fossil fuels where possible by: maintaining travel days to and from Isla Colon, looking into alternatives for their power generation such as the boat motors they use. There are energy-saving lights installed throughout the building and there are no path lights between the cabanas and the main lodge building to save energy and reduce light pollution, instead guests are provided with flashlights. Guest units are on energy-saving mode and air-conditioning is only turned on at the heat of the day and for dinner service.

of the cabanas, staff quarters etc. that is then purified using a filtration and UV light sterilisation technique. Toilets, faucets and shower heads are all water-saving and grey water is used for irrigation for gardening, moreover the black water goes through a septic system (which does not have harmful chemicals).

hotel also avoids the use of plastic by providing guests on excursions with reusable water bottles that are returned, sanitised and filled every day, and by using reusable shopping bags and/or boxes for all of the hotel’s purchasing. Discoloured towels and sheets are repurposed for cleaning or for other on-site jobs and rice, coffee, flour and produce bags are repurposed into shopping bags for groceries. They also do not print marketing materials, instead all of their material is available to download from their website.

conservation including: BESO and Give and Surf charities that support the local children; APTSO, a foundation supporting sustainable tourism; the Bastimentos National Marine Park, and they host The School for Field Studies. They work with several indigenous communities such as Salt Creek indigenous community to create a 620-acre municipal reserve to protect the trees, this provides roofing for this community and keeps the area safe from being developed on. Indigenous communities provide the hotel with guides for their excursions and prepare trails for tourist use to understand the indigenous life at Bocas del Toro. They are involved in science projects such as Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute that does a number of studies on the property, citizen science projects eBird and the Global Bid Day bird count. They sponsor a scholar who studied the monkeys on Bastimentos and they work with a graduate who studies the red frogs of Bastimentos, they are waiting for approval to do DNA research on Tarpon and are also working to identify new species of insects at Tranquilo Bay with the appropriate experts. Last but not least, they also volunteer as the Vigilantes de Bastimentos in order to help the Panamanian government agencies enforce the various environmental laws.

the breads and desserts baked on-site every day. The hotel has planted trees that will increase their self-efficiency in the future and they already grow a fair amount of fruit and herbs on-site (about a third of the fresh fruit juices served come from the trees on-site). Tranquilo Bay does not support the over-fishing of lobsters, conch and octopus, thus they will not purchase or serve these locally endangered species at their hotel.

use any fuel. Tranquilo Bay also educate employees and guests on the protection and preservation of the native marine and wild life in the local area, as well as providing guests with a binder with all eco-friendly options at Tranquilo Bay. The hotel also tries to use every opportunity to engage with guests regarding eco-friendliness, such as at meal times and on excursions where the owners or a guide can talk to guests with information concerning conservation and environmental education.

would help create an eco-friendly destination that protects and preserves the environment. Materials were purchased in Panama where possible, renewable and recyclable materials were used with the addition of thick interior insulation to keep temperatures cool during warm equatorial days. Local hardwoods were used as decorative elements and for the furniture within the hotel rather than built from a limited resource. The hotel’s canopy observation tower was made from a former communications tower that they split into two equal parts, they built stairs and a platform between the two to allow guests to view wildlife and the archipelago from a bird’s eye location. They are preserving more than 80 acres of the 200+ acres they have acquired, and they limit their use of local hardwoods to combat de-forestation.

found soaking wet on the floor or at check-out and all wash loads are done at full capacity. The laundry detergent and dishwashing soaps are biodegradable. For cleaning, bleach is avoided or used in very limited quantities; instead vinegar and alcohol are used where possible. The hotel uses biodegradable shampoo and conditioner from Bioland Organics and bars of castile (olive oil based) soap made in Panama, with any unused soap being repurposed for employee usage.

repurposed wine bottles by turning them into drinking glasses, chipped dishes are donated to the local home for the aged and the hotel participates in organised trash clean-ups on the island and neighbouring islands. Tranquilo Bay also supports the Panamanian economy by employing local personnel and purchasing locally made goods.