Soneva Fushi Goes Green

I've written before about the luxurious Soneva Fushi resort in the Maldives. Now the resort is in the news again not for its luxury but for being the latest resprt to announce that it is going green. The property is the first of the Six Senses group of properties to createa program to offset its guests' flight emissions. This first step will make Soneva Fushi carbon neutral by 2008 with a goal of having Soneva Fushi be carbon free by 2010. The Six Senses Carbon Offset Fund will support the Converging World project which focuses on alternative energy production methods.

These steps are part of the Six Senses Zero Emissions Objective commitment to sustainable development and to the environment. The resorts will develop climate-sympathetic accommodations which use local materials, take steps toward reducing some food transportation energy by growing fresh produce in its own organic gardens and plan to power the entire Soneva Fushi property with zero-carbon energy. By adding energy and heat recovery systems as well as reducing wastage and loss, up to 30% of the current energy used is expected to be saved. Another plan is to include using seawater intake from boreholes and/or deep wells for a reverse osmosis desalination plant with an energy recovery pressure intake system would be expected to reduce 30% of energy usage with a 40% water production increase. The use of biodiesel – derived essentially from coconut meat - is being considered as a fuel for the fleet of water craft and also as an alternative to diesel fuel imports for back-up and residual electricity needs at the resort. The ultimate goal is to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gasses by January 2008 and to use no fossil-fuel-derived energy sources by 2010.[via Breaking Travel News] :by deidre-woollard