Restoration & Repurposing — A World Different

Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua

April 14, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Afloat at Jicaro

Started by London businesswoman Karen Emanuel after she saw a sign ‘Island for Sale’ when she was visiting Nicaragua in 2007 – and then she bought it! – Jicaro is barely a year old and is already attracting praise and awards. Located not far from the ocean on a private island in Lake Nicaragua, its 9 casitas that look across the water to Mombacho volcano are all extremely private but only a short walk from the pool, the wellness center, and the main facilities.

Casita on the Water

Each casita has two levels, with the large bedroom above, and both floors have spacious decks to take in the views. The restaurant’s menu has plenty of options and prides itself on the selection of fresh fish from the lake and the sea, local vegetables and fruit, and locally raised chicken and beef. Besides yoga sessions and a variety of massage and wellness treatments, Jicaro offers tours to the historic Zapatera island and the volcano, hikes, and boating.

An interesting aside: Guests can learn about local foods’ history, uses, and the different ways it can be prepared. Papayas, for instance, can be turned into juice, jam, pickled sauce, or a salad with feta cheese. Eat up!

HURRICANE REPAIR

Jicaro couldn’t do better than to take its sustainability lead from Costa Rica, which is exactly what it did. The team in charge of managing Jicaro has a decade-long track record in the field.

Built entirely from timber reclaimed from trees blown down by 2007’s Hurricane Felix, the buildings and furniture are made of tropical hardwoods which have a controlled wood certification. This the lodge did in conjunction with Simplemente Madera, designers and builders of both furniture and buildings in Jicaro that were already supporting sustainable forestry with the indigenous communities in the hurricane-affected areas before the devastation.

Healthy Body in a Healthy Lodge

Though still in its early stages, Jicaro is developing a program to work with local schools, focusing on environmental education, providing supplies and materials, and building infrastructure. To start with, they will work with three schools and just over 200 children, all under the age of 12.

From August through December, the Learning is Change program will, for two hours a week, use art, music, drama, and multimedia in order to expand the children’s approach to learning. Subjects to be taught with a combination of textbooks, hands-on activities, games, and field trips will include conservation, climate change, flora and fauna of the Nicaragua Lake, and sustainability. In order to achieve this, Jicaro is working with, as well as training, one of the female community leaders and four young adults from the local islands.

Three times a year Jicaro, in coordination with World Vision, will give financial aid – infrastructure, supplies, and materials – where they are most needed in the three schools.

Starting in July, all employees will be take 6-hour courses that cover biodiversity, water, climate change, and sustainability. Each month after that there will be a field trip, homework activity, and a relevant guest speaker.

Recycling in Nicaragua is not as widespread as in Costa Rica, but last month saw the introduction of the employee recycling program. Though it is voluntary, each employee is strongly encouraged to separate their garbage at home and then bring it to the hotel, which will dispose of it with the hotel’s recyclables.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“It is part of our goal to have sustainability streamlined into the lives of the people that work for us. We feel that exposing them thoroughly to the issues, making it fun and creative, will awaken a passion of some sort in them and motivate them to start making changes in their lives.”

Filed Under: Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua, People, Restoration & Repurposing, Women Tagged With: cayuga, Costa Rica, forest, yoga

The Proof is in the Shades

March 7, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

100 Percent Proof

The Dame brothers in Eagle, Idaho, are steeped in the history of wood. Their grandfather started a sawmill 60 years ago, their father runs the business today, and in 2010 the three siblings decided to take wood on a whole new trajectory – sunglasses – and the product is very cool, very hip, very good for everyone involved, and very worthwhile to have on your next journey.

The company is Proof, which has shown in a short time that you don’t have to forsake your conscience to be sexy or profitable. The sunglasses have already found their way into celebrity circles, but they also have helped thousands of poor people see. A portion of every sunglasses sale goes to the Aravind eye clinic in India.

Aravind began in 1976 with an 11-bed hospital and now has 4,000 beds in seven hospitals, mostly in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Helped initially by an American social entrepreneur, Aravind is run like a market-driven business, where the operations paid for by the wealthy subsidize the operations on the poor.

The clinic today repairs the eyesight of some 300,000 people a year, and most of those operations are done for free. Proof is going to build one of the first rural clinics in India that will be used for screenings and eyewear fittings.

“Its pretty exciting for us,” says Proof founder Brooks Dane.

The Dame Brothers on TV

According to Proof’s website: “There are countless people in need in third world countries, and a little bit of help can go a long way in restoring sight to thousands.” When it first started, Proof contributed to other organizations too, but it found that it didn’t know where the money was going.

Eco, Skate, Take Your Pick

Says Brooks, “Today we focus strictly on Aravind, which has been a good move for us as they are a good partner and we can physically see the fruits of our partnership. Funds aren’t going into anyone’s pockets.”

As for the sunglasses themselves, Proof uses woods from all over the world that are only from managed forests, no illegally harvested timber. Its bamboo is “panda-friendly,” meaning that it never uses the younger bamboo that is more tender and favored by pandas. Its ECO collection, meanwhile, uses plastic that is plant-based and biodegradable, not oil-based. And it’s skate collection is made of, well, old skateboards.

