Caribbean’s Only Carbon-neutral Hotel is Positively Going Negative

Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is home to planet-positive vacations. The Caribbean’s first and only certified carbon-neutral resort is celebrating Earth Day 2022 positively by announcing negative news, carbon negative, that is. Guests are also invited to join special day-of events on April 22, 2022, to help elevate their own guilt-free, planet-positive vacation.

Why Earth Day?

Earth Day is an annual global movement that millions of people have joined since 1970. Since then, while awareness has grown, in recent years, the planet’s health has deteriorated exponentially faster than anticipated. With newly released reporting on weather extremes rapidly melting polar ice caps, drastically destructive weather, and supply chain disruptions, the urgency of climate change and the potential harm it has for future generations is paramount for Bucuti & Tara in providing for a memorable vacation that is as caring for guests and staff as it is the planet. After all, nestled on world-famous Eagle Beach, Bucuti & Tara, like the rest of the Caribbean, is at the forefront of rising sea levels.

Positively going negative

Since becoming carbon neutral in 2018, Bucuti & Tara continues to close its miniscule gap in carbon emissions. With the goal of becoming carbon negative later in 2022, the latest initiatives announced, which compliment this year’s Earth Day theme, Invest in Our Planet, include:

• Green loans for employees. To continue the reduction of fossil fuel-dependency, Bucuti & Tara provides employees with loans for electric bicycles, electric automobiles, and solar panels for home use.
• Charging stations. Guests and staff have complimentary use of the resort’s electric charging stations for vehicles and bicycles.
• Microgrid. Administrative offices are being removed from the resort’s overall grid and placed on a self-sufficient microgrid, which will reduce electricity use up to 15%.
• Goodbye, red meat. Beef items are being reduced on guest menus and will be 100% reduced in employee meal offerings, which are praised for their healthy items.
• Air-conditioning. A new rooftop system is being installed to increase efficiency and further reduce energy consumption by 10%.
• Solar-heated water. Replacement rooftop solar panels will continue heating water to meet most of the resort’s hot water demand.
• Stovetops. Kitchen stoves will be 100% induction burners (currently 75%), which deliver 80-90% of its electromagnetic energy to the food pan versus a mere 38% with gas stovetops and 70% with electric ranges. Bonus: Since the kitchen is not as hot, less air-conditioning is consumed.
• Insulating paint. Interiors and exteriors are almost completely repainted with state-of-the-art insulating paint that draw up to 25% less of current energy consumption, a major feat in tropical climates.

How guests can take action for a memorable vacation

Every day at Bucuti & Tara, guests can simply show up and know that their stay is already carbon-neutral or they can accept the resort’s evergreen invitation to participate in eco-initiatives and make an impact that is often a treasured vacation memory.

Earth Day events at Bucuti & Tara span April 20 – 23. Guests are invited to participate in one or all of the following:

Wednesday, April 20

• Monthly Beach Clean-up. Staff and guests gather together to pick up debris along Bucuti & Tara’s stretch of beach and beyond. This monthly tradition results in 500 – 1,000 lbs of refuse being removed annually in an effort to protect marine life and keep the coastline pristine.

Friday, April 22, EARTH DAY 2022

• Sustainability Tour.  Guests will peek behind the curtain to discover how the Caribbean’s No. 1 Hotel for Romance is also its most eco-certified hotel.
• Vegan Cooking Demo with the Chef. In 2020, plant-based food sales grew twice as much as overall food sales. It’s positive for guests, animals and the environment. Whether they are considering swapping out a meal a week or are fully committed vegan, guests will discover how delicious and creative plant-based dining is with the resort’s culinary team.
• Nature Walk.

Saturday, April 23

• Movie Under the Stars. The following day, April 23, the resort’s twice-weekly movie on the beach will feature the environmentally focused, riveting flick, “Don’t Look Up.”

To learn more, visit Bucuti.com