...The
Little Inn That Could
Club Peace
and and
Plenty, on Great
Exuma in The
Bahamas Out Islands, is a very small property of 32 rooms,
but it is a big contributor to the region’s efforts to stay green. In
50 years of history, Club Peace and Plenty has come a long way from its
days as
a slave market and sponge warehouse, among other things. It became an
early
part of the tourist scene when a former owner converted the remaining
building into the
center for a first-class fishing lodge back in 1958. The stone wall
ruins from
slave market days now form part of the bar.
Recent
$2.5 million renovations to the interior of the two-story flamingo pink
building on the harbor brought larger beds, more luxurious furnishings,
improved oceanfront patios, and bathroom extensions. New deluxe suites
are
ideal for honeymooners and celebrities. Speaking of famous people,
Johnny
Depp
accepted his Golden Globe for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s
Chest” by
satellite from the Club’s bar.
With
global warming on everyone’s mind these days, hoteliers in the
Caribbean are
quick to realize the disastrous affects this creeping danger could have
on the
region’s fragile tropical environment. Beyond
the soap dispensers, rooftop solar panels and other familiar changes
made at many
hotels, Club Peace and Plenty donates one
percent of
revenues during top earning months to support the local Coastal
Awareness
Program. The inn also participates in a workshop for locals on
overfishing, as well
as The Bahamas ‘People to People’ program where fishermen give guests a
hands-on lesson in how they make their livelihood. Guests can
contribute to C.A.P.
either monetarily or by volunteering for beach cleanups, recycling
bottles and
cans, or other projects.
Guests
arriving from New York have the opportunity to participate further, as
Club Peace and Plenty pays for
their purchase of carbon credits from a choice of organizations listed
on the
website. These credits are turned into wind power, hydro-electric power
and
other energy generating processes.
This tiny inn
on a small
island in the Caribbean has risen above size to do
its part in a big way toward saving the environment, proving you
don’t have
to be a giant to be mighty. Situated
right in the heart of peaceful George Town, the quaint ‘green’
establishment
serves as an idyllic escape where guests are invited into the culture
that
defines
Exuma.
www.peaceandplenty.com
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