July 01, 2008
Redefining Eco Tourism
CONSELVATUR / Selva Bananito Lodge receives “Carbon Neutral” Certification
Dear friends of Rain Forest Conservation through Tourism,
Since November 2006 we have been actively calling to the attention of our guests the importance of assuming a stand against carbon emissions caused by their international flight to Costa Rica. In the segment Climate Friendly of our home page we emphasize the alternatives through which we assume hand in hand with our guests the costs of CO2 mitigation. Not only do we inform our guests about the environmental impact of carbon emissions per person while flying to Costa Rica, but additionally, we make them sensible to the environmental issues resulting from the high concentration of carbon dioxide produced by jet planes.
Because of the impact produced by air travel to the climate, we have made an important alliance with a carbon emissions mitigation program offered by the Centro Cientifico Tropical, (Tropical Scientific Center), the Universidad Nacional (National University), and Control Union Certifications with the intention to compensate all emissions caused by air travel to Costa Rica from our direct bookings.
In addition to the mandatory carbon emissions offsetting program my company has assumed for all our direct guests, we considered it important to do a detailed inventory of our carbon foot print as a company that offers tourism services, in order to become an integral example for change that the National Strategy for Climate Change calls for and by way of example honoring the national program of “Peace with Nature” launched on August 1st, 2007.
Since June 10, 2008 CONSELVATUR / Selva Bananito Lodge assumes the offsetting of its carbon foot print on a yearly basis through a reforestation program certified by Control Union Certifications, with the intention to plant the number of native species of trees necessary to “sequester” the carbon emissions originated by our activity.
We would like to take the opportunity to share with all of you the results of our carbon footprint inventory, in order to motivate a differentiated position of all individuals as well as the entire tourism service providing sector towards a more sustained way of operation, acting upon the challenge climate change is imposing on all of us, and considering the steps that National Strategy for Climate Change will demand of all enterprises in Costa Rica by the year 2021.
Even though, our carbon foot print is almost insignificant, and assuredly, ever since the beginning of our tourism operation it has been one of the smallest of the tourism sector in the country, we thought it appropriate to take our reason for being, the rain forest conservation through tourism, without procrastination to even a higher level yet, thus becoming part of the integral solution that the threat of climate change demands of us.
Today CONSELVATUR / Selva Bananito Lodge redefine the concept of eco tourism and become part of the solution and not the problems that the tourism activities impose on the environment.
Total carbon footprint of CONSELVATUR / Selva Bananito Lodge: 34 tons of CO2. To put this figure into perspective, our carbon foot print is equivalent to the total emissions of CO2 originated by air travel from Europe to Costa Rica by approximately 6 tourists or 18 tourists arriving from USA by plane.
The 34 tons of CO2 are distributed in the following way: 19.8 tons originate in our operation itself. For example: refrigeration and illumination by gas at the lodge, electricity use in our office in San Jose, our laundry service, and organic waste. Organic waste is our highest CO2 equivalent produced by means of methane gas. The other 14.2 tons of CO2 can be attributed to ground transportation such as our vehicles for transfers, motorcycles, as well as all cars used by all employees to commute to work and finally, the international flights related to the promotion of our services overseas.
It fills us with great satisfaction to know, that, even though from the beginning we centered our ecotourism activity around principles of sustainability, and even though, these have meant numerous international distinctions like for example being “One of the Top Ten Eco Lodges in the World” (OUTSIDE Magazine), we still took the opportunity to raise our compromise with the environment and our contribution to meet our responsibility with climatic change to unprecedented levels, while setting the example to be followed and as a new definition of the term eco tourism or sustainable tourism.
CONSELVATUR / Selva Bananito Lodge applies today a new and integral concept of sustained tourism practices, contributing a grain of sand towards a better world and simultaneously becoming a catalyst for change as an example to be followed.
Thank you for supporting Rain Forest Conservation through Tourism, Inc.
Sincerely,
Jürgen Stein
President
CONSELVATUR
Selva Bananito Lodge & Reserve
Conservación de la Selva a través del Turismo S.A. Ced. Jur.3-101-152903
Selva Bananito Lodge & Reserve
Phone (506) 2253-8118 – Fax (506) 2280-0820 - Costa Rica
E-mail: conselva@racsa.co.cr
www.selvabananito.com
