Mike and Petagay Hartman, owners of the Caribbean's only full-service, 100% solar-powered resort, came to South Andros, Andros Island in the Bahamas soon after they met on Valentine's Day, 1995. They fell in love with the pristine environment, and it was only natural that the Tiamo Resort grew from their desire to preserve and share their experience.
While planning and building Tiamo, Mike and Petagay took great care to have the least possible impact on the island's ecosystem, which sits at the third largest barrier reef in the world. The resort gets all of its power from a PV system has a daily electricity-generating capacity of more than 120,000 watt-hours and a battery storage facility totaling 4,075 amp hours.
Bungalows feature composting toilets that break black wastewater down into healthy organic peat; thermal heaters create hot water; greywater is cleansed via a dirt, sand and rock filtering system; and laundry is washed in biodegradable, phosphorous-free soaps and line-dried in the sweet Bahamian air.
Tiamo's energy system and infrastructure were designed by Jeff Oldham of Real Goods Design & Consulting Group. The relationship between Jeff, Mike and Petagay was critical to the resort's complete reliance on alternative energy. "This is one of, if not the, top eco-resort in the world, and they've won lots of awards," says Oldham, who has enormous respect for what the Hartmans have accomplished. Oldham has consulted with a number of eco-resorts around the world to solarize their operations. He notes that, "Installing PV systems in eco-resorts makes sense given the (often) remote locations of the resorts and their commitments to tread lightly on the land they utilize."
"We spent four years researching alternative energy before beginning to build," remembers Petagay. "Jeff was so patient, always helping with information and recommendations. With that kind of service we simply couldn't have gone anywhere else."
Guests have remarked that staying at this luxury eco-resort becomes a vacation for their consciences. Mike and Petagay conduct behind-the-scenes tours of the resort¹s alternative energy operations, and when guests gather to dine, international conversation and gourmet Caribbean cuisine are the highlights. The Hartmans ask local fishermen to catch only species that are in abundance, and they are looking into hydroponics for growing fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Setting an example for the local population is much more effective than overt pressure. "People don't want to be told they are doing something wrong," says Petagay.
The Hartmans continue to reduce their impact. They sponsor research scientists and participate in programs to educate children and adults. They're also working with community leaders on the South Andros Island Preservation Initiative. With such dedication, it's no wonder the Hartmans named their resort Tiamo, meaning, I love you. To contact Tiamo, call 242.357.2489 or visit
www.tiamoresorts.com.
Visit Gaiam's Green Community for more solar living articles.
Visit Natural Habitat Adventures for more eco tourism options.
John Schaeffer has received the 2007 Green Power Pioneer Award from the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) for helping bring renewable energy products to a much wider mainstream market. The annual national award recognizes individual renewable energy leaders that have demonstrated leadership by working to build the market for green power. 
Imagine what joy kids (and grownups, too) could have in a solar-powered playhouse. Thanks to Real Goods, Dwell magazine and a team of goodhearted folks, some lucky children are about to find out.
On Earth Day 2006 some powerful learning took place at the Solar Living Institute (SLI) in Hopland, California. Seeds of hope and change were planted as 50 inner-city kids from San Francisco’s Bret Harte School took a cost-free field trip to SLI’s lush, 12-acre campus 95 miles north of the city. Eighty percent of the kids had never even been north of the Golden Gate Bridge before.
