Make your next tropical vacation greener
When planning your next Latin American getaway, look for LEED certified hotels
Latin America is recognized worldwide for all of its beautiful places to visit and spend a holiday, and the green hotels are taking place in the tourism business because people are more and more concerned with the environment and willing to make extra efforts to take care of the earth. Sustainability is a goal may hotels have set for themselves. People stop to evaluate the impact that products have on the environment to choose hotels where they’re going to spend their money and time.
The ecological hotels have specific characteristics that make them unique, like the structure and operation that guarantees renewable energy. These characteristics become criteria visitors have when it comes to deciding where to stay when going on vacation.
In 2010, The International Development Bank approved to finance the building of seven hotels in seven different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The buildings needed to have a certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. There are five different criteria the U.S. Green Building Council looks at when deciding whether or not a building should be LEED certified: energy use, location and sustainability of the immediate environment, use of daylight and indoor air quality, water conservation, and use of sustainable construction materials.
Most of the Latin American LEED certified buildings are in Mexico and Brazil. However, you can also find some in Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama and other Latin American countries. For example, in Argentina the Los Cauquenes Resort have double-glazed windows that help thermal insulation. In La Palapa Ecolodge Resort, located in Costa Rica, some of the food in the menu comes from organic gardens from the hotel itself. Details like these differentiate a green hotel and one that cannot be LEED certified.
If you are thinking of having a unique experience, we recommend the magic of the Latin American green hotel of your choice, where you can enjoy a very responsible but also very relaxing holiday.
Latin American Post | Cinthia Flores
Copy edited by Susana Cicchetto
