Guests of the resort have the option of enjoying a full sustainability tour of the facilities, including the pig poop feces bio-gas-powered kitchen. The hotel recycles more than 80 percent of the waste generated in the kitchens, dividing the organic waste into two functions: vegetables, fruit trimmings, and egg shells get turned into compost, while the rest gets sent to the hotel’s pig farm. The food is consumed by pigs which then… uh… relieve themselves. Their feces is turned into bio-gas, which in turn is used for heating and cooking.
Related: 7 Gorgeous Eco-Resorts for a Green Escape
The Costa Rican resort is nestled in the privately owned Lapa Rios reserve; a conservation easement managed by the Nature Conservancy and Cederena, which was established by John and Karen Lewis. The resort was established with the intent of protecting and promoting environmental and social sustainability. When building the resort, great care was taken to preserve the local vegetation and wildlife, build with fully renewable construction materials, install solar panels, hire only local workers, and fund the community’s local school. They even raise money to fund the park rangers who look after the already established national park next door.
Ecotourism is a growing industry these days, and can often times be used as a buzzword by marketers to help ease their guests’ state of mind, rather than a true vision guiding the industry. It’s truly fantastic to see a resort like Lapa Rios properly embracing the true meaning of sustainability.
+ Lapas Rios Resort
Images via the Lapa Rios Facebook page
