“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Old Greek Proverb
The Greek Islands! What came to your mind when you think about them? You wouldn’t be far wrong if you thought of something like blue water, pristine beaches and lots of sun. Now imagine more than 55,000 trees and bushes transported by boat from the Greek mainland to the island of Ios, enhancing the view. Among them are more than 500 olive trees, over 300 years old. These olive trees, once threatened with being cut down and sold off for fire wood, now make Ios their new home and we couldn’t imagine a nicer spot.
Who did this? Who did this? LuxurIos Island Experience (LuxurIos) an eco-resort company on the Greek island of Ios, did! Since purchasing a significant amount of land on Ios between 2003 and 2007, LuxurIos has been pursuing a model of sustainable development: restoring and safeguarding vast tracts of the natural landscape; building a small number of villas, lounges and boutique hotels using environmentally-friendly design and construction; and working closely with the local community to generate direct economic benefits through responsible tourism development.Believing that you don’t have to damage the earth to accomplish your dreams, LuxurIos made a commitment to build on only 1% of the land it owns on Ios. The other 99% remains untouched so that its natural beauty, unspoiled beaches, sense of place and Greek island cultural heritage is there for future generations. LuxurIos also uses a very low-impact, environmentally sensible approach to achieve sustainable development:
Except for the wood, iron, glass and cement and some of the marble, all the materials used are produced locally.
Local master craftsmen manually constructed each one of the venues using authentic and traditional building methods.
No infrastructure is exposed on the properties as power cables and telephone wires are submerged underground to ensure safety and as little visual pollution as possible.
Waste water from the daily cleaning of the venues and various water features is recycled in separate waste management reservoirs and used to water the trees.
Storm water collection and management is a key component of land development philosophy. Every venue has very large underground water reservoirs that collect water during the rainy season for consumption during the summer tourist season. Some properties also have additional water reservoirs built at high elevations to enable irrigation through gravity and fire protection in case of wild fires.
LuxurIos is actively committed to the well-being of the local community on Ios. It has donated a boat to the Ios Coast Guard in order to protect the local marine life and the surrounding waters from illegal fishing and other destructive activities. It also donated a 4×4 vehicle to the local police and a fire truck to the municipality of Ios while financially supporting the local medical center and the Ios cooperative of shepherds. Every summer LuxurIos organizes an annual basketball camp and provides funds for music lessons and other activities for the youth during the slow months of winter. Thanks to LuxurIos local residents can experience and enjoy free yoga instruction in the town square.
Why is A Perfect Tour telling you about all of this? We are doing this because we are proud to have LuxurIos as a partner. LuxurIos provides a unique vacation experience (see below) while doing its best to preserve the nature that surrounds its small luxury hotels for future generations. Let us know if you want to enjoy this experience and we will make it happen!