Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club
Kauai, Hawaii

The Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club has tackled a massive energy drain common to resorts: It heats a 26,000 square-foot swimming pool solely via renewable energy. A power plant that consists of two propane-fueled Caterpillar engines produces 30 percent of the resort's power. The cast-off heat generated by the engines warms the 850,000-gallon swimming pool year-round. And at the Aupaka Terrace restaurant, guests use biodegradable, potato-based plastic flatware at the beachfront dining patio and tote take-out orders in containers made out of 100 percent biodegradable corn-based plastic.