Lova Lava Land
Environmental Statement
We are ALWAYS trying to be greener and figure out how to
add amenities in a cost effective and eco-friendly way. We recently filled out
this eco-questionaire - and hope to add many more green alternatives to our
operations and resort in the future!
1. Do you have an environmental and/or social sustainability
policy?
Yes, See our
philosophy and
green accommodation pages.
2. Do you have an Environmental Management System?
Yes, See our
philosophy and
green accommodation pages.
Energy
3. Do you use any renewable energy?
If yes, what approximate percentage and please describe.
Yes, since we are a 100% off-grid property, all our energy
sources are and always will be, renewable. Our resort is now run 100% by solar
power (with our solar PV system mounted on top of and inside a recycled VW bus,
named Rufus the Rainbow Bus). We hope to also add wind power in the near
future.
4. Please describe any energy saving devices in use, energy
saving programs you have, and how guests/visitors can participate.
Through on-site tutorials, we encourage guests to take an active
role in their energy use and come to a new realization about personal energy
use and conservation. We have a “Conservation Alert System” that is activated
if our power system is low (which can happen in the unusual situation of 3-4
cloudy days in a row or if guests are over-consuming power). When we go into
“Conservation Alert” we ask all guests to avoid unnecessary use of power until
the sun has a chance to recharge the system. In these situations, we also try
to diagnose why the system is low on power and educate guests about why it
occurred and what ‘more rustic’ back-up systems we have in place to still meet
basic needs (which can be real fun).
Some of the specific systems we have in place:
1. An independent solar panel for each rental that provides night lighting.
Since each rentals’ lights run independently, guests can directly realize the
implications for leaving lights on (i.e. they won’t have any) AND they can see
how easy it is to provide quite a bit of light off just a small panel.
2. Rainwater catchment system. All our water comes from a water catchment tank
that catches and filters rainwater.
3. Partial gravity fed sink & shower. By designing our water catchment tank
on a hill where the plumbing runs down to the shower and sink, we are able to
minimize the need for and use of, our water pump (which takes power).
4. Our sink and shower grey water is reused for organic garden irrigation
(bananas and pineapples). Guests are able to literally enjoy the ‘fruits’
produced from their shower water (which is a further incentive and realization
of the importance of only using biodegradable soaps and cleaning products).
5. Guests are provided a wind-up flashlight for walking around the property at
night. This truly makes one ‘work’ for any power they use!
6. Toilet flushing system. Since flushing the toilet uses water & sometimes
power for the water pump, we have an “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s
brown, flush it down” flushing rule.
7. In general, the main goal of our property is to demonstrate how one can have
all the comforts of home and live daily life, without using tons of
energy-dependent devices.
Gardens - Organic Food - Recycling - Chemicals
5. If you have gardens, please describe any organic or
chemical farming practices.
We recycle grey water to irrigate our 100% organic gardening
efforts. Additionally, we have a kitchen compost system in place that guests
are educated on and asked to actively participate in. This creates wonderful,
free, & organic soil for our gardening (and keeps the waste out of
landfills – not to mention saves gas since we have to transport trash 15 miles
in order to dump it).
6. Do you have a purchasing policy - local/organic/good
practice/fair trade or any other? If yes, please describe.
Yes, we actively educate guests about eco-friendly & ethical
shopping practices (and strive to do the same for our purchasing). In general,
if we can’t build something naturally, we try to barter or refurbish used items
from neighbors that would otherwise go to a landfill. We are also strong
advocates of ethical business practices (and try to point our guests in the
right direction also). Unfortunately, we have run across a few unethical
companies pretending to be “eco-friendly” or sell “eco-products.” We actively
report & submit online reviews about these companies in order to help other
people not make the same mistake – if everyone took the time to do this, a lot
of bad companies would be put out of business instead of getting away with it
consistently. In our Lova Lava Land Guidebook, we list the locations and times
of all the local farmer’s markets and swap meets, to encourage guests to
support and experience this type of shopping.
7. Please describe any composting or recycling programmes, and
how, if possible, guests/visitors are encouraged to participate.
