Eco and Luxury are two words that haven’t always gone together, but there is a growing demand for eco-friendly products, hotels and services that don’t compromise on quality and service.
Along with technological advancements, we now have eco-friendly products and design tools that allow us to have luxury and still help save the planet. With sustainability at the front of our minds, applauding those hotels and lodges that go above and beyond is an important and worthwhile initiative.
Here are a few of our favourites – the real forward thinkers, who are taking real steps towards sustainability – along with details of how they help to protect the environment.
Nihiwatu Resort, Indonesia
Nihiwatu’s Bio-diesel Project has helped it move away from reliance on fossil fuel – they buy dried coconut from local communities and then convert the copra into bio-diesel that runs the generators, with US$1 million dollars projected to be channelled into the local economy.
Lapa Rios, Costa Rica
Approximately 15 pigs of varying sizes eat the kitchen leftovers, whose waste is then used to produce methane gas, which in turn travels through a pipe to the staff kitchen, where it fuels the gas burners used to cook daily meals for 52 employees.
Adrere Amellal, Egypt
The brainchild of Egyptian engineer Dr. Mounir Nematallah, Adrère Amellal is an exemplary model of the use of indigenous construction techniques.
Built of locally cut salt rock and clay and utilising the expertise and labour of local artisans, the lodge revives traditional construction techniques while simultaneously providing a livelihood for the local community.
Built to minimize impact on both the fragile desert environment and to convey a ‘sense of place’, there is no electricity, but candlelight provides plenty of atmosphere. The thick walls ensure that no air conditioning is required in the hot desert climate!
No comment