It has been 29 years since the world-famous 1992 United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit and Ewald Biemans, Owner/CEO of Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba is still as inspired as the day he heard the call to action given to the world at that conference. An avid news follower, Biemans feverishly read and watched all the coverage he could find on the tiny island of Aruba as the pivotal 1992 gathering took place. Describing it as “a wake-up call,” the conference accelerated his early efforts to what is now the Caribbean's most eco-awarded and first carbon-neutral hotel by 2018 and ultimately, a United Nations honouree.

Last year, Bucuti & Tara became the first hotel in United Nations' history to win the coveted Global UN 2020 Climate Action Award for Climate Neutral Now. This year, Biemans has been invited to attend as a speaker at UN's 26th annual climate change conference, Conference of the Parties, or COP26, November 1-12, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland and expects to draw 30,000 attendees. COP26 is deemed the world's most significant summit on climate change in the race to keep a temperature rise limit of 1.5 degrees within reach cited by the 2015 Paris Agreement with just nine years left before ecological consequences would be catastrophic and irreversible.

Giving away the solution: “highly scalable and replicable” for the hospitality industry

While the topic of climate change is daunting, Biemans' appearance will provide more than hope as he will provide solid support and actionable initiatives that can be implemented in hotels and similar businesses. Upon awarding Bucuti & Tara, the UNFCCC Secretariat commended the resort for being “highly replicable and scalable,” thus uniquely positioning it to help others throughout the world's massive travel and tourism sector representing 10% of global GDP. Biemans' COP26 appearance will help demystify the process of going net-zero, how to structure the necessary framework, and share how hoteliers can deliver a memorable vacation that is both financially successful as well as regenerative.

“Every day I reflect on the UN's Rio Earth Summit of 1992 as the call to action we heeded at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in ultimately leading us to provide a guilt-free vacation that lets guests trade carbon footprints for sandy ones, and it will be an honour to share at COP26 with others our sustainability solutions so that we are all winners, because we must all win to have a healthier, safer, more resilient future,” shares Ewald Biemans, Owner/CEO of Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort. “Climate change is the largest pandemic of this lifetime.”

Holidays that go towards saving the future

Bucuti & Tara has an eye on the future by helping guests plan regenerative vacations for the present. It knows guests seek vacations to take a break from the daily grind and to reconnect with one another. Vacations are a time when indulgences are given into, and Bucuti & Tara is helping guests do so while still protecting the planet for generations to come.

As the Caribbean's first and only certified carbon-neutral hotel, the resort stay is already guilt-free. Now with the addition of a Carbon Offset Concierge, guests can make their entire vacation guilt-free from wheels up to wheels down.

To learn more, visit Bucuti.com.

About Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort

Declared the first CarbonNeutral®/net zero hotel in the Caribbean in August 2018, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is one of the Top 10 Hotels for Romance in the World (third straight year), No. 1 Hotel for Romance in the Caribbean (sixth straight year) and No. 3 Hotel for Service in the Caribbean. Aruba's premier adults-only boutique resort is led by celebrated hotelier and environmentalist, Ewald Biemans, named by Caribbean Journal as the 2017 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year. The resort is nestled on the powdery white sands of Eagle Beach, home to protected sea turtles and named one of the “Dream Beaches of the World.”

Now home to the Caribbean's Safest, Healthiest Vacation Experience thanks to its physician-developed COVID-19 safety protocols and Aruba's Health & Happiness Code seal, Bucuti has 104 well-appointed guestrooms, suites and penthouses. It offers sunbeds and shade for every guest; freshwater infinity pool; spa; WiFi; and complimentary iPad with Skype for use during stay. Award-winning healthy dining is enjoyed at oceanfront Elements, Tara Lounge and private beach dining. Reserved exclusively for guests and their friends, the newly renovated open-air SandBar offers top-shelf cocktails and live music daily along with the Caribbean's first Healthy Hour. The resort is TAG Approved® as a LGBTQ-friendly hotel. Bucuti, a worldwide sustainable tourism leader, holds eco-certifications of LEED Gold, Green Globe Platinum and Travelife Gold and was named the World's Most Sustainable Hotel/Resort in 2016 by Green Globe.