Goa, April, 2025 : Stone Wood Hotels & Resorts commemorated global Earth Day celebrations with a range of sustainability initiatives across its properties, focusing on action-oriented environmental efforts rather than ceremonial gestures.
87 guests participated in a native tree-planting drive at the resort’s Vagator beachfront property, adding 120 saplings of coastal species such as sea almond and screw pine to the resort’s bio-diversity. The exercise served a dual purpose as an educational session, with horticulturists describing how these types of drought-resistant trees help stop soil erosion—something crucial for Goa’s coast.
Aralea Beach Resort staff rallied 53 volunteers for a beach cleanup, pulling 285 kg of plastic rubbish off Morjim Beach. Among the collection were 1,274 plastic bottles and 42 abandoned fishing nets, materials that now wait to be processed at a nearby recycling cooperative.
At Amboli, Maharashtra, hotel employees organized a public area clean-up around the property, gathering 168 kg of mixed waste. The activity involved waste segregation workshops for local vendors, solving a long-standing issue in the environmentally sensitive Western Ghats area.
Sibaya Beach Resort had 94% of its guests participating in its afforestation initiative, with visitors planting 75 fruit trees to sustain local bird life. The property’s naturalists recorded the activity as part of their regular biodiversity audit.
“These are not standalone actions but milestones in our ongoing sustainability initiatives,” said Shikhar Kumar, Managing Director. Figures released by the group indicate a 40% decrease in single-use plastics across properties since 2023, resulting from initiatives such as bamboo amenity kits and water-refill points.
The Stone Wood group’s Earth Day activities are part of its operational shifts, such as the recent addition of solar panels in three properties and the conversion to biogas food waste management. Independent audits indicate these initiatives have cut the group’s carbon footprint by 28% from 2022 baseline levels.
With monsoon preparedness initiatives already planned for June, the group seems dedicated to keeping this environmental emphasis beyond calendar celebrations. Industry observers point out such efforts are becoming operational imperatives, with 72% of Indian travelers now taking sustainability aspects into account when making accommodation bookings, as per a recent CII-ITC report.