The concept of sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism is rather new in Argentina. It began to be taken seriously in the 1990s with the arrival of a new wave of foreign tourism to our country. It is a new and more renovated kind of tourism that focuses on authenticity, unspoilt nature, and the possibility of experiencing culture as a whole.
Don Enrique fully believes in the idea of “sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism” and we implement it as far as is practicable in every aspect of our service and facilities.
In order to reduce to a bear minimum the impact the lodge has on the environment, we have established the following measures:

-All the cleaners are made with natural and biodegradable products. This way we make sure sewage does not contain industrial contaminating chemicals.
-Sewage water and kitchen waste water are separated and their treatment is different.
-All the cabins have large watertight tanks so as to accelerate bacterial decomposition.
-Bath amenities are manufactured especially for Don Enrique by a laboratory and are made of biodegradable products. In order to avoid making the cesspools watertight with calcareous residue, we use liquid soap instead of bar soap.
-Bathrooms are cleaned with ashes coming from burnt wood and lemon water so as not to interrupt the decomposing process in the septic tank.
-Gas is used only in the kitchen and the clay oven is used whenever possible.
-The water in the lodge is heated up by firewood boilers, which are only lit up twice a day or at our guests’ request.
-In order to restrict the usage of batteries we use dynamo flashlights and we try to avoid using any battery-run appliance.
-We have a very well organized logistics so as to reduce the use of our internal combustion vehicles to the bare minimum.
-Our property includes four hectares of forest in recovery where we have replanted native plants.
-Don Enrique has an organic vegetable garden and a greenhouse. Also, we make our own compost with organic waste.
-All the people working in Don Enrique live in the nearest town (El Soberbio, 40 km.) or in nearby areas. This provides a small contribution to the local community, an alternative to work in a region where the main means of earning a living are working in tobacco plantations and in the logging industry.

We constantly show our guests that many of these applications can be used in everyday life, at home or anywhere else. They also have the possibility of putting them into practice during their stay at Don Enrique.

These practices are our Bible, and every host must see to them.

It is forbidden to:
-Dispose of anything alien to the environment, from a cigarette bud to a fruit peeling. Everything must be disposed of in a rubbish bin or kept in a bag until it can be disposed of in the proper and specific place.
-Pick up any plant or animal from the area.
-Plant vegetation which is not native to the area.
-Walk or step outside of the marked paths without the guide’s authorization.
-Go for hikes without the lodge’s personnel consent.
-Hunt any animal. Fishing is permitted only through a strict catch-and-release policy.
-Leave children unattended. At no time can children be left alone during your stay, not even in the house.
-Use any soap, shampoo, etc. other than provided by the lodge.

Sustainable Behavior.
Sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism requires environmentally friendly behavior. This is why at Don Enrique we suggest our guests to follow a series of rules which are necessary for the sustainability and to reduce the impact of our activity in the jungle environment.

Recommendations:
-Use drinking water in a reasonable and responsible way. Even though the water we use at the lodge comes from a spring, we must value this resource which is otherwise so scarce in many parts of the world.
-Turn off unused lights and electrical appliances. Whenever practicable, use natural light or candles or lamps.
-Avoid producing annoying noises – apart from the other guests, the lodge is surrounded by a great amount of species which we do not want to disturb. Over the river, noise can travel long distances.
- If you run into an animal from the area, stand still, do not gesture or sign to another person – do not try to follow it, let it continue its route so that it doesn’t modify its habits.
-Let the person in charge know what time of the day you would like the boiler in your room to be lit. In Don Enrique we do not use gas for heating water – our boilers are fire-fuelled, that is why they are lit up upon request.
-Send to the laundry only what is strictly necessary (this concerns towels as well as garments).

If you’d like to make a contribution, recommendation or comment on our environmental policies, please write to info@donenriquelodge.com.ar
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