Proof sunglasses are sold all over the world, so check for a store near you.

Filed Under: Apparel Different, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Features, Good Stuff, Health, Hot Stuff, Idaho, People, Proof Sunglasses, Restoration & Repurposing, United States Tagged With: aravind eye clinic, biodegradable, brooks dame, idaho, proof eyewear, skateboard, sunglasses, timber

Palazzo Margherita, Italy

February 18, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

A Tryptych

Francis Ford Coppola’s 19^th-century Palazzo Margherita, located in a small hilltop town near the Ionian Sea in the unspoiled Basilicata region of southernmost Italy, is described by him as “a dream come true … where the patina of its epoch is preserved.” Bernalda is the town where The Godfather director’s grandfather came from, and Coppola bought the villa in 2004.

Basilicata by Night

The intimate resort, only recently opened, has 7 large suites and 2 garden rooms. Each is a work of art designed by various members of Coppola’s family (daughter Sofia contributed too) along with a preeminent French decorator Jacques Grange, featuring luxurious linens and enormous bathrooms. Several have a large terrace and/or a balcony, while others face the palazzo gardens or look onto the town square.

In the evenings, the salon becomes a private screening room where guests can enjoy one of Coppola’s personally curated collection of 300 classic Italian films and documentaries.

A Room Within a View

Coppola has said the palazzo, in a rustic part of Italy that has yet to be discovered, is about family, eating well, and being together. Just 40 minutes away is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Matera, where ancient cave dwellings, known as Sassi, have been reclaimed as picturesque churches, homes, museums and restaurants. Small mountain villages dot the surrounding hills, and the beach is only a 20 minutes drive.

Al Fresco

The food is traditional Southern Italian, which guests can enjoy on their own if they want, in one of the hotel’s gorgeous settings – from the garden to the Cinecitta Bar. Cooking courses are also offered.

FORGOTTEN LAND

The villa restoration was worked on by local artisans, who collaborated with Grange. The surrounding villages benefit in other ways too, with the staff hired locally – that includes gardeners who tend its herb garden – and a large proportion of the hotel’s produce sourced from surrounding farms. Like Cortijada Los Gazquez in Spain, the palazzo is helping revive outlying regions that are slowly dying as well as taking travelers into parts of the world that time (and tourism) has forgotten.

Palazzo Margherita joins Coppola’s other properties around the world, including Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn in Belize, Jardin Escondido in Argentina, and La Lancha in Guatemala.

Filed Under: Features, Good Stuff, Palazzo Marguerita, People, Restoration & Repurposing Tagged With: basilicata, bernalda, cinecitta, coppola, jacques grange, palazzo

UXUA Casa Hotel, Brazil

September 27, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

The Ze e Zilda Suite

In the remote village of Tracosco on the lush southeastern coast of Bahia, you’ll find the unique UXUA Casa Hotel. Conceived by Dutch-born Wilbert Das (fashion designer and longtime creative director for Diesel, the hip clothing line), the gorgeously bright and airy hotel took over two years to build using recycled materials in this tribute to the area Das loves so much.

Casa Seu Pedrinho do Quadrado

Six of the nine 1- to 3-bedroom casas or cottages (three are restored fishermen homes) are scattered around beautiful gardens, while the remaining three face the town square. Some are equipped with plunge pools, some with a Jacuzzi, and others nestle in the gardens and on terraces. Each casa has an open living room and a full kitchen where local chefs will help the culinary-adventurous create local Bahian feasts in their own casa. Meals are also served in the restaurant, at the pool, are delivered to your casa or can be taken at the beach just five minutes away. On the sand there’s a scenic lounge whose bar and kitchen were created out of an abandoned fishing boat that washed up on shore.

The Aventurine Quartz Pool

The swimming pool was made by a local, self-taught “mosaicist,” who used over 40,000 unique green aventurine quartz pebbles, well known in this part of the world to be especially healing. There’s also a spa where, in addition to acupuncture, massages, yoga, and Pilates, you can take private classes in capoeira and forro dancing, which is extremely popular at most of the social activities in the village.

There’s plenty to do if lying on endless beaches is not your thing: trek, horseback ride, snorkel, dive, canoe, play tennis, visit the nearby Indian reserve Barra Velha, a national park that 500 Pataxo tribe families call home … or join a local soccer team in the square!

To build the lodge, Das recruited local craftsmen to construct eight individual, traditional casas and one treehouse using recycled and organic materials wherever possible, while applying the local building customs to create a lodge that fits into its surroundings. Almost everything was carved by hand, which includes some unique touches in the bathrooms that are made out of fallen trees. Hardwood roof tiles were restored from old farmhouses, local ceramics cover the floors, and recycled woods and irons make up the bathrooms to create the rustic ambiance.

Casa Quintal da Gloria

UXUA has also roped in an area containing native vegetation and mangroves. The lodge owners have partnered up with the local administration and have taken responsibility for keeping the mangroves and the beach clean.

