The Green Scoop – Inside Club Med’s Charge Toward Sustainability
When most people think about Mexico and “green” they might envision a bowl of chile verde or a lime slice adorning an opened Corona bottle, but not any serious environmental actions. As much as I love the country, I still regularly see people burn plastic bottles in the streets or toss wrappers from buses, which made me wonder if Mexico is taking any steps in the green direction. I went south to investigate and it turns out, our south of the border neighbors, although not at the levels of us compadres here in the USA, continue to make strides towards sustainability.
Hotels and resorts, with the support of eco-savvy clientele from North America and Europe, can help to make sustainability a reality in Mexico. Unfortunately, many resorts in Mexico, the U.S. and beyond claim “We’re green” to attract clientele, but a closer look often reveals the claims as nothing more than trendy marketing or downright greenwashing. And as great as those glossy claims look, trendy marketing will not improve the environment or lead to sustainable tourism in Mexico.
So, I thought I’d get the real scoop. I recently visited Club Med Ixtapa Pacific on the west coast of Mexico to see their green progress. I picked the Ixtapa resort because it represents Club Med’s green guinea pig for Green Globe certification—a third party rating system that certifies hotels and resorts with a stringent green checklist.
My trip gave good insights that I plan to share with you in the coming weeks.
I’ll talk about the Green Globe certification, how Club Med measures up and where it can improve. I’ll give some great tips on simple changes that you as a traveler can make.
I’d also love to hear your thoughts and advice. What “green” changes have you made when traveling? What additional measures would you like to see Club Med and other resorts take to protect our world?
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