When you are only a metre above sea level, a.k.a. the Maldives, global warming and the resulting melting ice caps kinda get your attention. Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives Four Seasons Resort has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, a place I feel where you will never be disappointed. Being there felt like the world had stopped and I ‘stepped off it’ for a glorious 14 days – hubby has never seen me so chilled! BUT what is equally stunning about this resort is all they do to implement sustainable, carbon-free solutions to ensure the island has a ‘fairy’ footprint, AND they are transparent about it. Here is what they are part of….

Transparency, Credibility, Sustainability – itmustbeNOW.com

NOW isn’t a ‘time’ but a movement. A way for potential guests of hotels/resorts to see who is part of their ‘Force for Good Hotels’ – Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru is one of 40 members so far. Visit their website for the scariest ‘real-time’ climate clock, counting global warming to date – currently +1.2 degrees C, the time left to +1.5 degrees C and the ever increasing tonnes of carbon dioxide we are emitting.

Specifically for the hospitality and tourism industry, NOW promotes transparency and accountability with no ‘greenwashing’. I like that! We got the same feeling at Landaa during their ‘Back of House’ tour. They weren’t afraid to show us their ‘sustainability actions’, both those that had been successful as well as the ones that hadn’t quite worked out – yet! They asked us what ideas we might have to help them improve and shared projects their staff had designed and implemented, such as these rechargeable lights for the dining tables for the when the odd power outage occurs.

Staff designed rechargeable lights

This movements goals seem pretty clear:

To meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, SUSTAINABILITY MUST BE REGENERATIVE and must result in greater benefits than damage in the destination.

NOW Sustainability

‘Greater benefits than damage’ – that’s the sort of ‘tourism’ we want to support. Look out for my next blog where I will share some of the many sustainability and carbon reducing actions happening at Landaa Giraavaru.

Planning next year’s holiday? What could you do to support this effort?

  • Check out NOW – it has Top Tips for Conscious Travel and see which hotels and resorts are members, see if they could be your next destination
  • Hotel not a member? Perhaps suggest to the Manager where you are staying that they might want to consider getting on board.
  • Wherever you are planning to go, check out their website for their ‘sustainability’ statement first, see if they are taking any action in this regard.
Each night, at Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, one of these cards was placed on our bed. Fun for adults and children alike, gently raising awareness on climate issues the Maldives are facing, what they are actively doing about it and more importantly, what guests can do.
Brilliant!

‘While no one can do everything to save the planet, everyone can do something’

Kaku, Resident Blogger and Hermit Crab, Landaa Giraavaru

Four Seasons Golden Rule set by Isadore Sharp in 1960 on founding the company, was ‘the simple idea that we should treat others the way we would want to be treated’. This is deeply embedded in their culture. Wow!

A note to finish. We have stayed in several Four Seasons properties, while they are all different, they don’t compromise on their ‘Commitment To PEOPLE AND THE PLANET’. We heard only ‘good’ from the staff about their employers. Their training programmes are sought after in the industry resulting in retained staff – often for years in many cases!