hospitalitystyle.com

(September 2011) posted on Tue Sep 20, 2011 EDT

An eco-icon dives into the debate about how hospitality projects and products fit into a green agenda for the world.

By Mary Scoviak

Like every editor, I’ve been treated to a lot of “pinch-me” moments. They (happily) come with the job. The latest happened last week at HD Boutique when I interviewed Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of the legendary undersea pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The environmentalist, oceanic explorer and filmmaker was in Miami to launch his Jean-Michael Cousteau by Maricoid line of hospitality amenities in partnership with Australia’s Concept Amenities and Maricoid, an organic skincare company.

There was something a little surreal about talking with Cousteau fils about his decision to lend his name to a bath products and his views about responsible development against the backdrop of the squawking parrots at the neighboring exhibit. But, standing behind a table with a small neat stack of his book, “My Father, The Captain,” and a display of the marine-blue amenities set, he used his obvious passion for the planet and a dry wit to get his message heard. No rhetoric; no holds barred.

Since he’d already been involved in a messy lawsuit when he decided to develop a resort in Fiji (his late father filed a lawsuit that resulted in a court injunction that required his son to add his own first name to the property—the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort), I asked why he was willing to let anyone leverage his name as a brand. His answer was pragmatic. “I was intrigued by how the seaweed for these amenities was being harvested by hand in the ocean off of Tasmania. I also saw how that creates jobs for the people who once made a living from a lobster industry that’s now falling apart due to pollution. I wanted to help communicate that,” he said. It also helps that some of proceeds from sales will benefit his non-profit Ocean Futures Society. 

Even the packaging played a role in making the product an appealing platform for his environmental outreach. The molecular structure allows the plastic to biodegrade under aerobic and anaerobic conditions so there’s no need for industrial composting. That’s an important step in limiting the hospitality industry’s plastic waste. "Our planet is a living organism," explains Cousteau. "We have the capacity to design our own future, and bring our values and actions in line with ecological necessities. This is the commitment we need to make to the world, now."That sounds great as a sound byte. Fortunately, there are a lot of travelers, hotel developers and hospitality architects, designers and suppliers who buy in—not only ideologically but in their day-to-day work. But the juggernaut of resort development, especially wherever there’s a pristine beach, isn’t likely to slow down.

Cousteau is well aware of the challenges. Although he’s been “an ocean person” since his father put him in a diving suit and threw him overboard at age seven, he is an architect by training, having received his degree at the Paris School of Architecture.  When he was ready to develop his Fijian resort, he called in other architects and designers because his commitments to other projects were so far-reaching.

Still, he guided them through a design and construction process that proved a resort could improve its environment—from helping the coral reef off the beachfront to recover to a garden that minimizes the need to transport in produce and restores nutrients to the soil. If guests want to stay connected, they can use dataports or watch television in the main building only. The rooms are about natural breezes, local design and eco-friendly materials.

“A project like my hotel shows that we can create resorts that put people in touch with nature while still protecting, even enhancing, the environment,” he says. ”People aren’t bad. It’s just that they don’t always understand the whole picture. The hospitality industry has an opportunity to be a leader, whether with specifics such as organic amenities or with statements as large as the hotel itself. Consumers need to use products and enjoy experiences with the least impact on the environment. We can’t wait for ‘perfect,’ because nothing is perfect. But we need to keep things moving in the right direction.”