For the past decade, Club Med Resorts have slowly been going green and guests are loving it.
Club Med Male Maldives. Picture: Shutterstock
Three-quarters of Club Med resorts have now received the Green Globe Certification.
“Sustainability is so much more than a recent buzzword – especially within tourism, where decisions we make every day can have a drastic effect on our environment,” Club Med said in a statement this week.
By putting sustainability at the heart of operations, Club Med has made significant changes.
Food waste in the all-inclusive resorts has often been a problem. Generous buffets tend to have a lot of leftovers.
Club Med shrank the size of the platters, accurately predicted the number of guests and increased the amount of on-demand preparation. In Bali, those changes have reduced food waste by 60 per cent.
Smaller plates and omelette stations reduce food waste at buffets. Picture: Shutterstock
Of the 8 million tonnes of plastic dumped into the ocean each year, more than half comes from Asia. This year, Club Med banned the use of plastic straws in Asian resorts. At Club Med Phuket alone, that has led to a decrease of 1000 straws used per day. Club Med plans to ban plastic straws from all resorts by 2019.
The resort chain has also taken on the challenge of sustainable energy production. It fitted 6000 sqm of solar panels provide energy in Finolhu Villas, Maldives. The panels now produce 30 per cent of the resort’s electricity.
To conserve water, 89 per cent of the Club Med resorts now have water flow reducers on all the resort taps. On average 90 per cent of the goods, materials and products in Club Med resorts are now purchased from local suppliers.
Several resorts took up the eco-challenge and created unique experiences for guests. These experiences allow tourists to understand the local environment and to give something back.
Club Med Bintan Island is a turtle sanctuary. The resort protects the breeding grounds of endangered Green and Leatherback turtles. It has a sick bay to nurse injured turtles back to health and a research facility. Last summer more than 200 turtles hatched and were released from Club Med.
A baby turtle makes its way to the ocean. Picture: Shutterstock
Many resorts have organised weekly ecological walks to collect waste from local areas. The waste collected is turned into artworks by kids in the Clean Art Planet Workshops.
Club Med Kani in the Maldives has created a snorkelling tour to teach guests how to preserve marine life. Guests can also sponsor replanting of coral with the coral regeneration program.
“Holidays are a time to relax but also to learn and grow. We love it when our guests, big and small, partake in our efforts to protect the planet,” a Club Med spokesperson said.
But the resort chain wants to do more. In the next few weeks, Club Med plans to ask tourists to contribute ideas for more eco-initiatives. It’s asking readers to share their suggestions on social media with the #ForwardTogether hashtag. If you have a good idea – let them know.
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Travel allows you to get outside your bubble. It makes you realise there are other ways to do things, and that’s OK. Plus, I am a huge fan of skiing and for the best powder – you need to head overseas.