Let’s face it…just about EVERYONE likes to travel! It’s an adventure, or it’s a relaxing getaway, or just a time and place to recharge for us.
Did you realize tourism is the world’s largest industry? That makes for a lot of WASTE! (Maybe you’ve never thought of it that way?!) But now that going green has been a thing for a couple of decades now, some resorts have really taken it further!
Here’s a few of the top green resorts in the world…and several of them are within a 4 hour flight of Springfield, MO!
Sandos Caracol-Playa del Carmen – They use recycled paper, ultra–efficient air conditioning and offer free biodegradable mosquito repellent throughout, but the available Xcalacoco Experience—an immersive narrative that pays homage to the land and its ancient culture through different interactive activities—is the star of the show. The story starts on the beach, makes its way to a cenote and concludes with a Fire of Life ceremony. A beautiful, family-oriented resort.
El Dorado Royale & Spa Resort-Playa del Carment – In the eyes of this Gourmet Inclusive® brand, “protecting our natural resources is more than just good taste.” Every one of their Riviera Maya properties features produce harvested from their Rainforest Alliance–certified hydroponic greenhouse and surrounding orchard and Green Globe certification for admirable efforts in environmental protection and sustainability.
Turtle Bay-North Shore of Oahu – The first resort in Oahu to cover its roofs in solar panels, this major initiative was only one of the many that has led to its STOKE certification from an organization whose rigorous criteria include 140 quantifiable measures and 320 indicators of surf–specific sustainability.
Riu Guanacaste-Costa Rica – RIU Resorts made it a point to shift to biodegradable cleaners and environmentally friendly fabrics; actively create reductions in water, electricity and chemical product use; and provide green materials to guests.
However, this particular resort took it a mile further by establishing a private national wildlife refuge on the land just next to it. Set along the coastal mountain range of Matapalo, almost 500 acres of land have been promised to nature to better support the biodiversity of the region. Within 250 species of plant and animal life, including endangered trees and mammals, are guaranteed an undisturbed home in which to flourish.
Voted #1 in the world-Jean Michel Cousteau Resort-Fiji – Its initiatives are many, including pioneering the use of low–voltage lighting in the Pacific region; the first recycling program on Savusavu; and Fiji’s first water reclamation plant, a low–energy system cleverly disguised as pretty lagoons festooned with hyacinths and filled with fish and frogs. Other aquatic efforts: a wastewater system that uses coconuts and recycled bottles, a comprehensive water filtration program, and non–phosphate cleaning products for their line–dried linens.
They’re also heavily involved in the efforts of a giant clam project, Nukubalavu Marine Reserve, Namena Marine Reserve, mangrove reforestation and a coral farm. On land, organic gardens and edible landscaping feed guests and animals, but farmed fish never do, and buildings use only certified local forest wood.
