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by Mari Pintkowski
When I drive the beach road in Tulum, and see signs that say Eco-Chic or Eco-Resort, I wonder if this really means more than being off the electrical grid and having to use solar, wind, propane or diesel to power their systems or is there more to the use of these terms?
As readers, writers and travelers, my husband, Lou, and I are always trying to improve our little oasis in the Mayan jungle just fifteen minutes from Tulum (www.laselvamariposa.com). It’s not enough that we continue to improve the aesthetics of our rooms, the rich color in our gardens, the splashing sounds from our waterfalls and cenote pools; we need to keep in mind the bigger picture of the environment and be as responsible as possible. If you are reading this article because you want to raise your conscientiousness level and are ready to make some changes in your system of operation you must first take an inventory of what you are doing now, both positive and negative before you can shift gears.
Come along with me as I wander around the property at La Selva Mariposa. I am proud to see:
- Our large composting pit filled each day with fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells and other organic matter.
- An assortment of mango, papaya and pineapple scraps scattered on the rocks near the compost area in order to attract tropical birds and give them an extra taste treat.
- An organic vegetable garden on top of our parking area where a crop of tomatoes, peppers, arugula, lettuce and herbs are flourishing with the help of the composted matter. We never use poisons to kill insects that threaten our crop, nor do we spray the grounds on our hectare.
- Jose, our gardener, is raking leaves on the path that encircles La Selva Mariposa. These will be stored in a pile next to the compost pit to use to layer the organic scraps.
- The remains of coffee grounds can be seen fertilizing plants that I pass along the way.
- Heading back to the casa, I notice that Jose has placed some wood shavings in the flower garden to help prevent the water from evaporating so quickly.
- I pass the guest rooms and smile knowing we are no longer buying plastic water bottles for the room refrigerators. Instead, we have purchased bicycle water bottles that are given as a gift to our guests with our logo and web site imprinted on them. Now we just buy the recyclable five-gallon jugs to fill the water bottles and ceramic jars in the rooms. The water bottles not taken home by the guests are used for our own consumption and to share with staff and friends.
- We have found biodegradable garbage bags at Sam’s Club and use these for all our trash cans.
- When we do our daily grocery purchases, we now remember to bring our sturdy, reusable bags rather than put more plastic into circulation. Most stores are now using biodegradable plastic bags which are a step forward. Shopping locally, in order to use less gasoline, is something we need to do more of.
- When we built LSM, we were determined to save as many trees as possible during the construction phase. We cut down only what we absolutely needed. We even tried to figure out how to build a pool around two large guano palms that are now over twenty feet tall on either side of one of our pools. Later, we realized that if palms, pineapple, and other fruit trees were going to grow and actually produce fruit, they needed more sun. Then, and only then, did we strategically cut down some small to medium size trees that grew in abundance and planted more fruit trees.
- Many people in this area of Mexico burn their plant trimmings and even garbage which is a huge air polluter, but thankfully there is no smoke in the air at this time.
- The plants in our gardens are especially lush in the wetland areas where the gray water ends up after traveling through the drains and the filtering tanks. We believe the Wetlands Septic System is the best way to handle waste water.
- Lou is slowly replacing all our light bulbs and strings of lights with the more energy efficient LED bulbs. These bulbs are only one to four watts each as opposed to twenty or more watts that we had previously been using. The investment in LED bulbs at first seems costly, but our next CFE electric bill should reflect a savings.
- We are in the beginning phases of converting from total electric power from the grid (we spend about $600 USD a MONTH) to adding a block of twenty-two solar panels on the garden roof. Any extra electricity made during the day that we do not use will go back to CFE for credit to our account. The Smart Grid System allows you to store the electricity without using batteries.
- Due to the stiff competition in the tourist industry in Tulum, and our desire to provide a comfortable environment for our clients, we have installed air conditioners in all our guest rooms, even the rooms under palapa roofs. We let our guests now decide if they want to leave the windows open and use the overhead fans and enjoy the jungle sounds, or close the windows and doors and turn on the air conditioning. We are learning that there are more efficient A/C brands than the ones we have unfortunately installed. This is the case also with light bulbs and other products. We realize that we need to be regularly reading about current research in green energy sources and keeping our eyes peeled on the energy sections in our local hardware stores.
We are continuing to evaluate other ways that we can cut down the use of power and plastics that are harmful to the environment without giving up the comfort and luxury that we provide our guests. We are aware that the re-education and process of change does not have to happen overnight. After all, we are in Mexico. "Mexican time" allows us to slowly navigate through life as we tread lightly on this beautiful piece of land we call home.
Mari Pintkowski lives with her husband, Lou, at their #1 rated B&B only 12 miles from the coast in Tulúm. www.laselvamariposa.com. To read more of Mari's articles about interesting sites close to La Selva Mariposa, see the archives at www.sac-be.com.
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