The accidental eco-tourist

Eco-tourism is the ultimate oxymoron. See the planet and ruin it in the process. There are no standards in place to rate a hotel in environmental standards and any ratings that are stated vary in meaning, in the same way quality star ratings do. So, any hotel can sling in the word “eco” even if all they do is use a few energy-saving light bulbs.

In Central America, where biodiversity means environmentally aware choices are key, the eco-lodge branding has become a staple, but at Laguna Lodge in Guatemala, the bar has been raised to a new level.

The Lodge is the project of Antipodean transplants Mayah and Jefferson “Jeffro” Dent, who have adopted as their mission a “tread lightly” ethic in the extreme.

Opening just over a year ago, the Lodge looks like it has stepped out of the pages of a chic design magazine. Furnishings and artwork are either antique or from local artisans. The building is made from locally quarried adobe clay bricks, native trees and stones washed down from the hillside. Palm and bamboo are from sustainable plantations on the Pacific coast. Solar power, lake irrigation, recycled glass, unbleached hypoallergenic bedding and low water use appliances are just the start of the eco-ethic.

“People are going to travel,” said Jeffro. “But here, they will have much less of an impact.”

MORE: GO GREEN IN GUATEMALA