GREEN can mean many different things. It can mean energy efficient, or it can mean entirely reliant on green fuels. It can mean environmentally friendly, but it can also mean community-friendly. When it comes to tourism, green means everything from using local produce to emphasizing local culture. So while things like Green Globe certification are great, the ways hotels interact with their communities are also important. Keeping that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the 10 greenest hotels and resorts in the Caribbean for 2013 — the properties that understand the combination of factors that makes a property green. What’s your favourite green resort? Tell us in the comments section.
Rosalie Bay Resort – Dominica
How many Caribbean hotels have their own wind turbine? This Green Globe property has its own 225-kilowatt wind turbine and 300 solar panels to generate energy. Rosalie Bay also features organic cuisine, its own sea turtle programme and even UV-filtered spring water.
Tiamo — South Andros Island, Bahamas
Tiamo is all about green. The boutique resort uses sustainable construction methods, locally sourced ingredients and, most importantly, 100 percent of the electricity is derived from solar energy.
Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts — Aruba
One of the Caribbean’s pioneering green resorts, sustainability is present at every level of the property. And it’s green down to the details: recycled linens, reused key cards, solar water tanks, TVs on timers – the list goes on and on. The property even sponsors the Donkey Sanctuary Aruba.
Verandah Resort and Spa — Antigua
It’s not often you find a large Caribbean resort that’s green, but the Verandah accomplishes just that. The Green Globe certified property has state-of-the-art water and energy management (and a carbon offset programme) and an emphasis on sustainability (from using local produce to emphasizing community engagement.
Hotel Mocking Bird Hill – Jamaica
Mocking Bird Hill has been in Port Antonio for more than two decades, and the self-styled “eco-chic boutique” uses solar water heating (something it’s done since 1993), sources toiletries locally and makes sustainable tourism a major priority.
Spice Island Beach Resort – Grenada
This Green Globe-certified Grenada resort has a long list of green features — from non-chlorine swimming pools and solar lights to a composting programme and its own “Green Team” to manage its environmental policies. Spice Island even screens its suppliers to check their environmental practices.
Concordia Eco-Resort — St John, US Virgin Islands
There may be no better place in the Caribbean to directly engage with nature. Concordia was one of the first true eco-resorts in the region, and it’s another place where the environmental impact is next to nothing. That will become clear to you the minute you’re inside your solar-heated eco-tent listening to the nearby hummingbirds.
Rockhouse Hotel — Negril, Jamaica
This hotel is Green Globe certified — but it also has spent more than $1 million on a foundation to help local libraries and public schools. Since 1999, Rock House has had its own environmental management system, and that means solar hot water systems in every guest room and reusing rainwater.
Rewa Eco-Lodge — Guyana
Guyana might be the Caribbean’s most eco-friendly destination, and the Rewa Eco-Lodge offers green engagement with nature and the local community. The solar-powered property is actually part of an Amerindian village. A truly unique experience.
Natura Cabana — Cabarete, Dominican Republic
This is as much a hotel as it is a wellness retreat. And the “nature” in the property’s name is an emphasis throughout the property — natural materials, hand-crafted furniture and a very low environmental impact (that is, no air conditioning).