Environmental Message

Ecotourism. It's the favorite word in the travel industry. Sadly all that it seems to mean is that there is a tree near a tourist facility. For want of a better word, at duPlooy's we do strive to keep our negative impact on the environment to a minimum. We aren't finished yet, but below are some habits we've picked up and the reasons why.

Buildings are roofed with tile instead of thatch. Though picturesque, the palm leaf gathered to make thatch is not replanted and the leaves are gathered from the wild. Unsustainable collecting practices endanger the population of the palm. There is a farmed plot of the bay leaf palm used for thatch in the Belize Botanic Gardens for later thatching projects and to provide seed for others that would like to grow the palm as a crop that does not require the clearing of rainforest to plant.

Where's the beef? Not here. We reckon anyone can survive for a few days without red meat. Cattle are responsible for a lot of destroyed rainforest, cleared to provide pasture and to plant food for them. More land is needed to provide food for the cows than humans. The land they graze is often allowed to become over grazed causing erosion problems. (We are too polite to go into their little methane problem.)

At the bar you will find a lack of plastic straws and paper napkins, we only serve soft drink and beer products that come in recyclable containers. Sorry, diet soft drink drinkers, diet drinks only come in plastic or non-recyclable containers. We also try to lessen our waste in general by not using disposable or single use containers and products as much as possible. We compost our fruit, vegetable and stable waste and feed it to the garden plants. Trust me, they love it.

Our largest endeavor is supporting Belize Botanic Gardens, adjacent to our property. You can read more about the BBG in the Activities section.

You can help out too. If you are going on trips find out who else is going and share the ride. It saves you money and saves the environment from a few more diesel fumes. Our hope is that the days of our diesel-generated power are numbered and we are looking into alternative energy sources. In the meantime we turn out power at 12am to give the environment a break.

In our efforts to be a true eco-lodge, we at duPlooy's have been increasing efforts to re-use, reduce and recycle where possible and to use local products as much as we can.

This year we have installed a battery system for partial electricity. The batteries are charged by the generator as solar power has not yet become cost-effective. Within the next few weeks, we will be able to power our generator with used vegetable oil, enabling us to help other businesses recycle this oil and cut down our use of diesel fuel.

We are starting to involve our staff in Green Training Sessions to help everyone see the value of reducing waste as much as possible and will be giving incentives to those who make useful suggestions for waste reduction.

You will find only returnable bottles in our bar and picnics are packed in reusable containers.

We encourage you to bring re-chargeable batteries for your electronic needs, but if you don't, will you consider taking home with you your used batteries? If you bring a flashlight - which you should do - consider a wind-up one. They work well for night walks and general flashlight needs.

We encourage you to use your towels for a couple of days (we understand that this is not always possible).

Our plans for next year include a solar hot water system, more rainwater collection and the use of grey water on our plants.

We encourage guests to make helpful suggestions on the Greening of duPlooy's and have made use of lots of advice provided by visitors so far.