The Color of Green

Plenty can be said about eco this and eco that. It seems everything is going green these days. So, how can you tell what is really good for the environment and what is not?

Good question. For starters, when it comes to hotels and the travel industry, there are only a few certification sources and none with a truly global reach, yet. Green Globe is probably the most widely recognized, but not so among U.S. based hotel companies, where getting the story straight gets even trickier than in Western Europe, Southeast Asia or Central and South America.

My best advice: research the particular area or property you are interested in visiting. Find out what they do in regards to waste management, energy management and local environmental conservation. These are usually the most common identifiers in determining a property's true eco colors.

Told you So?

Well, in case you haven't heard, it happened, the oil rig catastrophe that oil companies promised would be highly unlikely.

Forty-two thousand gallons of oil per day, gone. Not to mention the environmental damage that awaits to be tallied - another month of this and guess how much oil was just trashed? About 1.2 million gallons.

My dad was a helicopter pilot for Petroleum Helicopters Incorporated. I know the business as much as a family member of one of its employees can. So, do I believe oil is baaad? No. But do I believe the U.S. has been slow and irresponsible in establishing cleaner sources of energy and jobs? YES!

What do you think?

Your Favorite Beach

We're working on adding a whole lot of new properties on EcoBeachHotels.com. Do you know why the beach and sustainability are important? Well, let any one of our 20+ properties tell you about it.

Sure, a Chinese ocean freighter just rammed into the Great Barrier Reef and coral reef bleaching is on the rise. So what does this mean to you? If you enjoy a clean and quiet stretch of sand with plenty of activities, or just laying back - then anything that may irreparable harm the health of this environment is important to you.

Most travelers, when dreaming of an escape, picture an unspoiled beach scape, where dolphins frolic, food grows on trees and exotic plant species out number visitors hundred to one. Do you want to help preserve this?

I can go on, instead, I will wait for your feedback on this blog. Please share your thoughts, pass this around and let our properties learn of your experiences - on the beach.

This posting will occasionally re-appear in the future as a reminder of why we exist and who we serve in our mission to recognize, appreciate and preserve the pristine in beach destinations.

Pristine: does it exist anymore?

Some might argue that Paradise Found is Paradise Lost. And why not, name any beach destination made popular 20-plus years ago and compare it then to now.

Hawaii, Costa Rica, California, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands... not much remains virgin about any of these places. Growing populations and diminishing resources in these island communities could be used as a microcosm for our planet at large. Might the Earth not be an island of sorts in the sea of space? I wonder, what would be the nearest island chain to our lonely world?

Here lies the crux behind why EcoBeachHotels.com was developed. If we can show how sustainability as well as regenerative practices can serve to preserve the ecological integrity of our coastal treasures, we might apply a similar approach to managing our communities and businesses in the world at large.

Thoughts?