won’t find plastic in this paradise: the resort uses a state-of-the-art, in-house reverse-osmosis plant and water refinery to alchemise rainwater into drinking water for reusable bottles.
5. THE BRANDO, FRENCH POLYNESIA
It’s not as if you need another reason to visit this ethereal escape long favoured by earth-minded and privacy-seeking notable sorts such as the Obamas, but The Brando just might be in possession of the world’s most innovative and low-impact air-con facility. Using icy deep-sea ocean water sourced 3,000ft below the sun-dabbled Tahitian shallows, The Brando’s seawater air-conditioning system (SWAC) reduces energy demands by more than 80 per cent.
6. WILDERNESS SAFARIS SERRA CAFEMA, NAMBIA
There’s off-the-beaten-track, and then there’s totally-in-the-middle-of-nowhere. Northern Namibia’s Serra Cafema camp falls into the latter category, which makes the fact that it’s completely solar powered even more impressive. This remote tented hideaway actually sits on land leased from the local semi-nomadic Himba tribe, showing Serra Cafema’s dedication to preserving and respecting indigenous communities alongside natural resources.
7. 1 HOTEL BROOKLYN BRIDGE, NEW YORK
In the shadow of the steely Manhattan skyline, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge trades shine and metal for reclaimed woods and living plant walls. This 100 per cent wind-powered property comes fully charged with an in-house Tesla for complimentary spins around the block, as well as a water-reclamation system, which collects rainwater to keep the neighbouring Brooklyn Bridge Park green during New York’s sweltering summer months.
8. MASHPI LODGE, ECUADOR
Sky-high in the Ecuadorian Choco-Andean cloud forest, the glass-walled Mashpi Lodge is constantly adding to its conservation efforts. In addition to already being largely free of single-use plastics and employing an expert team of naturalists, the lodge has newly introduced plans to officially expand the surrounding Mashpi Reserve by some 2,500 hectares to widen the scope of scientific research on the biosphere’s diverse wealth of plants and wildlife, including 500 species of bird.