The Spa

IN BAHIA

Bahia has high levels of illiteracy, and training for luxury hospitality services is uncommon. Das wanted to employ locals so, two years before the hotel opened, he began a ‘hotel school’ on the property, where locals were given hospitality training by professionals from international hotel schools. In addition, all personnel who had not finished high school were put into classes to complete their diplomas, and those staff who lacked basic literacy skills were given one-on-one instruction. Every one of the present staff of 45 has either finished high school or is in the hotel’s program to get a diploma. Three of those who got diplomas are now taking university courses in a neighboring town, with tuition and transportation provided by UXUA.

Medical benefits are provided to all staff, something extremely unusual for Bahia. They are also guaranteed employment year-round, also rare in this part of the world, where staff are hired seasonally. The hotel pays the salary of the local professor of capoeira, which guarantees that the town’s children and teenagers can practice this sport even if they can’t afford to pay for the classes.

Produce for the magnificent Brazilian fare served in the hotel is sourced locally.

Filed Under: Brazil, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Health, People, Restoration & Repurposing, UXUA Casa Hotel Tagged With: bahia, capoeira, mangrove, pataxo, quartz, recycled

Saffire Freycinet, Australia

May 22, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

This 20-suite ‘gem’ overlooks the wide swath of Great Oyster Bay and is named after the Freycinet Peninsula, whose colors inspire the hotel, both inside and out. There’s the pink granite of the Hazards Mountains, the white sandy beaches, sapphire-blue waters, and the gray-green of the native bushland. Migrating whales and dolphin cross in front of you, traversing some of the cleanest water in the world.

A View of the Hazards Across the Bay

Owned by Tasmania’s Federal Group, which also owns the well-known Henry Jones Art Hotel, the undulating design was created by an ‘adventurous and innovative’ Hobart firm Circa that often focuses on sustainable architecture and has won awards for its creations. The hotel, though breathtaking, is also understated. There are three kinds of suites, where the furnishings feature an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary, with locally made timber pieces alongside mid-century classics, such as chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames and Herman Miller. A spa and gym balance off outdoor activities, on land – walks or biking to Cape Tourville or Wineglass Bay – or on the water. For gourmands, there are cooking demonstrations and tours of local vineyards.

UNDOING DAMAGE

Great Oyster Bay

In its development, the hotel followed a principle of protecting healthy sites and healing damaged ones. The site chosen for the hotel had been severely degraded and eroded from past use as a caravan park and backpackers’ accommodation. A lot of time was spent replanting 30,000 native plants to try resuscitate the bushland. Consideration was also given to bushfire management, the collection and conservation of rain water, and the minimal use of night lighting of landscaped areas – the designers placed great emphasis on keeping the hillside as dark as possible – as well as the visibility outside of internal lights.

In the restaurant and bar area, locally sourced produce is used, and there is an on-site vegetable garden for the hotel and where appropriate waste from the kitchen is used for compost. All Saffire staff are trained in environmentally sustainable work practices.

Appetite for Living

Tasmania’s east coast has more than 300 rain-free days a year, which, though glorious, has led to water restrictions in the past. In a collaboration with state and private parties, the Federal Group has provided a freshwater solution for the area. It has ‘drought-proofed’ the township, with a total of 350 megaliters currently in the catchment area. Saffire will use about five megaliters.

Filed Under: Australia, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Features, Good Stuff, Oceania, Restoration & Repurposing, Saffire Freycinet Tagged With: activity, boutique, food, hobart, tasmania

A Man, a Villa, and a Camera

July 1, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The Pool on High

Karl Ammann, a Swiss-born former hotelier who now lives in Nanyuki, Kenya, has built a splendid villa for rent high above the turquoise seas of the Seychelles. Few people who stay in it probably know that Ammann is also a photographer and filmmaker, an avid conservationist who has helped uncover the terrible truth about the bushmeat trade – which got him named as one of Time magazine’s Heroes of the Environment – and has made several devastating documentaries about animal smuggling and poaching, among other things. (Watch here.) Ammann uses the money he earns from Residence on the Rocks to finance his film projects.

A Villa as Haveli as Hotel

Situated on Intendance Bay, Mahé, a full 100 meters higher than the last hillside villas of the Banyan Tree resort, which also manages Ammann’s property, the Residence was built in the tradition of the Indian mansions called havelis. The villa has a gargantuan 450 square meters of living space, with incomparable views – a wonderful hideaway, as Prince William recently found out when he stayed here. The main house, built around a courtyard, has two huge bedroom suites, and there is a third bedroom in the guest cottage. Both buildings, in Creole style, have flat-roofed porches surrounding them.

Much of the materials, décor, and furnishings were – in an attempt to re-create the splendor of the 1920s – collected by Ammann and his wife across Africa and Asia over three decades and include valuable tribal and ethnic art.

One of the Bedroom Suites

“I wanted the place to have a colonial style that would combine decor and furniture from Asia and Africa,” Ammann says. “This led me to India and Burma and northern Thailand. In the Jodhpur area of northern India there were still a lot of reasonably priced items. The region also has a tradition of carpentry – although no trees – and as such a lot of furniture-trading businesses set up shop and repairing old furniture was one of the mainstays of their business.”

