South Andros Bahamas

Designed, constructed and operated in the most environmentally sensitive manner possible, this luxury hotel is pioneering a new standard in resort development. During your stay here in the Bahamas we promise you the best in service and the greatest in natural comfort but take pride in the fact that you, as a guest at this hotel on holiday, are helping to preserve this pristine tropical island environment.

THE ENVIRONMENT
This luxury beach resort has the largest solar electricity generating system owned and operated by a private, tourism facility in the Caribbean and Latin America. All hot water is created using thermal hot water heaters - no electricity or gas is used - the sun heats all water. Black water waste (one of the most detrimental wastes to near shore tropical water ecosystems) is dealt with by utilizing low flush composting toilets. Grey water waste (much easier to deal with) also undergoes treatment with natural processes. We also utilize biodegradable, phosphorous free soaps for further protection of our water and land resources.

Each building is elevated using simple columns for both minimum site impact and cooling purposes. (No land alteration was needed, which prevents erosion.) All buildings utilize several passive-cooling techniques: wraparound porches (to keep direct sun from main living areas); white reflective roofs; high-pitched ceilings and a very open design for maximum airflow. Each bungalow has been situated according to the existing nature, placed within existing trees and vegetation for both optimum view of the water and yet maintaining privacy. The buildings of the hotel accommodation are wood frame structures constructed of nontoxic treated pine that is harvested from sustainable forests.

We believe in protecting the environment through every means possible. Prevention of global warming is something that is very important to us - after all, if the world's temperature continues to rise at recent rates, beautiful islands like South Andros Island and The Bahamas could disappear - in our lifetime.

Not only are we 100% solar-powered, making your stay here one which will have negligible effects on global warming, but we have accounted for your journey to see us too! As you may know, trees soak up carbon dioxide, one of the main contributory gases to global warming. And your flight here is likely to have produced enough CO2 to undo much of the effort you put in everyday at home to recycle your waste, be energy efficient, and generally, be a "green" citizen.

So, for each of you choosing to take your well-earned break here, we have planted enough trees in a forest in Lousiana to neutralise all of the CO2 emissions from your flights, making them Carbon Neutral®. And because we value the environment so much we have included this in the cost of your stay, leaving you to relax and enjoy your time with us.

EDUCATION
Guest education is a critical aspect to our environmental efforts here and it can sometimes be a tricky topic. We attract people to South Andros and our beach resort because we offer an appealing and comfortable nature-based vacation experience. No one likes to be forced to be "Eco" and many are afraid of the specific connotation - afraid that their comfort and ability to enjoy their hard-earned vacation might perhaps be jeopardized. We know, and as a guest you will discover, no comfort needs to be compromised in order to be Earth-kind. In fact, it is our belief that those comforts are enhanced.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
This is a critical element for the true success of our efforts. No amount of environmental conservationalism is worthwhile if we lack the support of the local community. Our hotel has utilized to the greatest possible extent local labor and expertise in the construction of this resort. Our staff is educated and trained in all of our efforts and as a requirement of employment, agreed to an environmental code of ethics as representatives of our luxury accommodation. We encourage them to participate in local community cleanup efforts and to try to implement some of the practices they use at work in their own homes.

We regularly participate in local trash clean up projects, donating staff time, vehicles and fuel to aid in this process. We have begun to work with the local schools on the potentials of ecotourism, clean community projects, reef and fish protection classes, iguana and turtle protection classes and will greatly expand this involvement over the next year with the help of organizations like Reef Relief, The Shedd Aquarium, The Wildlife Conservation Society and The Bahamas National Trust.

The hotel is currently initiating a greater effort for local conservation and preservation of natural resources. We are spearheading, with the support of local community leaders, the creation of The South Andros Preservation Initiative, using ecotourism to promote conservation in South Andros. We anticipate international support and attention for this effort and hope to work with a group from North Andros to create a national park system here in South Andros.