Cosmos St Lucia is sympathetically designed within the surrounding habitat

At first glance eco luxury looks like an oxymoron. Eco is about not harming the environment while luxury is synonymous with indulgence, extravagance and excess. But times are changing, and if we want to have a viable future on planet earth, we all need to think and act in ways that can be sustained. So, as with all things in life, eco luxury at Cosmos St Lucia is about striking a new balance. This blog shares how we integrate ways of being more sustainable into our guests’ luxurious vacations at Cosmos.

St Lucia is known as a gem of the Caribbean, one that evokes envious oohs and aahs from those you tell that you’re heading off on vacation to this glorious destination. But vacations in St Lucia aren’t just a tonic for holiday makers seeking relaxation and rejuvenation. Tourism is the biggest economic driver for the island, providing much needed employment for islanders and footfall for local businesses.

What is less talked about is the environmental impact of tourism on small islands like St Lucia that are already at the forefront of the consequences of climate change. Our earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the known history, primarily as a result of human activities. St Lucia is highly vulnerable to climate change thanks to the triple whammy of its location (in an area of cyclone, volcanic, and seismic activity), its dependence on economic sectors that are directly affected by climate variability, and being a small island where disasters have country-wide ramifications. While the country’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions are miniscule, the climate crisis could cost lives, livelihoods, and well over 24.5% of its GDP by 2050 if no effective adaptation takes place.

As owners of a private villa that brings overseas visitors to St Lucia, we acknowledge our responsibility for every guest to be mindful of this reality while we facilitate an eco luxury vacation experience at Cosmos. The question is, how do we find that balance?

The coastline near Cosmos St Lucia. Photograph by Fran Mart

Welcome to eco luxury, Cosmos style

We define eco luxury as creating a magical experience for our guests while minimising our footprint on the beautiful island of St Lucia. This approach to delivering sustainable luxury is at the heart of everything we do. From the Villa and Lodge infrastructure and day to day management, to the short- and long-term impacts within the community, landscape and local economy. This is vital to ensure our vision for Cosmos, and your vacation experience, can be sustained.

Luxury reframed

At Cosmos, luxury is less about things and more about high value moments. Luxury here is about enjoying the best view in the Caribbean from an exclusive and unique place – the location, the architecture, the atmosphere! It is truly a singular experience. It’s about finding yourself speechless as you wonder at the space, feeling a surge of excitement for your vacation home. It’s marvelling as you look up at the canopy of stars at night, appearing close enough to touch. It’s the delight of your first taste of fresh passion fruit juice, and the contented sigh at the end of a delicious home cooked meal. It’s the sight of the majestic, ever present Pitons that can’t help but make you ponder life, the universe and everything. And it’s the sound of your loved ones happy, relaxed and laughing. These are what we define as life’s true luxuries, and this is what you’ll find at Cosmos.

The Milky Way over the Pitons, viewed from Cosmos St Lucia

Respecting wildlife

Cosmos is a haven for enjoying wildlife in this area of outstanding beauty and biodiversity. Perched high on the hillside, the extraordinary vantage points and open-air architecture make Cosmos an ideal place to sit with a pair of binoculars and enjoy the tropical bird life. From eagles soaring on air currents to hummingbirds hovering around our garden that is rich with fruit and flora attracting birds such as zenaida doves, kingbirds, antillean bullfinches, ruby throated caribs, bananaquits, and broad-winged hawks. Numerous moths and butterflies can be spotted throughout the day too. By favouring solar energy, we reduce emissions that would otherwise impact air quality, benefiting both our guests and the local wildlife.

The surrounding shorelines are edged by healthy and diverse coral reefs, valuable fish stocks and beautiful beaches. The area is protected by the Soufriere Marine Management Association, a self-sustained not-for-profit NGO authorised by the Government of St Lucia. The Association is mandated to conserve the natural marine environment and ensure sustainable use and development of the Areas particularly within the fishing and tourism sectors. The fish sanctuaries increase the fish population with quotas that limit what can be caught. Managing the local biodiversity sympathetically, in ways that balance industry with nature, is about protecting the environment to create a less uncertain future.

Sea turtles in their natural habitat in St Lucia

Reduce, reuse and recycle – it doesn’t stop on vacation

The familiar mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle is not just a philosophy that underpins everything we do, it’s what we actually do all day, every day at Cosmos. It’s inspired by the internationally recognised need to reconsider and reset what and how we consume. But it’s also the long held survival secret of small islands around the world and any remote place, where residents work within the limits of what’s available. This is in stark contrast to (predominantly Western) consumerist culture.

At Cosmos we discourage the use of single-use plastics and polystyrene, the most common items found in ocean pollution. Instead of providing guests with disposable plastic water bottles, we offer refillable 5 gallon mineral water containers, from which guests can fill their own reusable water bottles. Even our mineral water is sourced from springs in the local rainforest.  In a property with a capacity of up to 16 guests, the alternative route of providing plastic water bottles daily would not only generate a huge amount of unnecessary plastic bottles, but also an unmanageable amount of waste for municipal services to collect and process. Unfortunately, like many coastlines around the world, plastic waste can be seen littering unattended beaches where the ocean currents deposit waste.

