Future Green Resort Technology

     Green resorts are constantly evolving. Using eco-friendly policies supported by cutting edge technology, these resorts offer more to the green consumer. Some of the most important resources such as solar, geothermal, and water are being successfully tapped to drive the industry. Resorts that are truly green will use as many renewable energy sources as possible. Of course, this is dependent upon the location and the available resources, but solar energy, geo-thermal energy, and wind energy are being utilized on a broader scale.

     Geothermal energy is energy the Earth collects from the sun. The ground gets heated and in turn heats each subsequent foot of earth below the surface. At some point many feet below the surface the earth doesn’t increase in heat but it doesn’t lose heat either. It stays fairly constant and retains a vast amount of this heat as stored energy. Water that runs through pipes at this depth gets heated.

     Solar energy is also energy captured from the sun; however instead of reaching the ground, the energy is collected by solar panels above the ground. The sun’s rays reach the earth even on cold and rainy days. While the weather can lessen the collection of photovoltaic energy, today’s solar collectors can collect enough energy to help power a resort

     Wind energy is just what you would expect. Power from the wind is created when wind strikes and turns a wind turbine, converting the wind energy into electricity. Wind power is capable of producing 1.5% of worldwide electricity use. This usage is continuing to grow rapidly, and has already doubled between 2005 and 2008. Some European countries have worked to achieve even larger levels of wind energy utilization, up to 19% of stationary electricity production. Eighty countries around the world use wind power on a commercial basis. Wind energy can be used to generate enough energy to be the only source of energy for an entire resort.

     A green resort might also use a waste reduction system. Industrial bio-waste is created everywhere, even at the best green resorts. Industrial bio-waste includes wastewater treatment, food and drink preparations, and, the agriculture, forestry, and pharma-chem industries. If these wastes are not bio-recycled, they will produce large volumes of putrid waste in streams. These materials degrade into dangerous liquid forms which may be large enough to turn into liquid streams of their own. This makes it absolutely necessary that the products are bio-treated. A good green resort will incorporate the necessary technology to lower the amount of waste created and will also dispose of it properly.

      Another green option for a resort is to reduce water utilization and waste. Some of the things that you might see are:

     • Low-flow shower heads (sometimes called energy-efficient shower heads as they also use less energy, due to less water being heated).

     • Low-flush toilets, composting toilets and waterless urinals. They have a dramatic impact in the developed world, as conventional Western toilets use large volumes of water. Even saline water (sea water) can be used for flushing.

     • Faucet aerators, which break water flow into fine droplets to maintain "wetting effectiveness" while using less water. As a bonus, they reduce splashing while washing hands and dishes.

     • Wastewater reuse or recycling systems

     • A waterless car wash

     • Rainwater harvesting

     • Infrared or foot operated faucets. They can save water by using short bursts of water for rinsing in the kitchen or bathroom.