When havelis are torn down traders go in and salvage what they can, sometimes collecting enough bits and pieces to spread across yards the size of several football fields. It is from one of these traders that Ammann bought 16 haveli doors, all of slightly different sizes, which meant the villa walls had to be built around them. The floors are of recycled Burma teak. Also from old buildings he got carved beams, a metal staircase, wood- and stonework, pillars, and a gazebo. All the carpets were woven in traditional tribal village cooperatives in northern India.

The Residence

“I presented the architect with the challenge to build these items into the design. I believe it worked and gives the place a pretty authentic and lived-in look.”

Bits of a Haveli Being Reworked in India

In the Seychelles, where minimal impact on the environment is encouraged, large rocks were incorporated into the building’s design and no large trees were cut, and were in fact often assimilated in the design.

The Residence is very high-end, with prices ranging up to 3800 Euros a night for the villa and guesthouse, with all the services (butler service, room service, laundry, housekeeping, wi-fi, turndown) that you would get at a hotel like Banyan Tree, whose facilities are also open for guests’ use. Any income that is generated from the Residence Ammann invests in his film-making ventures.

“With the present lull in the market, this is affecting (the documentary) investigations like the one in Egypt and Tanzania,” he says. (See below for link.)

Ammann, as anyone who has watched his searing 60-Minutes-like documentaries knows, does not shy away from controversy and showing what many people don’t like to see. After viewing The Cairo Connection, which won the SAB Environmental Journalist of the Year in 2008, you will never look at Egypt – or a small zoo – the same way again. (Beware: This film is graphic and disturbing.) His ongoing investigations include ape smuggling, the China wildlife trade, Sudanese chimp orphans, and Egyptian cheetahs.

Karl Ammann, a former hotelier who now lives in Nairobi, has built a splendid villa for rent to holidaymakers high above the turquoise seas of the Seychelles. Few people who stay in it probably know that Ammann is also a photographer and filmmaker, an avid conservationist who has helped uncover the terrible truth about the bushmeat trade, and has made several devastating documentaries about animal smuggling and poaching, among other things. (Watch here.) Ammann uses the money he earns from Residence on the Rocks to finance his film projects.

Situated a full 100 meters above the last villa on Intenance Bay, Residece was built in the tradition of the Indian mansions called havelis. The villa, which is managed by the exclusive Banyan Tree resort, has a gargantuan 450 square meters of living space, with fantastic views. The main house, built around a courtyard, has two huge bedroom suites, and there is a third bedroom in the guest cottage. Both buildings, in Creole style, have flat-roofed porches surrounding them.

Most of the materials, décor, and furnishings were – in an attempt to re-create the splendor of the 1920s – collected by Ammann and his wife across Africa and Asia over three decades and include valuable tribal and ethnic art.

“I wanted the place to have a colonial style that would combine decor and furniture from Asia and Africa,” Ammann says. “This led me to India and Burma and northern Thailand. In the Jodhpur area of northern India there were still a lot of reasonably priced items. The region also has a tradition of carpentry – although no trees – and as such a lot of furniture-trading businesses set up shop and repairing old furniture was one of the mainstays of their business.”

When havelis are torn down traders go in and salvage what they can, sometimes collecting enough bits and pieces to spread across a football field. It is from one of these traders that Ammann bought 16 haveli doors, all of slightly different sizes, so the walls had to be built around them. The floors are of recycled Burma teak. Also from old buildings he got carved beams, a metal staircase, wood- and stonework, pillars, a gazebo. All the carpets were woven in traditional tribal village cooperatives in northern India.

“I presented the architect with the challenge to build these items into the design. I believe it worked and gives the place a pretty authentic look.”

In the Seychelles, where minimal impact on the environment is encouraged, large rocks were incorporated into the building’s design and no large trees were cut, but were in fact often assimilated in the structure.

The Residence is very high-end, with prices ranging up to 3800 Euros a night for the villa ad guesthouse, with all the services (butler service, wi-fi, turndown) that you would get at a hotel like the nearby Banyan Tree, whose facilities are open for use. Any income that is generated from the Residence supports Ammann’s filming.

“With the present lull in the market, this is affecting investigations like the one in Egypt and Tanzania.”

Filed Under: Africa, Anti-Poaching, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, People, Residence on the Rocks, Restoration & Repurposing, Seychelles Tagged With: ammann, banyan tree, bushmeat, cairo connection, chimpanzees, documentary, gorillas, mahé, prince william

The Dwarika’s Hotel, Nepal

May 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The Hotel and Courtyard

Who They Are

Nepal has 8 World Heritage sites and has won two Heritage Awards, one for the medieval city of Bhaktapur and the other for The Dwarika’s Hotel in Kathmandu. The hotel’s magnificence lies in its buildings of intricate carved wood and terracotta work that took incalculable hours of dedication from the best craftsmen in Nepal. Every brick is handmade and every piece of woodwork centuries old.

