Environmental policy of 

La Leona Eco Lodge

La Leona Eco Lodge is situated on the Pacific side of the Osa Peninsula in an area with huge biodiversity and pristine primary lowland rainforests. For this reason we are well aware of the importance of minimizing the environmental impact of our touristic family project without compromising comfort and enjoy for our guests. We are also of the opinion that the fragile surrounding environment has to be included in local employment and education. In the following please see the key elements of our environmental practices

Local reference
One of the main aspects of our philosophy is local involvement. We employ people from the area and provide trainings on the job including environmental education. This improves the qualification of the people from the community and the environmental awareness in this fragile and biological diverse area. We also buy most of our products locally and, whenever available, apply environmental friendly products

Involvement of our guests
We are raising the awareness of our guests for environmental subjects which is particularly important in this sensitive area of the Osa Peninsula with its huge biodiversity in protected areas

Electricity
Our energy is predominantly produced by solar panels. In future we plan to fully supply our electricity demand by solar power and additional hydropower

Energy consumption
We exclusively apply energy friendly light bulbs for example and ask our guests for a moderate use of energy.

Handling of waste
We have implemented measurements for the reduction of waste; for example we eliminated articles with small size packaging and buy bigger packaging units which we fill in reusable small containers for an easier daily use.
We separate paper, carton, glass and plastic packaging for recycling and ask our guests for participation. In several areas of the hotel we have different waste paper baskets for the separation of litter. Our organic waste is composted in a nearby farm which uses the valuable soil for fertilizing its fruit trees

Water consumption
We are constantly working on reducing our water consumption; we installed for example narrowings for water pipes in all showers and sinks.
We water our plants in the cooler morning and afternoon hours. Our employees regularly control the water system for leakages or damages

Consumption
Wherever possible and available we use products reducing environmental impact as for example biodegradable soaps and detergents. We are in the process of only using returnable bottles. We changed all disposable packaging for box lunches or taking away dinners to reusable tupperware boxes

Training of employees
Our employees receive trainings about environmental subjects as for example the best portioning of detergent and cleaning products as well as the reduction of waste and minimization of energy and water consumption.

Support of the local community
La Leona Eco Lodge supports the local community by a project of a ‘sustainable community’

Application of local and ecological products in the restaurant.
We at La Leona Eco Lodge are of the opinion that our guests absolutely shall enjoy their meals; but at the same time our behavior does not only relate to personal pleasure and health but also effects the environment and the well-being of local communities
For this reason we carefully chose our suppliers for the basic ingredients of the meals we serve; we want to know where the ingredients comes from! We have established stable and reliable business relations with various farmers and suppliers for guaranteeing best quality, tastefulness and healthiness for all meals prepared in our restaurant. Most of the products come from suppliers in southern Costa Rica; many of the products are ecological and others produced by farmer using traditional methods and extensive forms of cultivation. We know that that by offering these products to our guests we are not only offering natural and tasty quality but also contribute to local communities and the environment.

Learning to appreciate and respect the environment
To our guests we offer complete information about Corcovado and its surrounding areas; our local nature guides also have a good knowledge about the culture of the area which they share with our guests. We actively promote an exchange of ideas about environment subjects between our guests and the local community. We can all learn from each other!

Private nature Reserve
The private nature reserve of La Leona Eco Lodge comprises more than 36 hectares of primary rainforest. In the long run we plan to integrate another 80 hectares of our forests to La Leona; this land is close to the lodge and we have the idea of installing a network of trails for our guests which we will also provide for scientific research; this might be an excellent opportunity for new scientific results.