Save money.
Save time.
Save your island.
We help islands become resilient and profitable through sustainable hospitality.
We design and implement holistic sustainability strategies that cover
Energy
Water
Waste
Food & Beverage
Wildlife
Transport
Why is sustainability on islands so important?
That’s simple: Because there is no other option.
For islands, the environment is your product. It also holds the resources that your business relies on. Protecting your core product is just good business.
A Self-Destructive Industry
Tourism on islands is a ticking time bomb. Increased “success” of the industry leads to its accelerated downfall and destruction of the resources upon which the destination depends.
- Tourists are attracted to a pristine and beautiful environment.
- Tourism replaces other industries, creating an economic dependency.
- As tourism increases (i.e. “success”), environmental and cultural attractions degrade.
- Visitors become less attracted to the no longer pristine destination.
- Eventual self-destruction of the industry.
The reversal of this is our priority. Tourism should fuel the growth of environmental resources, not vice versa.
The good news: Solutions do exist.
The better news: They are even profitable!
The better news: They are even profitable!
What Does Sustainability Mean to Us?
We designed the Sustainability Cycle to reverse the tourism paradox on islands. It’s a move away from business as usual to a more innovative and future-proof approach that supports resilience and self-sufficiency.
We focus on the growth of environmental capital as a way to continuously fuel social and economic resources – which are used to create more environmental capital.
By implementing specifically targeted and calculated sustainability initiatives, it is not only possible to reduce the environmental resources needed to fuel social and economic activity, but also to add more value to the environment – increasing economic potential.
What we do for islands
Resilience is key.
Rather than being a “victim” of climate change your destination can model what sustainability should look like around the world.
Smaller scope, reduced external influences, isolation from economies of scale, import dependency, and fragile ecosystems mean that a new management paradigm is not only critical but also highly profitable.
With tourism as the main economic pillar, and hotels the main form of development – sustainability on islands starts with the hospitality industry. But they cannot succeed alone. Hoteliers wanting to take the leap into sustainable business need a supportive foundation to stand on.
They need a local economy that supports innovation and sustainable development including infrastructure, legislation, and trained workers knowledgable about installing and repairing modern technologies. Above all – they need collaboration.
In addition to strategy development, TurtlCo leads collaboration between our international technology partners and your on-island organisations for training and capacity building so that local jobs can be created in sustainable fields.
Our goal is to help you become resilient and prepared for external influences like hurricanes, drought, and energy cost spikes. Always with the local economy and society at the forefront. We help with industry quality, resource conservation, modern technologies, and knowledge sharing that makes your island less vulnerable to exploitation.
What we do for hotels
Solving for efficiency
Sustainable hospitality management on islands doesn’t just make financial sense – it makes common sense. But let’s be honest, who has the time? With a background in the hotel and restaurant industry we know that you work overtime to manage daily operations and keep your guests happy.
A good sustainability strategy should make things more efficient and increase guest experience. It should save you time and money all the while protecting the beautiful environment that your guests are coming to see in the first place. Sounds great right? Well it is, but it’s not always as simple as it sounds.
Sustainability depends on complex and interdependent relationships between so many different disciplines – engineering, architecture, politics, biology, agriculture, climate science, and more.
To top it off you need systems that work together. Maybe you want your solar panels to power a desalination system and produce fresh water? Maybe you want a sewage system that can water and fertilise plants on your property? Or maybe you’d like cleaning products and guest toiletries that come from the region and don’t harm the beautiful nearby bay? Is it possible? Is it profitable? Where do I start? Let us save you the headache.
We’re not only prepared to find out and document the best strategy for your particular needs – we’ll implement it too!
Our team
We are island lovers, on a mission to save island hotels
Bonnie Lewtas
Founder
Consultant for sustainable hospitality management on island destinations. Specialised on the relationship between sustainable development, social innovation, and economic prosperity for island tourism.
Ulf Larsson
CTO
Senior Management Advisor / Aviation/ATM Expert & Building Engineer. Specialised in large-scale project management, technology, and systems architecture for sustainable solutions.
Brigitte Bernard-Rau
Independent Advisor
Sustainability Analyst / Phd Candidate. Specialised in environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, reporting, organisational structures, and Caribbean policies and practices.
Get in touch and start swimming today.