As already noted, we have an in-depth Lova Lava Land Guidebook
in each rental that describes all our systems and explains how guests can learn
more and actively participate. In addition, we have posted exact instructions
in the communal kitchen of how to participate in our kitchen compost and
recycling system (cans, bottles, plastic). We provide Tupperware containers,
plates, silverware, & cups so that guests can use these instead of buying
disposable products. Guests are asked to participate in these programs and to
think actively about each piece of trash they contribute to the “landfill trash
can” – “Would there have been any way to avoid creating this piece of trash
that cannot be composted or recycled?”
8. Approximately, what percentage of cleaning products used
are chemical, and what percentage bio degradable; please describe.
Our ongoing cleaning uses 100% biodegradable products. We did
make the decision to use limited chemical products during the building of the
resort for sustainability reasons (for example, having to protect outside wood
with a chemical so that it wouldn’t rot away or get termites and have to be
replaced in the very near future). When we do use chemicals in building, we
first exhaust biodegradable options and are very glad to see more and more
eco-friendly options appearing in stores lately!
Water
9. Please describe your water supply, and any water
conservation programmes, and how, if possible, guests/visitors are encouraged
to participate.
As also mentioned in the energy section (since they are directly
related):
1. Being 100% off-grid, we use a rainwater catchment system. All our water
comes from a water catchment tank that catches and filters rainwater. During
times of low rain, we are forced to order & ship in water – so it’s very
important that guests practice water conservation in order to avoid this. We
try to update guests as to the latest rainfall statistics so they can volunteer
to lower their water consumption if our tank is low.
2. The plumbing system is designed with a partial-gravity fed sink &
shower. By designing our water catchment tank on a hill where the plumbing runs
down to the shower and sink, the pressure is mostly generated by gravity (and
is good!).
3. Our sink and shower grey water is reused for organic garden irrigation
(bananas and pineapples). Guests are able to literally enjoy the ‘fruits’
produced from their shower water (which is a further incentive and realization
of the importance of only using biodegradable soaps and cleaning products).
4. Toilet flushing system. Since flushing the toilet uses water & sometimes
power for the water pump, we have an “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s
brown, flush it down” flushing rule.
5. We ask guests to only run the shower when they are actually under it (turn
it on/off as they are cleaning) and the same for the kitchen sink/washing
dishes.
10. Please describe your water purification and waste water
treatment systems.
Unlike a lot of water catchment tanks in the area, we have
installed an extensive water filtration and UV system, to make our water safe
for not only showering and cleaning, but also drinking! The filtration system
runs off our solar power. Specifically, there is a: a) carbon filter, b)
sediment filter, and c) UV filter run on 12V.
Flora & Fauna Conservation / Preservation
11. Describe any flora or fauna conservation/projects you are
involved in and how you encourage your guests to participate?
There is an island-wide problem with an invasive species called
“Fountain Grass.” This grass spreads extremely rapidly and grows easier in the
lava than other native species (taking away the opportunity for native species
to thrive). We’ve ‘waged war’ on this grass throughout our 3 acres, and across
neighbour properties. We do not use chemicals to kill it, but pull it up by the
root. Often we encourage guests to help out and provide a free upgrade or free
nights if they put in so many hours helping to pull this grass.
Outstanding Achievements
12. Please describe what you feel is your single most
important eco achievement?
We feel our greatest achievement is the fact that we came from a
big city life and previously has little or no knowledge of building (or even
living) eco-friendly. In the span of a year, we purchased a 100% off-grid piece
of lava and were able to build this property 100% off-grid, 100% solar powered
by simply having the attitude that we could learn and do anything via a little
web research, a little community help, and a little creativity. If we can do
it, anyone can! That realization makes it even more important to try to educate
others as to how easy and how comfortable an eco-life can be.
Monitoring / Feedback / Training
13. Please describe any staff and customer eco
training/education programs.
Guest eco-education: contained on our website, in the extensive
Lova Lava Land Eco-Resort Guidebook, and through notices we have posted around
the property in proximity to the issue/system it relates to.
