‘Voluntourists’ Are Giving Back on Their Luxury Vacations

Look around Calilo, a resort on the Greek Island Ios, and you’ll see hundreds of ancient olive trees, rescued from the mainland where they were destined to become firewood. Eighty-five percent of those rescued olive trees now bear fruit, according to Angelos Michalopoulos and Vassiliki Petridou, the resort’s husband and wife owners.

The couple owns one-third of the island and are activist proprietors, devoted to preserving its history and culture. When local farmers and…