In Hawaiian mythology, the demigod, Māui, climbs to the top of Haleakala to lasso the sun and slow its journey across the sky so that the people could grow more food, catch fish, and live most productively. In the spirit of Māui, we have invested $2 million to build a rooftop solar farm that will generate an estimated solar production of 663,162 kWh in the first year. The energy generated by the solar farm will reduce the use of oil by 1,086 barrels annually and reduce our island carbon footprint which approximately equals 7,753 palm trees and 612 acres of tropical rain forest.

With the ocean as our front yard, we’re keenly aware of the devastating impacts that single-use plastic can have on our marine wildlife. By the year 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. To keep our shores pristine, we’ve partnered with Pathwater to reduce dependency on single-use plastic bottled water. Starting August 1, 2021, we will provide complimentary refillable Pathwater bottles in all guest rooms and install filtered water stations throughout the resort for easy and convenient access.

For more than 25 years, Wailea Beach Resort has teamed up with local organizations every year to support the community we live and work in. To inspire mindful travel, we have partnered with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and Hospice Maui on the “Malama Hawaii” initiative to encourage visitors to leave Hawaii better than when they arrived. Wailea Beach Resort’s Malama Quilting experience offers guests a promotional rate and an opportunity to contribute to making a Hawaiian quilt by creating their own applique. Their crafted square will be added to the quilt with the final creation donated to provide joy and comfort to kupuna (elders).

A snapshot of our long-term initiatives includes the following:

Quarterly highway clean ups to keep our roads clear of debris and rubbish
Annual Maui Food Bank Drive in November, collecting 900+ pounds of non perishable food
National Groundhog Job Shadow Day every February with Maui High School (our adopted school)
Raise $10,000+ every year for the Annual Charity Walk

Our footprint across 22 acres encompasses 547 guest rooms, more than 100,000 square feet of combined indoor/outdoor event space, and a spectacular pool experience featuring five pools and four waterslides including Hawaii’s longest resort waterslide at 320 feet long. To continue at this scale sustainably, we’re improving our operations through energy efficiencies and resource management initiatives. In addition to our rooftop solar farm which will help reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, our energy efficient efforts include “Energy Hound,” an incentive program that encourages associates to report potential energy concerns, modernization of our heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC), and more efficient kitchen refrigeration systems that reduce energy consumption by 200%. With our proximity to the ocean’s edge, water conservation is always top of mind. We’ve installed innovative tankless water heaters and swapping out harsh chlorine for saline systems at our pools and implemented strategic landscape management with automated sprinkler shutdowns during rain, drip irrigation, low flow sprinkler heads, and drought resist endemic vegetation that are low water consumers.