Evelyn Kanter Eco Report

Bucuti Tara Beach Resort, Aruba, one of top green hotels in Caribbean

Go green with one touch at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts, Aruba’s top resort for couples and one of the most eco-friendly in the Caribbean.  The resort has added what it calls a Green Button by the bed that allows guests to opt-in to the resort’s energy conservation program.

The Green Button activates motion sensors that control the lights, thermostat and humidity of guestrooms.  The sensors  identify when the room is occupied or not, and adjusts energy settings accordingly for energy conservation.  So, when you leave the room for the beach or dinner,  lights are turned off automatically and the temperature is set to pre-determined conservation levels.

The system also identifies check-in and check-out status so that the energy management status remains intact, even when housekeeping staff is  moving about the room to prepare for the next guests.

• Click here to see a brief video on what to see and do in Aruba

Many Caribbean resorts have an automatic energy-saving feature that cuts off air conditioning when you open the terrace door, to prevent heat from being pumped out onto the terrace.  And, many hotels in the Caribbean, Europe and a growing number in the United States, have an energy-saving system that requires you to place your key card in a device by the door to activate lights and air conditioning.

Bucuti & Tara Beach goes one step further with this high tech system, which has received green awards from  Hospitality Design magazine and the American Society of Interior Designers.

Bucuti President Ewald Biemans says there is always more that can be done to support conservation efforts and  make the carbon footprint of the resort and its guests is as small as possible.  Important, since the resort sits along the white-powder sands of Eagle Beach, which is rated as one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the world.

“Bucuti already has the lowest per-occupied-room electricity usage of all hotels in Aruba, and this new technology will help us save even more,” says Bucuti Biemans, who also acts as the resort’s chief environmental officer.  Since energy is usually a top expense for a resort, saving energy means saving money.  So, going green saves green.

There are many  more green features at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts, which has been certified as a green hotel by Green Globe 21 and ISO 14001.  These initiatives include solar panels that heat water for the laundry, a grey water recycling system for irrigating the lush plantings on the resort grounds, and using bio-degradable detergents and cleaning products.

And equally important, the resort sponsors monthly beach clean-ups and supports the Turtugaraba Sea Turtle Protection Group and the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary.

The resort is TAG approved as a gay friendly hotel, and top-rated as a romantic hotel by TripAdvisor.

• New York City gets first LEED certified green hotel in Times Square
• First LEED certified Silver hotel in Beaver Creek, Colorado

Green is good.  See a brief video of what to see and do in Aruba on the next page…….