The consequences of  plastic pollution can be seen washed up on shorelines around the world

Managing water, our most precious resource

Being surrounded by the sea and many swimming pools, it’s reasonable that many island visitors wouldn’t be aware that access to fresh water on a Caribbean island is a constant challenge, with municipal infrastructure being geographically limited and unreliable. The nature of Cosmos’ unique location led us to build a bespoke water management system that’s a hybrid of on- and off-grid. When available, rainwater is harvested and purified and supplies much of the property’s daily requirements. Meanwhile, waste water from our basins and showers is recycled as greywater for use in toilets and in the garden.

During the dry season, we rely on municipal water supply which can be severely challenged and over-consumption of water can lead to the need to truck water from other parts of the island to fulfil guests usage – a costly and less sustainable solution.  Our focus is on maintaining a responsible approach to water use while meeting our guests expectations. While bed linens and towels are changed as needed, conserving water is a priority, so guest laundry services are weekly opposed to daily – as at most hotels and private villas – and guests are asked not to leave taps running unnecessarily and to take shorter showers. It might sound like a small thing, but leaving the tap running while brushing teeth can waste litres of water.

In St Lucia’s warm climate, relaxing in a swimming pool is refreshing, revitalising and fun! It also enables one of the best all round forms of exercise – swimming! However the chemicals used to maintain pool water quality – to kill bacteria, microbes and balance the acidity of the pool – can also have negative effects in the natural environment. At Cosmos, the Villa’s 48’ infinity pool and the Lodge’s plunge pool are both purified with a salt water ozone system that relies on ultraviolet light rather than harsh chemicals.

Relax in the ozone plunge pool in the Lodge at Cosmos St Lucia

Powering up with renewable energy

A large share of the Cosmos’ electricity is powered by solar energy thanks to photovoltaic  panels on the Villa roof and solar panels on the Lodge and garage that supply hot water to bathrooms and to our solar plunge pool. We encourage mindful use of hot water and electricity; living areas have ceiling fans only, and as Cosmos is positioned high on the hillside, living spaces are open to the breeze and are not air-conditioned. Air conditioning is available in the Villa bedrooms, we encourage guests to use it on very warm nights only.

An open air experience in the Villa bedrooms at Cosmos St Lucia. Photograph by Fran Mart

Prioritising local goods

Our Private Dining menu was designed to celebrate the produce that grows naturally on the island, supporting our local community while keeping food miles low. We prioritise locally sourced fresh food from nearby farms, small producers and the market in Soufrière. While in season in the Cosmos garden, guests can also enjoy harvests of banana, coconut, papaya, mango, pineapple, squash, lemongrass, basil and callaloo. St Lucia has a thriving fishing industry and we are fortunate to be able to offer guests the freshest fish and seafood. Anything not made or grown on the island has to be imported, increasing both the cost of goods but also the carbon footprint of air freight and shipped goods.

A boat bringing green bananas to market at Soufriere. Photograph by Nicole Stringer

Supporting the people within the local economy

Guests’ visits to Cosmos generate revenue not just for the property owner but also for local people. From the permanent and part-time staff, to specialist tradesmen, craftsmen, food producers, massage therapists and the many excellent leisure activity providers – guests’ custom generates income for islanders individually, and collectively it positively impacts the local economy. We provide a Concierge service to help guests find those authentic Lucian experiences and great local businesses to support.

Pick up a tasty, freshly prepared lunch at the vegan food shack at Soufriere market. Photograph by Nicole Stringer

Rewarding guests who carbon offset

Admittedly, most visitors travel to St Lucia by flying. When booking flights, we encourage guests to choose an airline with a carbon offsetting programme. For each guest who pays to offset their return flights’ carbon emissions, we will match their contribution with a donation to the Soufrière Foundation, a non-profit established by the people of Soufrière to support and coordinate sustainable development initiatives in the region. We support their mission to foster economic, cultural and social development in a manner that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of the community, while preserving and enhancing the natural and cultural assets upon which that development is based.

The geologic marvel of Sulphur Springs near Soufriere, St Lucia, is managed by the Soufriere Foundation. Photograph by Gordon Leggett

Manifesting universal harmony

Cosmos means universal harmony, it’s a name inspired by the property’s location, overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Piton Mountains and the biological marine reserve in the Caribbean Sea, where mountain, sea and sky meet. But it also reflects our philosophy of living respectfully and honouring both the people and environment that come together to make Cosmos a truly magical experience.

We hope this blog not only informs your understanding of eco luxury at Cosmos, but also inspires you to make more eco-friendly choices, not just for your vacation, but in life in general. We’re always open to suggestions so please feel free to get in touch hello@cosmosstlucia.com