The Eco-Logic Label form

The form that will be used to apply for our Eco-Logic Labelis being drafted and will be available in the next few weeks. This is very important for us because we do not want our lable to be another empty shell easily given away and that would reflect more of a good marketing strategy than a real concern for environment.

So we have to do something that might actually be anti-comercial, but that will give a real idea if an Hotel is actually ecological. So what the heck ! Regarding the content itself, we went through some preconceived ideas about environnment and what is really ecological or not. For instance, there is what can be recycled in some countries and not in Ecuador and thus that become really bad :

Those long-life bulbs... indeed, when you buy from a reputed brand, they do last longer, but not always, espcially because they break so easily. Studies showed that in average they actually last a little longer, and then arrises the problem : they cost 10 times the price, they hold much more plastic and components, and worst of all, a few rare metals that are very harmful for the environnement when not recycled properly... which is the case in Ecuador unfortunatly. So, those will be considered to be bad here, at least worse that regular bulbs.

Same idea with solar panels : the energy used to make the solar panels, the batteries used to store energy (worse if they are lead batteries), all that silicium that cannot be recycled in Ecuador,... well, unless you have solar panels with a quality good enough to last a minimum of 15 years, there is no gain for the environnment. 

The toquilla roofs.... don't get me started ! Because we see indigenous communities using this rapidly growing plant to make their roofs, there is a general idea that it is better for the environnment... and it is ! But only if it is treated like they do too. This means that smoke has to be used uder every roof, almost daily, to ensure its longevity and quality. Unfortunately, most of the time and because in a hotel it is hard to make fire in a middle of a client's room when occupied, another solution is chosen to protect those roofs against insects : diesel and insecticides. And thus, from something good for the environnment we get something that is really bad, especially for a hotel that is near a waterway as those pesticides will be washed away with rains eventually and destroy aquatic life. 

Air conditionning : bad, get your food supplies from a supermarket after it travelled around the country : not no good,... I know that we're being very harsh, but it is not because we don't see them that problems do not exist. Some people are even under the impression that driving a Hybrid car is better for the environnment and that they are doing their part... it is actually worse than a normal car ; yes it does use less gasoline at the pump, but the parts used to make the car require so much more energy and water to make that this little fuel economy is lost, especially because those cars don't last as long as regular ones. 

Well, here goes, this will be our Eco-Logic label. It is almost impossible to be perfect, but we can try te tend to the best that can be done and it is already something good. Our label might not be popular (at least not with the ones who cannot have it), but we're proud of it.

A beta-version will be released soon.