Staff eco-education: all staff is specifically trained in each of our systems
and is required to use biodegradable products that we supply and follow the
rules of our eco-systems (just as guests are).
14. Please describe any materials you have to educate your
guests (brochures, posters, pamphlets, etc.)?
Lova Lava Land Eco-Resort Guidebook explains each of our
“Eco-Honor Systems” and how guests can participate (with fun pictures and
amusing wording). We have also posted posters around the property with further
information (such as how to use our off-grid kitchen, how to conserve
electricity, and how to conserve water used in the toilet). We also encourage
guests to read over the information on our website, even while they are staying
here (using our free wireless Internet).
15. Please describe how you monitor, maintain, and/or minimize
your environmental impact?
In general, we try to build and maintain our property with the
highest priority being environmental impact. Other specifics are already noted
in previous questions.
16. Do you get customer feedback?
If yes, please describe how you collect the feedback, and what you do with it.
Yes, we collect guest comments on our “Coconut Guestbooks,”
located in each rental and made with coconuts – not paper! Often we also get
personal ‘thank you’ emails from guests after they leave and have included many
of these on the “Testimonials” page on our website. In an effort to get these
types of independent reviews on other websites, we recently emailed guests to
volunteer to provide feedback on other, outside websites.
Local and International Community
17. What percentage of your staff are locals?
Usually 100%
18. Please describe what you do to minimize your negative
impacts on the local community, and any cultural awareness, community
activities or local sponsorships programmes, and any other ways you try to
ensure the local community benefit from your business.
Member of the Ocean View Community Center & Kau
Preservation. We often host community events and potlucks to share and educate
neighbors about how to build functioning off-grid systems. Our website is also
an informational source for the community – we often get emails, questions,
& praise from community members about how our website has encouraged and
taught them how to build eco-friendly. Depending on availability, we provide
tours to locals that have found our website and wanted to see more close-up how
to do things. We may turn this into a more formal program in the future since
there seems to be a lot of interest in it.
19. If you have a green / eco certification label, please
give details and explain:
• your reasons for joining the scheme
• The benefits you feel you receive
• Any other positive or negative points
If you do not have a green certification / label, please
explain
• Your reasons for NOT joining any schemes,
• Any benefits you feel you are missing,
• Anything else.
Since we offer quality but budget accommodation, we do not have
the profit margins to pay for these sorts of programs (unless they directly
bring me revenue to compensate). I can only hope that potential guests look at
what I am doing to realize that I am a green accommodation (which I extensively
explain and prove via my own website). Since I am seeing many undeserving,
larger corporations getting these certifications, I also do not want to be put
in a group with such places. Additionally, there are tons of these
certifications popping up – all with different ways of judging or qualifying –
some of them obviously just out to make money without providing a real service
to the public. This makes me very sceptical of them in general. In the current
environment, I do not feel that I am missing out on anything by not joining
these (but may feel differently if a good one starts that is ethical, doesn’t
charge fees, and creates a beneficial community for eco-companies to interact
within & help each other). This topic does interest me though so I’m
interested to see how the industry works it out.
Personally, I’ve started a dialogue with guests and online to
see how others feel about it. I just hope it doesn’t turn out like most similar
certifications – rewarding the bigger and wealthier companies and leaving out
the little guys that would need it the most (like the organic farming
industry).
20. Anything else you feel is relevant or important.
Please provide as much documentary evidence as possible.
Please provide 2 references, preferably one from the local or national
government tourist authority or a registered NGO (Non-profit Non Governmental
Organization) locally, and the other from your certification scheme if you are
in one.
Further descriptions of our eco-practices and philosophies are
presented on our website. Our website picture album not only shows the finished
product, but takes you through a pictorial process of how we have built each
structure and system. We also have a page with guest testimonials, reviews, and
other press we have received – one of them being a NGO (www.yert.com – they
included us in one of their videos). We are also listed as an
eco-friendly accommodation in the Lonely Planet Big Island (the
writer wrote a lot of the book at our Eco-Resort on our solar power!).
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