The Fusion Bar at The Dwika's

The Lobby Lounge

The Dwarika’s, however, is also about intimate luxury and the spirit and hospitality of the Nepali people. Each of the almost 80 rooms has its own character and individuality, some with 16^th-century windows and others with private courtyards. Buddhist symbols on hand-printed curtains and bed spreads are used together with traditional fabrics and accessories.

What They Are Doing

In 1952, the late Dwarika Das Shrestha came upon some carpenters sawing off the carved portion of an intricately engraved wooden pillar, part of an old building torn down to make way for something new. The exquisitely carved woodwork several centuries old lay in pieces, ready to be carted off as firewood. On sheer impulse, he gave the carpenters the new lumber they required and took the old carved pillar.

The Courtyard with the Tribute Pillar

For Dwarika, impulse became hobby and passion. Whenever he heard that an ancient building was to be torn down, he bought as many carvings as he could. If parts were missing, he would try recover them later on, often discovering their history in the process. In one instance, he traced and acquired a missing piece after twenty-five years.

As his growing collection lay scattered across his garden, Dwarika decided to construct a building in the old Newari style of Kathmandu, using the rescued doors and windows. The buildings of Dwarika’s Village, of which the hotel is one, contain some of the best woodwork of olden times restored to life and made to function in a modern setting.

Bagmati River by Night

The Dwarika’s is a living example of how tourism need not destroy heritage and the environment. To this end, a woodcarving school has been established on the hotel premises. There are 30 woodcarvers and carpenters employed in the workshop. Some have been there for twenty years, while others have moved on to different, often more lucrative jobs after their training and apprenticeship.

In a Heritage Room, a Taste for Wood

In addition to the woodcarving school, Mrs. Ambica Shrestha has continued her husband’s philosophy and was instrumental in opening a new children’s school, restoring the Bagmati and other rivers of the Kathmandu Valley by raising natural and cultural awareness through Friends of the Bagmati, which runs cleanup programs and instruction in composting, among other things. The Dwarika’s is also coordinating the final phase of the restoration of the Ram Templem which was built in the 19th century but fell into terrible disrepair.

Wood Carvers at Work, The Dwarika's

Filed Under: Art, Asia & Middle East, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Lodge of the Week, Nepal, People, Restoration & Repurposing, The Dwarika's Hotel Tagged With: bagmati, carvers, kathmandu, woodwork

Lapa Rios, Costa Rica

February 24, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Who They Are

Set in a private nature reserve spread over 1,000 acres of Central America’s last remaining lowland tropical rainforest, Lapa Rios Ecolodge overlooks the point where the Golfo Dulce meets the wild Pacific Ocean.

A Few Minutes Away

Designed in harmony with the surrounding forest and beach, the main lodge and 16 bungalows, sparsely lined along three ridges 350 feet above the sea and connected by paths, were built with local materials, including fallen trees, and have intricately woven palm thatched roofs. From the lodge’s three-story circular stairway one can get breathtaking views of the forest canopy and the ocean. There are huge private decks, and the comfortable bamboo furniture is locally made.

Minnesota couple John and Karen Lews first envisioned Lapa Rios as a private nature reserve. Theu used all their assets to purchase a large tract of rainforest and to build a small ecotourism project. Thanks to help from The Nature Conservancy and CEDARENA, this primary forest will be preserved in perpetuity and the land never developed. The Lapa Rios Reserve helps buffer the Osa Peninsula’s Corcovado National Park and serves as a wildlife corridor.

Morning View

What They Are Doing

Afternoon View

Lapa Rios believes in the power of education, so in January 1991 it brought together a group of neighbors to discuss the idea of opening a school. At the time, most neighbors had never met each other nor had they known that they shared a common ideal: education. Most families were illiterate and were unaccustomed to the idea of their children attending school. Out of this meeting came the Carbonera School, and today some kids walk an hour through the forest to attend class, where they receive both formal and environmental lessons.

Intricate Thatch

The lodge employs only local community members, guaranteeing income to more than 45 families. Members of the community, often from the local elementary and high schools, come to the hotel weekly dressed in folkloric outfits and present the typical dances of Costa Rica to the guests. Lapa Rios supports their efforts by sponsoring their dance teacher, giving them the outfits, and organizing their transfers. Tips left by guests go to the dancers. Regularly, Lapa Rios invites local artists to sell their crafts on the premises, and in many cases the artists meet guests and give them the opportunity to work with them on making something.

Since 2006 Lapa Rios has supported a scholarship program for the students of its employees. Using a competitive application and selection process, the hotel selects two children and pays for their tuition at the private, bilingual school in Puerto Jimenez.

Lapa Rios - A Picture in Green

Lapa Rios has innovative energy-saving practices, including feeding non-compostable organic garbage to pigs to produce methane gas from their waste and then capture that gas for cooking in the employee kitchens. Even though the property has its own springs, water use is carefully monitored.

The property gardens consist of local plants, and only organic fertilizers and natural non-toxic pesticides are used. This helps with water conservation since they require less water during the dry months, and they also restore habitat and attract birds, insects, reptiles, and mammal species.

