Leo DiCaprio is Making Waves with Eco-Resort

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is taking on a new role. Not as an action hero or a criminal with swagger, but as an environmental activist. This isn’t a leading role in a new movie, this is in real life! Leo has always had a soft spot for mother nature, and has been doing his bit to help for a while. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation donates millions to protect Earth and its wildlife. Leo is also one of the top leaders for the WWF. Now Leo has decided to step it up by building a multi-million dollar resort.

Not just any multi-million dollar resort, though. This pricey place will be an eco-tourist paradise. The focus of this project is to transform an island, located 45 minutes off the coast of Belize by boat, into a healthy, habitable home for the native wildlife, as well as an environmentally friendly human attraction.

The accomplished scuba diver and actor has starred in some of the biggest films of all time. You might recognize him from Titanic, Catch Me If You Can, Inception, and The Wolf on Wall Street. DiCaprio, along with Owner of Cayo Espanto Resort Island, Jeff Gram, found and bought the island property nearly a decade ago. The Blackadore Caye cost them about $1.75 million for 104 gorgeous acres. Leo fell in love with the country, and told The New York Times,

“It was like heaven on earth, and almost immediately, I found this opportunity to purchase an island there.”

DiCaprio has partnered with Paul Scialla, founder and CEO of Delos, for the development of the eco-resort. It took him ten years to find a partner with the same environmental visions. Delos is a New York firm that strives to create buildings and spaces that promote human health and wellbeing. Their innovative solutions are also built with the well-being of the environment in mind. A harmonious match for what DiCaprio hopes to achieve. Previous designs from Delos are sleek, green, luxurious, and tranquility-inspiring, but DiCaprio’s plans are another level. He’s got an exclusive resort in mind with infinity pools and lavish villas for only the wealthiest of travelers.

DiCaprio speaks at UN Climate Summit 2014

The eco-resort’s blueprint for “Blackadore Caye a Restorative Island” depicts the lavish and luxurious villas resting on a platform to protect villas from the waves and preserve the artificial reefs hosting marine life. The platform also makes for an indulgent breezeway – it’s structure designed to harness the ocean breeze for villa cooling purposes. There’s more to the restoration part of this project. Mangroves will be replanted in the area, and DiCaprio is also growing marine grass to help with manatee conservation. The resort is an answer to the damage done to the environment by deforestation, overfishing, and an eroding coast.

“The focus is to do something that will change the world. I couldn’t have gone to Belize and built on an island and done something like this if it weren’t for the idea it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.” – Leonardo DiCaprio

Blackadore Caye will house 68 guest villas. All guests will have access to the gorgeous grassland, wild jungle, and almost a mile of a beautiful private beach. People, who fall in love with the island like Leonardo DiCaprio, will have the opportunity to live on the island in one of the 48 houses that will be built. For a monthly fee, residents can receive some luxury services, such as housekeeping and meals. DiCaprio says some of the homes even offer views of both sunrise and sunset each day. You can snag one of these homes in paradise for $5 million or up to $15 million.

The villas and homes will contain the environmentally-friendly luxury amenities that are signature of Delos developments. LED circadian lighting is one such amenity. This state-of-the-art, controllable lighting system helps dwellers stay alert during the day, and have an optimal sleep at night. Guests will only have the highest quality air and water with the advanced purification systems installed. All the buildings will use only safe and healthy materials. Guests will have to go through and ecology orientation to enjoy the luxuries of Blackadore Caye, though. They’ll be expected to follow strict guidelines, like no plastic water bottles, to preserve the space of both guests and nature. A little price to pay for such pristine beauty.

The resort is destined to open their doors sometime in 2018. Until then, we can expect DiCaprio to hold up his reputation as a defender of the environment. You can also look forward to his documentaries on the environment coming to Netflix. After being appointed as Climate Change Envoy by the UN last year, DiCaprio has worked hard to produce hard hitting, educational, and entertaining media on the topic.Visit the Delos page to see their previous projects and find out more information. Do you think of Leonardo DiCaprio as an environmentalist? Would you stay at this resort? What do you think about the whole “green movement”? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section down below!