Costa Rica luxury accommodation
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Since 1985, when we began our project at Finca Rosa Blanca, we have always had one important goal in mind; to leave the minimum possible trace of our existence. Since the beginning of our adventure on this property, we have concentrated on an ambitious plan of recycling and regeneration, social consciousness and education. Because of these efforts, we have been awarded five green flags from the Costa Rican Tourist Board for our compliance with the CST (Certification for Sustainable Tourism), a new program to encourage Ecological and Sustainable Tourism in this country. We are proud that we have obtained the highest score of all participating hotels in Costa Rica. If you are interested in the program and its’ myriad components, please ask Glenn, Teri or any of our office staff for more information. You can also use the computer in the library upstairs to access the Hotel website and the link to the CST Program where our evaluation can be found. Rosa Blanca won many prestigious awards for its sustainability including the prestigious British Airways “Tourism for Tomorrow Award” for Accommodations in 2003 as well as a CEGESTI Award for “Environmental Innovation” sponsored by the Dutch Government, the only hotel in Central America to be awarded the honor. We have been honored with the Sustainable Standard-Setter Award by the Rainforest Alliance in 2010.
• The recycling activities include a complete recycling of food waste, leaves and branches from the garden and horse manure to fertilizers by using several systems and the recycling of all non-organic materials;
• Feeding and fertilizing of the organic coffee plants directly by composting of solid food wastes in the coffee field below the hotel. They include organic waste products from the kitchen, ashes from the fireplace, earth from the property and sometimes calcium to neutralize the acids. Horse manure is used with the straw and sawdust from the stables to create excellent compost, which is combined with the fallen leaves and branches from the gardens. This compost is mixed into the earth by burying it in large holes previously dug for this purpose. These organic materials create rich soil that is then used in the vegetable garden as fertilizer and around the plants in the gardens of the hotel.
• Red worms have a home at Rosa Blanca in our vermiculture area where they happily eat through the horse manure produced by our 5 horses and the fruit of the coffee bean at harvest time. Through their voracious appetite they also create some of the richest organic material known to gardening.
• Additional organic waste from the kitchen of the hotel and garden is collected in an enclosed compost area where we add natural bacteria (EM) to break down the material rapidly. These bacteria are also used to unclog plumbing, add to the natural working of the septic tank and protect the organic coffee from fungus.
• All of the non-organic waste products are recycled; glass and bottles, plastics, cardboard, metal and newspapers and the hotel has a complete recycling zone for this purpose located below the restaurant. This area is also an educational center, demonstrating the efficiency and necessity for recycling, composting and vermiculture. The guests are encouraged to participate in the recycling program by depositing their non-organic garbage in bins located in their rooms and outside the hotel and restaurant.
• The employees of Finca Rosa Blanca participate in recycling in their own homes and on a weekly basis the hotel picks up their separated garbage to take to our own recycling center. The proceeds from the sale of these recycled materials are shared with the employees in the form of special outings and parties celebrating their cooperation and enthusiasm. Special ecologically oriented awards, such as energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs, are given to those employees who show a decrease in their electrical and water bills due to a concerted effort to reduce energy use. This same incentive system is used to motivate the employees as a unit in the hotel, to show a reduced utility bill and less recyclable garbage, as well as a reduction in overall water use, which is determined by constant monitoring from water meters installed for this purpose.
The preservation of natural resources also includes the avoidance of their use. We have solar panels to heat water throughout the hotel and restaurant, and we also use “on demand” tank-less gas heaters when sun cannot provide the energy to minimize the use of natural fuels. Our pool water contains no chemical products, and is kept bacteria and algae free through the use of ionization and is heated through a “solar carpet panel” which can be seen on the reception side of the pool. All of our soaps, detergents, cleansers and maintenance products are biodegradable and their packaging is recycled whenever possible. Our water, which comes from a spring-fed well is extremely clean and delicious, and is checked regularly by a certified laboratory. Ironic as it may seem in a country of such prolific rainfall, water is a valuable commodity, particularly in the dry season (December through April) when it is critical that we use water sparingly. For this reason the hotel is outfitted with water saving showerheads and other devices. We also participate in a global program to save water by offering the choice of not changing your bedding and towels every day. If our guest is not comfortable with using the same sheets again, they do not place the card with the icon on your pillow.
