New Ecolodge Book Represents Years of Research

Would you take three years off from work to write a book? That is what Hitesh Mehta, founder and director of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based HM Design did to prepare for his "Authentic Ecolodges" book, released last week by Collins Design. In putting together his fascinating book, Mehta visited 44 ecolodges--ecolodges he knew to be among the best of the best in the world. Only 36 made the cut. They are located in countries ranging from China to Venezuela to Jordan. Mehta separates his book into 12 sections, with three ecolodges in each section. The first eight sections include: Sustainable Building Materials, Creative Design, Community Owned and Operated, Holistic Wellness Programs, Indigenous Construction Techniques, Biodiversity Conservation, Culinary experiences, and Innovative Technology.

The remaining four sections include: Art as Architecture, Interpretation Programs, Recycle and Reuse, and Unique Experiences. Mehta, an architect and environmental planner, also includes a section at the back of his book, "On the Drawing Boards," for ecolodges that are still in the planning stages.

In order to make his final list, ecolodges had to embody three main principles of ecotourism: 1) nature must be protected and conserved; 2) through community outreach and education programs, local community must benefit; and 3) interpretive programs must be offered to educate both tourists and employees about the surrounding natural and cultural environments. Ecolodges also had to satisfy at least two additional criteria from a list of eight. One, for example, is meeting energy needs through passive design and renewable resources.

Mehta’s book offers a colorful, fascinating look at ecolodge design. Each ecolodge profile includes photographs, illustrations and site plans and provides an overview of the ecolodge’s personality and features. Areas notably absent from the book are the United States and Europe—areas where Mehta says developers have “historically destroyed everything around them.” “Americans make the best ecotourists but not the best ecolodge developers,” he says.

Authentic Ecolodges is arguably the best book ever to come along about ecolodges. How many authors can say they visited every single destination they have written about? That is exactly what Mehta did. He must have a major case of jet lag.