Green Holidays: 6 Ways Fiji Resorts Are Sustainable

Fiji is more than just a stunning holiday destination - it is a country that values ​​sustainable tourism. From using green energy to restoring coral reefs and protecting rare wildlife, many Fijian resorts are adopting a variety of eco-friendly practices to show their love for the planet. Here are just six ways Fijian resorts are going green.

Fiji's resorts have been at the forefront of renewable energy for over three decades. Several Fijian resorts were innovators for the entire South Pacific region, for example, the resort Radisson Blu Resort on Denarau Island, which established the first environmental policy for hotels back in 1989. Meanwhile, the resort Nukubati Private Island Resort on Vanua Levu pioneered the use of solar and wind power in the early 1990s.

These days, many other resorts in Fiji have joined the renewable energy revolution. Six Senses on Malolo Island (in the Mamanucas) has built one of the largest off-grid solar installations using Tesla batteries in the Southern Hemisphere to become Fiji's first 100% solar powered resort. Surf resort Tavarua Island Resort has installed 483 solar panels and Tesla power supplies at every major resort site to power its operations, and Radisson Blu Resort installed the largest rooftop solar system in the Pacific in 2015, stopping the import of more than 200,000 liters of diesel fuel.

Numerous resorts in Fiji have made it their mission to create plastic-free environments and find ways to reduce waste. Some resorts, such as Six Senses Fiji, are also trying to create zero waste by implementing worm-based septic systems, composting all food waste for use in the garden and filtering their own drinking water to eliminate the need for plastic bottles.

Resort Vomo Island Resort in Mamanucas used 21- a month-long border closure created by Covid to build its own fresh water bottling plant and install a purification system in kitchens that turns desalinated water into cleaning products using salt water and electricity, destroying harsh chemicals.

Matanivisu Eco Surf Retreat on the south coast of Viti Levu has created such an innovative waste management system and low-plastic environment that it became the world's first registered eco-surf retreat. They collect all rainwater, separate all waste into compost, recyclables and waste, and break down all non-returnable bottles for use in concrete mix. All wastewater is treated for use as natural fertilizer for gardens.

Saving endangered species has long been a core motivation for resorts in Fiji. There are seven species of sea turtles on Earth, five of which are found in Fiji, and all of them are either endangered or endangered. Resorts in Mamanucas have many turtle conservation programs. Resorts Mana Island Resort & Spa, Vomo Island Resort and Beachcomber Island implement programs to keep baby turtles safe in ponds until they are old enough to fend for themselves in the ocean. Other resorts, such as Treasure Island and Turtle Island in the Yasawa Islands, have been protecting turtles for four decades.

Two Fijian resorts have been at the forefront of bringing back one of the world's rarest creatures from extinction - the Fijian crested iguana. Resort Likuliku has implemented non-native animal eradication and restoration programs habitat, and also began a captive breeding program - the island is now home to more than 80 of the world's last 5,000 iguanas. Six Senses Fiji has also started a breeding program and now has 39 iguanas.

Other Fijian resorts are working to preserve the number of manta rays in Fiji. Barefoot Manta Resort is a one-minute drive from the manta feeding area from April to October, where snorkelers can swim with the creatures. They are part of the Manta Ray Trust, a global organization that protects these creatures. Other resorts, such as Kokomo Private Island Resort, have a manta ray conservation project, tagging the animals to better understand their numbers.

Fiji is home to 42 percent of the world's coral species and more than 10,000 square kilometers of coral reefs. Climate change has put new pressure on Fiji's reefs, so resorts are working hard to counteract them. Shangri La Fiji Resort & Spa has created Sanctuary, a marine education center where families can grow coral and build fish houses to preserve the reef ecosystem. Their Reef Care Project allows guests to help restore coral reefs outside the resort, as well as participate in mangrove replanting programs. A little further east, The Outrigger Fiji has one of the best coral farming programs of any South Pacific resort, which they began back in 2015. Young corals are raised in a protected nursery until adulthood and then transplanted back into the wild. Kokomo Private Island Resort has expanded its coral garden by more than 3,000 corals per season and added two new nurseries. Guests can join the program at all resorts.

Meanwhile, Tavarua Island Resort is saving endangered giant clams by transplanting colonies of giant clams into cages along the reef.

Gone are the days when Fijian resorts imported most of their ingredients from Australia or New Zealand. Fijian resorts have taken steps to ensure food sustainability by using local, fresh ingredients and growing their own food in organic gardens. Fijian resorts are now serving menus based on what local fishermen have just caught. Fiji's secret weapon is the local farmers and fishermen - the sea is teeming with fish and the volcanic soils are fertile.

But sustainability doesn't end there. Many resorts have their own organic gardens that grow the herbs, fruits, vegetables and eggs that guests need. Kokomo Private Island Resort features a 2.2-hectare organic farm with a hydroponic garden, beehive and chicken coop, and offers free tours.

Six Senses Fiji has Cluckingham Palace, a free-range sanctuary for over 100 hens and roosters who supply the eggs. They also have over 10,000 square meters of gardens where they grow over 40 different types of herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Vomo Island Resort grows 50,000 plants across just a few islands to create its own gardens, while Nukubati Island Resort in Vanua Levu devotes more than 2.5 hectares to growing traditional Pacific Island crops.

Fiji Resorts have been at the forefront of efforts to preserve Fiji's culture. Traditionally, this has been in the form of offering cultural experiences to visitors, allowing local villages to generate income by performing their traditional ways to tourists - from dance performances to kava ceremonies. But while this continues, cultural resilience is becoming more sophisticated.

At resorts such as Maqai Beach Eco Resort near Taveuni, the neighboring village of Naivivi (where many of the resort's staff are from) was given 10 percent ownership of the resort, with directors and managers working with local chiefs on all key decisions.

Leleuivia Island Resort near Suva worked with six villages on their island to train young locals so they could regain knowledge of Fijian canoeing and navigation skills. They have helped provide villages with traditional Kamakau sailing canoes as part of efforts to revive Fiji's sustainable maritime culture.