All of the food served at Rosa Blanca is created from the bounty of our organic gardens,orchards and pineapple fields. When a product cannot be produced on site we purchase from an organic or local farm cooperative. Our meals are prepared with organic produce, free range poultry and meat whenever possible. We are constantly seeking new sources for the most organic and fresh food available to provide our guests with healthy and delicious meals. The hotel also has two Blue Ecological Flags, one for our work in the reduction or mitigation of carbon and one for protection of natural resources, for which we earned 100% in the analysis.
Community
Since the beginning of our adventure on this property, we have concentrated on an ambitious plan of social consciousness and education.
Five percent of the gross profit for the bar and restaurant sales at Finca Rosa Blanca go directly to projects for the local school in Barrio Jesus and to the Children’s Food Bank and two new recycling centers. This has allowed the hotel to help the community in critical and key areas of community development; the education and health of their youth. Through this practice we have built two classrooms for the educationally challenged, a new director’s office, a new library and books, a new roof for the whole school, a computer room with 12 computers and a network server, and established a recycling program and awareness at the school which is still being implemented with great success. Through our assistance, Jesús Elementary School has won the Bandera Azul (Blue Flag) in 2006 with the highest standing in the province. We are helping them to buy only organic produce for their meal service and are creating an organic garden for the school which the children will manage and harvest for their own use. We have sponsored classes in environmental education and built a butterfly garden with the children. Glenn and Teri Jampol, the owners and operators of Finca Rosa Blanca are chosen often in the community to be judges at the science fairs and have been honoured in a large ceremony by the town of Santa Barbara de Heredia for their work and generosity to the community.
We have canvassed the local purveyors and grocery stores to find food and supplies for the Children’s Food Bank and provided workshops in handicrafts such as rag rug making, candle making and artificial flower arrangements as well as embroidery and knitting for the single mothers to learn and produce in their homes. The hotel buys all of its throw rugs from the mothers and senior citizens at the local senior center who are producing them through the crafts workshops and also provides the materials to make the rugs.
These same rugs are for sale in the hotel but guests are also encouraged to visit the Children’s Food Bank and senior center to learn about the organizations and to interact with the families being served while buying their rugs there. Finca Rosa Blanca paid for the road through the neighborhood and the bridge that crosses the river and we regularly donate money to the Red Cross, the Police Department (Guardia Rural), and other community needs. In the hotel, there is a bulletin board for the guests and employees describing current and future events in the community so they may participate in them and if needed, contribute to the work needed, either through donations or through hands-on involvement. The hotel has helped to implement a recycling center in Barrio Jesus and a community-wide recycling program with the cooperation of the municipality, the local Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture and the local schools, scouts and senior citizen center. Other communities in the area are following suit with small recycling centers and school programs.
Additionally, we buy almost all of our supplies from local merchants, and our food supplies that are not produced on our grounds, are purchased from the local supermarket (Super Mercado Víquez). Five percent of all the gross profits from the bar and restaurant is used to help the local school and a children’s food bank which feeds single mothers and needy children before and after school. We have organized and paid for crafts instruction for the single mothers whose children eat at the food bank so that they can learn skills and crafts which can be produced in the home and sold to supplement their incomes. These handicrafts are used in the hotel in the form of rag rugs and candles. In the last several years we have built new classrooms for the Barrio Jesus School, a computer room with 12 computers and a high-speed network connection, a library, a director’s office a new roof, new desks and chairs for the classrooms and a butterfly garden and have initiated a recycling program for the kids who now use it as school policy.
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