Harmony Resort, St. John
U.S. Virgin Islands

Description

Harmony Resort, located adjacent to the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, is a luxury resort employing the latest in energy- and resource-efficient technologies in both its construction and operation.  Built using recycled materials and low-impact construction technology, the resort uses only renewable energy generated by the wind and sun, maximizes efficient use of water and minimizes waste production.  Harmony serves as the prototype for environmentally sustainable resorts in sensitive ecosystems and landscapes.

The genesis for Harmony can be traced back nearly 20 years when owner Stanley Selengut decided to build an environmentally-responsible campsite on 14 acres at Maho Bay on St. John.  "My original intent was simply to offer an inexpensive vacation that was close to nature but provided a degree of comfort and convenience not found in a traditional campground," says Selengut.  Inspired by his success in developing a community of three-room "tent cottages" using environmentally-sound technologies, Selengut recently set out to develop a full-scale resort dedicated to the principles of sustainable development.  The result is Harmony Resort.

Harmony Resort features 12 two-story housing units constructed with the green philosophy pioneered by Selengut nearly two decades ago.  Construction was designed to minimize site disturbance to ensure the preservation of natural beauty and habitat, while the installation of environmentally-sound technologies ensures low-impact operation.  Electricity at Harmony is generated by the sun and wind, with timers and sensors to maximize efficiency. The architecture employs passive solar design and water and light fixtures minimize resource use.

The Research and Education Center (REC) at Harmony is helping researchers learn more about efficient resource use, and their findings will be made available to other builders.  Local school children visit Harmony's REC to learn about sustainable development, renewable energy resources and recycling.  Finally, in-room computer systems, another project of the REC, allow guests to receive information about the numerous technologies and products they encounter at the resort.

Program Highlights

Environmental and Efficiency Features

• Energy for each house is provided by a photovoltaic array, while passive cooling is achieved through the use of wind scoops, cross-ventilation, generous overhangs to provide shade, the preservation of trees and other vegetation and the use of heat-rejecting glazings.
• Water for each unit is heated through solar power and each unit has a solar oven on the deck.
• Electrical appliances are kept to a minimum.
• Lighting fixtures employ the latest energy-efficient designs and technologies.
• Cisterns in each basement collect rainwater, which is filtered before use.  Harmony uses no groundwater.
• Gray water is captured and used to flush toilets and water plants.
• Whenever possible, waste is composted and returned to the soil.
• Recycled materials have been put to maximum use in the construction of the Resort:
• The floor decking is made from 100-percent recycled newspaper.
• The siding and roof shingles are made from a composite of cement and recycled cardboard that comes with a 50-year guarantee.
• Bathroom tiles and furniture tops are made from recycled glass bottles.
• Other materials used in construction include recycled plastic for lumber, recycled steel nails, salvaged wood scraps and rubber tires for the rugs.
• The Resort features a solar-powered ice machine.

• Regenerative landscaping practices were used during construction to help reduce the size of the Resort's environmental "footprint."
• During construction, solar photovoltaic energy was used to power all electric construction tools.
• Each house was designed and built so that no trees needed to be cut during construction.  Elevated wooden walkways connect the beaches and buildings, leaving the soil and vegetation undisturbed.
• Pipes and cables are hidden under the walkways instead of being buried to minimize disturbance to the environment.

• Currently, all water consumed at Harmony -- beyond what is captured as rainwater runoff -- is brought in by truck.  In the future, a solar-powered desalinization plant will be constructed to meet the Resort's water needs.

The Research and Education Center, a facility being constructed adjacent to the Harmony Resort, will enable researchers to perform engineering and system performance analysis regarding resource use at Harmony.  The objectives of the research center are to evaluate the adaptation of humans to sustainable living, to evaluate the performance of the recycled materials used in the construction of Harmony and to evaluate the performance of the Resort's "off-the-grid" energy system.

• Each unit contains a computer so guests can monitor and adjust their energy use depending upon prevailing conditions.
• Information collected from each dwelling unit at the Resort will be collected to develop a comprehensive database regarding resource use patterns of Resort guests.
• Researchers will evaluate all solar and wind resource data in a variety of weather conditions to determine the best way to achieve optimum performance from available resources.  To provide a basis for this analysis, instruments collect energy and weather data every minute on a 24-hour basis.

Vital Statistics

• Program Management/Partnerships: The Harmony Resort is a project of  Maho Bay Camps, Inc. in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Virgin Islands Energy Office and Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM).  Substantial materials were supplied by Real Goods Trading Corporation.
  
  
• Budget: Please contact the program directly for the latest budget information.
  
  
• Community Served: Visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands who seek to enjoy nature's beauty while exerting the lowest environmental impact possible.
  
  
• Measures of Success:

• Harmony Resort is the the world's first luxury resort to operate exclusively on sun and wind power.
• The facility was the 1994 winner of the Grand Award for Environmental Technology by Popular Science magazine.
• The Resort is the 1997 winner of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)/Smithsonian Magazine Environmental Award

Published: February 1998
Success stories designed by Mark W. Nowak

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