Furthering their sustainability commitment, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai has announced an exciting partnership with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) to ensure that all future villa bookings will be fully carbon-neutral
Adding to its existing array of eco-friendly initiatives, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, the first and only AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes Five-Star Resort on Hawaii Island, is partnering with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) in a bid to make its villas carbon-neutral.
This partnership is the newest addition to the comprehensive sustainability program at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Sustainable initiatives already include Boomerang, its new zero-waste, Resort-filtered water bottling system; the recent planting of the Resort’s 50,000th tree within Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Legacy Forest; and the Resort’s Natural Resources team, a group of on-site marine biologists who educate guests on best environmental practices, help maintain King’s Pond – the Resort’s distinctive, 1.8-million-gallon (6.8 million litre) swimmable aquarium – plus more.
In honour of Zero Emissions Day, the resort has launched a further collaboration with HLRI in which the organisation will offset the carbon footprint of its new villas with each booking through the extensive planting of trees. The Resort introduced the expansion of its three stand-alone villas, Hawai’i Loa Presidential Villa, Makaloa Villa and Ho`onanea Villa, on the heels of its recent USD 100 million property-wide renovation timed to its 25th anniversary.
The villas, the largest and most luxurious villa accommodations in all of Hawaii, were reimagined with thoughtful design elements, local artwork, slate floors, glass-pocket doors and a natural hardwood trim – in addition to an expansion that includes a second level, indoor/outdoor living space and private plunge pools or whirlpools for each.
“At Hualalai, we are committed to keeping Hawaii clean by reducing our carbon footprint and minimizing our environmental impact. Our carbon-neutral partnership with Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative allows our villa guests to practice sustainability without having to compromise luxury,” says Graham Williamson, Resort Manager of Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.
“We are proud to continue adding to the Resort’s robust sustainability program and practice the centuries-old way of life in Hawaii Mālama Ka Honua (care for the Earth).”
In addition to its carbon-neutral villa bookings, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai debuted a Boomerang Bottling Systemearlier this year. The unique system features patented micro-bottling technology that sources local Hawaiian water, removes all impurities and toxins, and bottles it in durable, fully recyclable aluminium bottles, that are sanitized, refilled, capped, and reused on-site.
This eliminates shipping, packaging, and distribution centers, allowing Resort guests to enjoy fresh, local water the same day it is bottled, ultimately reducing carbon emissions by 95 percent per bottle.
The new partnership is not its first with HLRI – Four Seasons Resort Hualalai recently celebrated the impressive planting of its 50,000th tree within Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Legacy Forest. Since the project launch, the Legacy Trees planted by the property now cover more than 100 acres (40 hectares), transforming a once barren pastureland into a thriving Hawaiian forest – leaving an evolving ecosystem to prosper. The trees planted in question are koa, a tree that is deeply connected to Hawaiian royalty and in recent years was over-harvested due to its strong and beautiful qualities.
