Kumaon Himalayas luxury accommodation, India
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are committed to conservation of environment, and animal and people habitats. We have taken multiple initiatives to deliver on our commitment. Some are
1. Building: Most of the material for construction and renovation work was procured from within a radius of 10 miles. No stone was mined for the project. Most of the stone was collected from road construction sites where it would otherwise have just fallen into the valleys. A lot of slate and stone has also been recycled from old houses that were getting dismantled. Cementing material is mostly mud with a minimum use of cement.
2. Tree planting: We have planted over 150 trees on and around the estate in the last six months. We plan to plant another 100 trees in the next couple of months.
3. Organic farming: We are cultivating organic vegetables on our estate. This helps us meet some of our vegetable requirement in house. We are currently trying to start bee-keeping to provide organic honey to our travellers.
4. Waste: We have a sanitary pit for sewage disposal. All organic waste goes to the compost bin. We are committed to minimal usage of plastic in any form. Guests are encouraged to drink purified water from the Himalayan spring running through the estate. All paper and plastic (if any) is sent to recycling agents in Almora town.
5. Water: Greywater is used for irrigation on the estate.
6. Energy: Almost all the lamps on the estate are CFL reducing our energy consumption to a minimal. The walls of the rooms are plastered with thick mud (a local way of plastering) that keeps the heat in, reducing the need for external heating sources.
Community
We believe that tourism is a tool for conservation of local culture and economy. We have committed ourselves to this endeavour in multiple ways. Some are
1. Profit to local community: We have committed 10% of our profits each year to the local community for education or health related projects, as decided by the village community.
2. Employment generation: All our staff members are local villagers who have been trained by us in the art of hospitality. Almost half the staff members started as day workers during the construction phase and have now become our full time staff.
3. Local suppliers: We procure most of our food products, and other service needs (e.g. tailoring of uniform for staff) from the local village hence contributing to the community.
4. Volunteer and charity work: We encourage our staff members and travellers to participate in community initiatives. For example, our staff members actively participate in local initiatives to end alcoholism.
5. Agriculture training: The economy of the village where our estate is located is primarily driven by subsistence farming. We are currently experimenting with farming new crops that have a greater commercial potential. If we succeed, we shall educate villagers about growing new crops and hopefully help increase their income.
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