Dear Guest, We would like to give you a warm welcome to our island paradise of Reethi Beach – and whether as destination for sunbathing, water sports activities, honeymooning or simply to unwind, a resort island in Maldives will be as close to paradise as one can hope to get. For our team to operate in such a surrounding is a privilege and a source of pride and we have always maintained the position that it is our duty to preserve the fragile beauty around us. Thank you for taking some time to browse through the following pages. You will find an overview of our efforts to keep the impact on the environment as little as possible and answers to question which are often asked. We would greatly appreciate your full support in our efforts to preserve the Maldives’ unspoiled nature throughout your stay and invite you, our guest, to participate in and experience first-hand our efforts to protect the environment. You will discover that being green does not mean to give up comfort, but to indulge in luxury sensibly. And you will also better understand why the resort’s motto has always been “Nature with Comfort and Style”. Thank you very much for your participation Peter Gremes General Manager PS Please let us know if you have any other suggestions what we could do! PPS Please leave this information brochure for others to read. Leave us your email – we’ll be happy to send you a soft copy. REETHI BEACH AND THE ENVIRONMENT Since the management take-over of the resort in 2000, addressing environmental concerns, raising awareness and taking positive action have always been on the top of every agenda. Investing in technical innovations and pursuing the most efficient exploitation of resources (sometimes through state-of-the-art technology, sometimes through ingenious alterations to existing concepts and, yes, sometimes with less success than hoped for) has already helped us to a carbon footprint far lower than most other resorts operating under similar conditions. Credentials and Participations Awarded Travelife Gold Accreditation for sustainable tourism (partnered by the Federation of Tour Operators) since 2011. Green Planet Award (precursor of Travelife) for six consecutive years up to 2011. Founder of BAARU in 2007, an NGO of all resorts and dive schools in Baa Atoll networking on environmental and social issues within the atoll and beyond. Instrumental in the declaration of Baa Atoll as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a nationwide ban of trade with all shark products. Partnering with IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) to introduce Marine Managed Areas as a nationwide best practice network to help to increase resilience of the reefs. Participation World Environment Day since 2005 Earth Hour since 2008 Earth Day since 2009 and many more ENERGY & WATER ENERGY RECOVERY Background: water with a high potential (sweet water) will flow towards water with a low potential (salt water). This energy is called the osmotic pressure. To produce sweet water from salt water the process of reverse osmosis is applied: sea water is pumped through a membrane at very high pressure to overcome the natural osmotic pressure. The salt is retained by the membrane. Most of the pressure applied is lost. An Energy Recovery System installed at one of our three desalination units channels parts of the lost energy back into the process. Did You Know Production of sweet water is among the most energy consuming processes on the island. Our sweet water consumption is around 150 – 160 tons every day… RAIN WATER HARVESTING Underground tanks totaling 170 tons capacity already installed. HEAT EXCHANGE Background: The generator needs to be cooled through a radiator much like any car engine. In the cooling cycle water reaches temperatures close to 100°C. This water is run through a number of pipe loops in a separate tank filled with tap water. The tap water is thereby heated to around 60°C. Apart from heating the entire water for the island with no additional energy input, the system also reduces the temperature of the generator cooling cycle. Re-converting the energy once again (!), the hot water is also used for laundry drying. ENERGY ASSESSMENT A comprehensive assessment of energy and water usage on the island is conducted regularly by an independent consultancy firm. WASTE MANAGEMENT RE-USABLE GLASS BOTTLES The drinking water plant helps us to avoid around 125,000 plastic bottles every year! NO PLASTIC No plastic straws used on the island, no plastic bags, drinks coasters, portioned packaging, disposable guest toiletries… Did You Know Drinking straws alone would add up to around 170 kg of plastic per year on Reethi Beach. