new word of the day: bio-mimicry

I found this informative report on gray water solutions very interesting.

sun-dried linens

When the weather allows we sun dry our bed linens to save energy and have greener operations.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

video: nature is speaking

new white roofs!

A major maintenance project for this year, we are in the process of adding new roofing to all older buildings at Paya. White was chosen because its reflective nature will help keep the bungalows much cooler, lowering our energy costs and shrinking our carbon footprint.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

lisa's garden

Under Lisa's diligent and passionate care, Paya Bay's organic herb and vegetable garden is flourishing!

Yum, yum! Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

reality collides with status quo stupidity

The city had asked the couple to uproot [their front-lawn vegetable garden] because it was against the landscaping code that requires permanent maintained ground cover with a finished appearance. The city threatened to fine Jennifer and Jason Helvengston $500 per day. Since then, however, the city has dropped the violation and is working to change the code itself.

It will be interesting to see how this significant little drama plays out.

pricey

Following through on our stated goal of making Paya Bay a zero impact resort, we've been accepting proposals from various energy consultants for a more eco-friendly electricity solution that incorporates wind and/or solar power. We currently purchase 100% of our electricity from the island's utility company, which uses hyper-dirty (and increasingly expensive) fossil fuels -- primarily diesel -- to generate the energy it sells. The latest alternative energy proposal we've received quotes US$70,000 for a system purported to generate sufficient wind energy to cover, on average, 65% percent of the resort's current energy needs. For a small business, a price tag of $70K on anything is pretty daunting, particularly if the investment being considered is only a fractional solution to the problem. There's always a way, though. When there's a will. We must carefully consider these things, be creative, and take action now for our planet, the animals, and future generations of our species.