As a neighbor to Corcovado National Park, Lapa Rios supports park rangers by donating equipment, such as boots, walkie-talkies, and sleeping bags. It has paid the salary of one ranger for over six years. The lodge also supports The Wildcat Conservation Program that works to determine the status of feline populations and their prey on the Osa Peninsula. The project uses cameras and video equipment to watch wild cats in action and study their behavior and population densities in order to better protect and save these highly endangered species. Lapa Rios donates money to purchase the cameras and video equipment and has supported the participation of the researchers in key academic conferences. Guests are encouraged to donate to the project and take a tour with the researchers to help them place cameras in the forest.

In Their Own Words

“Our mission is to demonstrate that a standing rain forest is more valuable than one cut down.”

Filed Under: Art, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Costa Rica, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Health, Lapa Rios, People, Restoration & Repurposing Tagged With: corcovado, dance, folklore, organic, puerto jimenez

Cortijada Los Gázquez, Spain

February 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Cortijada Los Gázquez

Who They Are

A kilometer above sea level, Cortijada Los Gázquez lies in a valley of almond and pine high in the mountains of Andalucia, an out-of-the-way destination for creatively minded travelers. In the heart of the Parque Natural Sierra Maria-Los Velez, this eco-chic guesthouse and 50-acre farm is situated in a place of extreme natural beauty, profound peace, and tranquility, and an awe-inspiring wilderness, in one of Spain’s most dramatic alpine deserts.

Five old farm houses, a cortijada, have been converted into a single beautiful space. On the one hand, it respects the simple vernacular architecture; on the other hand, a crisp eye for detail makes the place seem stunningly modern.

Inner Sanctum

What They Are Doing

One of Cortijada Los Gázquez’s biggest aims is to bring local people back to their communities, back to the land, and back from the cities. Without a population, mountain villages like those of Andalucia are doomed.

The nearby village – a pueblo blanco – has a population of 2,000, almost all of whom are over the age of 75. Their children left long time ago to find work in the cities. With a dwindling populace there is less money to preserve the local history and culture, such as the village’s fantastic Renaissance castle, built as an extension to the original Moorish one. Even the food culture could be lost, along with a knowledge of the land and how to farm it. By simply being here, and drawing tourists, Cortijada Los Gázquez has started to help turn the tide.

Cortijada Los Gázquez’s insistence on buying only locally produced food has already encouraged local suppliers to stock more of their own products. The property is carbon-neutral, using a combination of solar panels, wind mills, and fires to cook and create energy. Rain water is harvested from the roof, waste water is managed and used through a system of reed beds, and a gray-water recovery system is used to irrigate the dry land.

These initiatives, coupled with those of others, are part of a loose scheme that is gaining momentum to draw cultural and sustainable tourism back to the area. The derelict Franciscan monastery is being converted into a cultural center which, among other things, will house a music department from the University of Almería. On the nearby alto plano the local government is installing wind turbines. New skills are being taught, such as very good quality organic wine production.

The Nearby Castillo Los Fajardos

Cortijada Los Gázquez also believes that artists and their creative practice can give voice to the multiple issues surrounding the issues of global warming and human ecology. That is why it also serves as an artist’s retreat, and Joya is a residency for artists who work in transition culture. They are invited from around the world to come here to continue their creative practice and contribute to the debate surrounding the environment. Artists have sole use of a studio and 20 hectares of land for up to two weeks. In return they have to open their studio to Cortijada Los Gázquez’s ‘creative guests’ and talk with them about the issues that concern their work and their experiences as professional artists.

English Artist Clare Price Talks to Guests

In an upcoming residency, Joya: Espacio, Cortijada Los Gázquez will let its land be used to create a space for the expression of landscape and environmental art. The art in itself must be transient and environmental. The aim is for the space to become a showcase for the expression of a creative concept to the issues surrounding the environmental debate and for the artists who apply and take up a residency here.

Filed Under: Art, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Cortijada Los Gázquez, Europe, People, Restoration & Repurposing, Spain Tagged With: artist, creative, food

Zarafa, Botswana

September 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Zarafa Tent by Night

Zarafa Camp is probably the greenest luxury lodge on earth and was opened in 2008 by Great Plains. The small and luxurious four-roomed tented camp is located in the 320,000-acre Selinda Reserve in the north of the country and straddles the Okavango Delta in the west and the Linyanti and Kwando rivers and waterways to the east. In spite of its enormous size, the reserve has only three small camps with a total of sixteen tented rooms, a staggering 20,000 acres per room – low-impact tourism at its best.

BREAKING NEW GROUND

When planning was started for the flagship Zarafa in 2007, nothing was spared to ensure that it would be the most environmentally sustainable luxury lodge anywhere.

Grazing on the Doorstep

Today the camp is where extreme green meets sumptuous luxury, with appropriate safari atmosphere and style. All the hardwoods are recycled, and the flooring is made from 100-year-old discarded railway sleepers. The camp’s major achievement, though, is its being probably the only luxury camp of its kind and size in the world to be entirely solar powered.