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT All solid waste is segregated and compacted for proper disposal, household batteries are transferred to Europe. Did You Know Burning is still the common waste disposal method on many islands and an incinerator is mandatory. We haven’t operated ours for the past four or five years… TAKE-YOUR-WASTE-HOME Initiative launched in 2014 for guest participation. SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL LOGISTICS Provided to all three local islands in Goidhoo Atoll since 2012. THE ISLAND AND ITS SURROUNDINGS SOFT EROSION MITIGATION The geotextile bags and tubes in use in various locations are among the most sustainable methods to mitigate erosion. They are filled from the island’s own ‘sand budget’ and can be shifted or removed if required. Did You Know The geotextile tubes are made of 100% recycled PET polymer. BUILD-UP FREEZE Freezing the Built-Up Area of the resort at just over 16% of the total land area – including the water villas. By law 20% are set as the cap for resort islands, up to 30% are granted in exceptional cases. MAINTENANCE OF ISLANDS Surrounding uninhabited islands are regularly visited for cleaning and upkeep. TEMPERATURE MONITORING Supporting data collection for local and regional assessment of stress factors, 12 temperature loggers are installed on the reef systems of Reethi Beach and surrounding areas. CHEMICALS CHLORINE Since 2010 we sanitize the swimming pool with the chlorine-free ionization process. Ionization: A low current creates positively charged silver and copper ions. All bacteria, viruses, algae and fungi spores are negatively charged and attracted to the ions where their cells are destroyed. There is no effect on the human body. The spa Jacuzzi is treated with the same system since 2011. Did You Know Exposure to chlorine can have many adverse effects on humans. Chlorine is especially harmful to organisms living in water and in soil. MOSQUITO CONTROL Since 2011, we practice a 100% chemical-free mosquito control. A dedicated member of the team scours the entire island daily to eliminate potential breeding grounds – avoiding large quantities of harmful chemicals with very limited effect. ORGANIC NEEM OIL AND BACTERIA Widely used for various pesticide or pest-deterring applications, organic neem oil replaces many chemical products. Organic bacteria is already in use in sewage treatment and in trial stages of composting. BIODEGRADABLE, PHOSPHATE-FREE CLEANING PRODUCTS SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE Close ties kept with island councils, NGOs, schools, citizens’ associations of neighboring communities for cooperation and support. Promotion of local customs and traditions and interaction with close-by islands is encouraged and promoted. FUNDRAISING Annual collection for Tiny Hearts, a local NGO supporting children with heart problems. Fundraising for Male’ Orphanage. Did You Know Through a fundraising event in 2014, Nic from Reservations managed to raise the staggering amount of US$ 16,500! The average cost to home, feed, educate and take care of one child is around US$ 1,000 per month… Annual contribution of the first prize for fundraising raffle by Their Future Today, a UK-based charity in support of an orphanage in Sri Lanka. HOW WE ALL CAN CONTRIBUTE TAKE NON-DECOMPOSING WASTE BACK The items will not fill your luggage more than on the way here and recycling/disposal facilities will be much better in your home country. Of course you are very welcome to leave behind your books – they will see the best use if they are accessible to many people. In turn please also feel free to take with you any books from our library you haven’t finished reading here or you found interesting for reading later. And… DON’T LEAVE YOUR CIGARETTES ON THE BEACH OR ANYWHERE ELSE! SAVE ENERGY Please switch off all unneeded lights and appliances. Did You Know Even chargers which are not charging, consume energy – unplug them or switch off at the socket. AIR CONDITIONING Don’t leave the air condition running with windows and doors open. In the Water Villas the units will automatically switch off after 2 minutes. We recommend a setting of 24°C to 26°C at low to medium fan-speed. The room will cool down quickly to a temperature most comfortable for the body given the outside climate. POWER KEYS Mechanisms to interrupt power supply are used in most hotel rooms around the world – regardless of their classification – and if used conscientiously the results are measurable. In order to allow for medicine or perishable items to be kept cooled at the necessary temperature, the mini bar fridges are not connected to the power keys. The fridges are however kept empty and turned off when not in use. Did You Know Hotel mini bars – filled with items of which only a few will meet the personal preference of the guest - usually run even when the room is vacant for longer periods and more often than not they are unsuitably ventilated. Do not attempt to bypass the mechanism – it may result in serious damage to the power supply and/or electrocution.