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Environment
El Monte lessens the environmental impact growing organic fruits and vegetables or buying them locally. This reduces dependency on petroleum used for transport and pesticides and lessens the amount of carbon emissions. Their garden is all hand worked, which not only gives local people a job but also eliminates the need for noisy, polluting, resource burning tractors or tillers, not to mention giving us all a chance for a great workout! Also, all kitchen wastes are composted and recycled back into the garden.
Having a spring that gravity feeds water down to the lodge and cabanas is not only convenient but also eliminates the necessity for a pump, not too mention providing clean, fresh, cool water.
They have also allowed most of El Monte’s Reserve to regrow sucking in a countless amount of CO2 while releasing O2. El Monte’s spin-off, the Mindo Biological Station (MBS), protects over 6,000 hectares of Primary Cloud Forest that holds a tremendous amount of CO2 and is part of the 19,200 hectare Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest. Lighting for the main house comes from 2 solar panels (which we are also able to use to charge camera batteries and laptops), kerosene lanterns and candles. A hydroelectric system is in the planning stage. Alternative energy is there.
Community
Their goal at El Monte has always been to help preserve and protect the biodiversity and natural beauty of Mindo. Together with the people from Mindo they feel they have one of the best examples of ecotourism in the town of Mindo and in the protection of the Mindo-Nambillo Reserve (19,000 hectares). It is a pleasure to see the people progressing in education, health, ability to speak English and other languages, and to have a more stable financial economy, all while passionately defending the local environment. Mindo should be a basic model for like-minded communities here in Ecuador or all over the world.
At El Monte they have provided on-the-job training for river rafting and bird guides, cooks and gardeners. Some have remained with us, others have gone on to start their own businesses or work independently. El Monte sponsors and founded the Mindo Biological Station and helped in the beginning of Sani Lodge. Our commitment to not expand our business has allowed us to work in adjacent and distant areas.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
