CST! CST! CST!

We are preparing like crazy for our Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) evaluation coming up on Tuesday. We are totally prepared (as we practice sustainability daily) and at this point, we are just fine tuning a few aspects of the written document that we have to submit. We are currently at a 5 -eaf rating (the highest rating possible) so this evaluation will simply be a matter of maintaining our current level.

Information about the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST):

In the past ten years, the concept of “ecotourism”, going “green” and building “sustainably” in the tourism industry has exploded; in countries such as Costa Rica, where a number of rich natural sites are still in place, these terms are common place, appearing in practically every hotel, restaurant, tour operator’s office and street corner. While there are a number of definitions for these terms, they all basically boil down to one: finding ways in which to satisfy the requirements of today’s society without making it impossible for future generations to satisfy their own.

Finding truly “sustainable” tourism operations, however, has proven to be extremely difficult for consumers with the advent of “green washing”: the practice of using terms such as “ecotourism” or “green” simply as a marketing ploy to attract a more socially and environmentally conscious customers—and not necessarily as an operational plan or commitment. How, then, are customers supposed to know the difference between a hotel that is truly sustainable, making substantial contributions to the environment and surrounding community, and one that simply says that it is “green” for the sake of attracting customers?

Luckily, enviornmentally and socially conscious customers who visit Costa Rica have a great tool for assuring that their money is spent in a way that will truly make a positive contribution: the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) administered by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). This complete, and rigorous, certification system, which is the only certification endorsed by the Costa Rican government, awards hotels “leaves” on a scale of one to five based on their sustainability achievements (much like the Mobile star rating which evaluates hotel services). The CST bases its judgements on four factors:

1. Biological-physical: How does a property impact and/or protect its surrounding environment?
2. Services and Infrastructure: How do the property’s operations (including product use and disposal, water and energy management, etc.) affect the environment?
3. Social-Economic environment: What impact does the property have on nearby communities to promote/provide education to its staff and community and to work with community service providers?
4. External client: How does the property promote and teach responsible tourism with guests who visit?

Currently, the CST is not mandatory for all properties in Costa Rica. For this reason, it is imperative that the consumer take an active role in looking for properties that are indeed participating in the certification process. By supporting organizations that are CST certified, you not only know where your money is being spent, but are showing your support for fair, honest and, above all, truly sustainable business practices. When you travel in Costa Rica, inquire about CST certification, ask questions and demand answers. Your travel decisions, and your “colones”, can truly make a difference.

Meet Juan!

We are very excited to have a new manager leading the Lapa Rios staff: Juan Pinto Berrocal. Juan is orginally from San Jose, Costa Rica and is a recent graduate of the EARTH University in Limon, where he studied agriculture. For the past two years, Juan was responsible for the agricultural department of the touristic theme park PANACA which highlights Costa Rican culture and agriculture. Juan is extremely fascinated by nature and wildlife and is genuinely committed to conservation and sustainability. While we will miss Jorge very much, we look forward to the enthusiasm and passion that Juan brings and offer him a warm bienvenidos.

Support recycled products!

We at Lapa Rios have noticed a tremendous problem in the Osa Peninsula: an overabundance of plastic grocery bags strewn across the streets and natural areas (including beaches, forests and mangroves) surrounding Puerto Jimenez. Fortunately, we are not alone. And on August 27-31, we at Lapa Rios, in conjunction with Women of the Osa, ASCONA (Asociacion Costarricense para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza), and others, supported a very interesting project organized by the Osa Sea Turtle Conservation Program called Tejiendo por la Naturaleza (Weaving for Nature).

Over the years, this small organization has found that one of the main causes of mortality for the sea turtle population in Costa Rica (and worldwide) are plastic grocery bags given out at supermarkets and convenient stores. Sea turtles, they found, often mistake these bags (which unfortunately end up in our oceans) for jellyfish and wind up suffocating as they try to consume them. These plastic bags are often impossible to recycle (especially for us here on the Osa Peninsula), puting us in a pretty difficult situation.

Fortunately, the Osa Sea Turtle Conservation Program came upon an excellent idea: by cutting these plastic bags (which are usually made of different types of colors and patterns) into long strips, they become so easy to manipulate that they can actually be knit into newer, more attractive handbags and purses. We love this project: it creates something of value out of used plastic grocery bags, saves sea turtles, cleans up the environment and creates micro business opportunities for women who otherwise would be unemployed...all at the same time. As a result, we sponsored a workshop that taught 14 local women of the Osa Peninsula how to create these incredible bags (some of whom are the wives of Lapa Rios employees!). They are currently being sold all over the country and internationally as well. Come check them out at our store and support our cause!

Lapa Rios Looks to Become CNeutral

On November 7, 2007, we at Lapa Rios attended one of Costa Rica's first meetings to discuss the planning and implementation of the CNeutral certification, a branding scheme that would award businesses, public sectors and other organizations for their work in calculating, reducing and compensating their green house gas emissions. Overall, it was a very exciting meeting, filled with new ideas and enthusiasm. In fact, Costa Rica as a country plans to be completely carbon neutral by the year 2021.

We, Lapa Rios Ecolodge, and Harmony Hotel of Nosara (both under the management of Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality) were the first organizations in all of Costa Rica to submit reports, showing just how fanatic we are for sustainability and ecotourism. While Costa Rica's committee for climate change still has not decided on details for the reporting process, we at Lapa Rios plan to stay stay informed and proactive. Continue to check this blog for more information and news to come...

Sustainability Event

In an effort to increase understanding and participaton in the recycling program of Puerto Jimenez, employees of Lapa Rios Ecolodge took part in the lodge´s second Evento de Sostenibilidad (Sustainability Event), where trash receptacles were installed in private homes and small businesses to assist individuals in separating plastic, glass and aluminum cans. The idea to install these small trash separators came from the employees themselves, who believed that more members of the community needed to be educated on the benefits of recycling and that "something" was needed in order to teach people how easily they too could participate.

Before the Evento de Sostenibilidad took place (the 22-24 of September 2007), employees of Lapa Rios, with the help of the nonprofit organization ASCONA (Asociacion Costarricense para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza), went house to house, pulperia (convenient store) to pulperia, explaining the importance of recycling and distributing recycling guides created by the colegio (high school) of Puerto Jimenez (who eventually does the final sorting and distribution of recycled materials). On the day of the event, over 70 mini centro de acopios (mini recycling centers) were installed in private homes and small businesses all over Puerto Jimenez, while another 20 mini centro de acopios were donated to the colegio of Puerto Jimenez to assist in environmental education activities. Additionally, this evento de sostenibilidad helped generate a list of individuals who are participating in the town´s recycling program, making monthly collections a much easier task. Lapa Rios employees were thrilled to share their experiences and knowledge on the topic of recycling with their neighbors and truly thrived on the day of the event, demonstrating that the term "sustainability" not only involves taking care of the environment but of one´s own community as well.