Name of property: The Hermitage Guesthouse
Person completing this form: Morvarid Fernandez
Position: Proprietor
Address of property: The Hermitage Farms, Nersa Village, Khanapur Taluka,
Belgaum District, Karnataka
Country: India
Phone number including country code and area code: + 91 9242623020
Web site: http://www.thehermitageguesthouse.com
E-mail: info@thehermitageguesthouse.com
Type of property: Organic Farm
Number of rooms or cottages: 3
Maximum number of guests: 6 to 8
Eco memberships: Nil
Eco ratings, certifications, awards: Eco Tropical Resorts Eco Rating: 3.8 out of 5.

1. Do you have a written environmental or social sustainability policy?
YES/NO
If yes, please attach. By:
· Using natural materials in all construction and adopting aesthetic
designs suitable to the environment. To use materials that are abundantly available, such as mud, wood sourced from sustainable plantations, and the use of recycled material where possible, such as roofing tiles.
· Providing guests with information about the local environment and
culture, and encouraging low-impact enjoyment of the area.
· Discouraging the use of plastic, and handling waste disposal efficiently.
· Creating a positive impact in the local economy by providing employment
to members of the local communities, (especially the economically deprived, and women), and by sourcing products and purchasing locally grown food whenever possible.
· Use home grown organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible, and
composting of organic wastes for use on the farm.
· Utilising recycled / hand made paper wherever possible, and especially
for marketing purposes.
· Minimise the negative impact on the environment by using existing roads
and paths instead of creating new ones.

2. Do you have a written environmental management system? NO
If yes, please attach. No

3. Describe the property – aim, size, facilities, amount of land owned and
leased (150 words max): We as a family own 45 acres of land in the
middle of the Western Ghats in Southern India. Surrounded by thick forest we have lived here for 28 years farming organically.

4. Describe the location, including distance to nearest town and size of
town (100 words max): We are located on the Karnataka-Goa boarder, 18km from the nearest town Khanapur, and 45kms from Belgaum, our district headquarters.
5. Describe WHY you made the decision to develop an eco resort (100 word
max).
It just seemed the most natural thing to do. Our whole family are environmentalists, and we live in one of the world’s bio diversity hotspots. We farm organically, love nature and wanted to share our world with others.

Introduction to the Butterfly Club’s Eco Rating

The Butterfly Club Eco Rating has five equally-weighted categories:

(1) Energy;
(2) Water;
(3) Recycling and waste;
(4) Land and nature conservation; and
(5) Community.
Each category has five levels, designated by one to five butterflies.
Through self assessment, resort operators completing this rating will determine their own levels within each category based on their responses to items listed below.

Two categories – energy and water – have similar rating systems with Levels 1 and 2 addressing conservation of existing resources, and Levels 3, 4 and 5 addressing creation of renewable energy or capturing water.

Level five in every category also requires written sustainability policies or environmental management systems to: (1) monitor and record consumption; (2) test and apply additional conservation methods; and (3)
work towards specific targets. We require a copy of your policies if you
achieve level 5 in any category.

Energy

Levels 1 and 2 - conservation: Check all that apply:

__Yes_ use natural air circulation and fans, not air conditioners
Yes___ use natural light during the day
_Yes__ minimize use of fossil-fuel powered vehicles, machines and equipment
_Yes__ use “on demand” or solar heating for hot water
_Yes__ air dry clothes/linens
_Yes__ wash dishes by hand
_Yes__ use energy efficient appliances and electronics
_Yes__ use low wattage fluorescent light bulbs
___Yes change linens, tablecloths, napkins upon request
_Yes__ switch off lights when not used Other energy conservation activities? Please list: Only one room has electricity, all the other rooms use lamps. Water for bathing is heated in a Danki, with dead wood fallen on the forest floor. No wood is cut from trees for this purpose. Linen is never ironed in order to save electricity. Guests are requested to put off lamps and candles when not in use.

Level 1 = four or fewer energy conservation activities

Level 2 = five or more energy conservation activities

Levels 3, 4 and 5 - renewable energy: Indicate proportion (%) of energy from each source:

_X__ solar
__X_ wind
_X__ hydro
_X_ generator
_Yes public utility
Other energy sources? Please list: Kerosene lamps

100% TOTAL
How were these proportions developed?

Level 3 = renewable energy is employed and is less than 1/3 of all energy

Level 4 = renewable energy constitutes 1/3 – 2/3 of all energy

Level 5 = renewable energy constitutes 2/3 or more of all energy. In addition, there are written sustainability policies or environmental management systems to: (1) monitor and record energy consumption; (2) test and apply additional energy conservation methods; and (3) work towards specific energy targets.

Attach a copy of your policies if you achieve Energy Level 5 (required).

Your Energy Level (select 1 – 5) = 3
Water

Levels 1 and 2 - conservation: Check all that apply:

__Yes low flow faucets and showerheads
__Yes low water use toilets
_Yes_ change linens, towels, tablecloths, and napkins upon request
_No__use table mats that can be wiped and not laundered
_No_ use biodegradable laundry detergent, dish soap and hand soap
_N.A_ treat swimming pool with chlorine-free processes
Other water conservation activities? Please list.
Do not provide any shower heads, but bucket and mugs. Deliberately have a small water storage tank so that all guests and staff are aware of the scarcity of water and try to save

Level 1 = three or fewer water conservation activities

Level 2 = four or more water conservation activities

Levels 3, 4 and 5 – capture and treat fresh water and manage waste water.
Capture water: Indicate proportion (%) of water from each source:

_100__ spring
_X__ river
_N.A__ rain
_X__ reuse gray
_X__ public utility
Other water sources? Please list.
We get all our water from a spring/stream at the bottom of the property. Rain water is available only during the monsoons when we are closed, but we do not water our garden during the monsoons and during the months of May and June when we depend on pre monsoon showers

100% TOTAL

Fresh water treatment: how is captured fresh water treated?
__Yes_ naturally. Indicate method: charcoal, ultraviolet light, other?
List:
_No__ chemically. List chemicals used:

Waste water management:
_Yes__ septic tanks
___ cesspools
___ other? List methods:

Level 3: Water is captured (from springs, rivers, rain or prior use) and constitutes less than 1/3 of water from all sources. Water is treated chemically. Water disposal does not minimize damage to coral reefs and rain forests

Level 4: Captured water constitutes 1/3 to 2/3 of all water. Water is treated naturally. Water disposal minimizes damage to coral reefs and rain forests

Level 5: Captured water constitutes more than 2/3 of all water. Water is treated naturally. Water disposal minimizes damage to coral reefs and rain
forests. In addition, there are written sustainability policies or
environmental management systems to: (1) monitor and record water consumption; (2) test and apply additional water conservation methods; and
(3) work towards specific water targets.

Attach a copy of your policies if you achieve Water Level 5 (required).

Your Water Level (select 1 – 5): 4

Recycling and waste

Check all that apply:

_Yes__ use durable service items, e.g. cups, glasses, dishes, tableware,
storage items
_Yes__ buy fresh and local to reduce packaging and emissions from
transportation
__Yes_ purchase in bulk to reduce packaging
Yes___ recycle paper, glass, plastic, aluminum
_Yes__ minimize emissions from fossil-fuel powered vehicles, machines &
equipment
__Yes_ zero waste in the kitchen
__Yes_ serve local water, not bottled water
__No_ cleaning products are biodegradable
__Yes_ compost organic matter
Other methods to recycle waste? Please list.
Because we live on a farm everything that can be recycled is recycled. Composting is a major activity on the farm. We have now introduced a new composting system in the Guesthouse area called Daily Dump which consists of earthen bowls and pots to compost organic waste. Each room has its own daily dump, and bigger one for the dinning area.

Level 1 = four or fewer recycling activities

Level 2 = five recycling activities

Level 3 = six recycling activities

Level 4 = seven recycling activities

Level 5 = eight or more recycling activities. In addition, there are written sustainability policies or environmental management systems to:
(1) monitor and record recycling and waste; (2) test and apply additional recycling and waste conservation methods; and (3) work towards specific recycling and waste targets.

Attach a copy of your policies if you achieve Recycling and Waste Level 5 (required).

Your Recycling and Waste Level (select 1 – 5): 4

Land and nature conservation

Check all that apply:

__Yes_ minimize tree removal when building
_Yes__ use only botanical (plant-based) herbicides & pesticides in
garden & grounds
__Yes_ maintain organic gardens as food source for resort
__No_ use biodegradable cleaning products
_Yes__ minimize external illumination
_Yes__ take additional specific actions to preserve the local habitat.
Please list actions and projects:
We at the Hermitage are very involved in conservation of the environment, along with the local communities and the Forest Department of the State of Karnataka. This includes tree and animal protection, vigilance against illegal mining, tree felling, and poaching.
We are in the process of trying to prevent the establishment of new hydro dams in the area to protect tree cover, and also the illegal mining of sand and iron ore.

Level 1: one or two land and nature conservation activities

Level 2: three land and nature conservation activities

Level 3: four land and nature conservation activities

Level 4: five land and nature conservation activities

Level 5: six or more land and nature conservation activities. In addition, there are written sustainability policies or environmental management systems to: (1) monitor and record land and nature conservation activities; (2) test and apply additional land and nature conservation methods; and (3) work towards specific land and nature conservation targets.

Attach a copy of your policies if you achieve Land and Nature Conservation Level 5 (required).

Your Land and Nature Conservation Level (select 1 – 5): 4
Community

This category addresses policies and activities regarding staff, guests, suppliers and other members of the community.

Check all activities that apply:

__Yes_ hire staff residing near the resort 100___% local nationals
__Yes_ use local suppliers _75__%purchased goods produced locally
_Yes__ re-invest resort income locally __60_% income re-invested locally
__Yes_ pay above local prevailing wage
No___ pay into local social security
No___ provide health insurance or coverage
_No__ use regular staff meetings to educate staff about sustainable processes throughout the resort, in the garden, with waste disposal, etc
Yes_provide educational awareness programs for staff, guests, suppliers and other members of the local community
_N.A__ provide sustainable transport to work for staff
Yes___ take additional specific actions to support the local community.
Please list actions and projects.
We work with the community at all levels, especially in the areas of health and education. At the moment we are actively involved in the relocation of a tribal village. We have a community fund, where guests donate generously and the money is used to finance all our projects.
Level 1: one or two community activities

Level 2: three to five community activities

Level 3: six to seven community activities

Level 4: eight to nine community activities

Level 5: ten or more community activities. In addition, there are written sustainability policies or environmental management systems to: (1) monitor and record community activities; (2) test and apply additional methods to support the community; and (3) work towards specific community targets.

Attach a copy of your policies if you achieve Community Level 5 (required).

Your Community Level (select 1 – 5): 4
YOUR OVERALL ECO SCORE (add your level for each category and divide by 5):
We have three final questions which are not part of the eco rating: 3.8

1. Please describe your single most important eco achievement:
Putting life and limb in danger to protect a tract of forestland against the mining mafia. We lived in fear of our lives for 6 months.

2. Indicate additional sustainable practices that you plan to institute
within the next 6 months.
Just more of the same!!

3. Is there anything else you would like to add to this eco rating?