Ecuador Eco Volunteer

One of the many beautiful waterfalls in Ecuadors Banos

In a previous post about being eco-friendly I explained how to tell the difference between companies that use words like “green” and “eco-friendly” purely for marketing purposes and those that truly care about the environment.

Youll remember at the end of that post I said that one of the best ways to tell if you are dealing with a marketing shamster or an authentic environmentalist is if the owners “eyes light up” when they start talking about the green initiatives their business is taking towards sustainability.

For these people “going green” is more than just a marketing fad – its a way of life…

Well the couple that runs La Casa Verde, Doug and Rebecca from Australia and New Zealand, have certainly embraced this way of life. I could tell by the passionate spark in their eyes when they explained all the sustainable initiatives they had implemented at La Casa Verde.

5 Reasons Why You Should Stay at Baños La Casa Verde

From the moment I walked in the door Doug and Rebecca began describing everything they had done to create one of the most eco-friendly hostels in South America. Unfortunately I visited La Casa Verde over six months ago so I have forgotten a few of them (you will have to visit to find out for your self) but here are the ones I remember:

1. First off, La Casa Verde was constructed with as much sustainable sources of wood as possible. This is a very impressive feat on its own because it can be hard to verify where wood comes from in Ecuador which has the highest rate of deforestation in South America.

2. La Casa Verde has a methodology for conserving water in the toilets, sinks, and showers using water saving taps as well energy effecient light-bulbs in all of the rooms.

3. In the morning you get a free continental breakfast full of healthy organic vegetables grown without chemical fertilizers within a 50km radius of La Casa Verde

4. The hostel keeps a stock of reusable glass coke and fanta bottles in the store room to help prevent guests from resorting to environmentally destructive plastic bottles. Doug and Rebecca also try and educate guests on the shoscking state of Ecuadors recycling and waste disposal industries. Most rubbish here ends up being burnt or discarded by the side of the road or in rivers.

But probably the most powerful initiative of all was how Doug and Rebecca lead by example.

La Casa Verde inspires its guests to create eco-friendly homes of their own when they return from their travels.

It proves to people that its not too expensive or time consuming to create a great eco-friendly and an environmentally sustainable home.

What steps are you taking to reduce your carbon footprint?

Related posts:

1. Video of Baños and the Animal Rescue Center