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Living Green in Blue Paradise, Maldives
Travel
Living Green in Blue Paradise, Maldives
WRITER: Elwin Chan PHOTOS BY: Alvin Toh
Living Green in Blue Paradise, Maldives 23. January 2020, by Elwin Chan, Photos by Alvin Toh
Learn how we can lessen the impact of travel by easily making smarter decisions, and go behind the scenes to see what eco-resort Gili Lankanfushi Maldives is doing to preserve the blue paradise it calls home.

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet, says the Zen master and activist Thich Nhat Hanh. The world we inhabit is indeed full of beauty, and we travel in search of its endless joys and wonders.

Yet, the allure of the world is the very thing that is putting it in danger. Whenever we fly, we leave a trail of carbon footprints—as much as a pound of carbon dioxide is emitted per passenger for every mile travelled on a plane. That means a round-trip flight from New York to San Francisco emits a shocking 0.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide per person.

When it comes to water, collectively we purchase one million plastic bottles every minute. Compound that with the fact that a 500 millilitre plastic water bottle has the carbon footprint equal to three ounces of carbon dioxide, and you will see the magnitude and severity of this problem.

To make matters worse, of all the plastic that is consumed, only about nine percent get recycled. For the remaining plastic that gets discarded, up to a whopping 13 million tonnes leak into the ocean every year, to be ingested by fish, sea birds and other organisms. By 2050, the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish.

Time is of the essence, and green travel seems to be one of the answers to our travel paradox. By making smarter decisions to reduce, reuse and recycle, as well as taking the conscious effort to practice responsible travel that pays attention to environmental, social and economic sustainability, we can lessen our impact to the planet.

It takes everyone, from travellers to hosts to preserve the beauty of our world. In the Maldives, eco-luxury resort Gili Lankanfushi is taking steps to consume less, care more for the ocean, provide a greener environment for its guests, and give back to the local community.

SEA OF HOPE

Leading environmentalists are predicting that more than 90 percent of corals in the world will be gone by 2050. If we do nothing, we risk losing them all, along with the marine life they support. The good news is, there is still hope.

FROM WASTE TO WEALTH

Very little goes to waste at Gili Lankanfushi. Go behind the scenes to see how the resort is taking a lead in sustainability.

PROUDLY MADE IN GILI LANKANFUSHI

Luxury doesn’t mean wastage and excess. With a little bit of ingenuity, we can turn used materials into new objects and give them a second life.

AN ISLAND WITH THREE CARS AND A LOT OF LOVE

One of 200 inhabited islands in the Maldives, Himmafushi is home to just under 1200 people. Learn how neighbouring Gili Lankanfushi is helping to build a better life for the local community.

SUPPORTING LOCAL

As part of being socially responsible, Gili Lankanfushi focuses on hiring local and providing continuous training for its staff.