duPlooy's Eco Lodge Environmental Message

Ecotourism, ecotourism, ecotourism. It's a favorite word in the travel industry today and responsible tourism is being promoted in many places. At duPlooy's we strive to keep our negative impact on the environment to a minimum. We aren't finished yet, but below are some habits we've picked up and the reasons why.

Buildings are roofed with tile instead of thatch. Though picturesque, the palm leaf gathered to make thatch is not replanted and the leaves are gathered from the wild. Unsustainable collecting practices endanger the population of the palm. Belize Botanic Gardens is farming a plot of the bay leaf palm for later thatching projects in the Gardens and at duPlooy's. It will also provide seed for others locally who would like to grow the palm as a crop that doesn't require the clearing of rainforest to plant.

Our largest endeavor is supporting Belize Botanic Gardens, adjacent to our property. You can read more about the BBG in the Activities section or go directly to the Belize Botanic Gardens website. Curated by Heather duPlooy, Belize Botanic Gardens are active in the Belize Organic Producers Association (BOPA) and has a place on Belize's Organic Certification Committee. They are also actively engaged in a "Grow Native" program to encourage the use of native plants in landscaping, working directly with farmers, introducing school children to the gardens and practicing conservation of Belizean plants.

What?!...No foie gras?!! We use local foods wherever possible and buy the few imported food items we need from local suppliers. Our belief is that buying everything close to home is best.

Where's the beef? Not here. We reckon anyone can survive for a few days without red meat. Cattle are responsible for a lot of destroyed rainforest, which is cleared to provide pasture and grow food for them. More land is required to provide food for the cows than it is for the humans. The land they graze is often allowed to become over-grazed, causing erosion problems. (We are too polite to go into their little methane problem...)

At the bar you will find a lack of plastic straws and paper napkins and we only serve soft drink and beer products that come in recyclable containers. You may find our pasta straws a bit strange, but they are biodegradable. Remember, if your straw fails before you finish your drink, the bartender will think you didn't like it! Sorry, diet soft drink drinkers; diet drinks only come in plastic or containers that are not recyclable in Belize. Why not try one of our exotic juices instead, such as Tamarind, Sorrel, SourSop, Carambola or Watermelon? These are seasonal so they're not all available daily, but they're better for your health!

We lessen our waste in general by trying not to use disposable or single use containers or products.

We compost our fruit, vegetable and stable waste and feed it to the garden plants. Trust me - they love it!

You can help out too. If you are going on trips, find out who else is going, coordinate, and share a few rides. This will save the environment from yet more diesel fumes.

Speaking of which, our hope is that the days of our diesel-generated power are numbered as we are looking into alternative energy sources. We have been running generators on used vegetable oil, collected from local businesses, and are working on perfecting the system so that duPlooy's can run on vegetable oil alone. This serves a two-fold purpose as the oil would go to the dump if not used in our generator.

Electricity is by batteries at night – you can still turn on your fans and charge your camera, but we do please ask that you be conservative with electricity use and turn out lights and fans when you leave your room. And maybe you already look great and don't need to use the hair dryer after all....

Next step – solar power!

All this eco-friendliness is a constant learning process, so if you have any ideas to share, please do!