Caribbean’s Only Carbon-Neutral Hotel Delivers Earth Day 2023 Impact Results

Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Aruba brought together staff, guests, island leadership, community school children and members for its annual tradition of celebrating Earth Day for a week. The Caribbean’s first certified carbon-neutral hotel now delivers the results of the Earth Day 2023 initiatives that took place as the world races to answer the United Nations’ call to drastically cut short by 10 years the timeline humanity has to avoid the 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming caused by emissions.

 Earth Day 2023 Impact Results

Internationally recognized, Earth Day is April 22 each year with the 2023 theme being #InvestInOurPlanet. This special day binds millions of people worldwide to show solidarity for both people and the planet. Bucuti & Tara makes it a weeklong celebration of its permanent sustainability program that the United Nations declared is “highly replicable and scalable” for other hotels worldwide to follow.

The resort hosted activities to raise awareness and invited guests to be hands-on in protecting the shared planet. In addition to warm memories of knowing they made a difference, it also made it easy for guests to make their carbon-neutral stay, even greener.

Initiatives and impacts throughout the week include:

 •  Earth Day Beach Clean-up. Guests joined The Honorable Aruba’s Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes along with resort staff, sustainability partners from the Aruba Airport Authority and De Palm Tours’ charitable arm, The Giving Palm, along with local school children and teachers on April 19 in combing the beach to remove debris. The group of 95 collected 65 kgs of debris and litter along world-famous Eagle Beach.

The resort regularly hosts a monthly beach clean up with staff and guests. This keeps the beach pristine and marine life protected. At this time of year, some of Aruba’s first visitors, the famously large Leatherback sea turtles who stretch up to seven ft. and weigh up to 1,500 lbs., return to their birth spot when it's time to lay their own clutch. Guests hoping to plan their visit around estimated hatchings can visit Bucuti & Tara’s Sea Turtle Nesting Calendar.  

•  Recycled Crafts Contest. Each year for Earth Day, employees tap into their imaginations to create beautiful works of art by recycling items from Bucuti & Tara and Aruba. For the Recycled Crafts Contest 2023, guests excitedly served as judges, enthralled by the creativity, passion, and ingenuity.

Held Fri., Apr. 21, guests turned out to cast their votes for this year’s entries and mingled with staff members to learn more about how they used recycled materials to create works of art. Three staff winners, one of each from Housekeeping, Concierge and Reservations, wowed those gathered. Their creations stemmed from materials such as discarded power cords, three-dimensional butterflies cut from used plastic bottles and brought to life with hand painting, the island’s signature footwear - flip flops - crafted with old newspapers, and art made from used straws.

•  Nature Preserve Anniversary-commemorating Tree Planting. With the recent debut of The Bucuti Tara – GMC Nature Preserve serving as the resort’s carbon sink, in honor of the 54th anniversary of Earth Day, 54 indigenous trees were planted Held on Earth Day, April 22, guests, resort associates, members of Ban Lanta y Planta (native Papiamento for Let’s Rise Up and Plant), and representatives of Aruba organizations HCC Accountants & Tax Advisors, B-Energy solar solutions, Holistika Labs, and Fofoti Tours & Transfers joined in the reforestation effort that draws down carbon emissions from the atmosphere and provides clean air.

The 12-hectare/30-acre expanse is in Phase 1 of reforestation. This year, the goal is to plant up to 1500 new trees. The ultimate goal is to eventually plant up to 20,000 new trees in the preserve. The preserve is home to some of the island’s 280 bird species, along with indigenous flora and other fauna, the preserve has had some tree planting events. Eventually, paths and trails will be added for residents and visitors to relax in the peaceful setting.

Over the next 40 years, the 54 newly planted trees for Earth Day 2023 will draw down 54 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. Everyone wins as the carbon sink inhales the carbon dioxide and exhales fresh oxygen.

•  Movies Under the Stars. The resort’s biweekly tradition of inviting guests to snuggle on loungers on the beach for a Movie Under the Stars included a special showing to wrap up Earth Day on April 22. Featuring Journalist and Naturalist Sir David Attenborough, the inspiring documentary A Life on Our Planet, encouraged people to care for each other by caring for the planet.

Bucuti & Tara’s cornerstones are romance, wellness and sustainability. Operating sustainably is woven throughout the resort’s culture and evident in every department. Beyond one day or one week a year, Bucuti & Tara continues to follow the science with the goal to help show others the positive impacts that can be made for everyone when collaborating to protect the shared environment. Ultimately, the resort is working towards becoming one of the world’s first carbon negative hotels.

Learn more by visiting Bucuti.com 

About Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort
Declared the first CarbonNeutral® hotel in the Caribbean in August 2018, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is one of the Top 10 Hotels for Romance in the World (fourth straight year), No. 1 Hotel for Romance in the Caribbean (seventh straight year) and No. 3 Hotel for Service in the Caribbean. Aruba’s premier adults-only boutique resort is led by celebrated hotelier and environmentalist, Ewald Biemans, named by Caribbean Journal as the 2017 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year. The resort is nestled on the powdery white sands of Eagle Beach, home to protected sea turtles and named one of the “Dream Beaches of the World.”

Home to the Caribbean’s Safest, Healthiest Vacation Experience thanks to its physician-developed COVID
19 safety protocols and Aruba’s Health & Happiness Code seal, Bucuti has 104 well-appointed guestrooms, suites and penthouses. It offers sunbeds and shade for every guest; freshwater infinity pool; spa; WiFi; and complimentary iPad for use during stay. Award-winning healthy dining is enjoyed at oceanfront Elements, Tara Lounge and private beach dining. Reserved exclusively for guests and their friends, the open-air SandBar offers top-shelf cocktails and live music daily along with the Caribbean’s first Healthy Hour. The resort is TAG Approved® as an LGBTQ-friendly hotel. Bucuti & Tara, a worldwide sustainable tourism leader, holds eco-certifications of CarbonNeutral®, LEED Gold, Green Globe Platinum and Travelife Gold and was named the World’s Most Sustainable Hotel/Resort in 2016 by Green Globe.