Los Suenos Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort Leads Environmental Conservation in Costa Rica

Protect and preserve the natural resources of our country and stimulate the optimal environmental quality to guaranty a sustainable development, is the main goal of Los Sueños Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort in Costa Rica, developing a chain of environmental initiatives.

San Jose, Costa Rica(PRWEB) April 25, 2008 -- As part of the social responsibility program and the commitment with the environment, Los Sueños Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort in Costa Rica started an environmental initiative that seeks to reinsert the Scarlet Macaw to its natural habitat. This project consists in acquiring and planting Tonka Bean (Dipteryx panamensis) trees which are used by the macaws for nesting and as a source of food. Laura Miranda, Los Sueños Marriott's Marketing Manager; said that the project is developed in the Central Pacific Area of Costa Rica, since it's one of the places where the presence of the Scarlet Macaw has diminished.

Beach Clean-up Team

The Hotel has a committee called the Green Team, which takes care of all of these environmental topics and follows up on them making sure everything is done and is communicated to all the hotels associates so they are all part of the awareness.

For more than a year, the Herradura School of Puntarenas, in conjunction with Los Sueños Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort in Costa Rica have implemented a clean-up and prevention campaign in the beach, with the prime goal of obtaining the Ecological Blue Flag Award- an award given to a beach with optimal ecological efforts and standards.

Laura Miranda, Los Sueños Marriott's Marketing Manager, said that the hotel contributes with sustainability environmental policies that are requested by the Sustainable Tourism Certificate (cst) program of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ict) that we are aiming to obtain.

"For this reason, among other dispositions, we use organic compost and fertilizers; we don't hold any wild animals in captivity; for the in house collateral we use ecological paper (made from lemon, coffee or banana),we have a strict energy conservation plan, all the cleaning products and biodegradable and we also have a program that detects gas leaks. " Miranda said.

Another of the initiatives implemented by the Hotel is a program that recycles 80% of their waste (paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, batteries and fluorescent) and the incomes generated by this recycling are used for the Ecological Blue Flag program. In the same way, the majority of the vegetation in the gardens is native to the area, that's why guests are informed about which protected areas they can visit and their conservation policies.

Miranda explained that the hotel established policies on water flow regulation, biodiversity protection, fixation of gases that produce the greenhouse effect, and maintenance of the scenic beauty.

"The Hotel has a committee called the Green Team, which takes care of all of these environmental topics and follows up on them making sure everything is done and is communicated to all the hotels associates so they are all part of the awareness." Miranda added.

A look to the future

The hotel's mayor interest is protecting the underground hydro resource to supply the area with drinking water. The closest identified basin to the Hotel covers 2,850 hectares, of which 2,410 hectares should be protected forest area, and currently, only 1,330 hectares are designated as such.

According to Miranda, Los Sueños Marriott has its own protected area recognized by the Environmental Services Certificate (csa) and what is intended during the next five years is to watch over the conservation of the remaining 50 hectares.

These hectares are located in located in the infiltration area in the highest parts of the basin and supply the Jacó aquifer and the wells situated on Hotel property.

"At this time there are nearly 450 Scarlet Macaws in this area and with the project we expect to increase their population, the goal of Los Sueños Marriott is to create a transitional center for these trees where they will be given adequate attention prior to planting them in the Central Pacific Area, where the Hotel is located" Miranda added.

Currently, there have been 50 Tonka Bean trees planted in the green areas of Los Sueños Marriott and in the adjacent areas of the golf course.

The Hotel is developing a study to determine the feasibility of developing a nursery where the species of trees, used by the macaw for food, can be reproduced.

Los Suenos Marriott Ocean and Golf Resort

###