The Solar Farm

The principal dream at Zarafa was to create the planet’s greenest luxury lodge and prove that sustainable living and luxury can go hand in hand. Zarafa has all the appliances, sumptuous rooms, and deep freezers that a high-end luxury lodge requires, yet all the electricity is created from a solar farm. Zarafa has one of the biggest solar farms anywhere in Africa, with more than 170 solar panels. The electricity they generate is stored in long-life batteries, in turn feeding electricity 24/7 via an inverter system not only to the guest tents but also to the power-hungry back-of-house machinery and appliances – right down to the ice-making machines. The lodge’s 4×4 game-drive vehicles are run primarily on recycled cooking oil (largely sourced from waste collected from fast food restaurants in Botswana), thus helping to ensure that Zarafa’s carbon footprint is the lowest possible.

Zarafa14

Until 2005, the Selinda Reserve was used for both photographic and hunting safaris. Photographic safari guests could be admiring, lion, leopard, elephant or buffalo in the morning but, unbeknownst to them, those same animals could be shot by professional big game hunters later on, as the animals migrated away from the waters and into the woodlands to feed.

Sunset at Zarafa

Thousands of animals were shot in the region. Wildlife numbers plummeted and the gene pool shrank; wildlife was skittish and elusive. Elephants, the iconic animal of today’s Selinda, were shy and aggressive. Times changed when Dereck and Beverly Joubert, five-time Emmy Award-winning filmmakers, and their partners in Great Plains bought the reserve in 2005. The next day hunting was stopped, with hundreds of thousands of dollars of potential profits immediately lost. The slow process of renewal began.

Despite hunting industry claims, the Selinda Reserve is proof that hunting in wildlife areas, free of fences, is neither sustainable nor the most productive form of land use, for the country or for the people of Botswana . Low-volume, high-tariff, high job-creating photographic safari tourism generates countless more benefits for everyone. Best of all, the wildlife now sense that Selinda is a place of peace. Towards the end of the dry season, in October, a recent wildlife census conducted in the reserve showed that there were some 9000 elephants, huge herds of buffalo and plains game, as well as lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog.

Almost five percent of Zarafa’s turnover gets paid directly and distributed, via the land boards of the region, to the communities that live in northwest Botswana. That represents about twenty percent of the net profits of the lodge, and is in addition to the substantial lease fees that are paid each year.

Luxury in Recycled Wood

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Who they are:

Zarafa Camp is probably the greenest luxury lodge on earth. The small and luxurious four-roomed tented camp is located in Selinda, a 320,000-acre reserve in northern Botswana that straddles the Okavango Delta in the west and the Linyanti and Kwando rivers and waterways to the east. In spite of its enormous size, the Selinda Reserve has only three small camps with only a total of sixteen tented rooms, a staggering 20,000 acres per room, low-impact tourism at its ultimate. The reserve is one of Africa’s prime wildlife destinations and Zarafa Camp is reserve’s flagship camp. When planning was started in 2007, nothing was spared to ensure that Zarafa would be the most environmentally sustainable luxury lodge anywhere. Today Zarafa is where extreme green meets sumptuous luxury, with appropriate safari atmosphere & styleAll the hardwoods used in camp are recycled hardwoods. Beautiful flooring has been made from 100 year old discarded teak railway sleepers. No new hardwoods were used anywhere in the lodge or in its furniture. Towards the end of the dry season in October, the wildlife census conducted in the Selinda Reserve verifies that there are around 9000 elephant in the reserve as well as huge herds of buffalo and plains game, with lions, leopard, cheetah and wild dog in close attendance. Zarafa Camp is paradise in paradise.

What are they doing?:

Role Modelling

The principal dream at Zarafa was to create the planet’s greenest luxury lodge and prove that sustainable living and luxury can go hand in hand. ( www.selindareserve.com/zarafa.html ). Zarafa has all the appliances, old rooms, deep freezers that a high-end luxury lodge requires, yet all the 220 volt electricity in camp is created from Zarafa’s solar farm. Zarafa has one of the biggest solar farms anywhere in Africa with over 170 solar panels. These solar panels generate electricity which is then stored in long-life batteries, in turn feeding electricity 24 hours a day via an inverter system not only to the guest tents but also to the power-hungry back-of-house machinery & appliances right down to ice making machines. The lodge’s game drive 4×4 vehicles are now run primarily on recycled cooking oil (largely sourced from waste collected from fast food restaurants in Botswana), thus helping to ensure that Zarafa Camp’s carbon footprint is the lowest possible.

Conservation:

Until 2005, the Selinda Reserve in northern Botswana was used for both photographic and hunting safaris. Photo safari guests could be admiring lion, leopard, elephant or buffalo or any one of a number of antelope in the morning – and later on that day, unbeknownst to the photo safari guests, the animal could be shot by professional big game hunters as the animals migrated away from the waters and into the woodlands to feed. Thousands of animals were shot in this region. Wildlife numbers plummeted and the gene pool shrank. Wildlife was skittish and elusive. Elephants, the iconic animal of today’s Selinda were shy and aggressive. Times changed when new owners Dereck and Beverly Joubert, five time Emmy Award winning filmmakers and their partners bought the Selinda Reserve in 2005. The next day hunting was stopped, with hundreds of thousands of dollars of profits immediately lost from the balance sheet. The slow process of renewal of the Selinda Reserve had begun. Despite the hunting industry’s claims, the Selinda Reserve proves that hunting in wildlife areas, free of fences, is neither sustainable nor the most productive form of land use, for the country or for the people of Botswana. Selinda Reserve proves that low-volume, high-tariff, high job-creating photographic safari tourism generates close on one thousand times more benefits to the country than hunting. Best of all, the wildlife now sense that Selinda is a place of peace.

