Travel Well, Tread Lightly

Luxury is often found in the most exotic of locations; however, jetsetters aren’t always aware of the effect their travels could have on the environment. Ecotourism.org, the site of the International Ecotourism Society, the biggest and longest established of such societies, provides travelers with tips for adjusting their habits to make a more positive impact.

And choosing the right hotel is an important aspect of traveling responsibly. Voted one of the world’s top earth-friendly getaways, The Mauna Lani Resort in Hawaii holds the distinction of having the most solar electric generating capacity of any luxury resort in the world, a half-megawatt photovoltaic system. This setup spans three acres and supplies a large portion of the resort’s daytime water pumping requirements. By maximizing the sun’s emitted energy, this ingenious system saves the environment from thousands of harmful emissions. And that’s not all. Since 1989, the Mauna Lani Resort has also been caring for juvenile honu (turtles) that are raised in saltwater ponds on property. Once they reach a certain age, the honu are released into the wild. The resort also plants native vegetation that is endangered.