There are many different ratings and awards available for hotels and lodges that claim to be focused on being environmentally conscious, some of which are based on how much money a location must spend on the award itself, that Rebecca and Lionel of Kiwano Hotels decided they would create their own, called the “leaf rating”.

There are 4 levels of leaf ratings, from 1-leaf up to gold status.

Rebecca and Lionel know each location inside out. From how they deal with waste to how they get their power, source their food, and regenerate the environment that surrounds them.

Having researched each property and interviewed the owners or managers too, they then rate each location based on 9 categories:

• Architecture
• Community
• Conservation
• Energy
• Engage Guests
• Food
• Housekeeping
• Waste
• Water

Over the next 10 articles, we are going to run down the top 10 locations in each category, whether they be a hotel, lodge, or self-catering, before giving you our top 10 eco locations you should visit if you want to make a positive difference whilst you explore the world.

You can find out more about the leaf rating here.

We're going to begin with Architecture.

This category looks at the buildings themselves:

• What steps were taken before the building work commenced to ensure that as little damage as possible was done to the local environment?
• What materials were used – Were they renewable, locally sourced, and/or sustainable wherever possible?
• Did they reuse and recycle existing materials and furniture?
• Were natural materials, like bamboo, used?
• How much of the work done by hand, rather than by using heavy machinery?

We are going to list the hotels and lodges in reverse order.

Aristi Mountain Resort & Villas was built in complete harmony with its surrounding landscape. Only local natural materials, such as stone and wood, were used to decorate the inside and outside of the buildings.

The architectural design concept was to build more, but smaller, buildings as opposed to less bigger ones, utilising the natural slope. Whilst this was a more expensive approach, the hotel owner wanted to make the resort less impactful where possible.

The resort has also sourced low VOC paints (volatile compounds) to ensure the internal environment is as healthy as the external one.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

Casa Cairucu was built with the aim of minimising damage to the local environment, with only two non-native shrubs being removed during construction.

The house itself was designed to be naturally light and cool with a passive air system to let hot air circulate out.

After construction, more than twenty native trees were planted, in collaboration with the Environmental Agency.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

Building this hotel was well thought through and carefully planned.

All the clearing was done by hand with a crowbar and shovel, without using any machinery.

The hotel was built around the trees, and only 2 were removed during the entire project.

Instead of using rainforest timber, they used cypress-pine to minimise the impact.

The eco-lodge utilises walkways and stilts to minimise the impact on the canopy floor and ecosystem below.

All the services were placed above ground for the same reason.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

The Amazon Yarapa River Lodge took two years to build by hand and trees were only cleared for the site of the building.

The structure of the lodge was built in a native fashion, using materials that are native to the area (from Iquitos).

Most of the building’s joints are tied with natural fibres, to avoid the use of nails where possible.

The lodge has a high palm woven roof which allows a cooler environment and free transfer of air.

The roofs and walkways are thatch covered which provides a natural cooling system from the tropical heat.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

Before construction started, the location & orientation of the structure were carefully studied to ensure it had the least impact possible.

Innovative construction methods were used to make the most of the natural resources for heating and ventilation.

This low-impact building invites you to admire the beautiful surroundings.

The beautiful architecture reflects traditional local houses that built on stilts over the water.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

Gal Oya Lodge was built using primarily 3 locally sourced materials: iluk (thatch), wood, and granite stone.

No heavy machinery was used as the buildings were constructed by hand by local contractors.

The design and layout were chosen to minimise any impact on mature trees. This was so successful that only 1 tree in total was cut down during the construction.

All furniture was made (primarily of wood) on-site by local carpenters.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

The overriding principle for the Comuna do Ibitipoca is to value the local culture and history of the Minas Gerais region by maintaining the local, original architectural features of the colonial style.

All the buildings were constructed by local workers, using mainly recycled materials sourced in the local area.

2nd hand furniture, including traditional antiques, we used to decorate the hotel throughout.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

The two buildings have been constructed with the environment in mind, and in a sustainable way. Sustainable wood was used, with certified wood from the continent.

The owners, Wilson and Manany, designed the buildings, and choose the materials to be used, to harmonise with the surrounding environment.

They are designed to maintain warmth in cold months and stay cool on sunny days.

The roof, with its long wings, was created to provide shade and protection from the heat.

The direction of the predominant winds of the island were analysed and used to ensure that the cross-ventilation system used was as effective as possible.

90% of the workers who constructed the ecolodge were locals from the island.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

The owners lived in the jungle at the site of the hotel during its 5 year construction.

This enabled them to conduct research that would help them to create an eco-friendly destination that protects and preserves the environment.

All the materials used were purchased in Panama where possible. These included renewable and recyclable materials wherever possible.

Thick insulation was installed to keep temperatures cool during warm equatorial days.

Local hardwoods were used as decorative elements and for the furniture within the hotel, rather than built from a limited resource.

The hotel’s canopy observation tower was made from a former communications tower that they split into two equal parts.

They then built stairs and a platform between the two to allow guests to view wildlife and the archipelago from a bird’s eye location.

They are preserving more than 80 acres of the 200+ acres they have acquired, and they limit their use of local hardwoods to combat deforestation.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

Tiger Mountain Lodge was built to be mindful of Nepali tradition and  respect its surroundings.

It was built by hand without any machinery by over 300 local people. Indeed, many of them still work at the lodge today.

By involving the local community process has provided local endorsement and made the lodge a welcome addition to the area.

The buildings were designed to emulate the local architecture and were constructed using local materials and sustainably sourced timber from government approved sources.

They were also designed to minimise their impact on the environment.

The architects blended the lodge within the forest so that no trees had to be felled.

Furthermore, the design of the building focused on ensuring that running it would require the least amount of energy possible, the materials and design help to avoid temperature extremes and removes the need for air conditioning systems.

You can find out more about their green policy here.

We have launched our "carbon Heroes" initiative.

Every booking we make now includes a carbon hero contribution, which goes to support a range of environmental initiatives all around the world. 

This means that when you book with us, you’ll be helping the planet, so you can feel even better about going on holiday. 30 times better in fact! As our Carbon Hero projects are 30 times more effective than most tree planting projects.

Find out more on our website.

Congratulations to Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, Nepal. A stunning lodge to visit and a worthy winner I'm sure you'll agree.

In our next blog, we'll look at how the Hotels and Lodges have interacted with their communities.

To find out more, then please get in touch:

• lisette.julio-quinn@notjusttravel.com
• 07505 999 773
• lisetteandliam.notjusttravel.com 

You can find all our blog posts about ecotourism on our website here.

Thank you to Rebecca Woolford and Kiwano Hotels.