Dominica Bans Plastics on Route to be the First Climate-Resilient Country in the World

While the fight against single-use plastic has garnered worldwide attention over the past few months, Dominica is taking the crusade to an entirely new level. Recently featured in CNN Travel, the Nature Island “has announced its aim to completely ban common plastics and single-use Styrofoam cups and food containers—effective January 2019.” Dominicans have been—and always will be—wholly committed to preserving the untouched land upon which we live; and, here at Secret Bay, we’re living the island’s mission to be the first climate resilient country in the world.

Dominica’s Efforts

The island of Dominica has been in the sustainability limelight as of recent, acclaimed for its nationwide allegiance to protect itself against future natural disasters—particularly following the destruction of Hurricane Maria. CNN Travel interviewed Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit who proclaimed that, as the coined Nature Island, the nation “must in every way deserve and reflect that designation.” Here, the Dominican government plans to ban plastic straws, plates, forks, knives, as well as all styrofoam cups and containers—all by January 2019.

This most recent spotlight isn’t the only sustainable praise Dominica has received. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited the island for a press conference in February 2018, where he asserted that Dominica is one of the most auspicious locales in the world to pave the way in producing clean energy and become a global leader in sustainability. While the Nature Island may be small, it holds the undeniable potential to reduce the threat of climate change and subsequently improve its domestic economy.

Sustainability at Secret Bay

At Secret Bay, our mission is, and always has been, to sustain the beauty of our land and sea. Each villa is built entirely of sustainably-sourced Guyanese hardwood; and, perhaps even more impressive is the fact that no heavy machinery was involved in construction. Secret Bay was assembled meticulously by hand. Our villas are conscientiously placed in specific locations so as minimal clear-cutting would take place, while the bedroom furniture is largely composed of locally-sourced Red Cedar.

Beyond the sustainability of our villas, we have instilled many environmental practices to maintain the uncorrupted beauty of Dominica. In addition to using biodegradable food packaging, we have eliminated single-use plastic bottles by introducing branded reusable glass bottles for guests with under-sink filtration in each villa.

Guests are encouraged to use our provided separate recycling and compost waste bins in each villa as we do in our chef’s kitchen. We are also introducing high capacity compost tumblers for landscaping and food waste, which will feed our rooftop garden and significantly increase our compositing capacity and efficiency.

And, of course, we are continuing to build and operate in accordance with Green Globe standards. Here, our energy consumption averages 3.7 percent of revenue versus Dominica’s average of 5+ percent. We are proud to lead the nation in this worldwide effort and look forward to seeing the future impact Dominica can make as a global power in sustainability.