Conserve, not construct: the 80 acres we gave back
At The Dome Retreats we believe this planet is not a gift from our ancestors but a loan from future generations — and our job is to hand it back better than we found it. Usually that means building thoughtfully. Once, it meant not building at all.
Eighty acres in the heart of Coorg
A few years into deepening our sustainability practice, we were offered eighty pristine acres in Coorg, a region largely untouched by time. Tempted but cautious, we went to see it with open minds. We walked a narrow 200-foot jeep trail, crossed streams, passed old-growth trees. Leeches found rare human visitors; birds and breeze kept us company. From a table-top hill we watched the Mandalpatti range under a heavy wind. The land was alive.
The forest is full of energy. To create a business there, we would have to destroy that energy and build new ones. But why?
In what became our fastest decision ever — about two hours — we chose to conserve, not construct. We handed the land back to its original residents: the birds, the butterflies, the civet cats, the trees and the breeze. We commissioned a full ecological study not to plan a build, but to understand what we were protecting.
What sustainability actually means to us
EL Domo Private Limited is among the first 200 companies worldwide registered with the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme, with commitments under the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. On the ground that shows up as dome construction that uses less material and energy, smart water management, a move toward renewable power, local sourcing and artisan partnerships, and a steady march toward our RTSOI and GSTC certification targets.
But the Coorg decision remains our clearest statement. The most sustainable building is sometimes the one you choose never to build.