The Sunrise Beach Cabanas
9 Barrier Beach, East Coast -- Espiritu Santo VANUATU
Our Beautiful Environment
In creating a place here for guests and visitors to come, relax and enjoy, we have been incorporating many aspects towards ecology, sustainability and responsibility, as we continue to work with local Chiefs and elders, local artisans, the Vanuatu Department of Forestry, Department of Environment and others who are in-the-know about our local plants, trees, fish and wildlife.
We are continuing to add to our printed information and our local activities, both on and off the resort properties, and there is more to come!
Eco-Tourism – some of what we are offering here:
-
Authentic, Green, Pacific Island Architecture
-
Zero-Pollution, Self-Contained Waste Management Systems
-
Natural, sustainably grown, non-toxic building materials –
-
Specially selected Pacific hardwoods and sustainably grown timbers possessing inherent properties exceeding those of chemically treated timbers - healthy environment for living, sleeping and breathing.
-
Housekeeping uses non-toxic cleaning agents and laundry detergent
-
100% cotton sheets and towels
-
Serving locally-grown Organic fresh produce, meats and coffees
-
Energy-efficient and solar-powered lighting and appliances
-
Towel re-use (guests can choose to leave their slightly used items on the rods, to conserve water consumption. Bed linens are changed every third day, unless guests may wish to request for more.)
-
Non-smoking environment
-
Non-disposable dishes, cutleries, napkins and table covers
-
Natural, fresh-air exchange system
-
Multi-phase rain water catchment and purification systems on the property, for healthy drinking, showering and cooking. (Including UV filtration, stainless steel distillation and more.)
Marine Sanctuary – Conservation Area
Once upon a time a fishing/hunting source-spot of seafood and shellfish, in recent years this beautiful cove in Saraotou, fondly known as “Barrier Beach” by local residents, has been designated as a Marine Conservation Area - by our late customary land-owner, Chief Sol Loy. Since his passing in 2015, the surviving family members have continued to extend their care and protection of this special reef and beach area, along with support from the province's Departments of Fisheries and Environment, as a protected marine conservancy area..
In the past few years this observance has resulted in a wonderful re-emergence and expansion of local fish populations spawning and reproducing on the reefs here.
When snorkeling or diving, you can see and visit a wide variety of colorful local fish and sea life, right here off the sandy beachfront.
This is also home to visits from graceful stingrays, dugongs and beautiful Sea Turtles who come and go at their leisure, and we have had turtles come up and lay eggs, right here on the front of the property.
Indigenous Trees & Plant Medicines
We have some very majestic and ancient trees here on the property and out on the small island, including varieties of Tamanu, medicinal plants and more. !
In consultation with Vanuatu’s Department of Forestry experts in the field, we have had all the trees surveyed and catalogued, and we have been given their botanical names, along with advice on the best ways to care for and protect these natural treasures.
We are gathering more information from the Government's trained Botanists and local indigenous Elders who have the stories and legends of these various types of trees. And from these local people we are gathering interesting facts about how they use the various parts of the trees and plants for their household needs, food, medicine, utensils, furnishings, mats and more.
Caring for the Reef
As with many South Pacific reefs, there is a natural predator to the living corals – which feed and support the reef fish – and it is known as the Crown of Thorns Starfish, nick-named C.O.T., for short.
These COT’s are able to travel and they like to approach the corals from below, where they attach themselves and they can quickly suck the life out of a number of corals in a single day.
We have become quite active in the searching and elimination of COT’s and Michael makes it a practice to swim out and around the reefs here on a daily basis, where he enjoys the sea life, and keeps a close eye out for any COT’s, removing them from the reef areas.
Protecting our Environment
Once humans begin to enter and populate an area, whether it’s as small and simple as a camp-ground, as large as a hotel or even a cruise ship… the question arises of, “What to do with the waste materials?”
For the health of our crystal swimming waters and living reefs, it is important to plan and organize so as to welcome our visitors to come, and be a part of maintaining a neutral environmental impact to the beautiful place that we all wish to enjoy and to preserve for times to come.
One thing we are happy to pioneer here in the area is a Zero-Pollution Septic system, which uses (no chemicals) natural percolation in specially cemented in-ground filtration chambers, filled with differing grades of naturally occurring coral rock and sand, to naturally convert the waste matter into pure, clear water.
The system was developed and engineered by (Kiwi) Steve Bean of Kingfisher engineering (NZ and Port Vila) and we will love to spread the word and encourage those who are planning to build, especially in beach-front coastal areas, to consider installing such a thoughtful and effective natural solution.
Natural Lighting – Enjoying the Scenery, both Day and Night
Living removed from the bright lights of a city or town gives us special opportunities to enjoy the special beauty of the tropical nights.
After living on the Big Island of Hawaii for a number of years, where Mauna Kea hosts the largest of the world’s telescopes (and all residents are asked to keep the lights down), we became more aware of the effects of bright lights on our visibility of the stars in the night sky.
Here at the Eco-Resort, we have focused attentions to keep our night-time lighting (solar-powered, candles, fire torches) gentle on the eyes, so that our visitors can feel welcomed to come out and enjoy the beautiful night-time views of the sea, island, beaches and the expansive starry night sky.
Feel free to walk, swim, sit and lounge – we’ll keep a candle burning for you! – and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the gentle warm waters and the natural night-time scenery.
