Eco Beach Resort is located in Kimberley south of Broome Australia at the shore of the Indian Ocean1. It has won many accolades due to its eco friendly policies evidenced by their accommodation facilities. The main idea behind its setting is to provide memorable and extraordinary experience while at the same time leaving the natural environment untouched.
Towards this end the resort has develop unique accommodation facilities such as the eco villas which are accessed by raised wooden boardwalks and eco tents. In addition they also have beach houses at the shore of the Indian Ocean. However these are not the only services the resort offers as they also offer yoga retreats, fishing charters and whale watching among others.
To qualify as an eco friendly resort it is not just enough to build eco friendly villas and tents; their policies must be inline with sustainable urban planning2.
Moreover these policies must cover such important areas as landscape ecology, energy efficiency, carbon balancing, pollutant transport, management of water resources, recycling and infrastructure. This paper aims at reviewing the success of Eco Beach Resort as an ecologically friendly resort promoting sustainable luxury tourism.
With the current state of the environment, it is vital that these eco friendly establishments meet these benchmarks so as to serve as examples not only to the clients but also to the world at large. Such resorts which run on the principles of environmental conservation and preservation serve as a great inspiration to the many customers visiting, the community around them and also the global community.
One of the greatest causative agents of environmental degradation is the kind of energy we use in our daily lives. Most of the fuels we use in our daily lives are mostly carbon emitting fossil fuels. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are the common gases emitted in larger amounts.
Together with methane gas emitted mostly from green houses, carbon dioxide is the major cause of erosion of the ozone layer leading to global warming3. This has led to the very many environmental challenges facing the world4. To be at the forefront of promoting environmentally sustainable tourism, Eco Beach Resort uses energy sustainably.
Towards this end the resort has successfully tapped solar energy using solar panels to power the many eco villas and eco tents while at the same time diverting the excess energy for use in other areas5. To reduce environmental pollution, the resort uses the kitchen remnants to carry out organic farming and feed the chicken consumed in the resort6.
The use of technology such as computers and other machines has increased the energy requirement up to a hundred folds. This is not only because these machines are energy intensive but also many users leave them idle. To conserve energy the resort’s computers automatically switch to stand by mode after being idle for 15 minutes.
In addition the resort uses the low energy consuming fluorescent tubes and minimizes carbon emission by using small generators when guests are few. Water which is the source of all forms of life must be used sustainably and thus to be considered an eco friendly resort, water pollution should be unheard of within the resort and water recycling should be the order of the day.
Most of the so called waste water can serve a purpose in our daily lives to the last drop7. This resort realized this hence they reuse water and use it for irrigation. However the need for irrigation is reduced by planting of the indigenous plant species which thrive well in the ecosystem without assistance. To avoid water wastage, the resort regularly service their water systems and use lo-flo technology in their various water points.
Most of the waste papers and plastic bags that litter and pollute our environment can actually be put to good use. To conserve our environment, it is important that we recycle our wastes, reuse our old items and reduce waste production. Eco Beach Resort reduces waste production and hence environmental conservation by using biodegradable cleaning chemicals.
Moreover the resort reuses all their paper as well minimizing paper usage by using paperless technology by using electronic storage for their documents. The waste produced in the resort are carefully sorted out and recycled to reduce environmental pollution. The waste water is reused and recycled while 100% of the papers used within the resort are recycled.
The plastic and wood wastes are also recycled to make materials for the boardwalks, floors and verandahs of the eco villas and eco tents. Building of infrastructures especially roads has led to destruction of the environment however this resort which takes its environmental conservation responsibilities seriously has modalities to provide environmental friendly infrastructural policies.
The verandahs and paths linking the eco villas to beautiful scenery surrounding them and the floors of the eco tents are made from polypropylene plastics and wood bi-products. These infrastructures are eco friendly and moreover the paths are elevated hence does not interfere with the flora fauna below8.
The definition of eco friendly would not be complete without mentioning the term “ecology” which is the study of the relationships between organisms in their natural environment9. Landscape ecology aims at improving this relationship between animals and urbanization.
Thus an eco friendly establishment must deal in a friendly manner with natural environment and maintain or improve its surrounding naturally10. Eco Beach Resort has successfully conserved and preserved its environment while at the same time encouraging urban development. The ecosystem around the resort is its major source of attraction as many guests visit the retreat to sample its ecological biodiversity.
The resort seeks to maintain the serene and pristine environment of Kimberly while putting up infrastructures tailored to suit the demands of the many guests. The resort is located in the wilderness thus as they develop their infrastructures, emphasis has not been laid on the beauty of their modern hotel rooms, tents and villas. Rather the resort presses upon their clients to appreciate and respect the ecosystem in and around the resort.
Bordered by the Indian Ocean chances that many visitors will come for the experience of fishing are high. Thus the management of the resort has laid down policies to be followed while fishing. The fishing is usually supervised and only recommended fish sizes are caught. The resort also creates awareness on environmental conservation and preservation.
Moreover the eco tents and eco villas though modern are designed in such a way that they meet both the needs of the clients and the ecosystem. The energy the tents and villas use is environmentally friendly while at the same time they are beautiful and modernized.
All in all, based on their efforts aimed at conserving and preserving the ecosystem, it is evident that Eco Beach Resort has successfully promoted ecologically sustainable tourism which is also modern and luxurious.
Bibliography
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Footnotes
1 Robinson, Grinard, and Tranter Peter. Australia and New Zealand: economy, society and environment. London: Oxford University Press, 2000.
2 Ponting, Jerry. (2002). Eco Beach Resorts of the Indian Ocean Shore. Journal of Eco Tourism 12 (5): 15 – 20.
3 Scheer, Hermann. The Solar Economy (Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future). Earthscan Publications Ltd, 2002.
4 Ruddiman, William. Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005.
5 Balcomb, Douglas. Passive Solar Buildings. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992.
6 Hole, Douglas, and Perkins, Jerkins. (2005). “Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?” Biological Conservation 122 (1): 113–130.
7 Postel,Sharman. Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1992
8 Ackerman, Frank. Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy. New York: Island Press, 1997.
9 Begon, Townsend. (2005). Ecology: From individuals to ecosystems. (4th ed.). New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005.
10 Turner, Middlestone, and Richard, O’Neill. 2001. Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice. New York: Springer-Verlag Publishers, 2001.