Sustainability at Selva Verde 

our mission, policies and practices

Conservation of the rainforest and its inhabitants remains paramount in the mission of Selva Verde. Working with organizations such as the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (SCLC), the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor and others, Selva Verde has retained its focus on ecological conservation and education.

Arenal Volcano

OUR COMMITMENT AND CERTIFICATION

Selva Verde Lodge strongly supports the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program because it believes properly implemented certification is one of the most promising ways to provide a real incentive to the tourism industry to practice sustainability. By building brand awareness around certification, consumers have an easy and identifiable way to determine which organizations are taking steps to ensure sustainability. Certifcation programs are a based on the idea that travelers value a companies’ efforts to be sustainable in some cases choosing a property that makes these efforts. 

Certification for Sustainable Tourism ProgramWHAT IS CST PROGRAM?

The Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST) was created by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) to differentiate businesses of the tourism sector, based on the degree to which they comply with a sustainable model of natural, cultural and social resource management. CST sets a standard for lodges in key aspects of sustainability including environmental impact, community impact, and increasing environmental awareness. This program is monitored by the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism. Selva Verde Lodge is categorized with the "Elite" level of sustainability.

Green Classroom program, Selva Verde Lodge

OUR PRACTICES

At Selva Verde Lodge, conservation and preservation of our natural resources requires minimizing the impact of our and our visitors impact on the environment. 

Additionally we are committed to responsible tourism; finding ways to minimize negative impacts on the local environment and maximize positive effects on the surrounding community in Sarapiquí.  

Some of the good practices we have implemented are:

1. A compost system to recycle organic waste, mainly from our restaurant.
2. Solar panels to heat the water for rooms.
3. Recycling of solid materials such as; glass, paper, cartons, aluminium and other products.
4. The use of sunlight to dry laundry.
5. The usage of biodegradable cleaning products with no environmental damage or minimum impact.
6. Refillable soap dispensers in the bathrooms to avoid waste.
7. We do not use chemicals, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, instead we use a natural fertilizer and derived from compost in our gardens.
8. We created our Green Classroom program in which children learn about sustainability and preserving natural resources of the region.
9.  Visitors are prohibited from feeding any of the animals, including direct or indirect feeding of any species.
10. The souvenir shop at Selva Verde Lodge supports local artisans and does not sell products harmful to the environment.
11. Selva Verde Lodge uses recycled paper and paper products, to prevent unnecessary felling of trees.