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Believe it or not, a week’s vacation at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is better for the environment than an equivalent drive vacation – actually 68% better. The secret is two-fold: flying is more environmentally friendly than driving the same distance and staying at the World’s Most Sustainable Resort (Green Globe, 2016) results in far less carbon emissions.
Ewald Biemans is the owner and CEO of Bucuti & Tara and the Caribbean’s most noted and outspoken environmentalist. As a panelist at the United Nation’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development Forum on World Tourism Day last September in Washington D.C., he shared that vacationing at the Aruba resort left a lower carbon footprint than even staying home. Sparking the crowd’s interest, Bucuti & Tara is sharing its research prepared with its on-staff sustainability manager.
Both the mode of transportation and the seven-night stay were examined based on two people since most guests at the adults-only resort are couples. For simplicity’s sake, flying nonstop from New York to Aruba for a one-week vacation has total carbon emissions of 1043.20 kg. Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s passenger vehicle emissions calculations, the equivalent automobile vacation has total carbon emissions over three times that amount at 3305.23 kg. Therefore, the benefit of flying with a few hundred people plus the significantly lower carbon footprint at Bucuti & Tara versus the average American household (CoolClimate Network, a university, government, business, NGO partnership at the University of California, Berkeley) far outweigh a two-person road trip.
As an eco-pioneer, Bucuti & Tara’s ultimate goal is to be the Caribbean’s first carbon neutral property. The resort currently holds the most eco-certifications in the region. It was the first to earn LEED Silver and Green Globe Platinum, the first resort in the Americas to be certified ISO 14001 and it holds Travelife Gold.
Continuing its quest to provide guests with a highly responsible vacation experience, Bucuti & Tara abides by far more stringent sustainability practices compared to other hotels. Refillable water bottles gifted to each guest, clean energy sources, innovative water usage and recycling, in-room energy management system and even perfectly sized food portions to reduce waste, are just a few of the resort’s extensive Earth-friendly initiatives that go beyond the typical greenwashing found at hotels.
Bucuti & Tara’s success proves that a sustainable stay and a memorable, fulfilling vacation experience are mutually inclusive. The adults-only property is also the Caribbean’s No. 1 Hotel for Romance three years in a row and the only Caribbean property to make TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Hotels in the World for Romance in 2018. Honored with numerous top service awards, staff discreetly care for guests who are seeking the tranquility and sense of complete well-being found at the resort. In addition to tending to the environment and one another, couples can also care for themselves with Bucuti’s wellness program, one of the most comprehensive throughout the Caribbean.
“Many Caribbean islands will disappear if climate change and rising sea levels continue at their current pace. We want the world to know we’re doing our best to preserve the environment and ultimately survive,” says Ewald Biemans. “We want couples to know that vacationing at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is as good for the environment as it is for their relationship.”