Sustainability
We are proud of what we have accomplished here since 2002 regarding our infrastructure & commitment to the environment. After many years of living in this pristine & remote area we have deepened or commitment the environment & the local people.
Initially we spent as much as possible on quality infrastructure, "doing it right the first time". We insisted on using the most environmentally friendly systems available at the time, even if they were more expensive.
We started with a local Costa Rican product known as Tanque Diez bio-friendly ("eco-amigable") state of the art septic systems which never need cleaning. We use EME friendly bacteria to our septic tanks & provide & only use bio-degradable soaps in our kitchens, laundry facilities & bathrooms. This may seem like a small victory however, it is not to be taken for granted this close to the beach, as the waste contents of septic tanks are not always properly disposed of properly. Waste processing plants do not exist in many remote areas of the country. In addition, the Tanque Diez systems has the option of adding a "Bio-Filter" which converts gray & black waters from the septic system into clean water which is used through an elaborate drip system to irrigate the tropical gardens here at CasasPuraVida. We have installed @ 1 kilometer of recycled water hoses & valves to our gardens with this technology.
As you may suspect, water is a major issue here. There is no rain at all & no public water typically from Dec - May, about 1/2 of the year. Wells this close to the beach come up salty, so during this time we, (& many homes & businesses) must buy water. We consume approximately 10,000 litres every other day ! That water is trucked in from as far away as Cobano 14 km, each way. The amount of diesel fuel used to transport that water & heavy truck traffic impacts our environment, community & our roads. By reducing, & reusing our water (only in the gardens) we are helping to reduce our carbon foot print, environmental impact and costs. Ultimately, our savings are passed on to our customers in the form of maintaining reasonable rates, especially during the dry season.
From May through December we have enough rain to harvest water from an elaborate roof catch and water captivation system that we have installed & remodeled & improved significantly over the years. All of our water from whatever sources all pass through a state of the art variable speed Grunfos SQE submersible pump designed to work on demand & at the lowest speed required, constantly changing upon demand & reducing electrical consumption. Then the electronic brain of the Grunfos CU 301 pressure tank and control panel electronically control & maintain perfect pressure. The water passes through a series of sediment & spindown filters. The spin down filters are much more expensive, but reduce the amount of trash produced by traditional disposable filters. Then the water passes through a Water Right Sanitizer Plus Series Computerized Water Conditioner. This a patented chlorine generator designed to insure you safe water, completely bacteria free. This is the only property we know of in the entire area to have gone to such lengths to contract a US Company to import & install such a costly system to insure safe & consistent water quality for it's guests.
Our water commitment doesn't stop there, we use automated timers for our sprinkler & swimming pool pumps & in '09 we installed our first hot water solar panel & captivation tank. We are hopeful that this is another step in the right direction of environmental sustainability.
All of our electrical installations have been done with the same intentions or reducing consumption, without sacrificing quality & service, whenever possible.
Regarding our staff & consumer choices, our full time staff (caretaker & maids) are locally born & raised and we use local Costa Rican companies & products whenever possible.
Perhaps most importantly, we have as stewards of the land, we have our spent nearly 6 digits & over 1/2 a decade of countless hours of gardening & reforesting our 3 acre parcel that was used as a pasture for local horses to graze. We have planted the following trees & plants creating a lush & abundant habitat for many local animals while reducing our carbon footprint. The types of plants in our gardens include, but are not limited to:
- Pochote /Spiney Cedar
- Cortez Amarillo
- Malinche
- Cenizaro
- Jicara
- Almendro
- Higaron/Fig tree
- Guarumo
- Aguacatillo
- Capulin
- Plumerias: white, yellow, pink, candy cane, rainbow
Fruit trees:
- Guayaba
- Coconuts 2 types
- Bananas2 types
- Plantanes
Types of Palms:
- Royal palms
- Feather Palms
- Coconut trees 2 types
- Navideno
- Livingstonia
- Triangular
- Fenix Robellini
- Red palms
- Fan palms
- Multiples
- Raphis Excelsa Palms
- 3 types of Cicas including Revoluta & Circinallis
Flowering plants:
- Ginger 2 types, 2 red
- Platanillo 3 types yellow, orange, red
- Heliconias 4 types
- Birds of Paradise 3 types
- Maracas
- Tabacones
- Jalapa amarilla
- Iris
- Narciso
- Exora
- Saucos
- Flor de Itabo
- 3 types of cactus
- 3 types of agave
- Aloe
- Mano de tigre
- Mano de tigre anano
- Lenga suegra anano
- Bamboo
- Pandanos
- Pinuelas
- Hibiscus, red, yellow, orange
- Wendemi
- Canuela
- Xanadu
- Angle wings