Community:

Almost five percent of Zarafa’s turnover gets paid directly and distributed, via the land boards of the region, to the communities who live in northwest Botswana. That represents about twenty percent of the net profits of the lodge and is in addition to the substantial lease fees that are paid each year.ZARAFA CAMP – Botswana

Who they are:

Zarafa Camp is probably the greenest luxury lodge on earth. It is here that ultimate sustainability and sumptuous luxury blend seamlessly and harmoniously. Zarafa is a small 4 roomed, luxurious, tented camp that is located within the Selinda Reserve, an enormous 320,000 acre reserve in northern Botswana that straddles the Okavango Delta in the west and the Linyanti and Kwando rivers and waterways to the east. In spite of its enormous size, the entire Selinda Reserve has only three small camps with only a total of 16 tented rooms, a staggering 20,000 acres per room, low impact tourism at its extreme. The Selinda Reserve is one of Africa’s prime wildlife destinations and Zarafa Camp is reserve’s flagship camp. Towards the end of the dry season in October, the wildlife census conducted in the Selinda Reserve verifies that there are around 9000 elephant in the reserve as well as huge herds of buffalo and plains game, with lions, leopard, cheetah and wild dog in close attendance. Zarafa Camp is paradise in paradise.

What are they doing?:

Role Modelling

The principal dream at Zarafa was to create the planet’s greenest luxury lodge and prove that sustainable living and luxury can go hand in hand. When the planning for Zarafa Camp was started late in 2007, nothing was spared to ensure that the new Zarafa Camp was the most environmentally sustainable luxury lodge anywhere. Today Zarafa is where extreme green meets sumptuous luxury, with appropriate safari atmosphere & style. ( www.selindareserve.com/zarafa.html ). All the hardwoods used in camp are recycled hardwoods. Beautiful flooring has been made from 100 year old discarded teak railway sleepers. No new hardwoods were used anywhere in the lodge or in its furniture. Zarafa has all the appliances, old rooms, deep freezers that a high-end luxury lodge requires, yet all the 220 volt electricity in camp is created from Zarafa’s solar farm. Zarafa has one of the biggest solar farms anywhere in Africa with over 170 solar panels. These solar panels generate electricity which is then stored in long-life batteries, in turn feeding electricity 24 hours a day via an inverter system not only to the guest tents but also to the power-hungry back-of-house machinery & appliances right down to ice making machines. The lodge’s game drive 4×4 vehicles are now run primarily on recycled cooking oil (largely sourced from waste collected from fast food restaurants in Botswana), thus helping to ensure that Zarafa Camp’s carbon footprint is the lowest possible.

Conservation:

Up until 2005, the 320,000 acre Selinda Reserve in northern Botswana was a dual-use hunting & photographic safari reserve. Photo safari guests could be admiring lion, leopard, elephant or buffalo or any one of a number of antelope in the morning – and later on that day unbeknown to the photo safari guests, the animal could be shot by professional big game hunters as the animals migrated away from the waters and into the woodlands to feed. No one will ever know how many animals died over the decades. Thousands of animals were shot in this region. Wildlife numbers plummeted and the gene pool shrank, almost to the tipping point of no return. Wildlife was skittish and elusive. Elephants, the iconic animal of today’s Selinda were shy and aggressive. Times changed when new owners Dereck & Beverly Joubert, five time Emmy Award winning filmmakers and their partners bought the Selinda Reserve in 2005. The next day hunting was stopped, with hundreds of thousands of dollars of profits immediately lost from the balance sheet. The slow process of renewal of the Selinda Reserve had begun. Despite the hunting industries claims, the Selinda Reserve proves that hunting in wildlife areas, free of fences, is neither sustainable, nor is it the most productive land use form for the reserve, for the country or for the people of Botswana. Selinda Reserve proves that low volume, high tariff, high job creating, photographic safari tourism generates close on 1000 times more benefits to the country than hunting. Best of all, the wildlife now sense that the Selinda is a place of peace. Elephants no longer have to drink on the run before sprinting back to the forests to avoid being shot. One can now spend hours watching elephants and their families drinking, grazing contentedly and at ease alongside all the wildlife of the region.

Community:

4.5% of Zarafa’s turnover gets paid directly and distributed, via the land boards of the region, to the communities who live in north-west Botswana. While 4.5% does not sound like much, it represents around 20% of the nett profits of the lodge and is in addition to the substantial lease fees that are paid each year.

Filed Under: Africa, Botswana, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Good Stuff, Restoration & Repurposing, Zarafa Tagged With: joubert, linyanti, selinda, solar, zarafa

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