Eco Rating Kura Design Villas

Name of property	Kurà Design Villas
Person completing this form	Alejandra Umana
Position	Manager-owner
Address of property	Uvita de Osa, Bahia Ballena, Puntarenas
Country	Costa Rica
Phone number including country code and area code	(506)85213407
Web site	Kura Design Villas
E-mail	[email protected]
Type of property	Boutique hotel
Number of rooms or cottages	6
Maximum number of guests	12
Eco memberships
Eco ratings, certifications, awards	Eco Rating at Eco Tropical Resorts: 3.8 out of 5.

• Do you have a written environmental or social sustainability policy?     YES/NO

If yes, please attach.

• Do you have a written environmental management system?                  YES/NO

If yes, please attach.

• Describe the property – aim, size, facilities, amount of land owned and leased  (150 words max)
  Small boutique hotel with 6 rooms, restaurant, spa, pool. Land owned 5 hectares and only 3% is built.

• Describe the location, including distance to nearest town and size of town (100 words max) We are located up in a mountain ridge overlooking Marino Ballena National Park , 5 km away from Uvita the nearest town and a very small town.
• Describe WHY you made the decision to develop an eco resort (100 word max) I am a biologist and want to help conserve the area. We just opened the hotel and I don`t have much time left to dedicate it to my profession, but hopefully I will get there soon.

Introduction to the Butterfly Club’s Eco Rating

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

• Energy;
• Water;
• Recycling and waste;
• Land and nature conservation; and
• 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.

Eco Rating Kura Design Villas Energy

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

___  use natural air circulation and fans, not air conditioners
__x_  use natural light during the day
___  minimize use of fossil-fuel powered vehicles, machines and equipment
__x_  use “on demand” or solar heating for hot water
___  air dry clothes/linens
__x_  wash dishes by hand
__x_  use energy efficient appliances and electronics
___x  use low wattage fluorescent or LED light bulbs
___x  change linens, tablecloths, napkins upon request
___x  switch off lights when not used
Other energy conservation activities? Please list:

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:

_50%__  solar
___  wind
___  hydro
___  generator
__50%_  public utility
Other energy sources? Please list:

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) =   4

Eco Rating Kura Design Villas Water

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

__x  low flow faucets and showerheads
__x  low water use toilets
__x  change linens, towels, tablecloths, and napkins upon request
__x_use table mats that can be wiped and not laundered
__ x use biodegradable laundry detergent, dish soap and hand soap
__x  treat swimming pool with chlorine-free processes
Other water conservation activities?  Please list. Rain water collection and drop irrigation system from the treatment plant.

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:

___  spring
___  river
__50%_  rain
___  reuse gray
___  public utility
Other water sources? Please list.

100% TOTAL

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

Waste water management:
___  septic tanks
___  cesspools
__x_  other? List methods:  septic treatment plant by Bionest

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

Eco Rating Kura Design Villas Recycling and waste

Check all that apply:

__x_   use durable service items, e.g. cups, glasses, dishes, tableware, storage items
___x   buy fresh and local to reduce packaging and emissions from transportation
__x_   purchase in bulk to reduce packaging
___x   recycle paper, glass, plastic, aluminum
___   minimize emissions from fossil-fuel powered vehicles, machines & equipment
___   zero waste in the kitchen
__x_   serve local water, not bottled water
_x__   cleaning products are biodegradable
_x__   compost organic matter
Other methods to recycle waste? Please list.

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 

Eco Rating Kura Design Villas Land and nature conservation

Check all that apply:

_x__   minimize tree removal when building
_x__   use only botanical (plant-based) herbicides & pesticides in garden & grounds
__x_   maintain organic gardens as food source for resort
_x__   use biodegradable cleaning products
_x__   minimize external illumination
___   take additional specific actions to preserve the local habitat.
_x__   Landscaping with native plants
Please list actions
and projects:
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

Eco Rating Kura Design Villas Community

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

Check all activities that apply:

_x__  hire staff residing near the resort          _100__% local nationals
_x__  use local suppliers                                75___% purchased goods produced locally
___  re-invest resort income locally            ___% income re-invested locally
__x_  pay above local prevailing wage
__x_  pay into local social security
__x_  provide health insurance or coverage
__x_  use regular staff meetings to educate staff about sustainable processes throughout the resort, in the garden, with waste disposal, etc
___  provide educational awareness programs for staff, guests, suppliers and other members of the local community
__x_  provide sustainable transport to work for staff
___  take additional specific actions to support the local community. Please list actions and projects.
___  Have enrolled your staff in any personal green training/certification schemes such as ecohelpline.com green leaf certification.

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): 3

YOUR OVERALL ECO SCORE (add your level for each category and divide by 5and enter the result with the decimal point, e.g. 3.6):  3.8 

We have three final questions which are not part of the eco rating: 

1. Please describe your single most important eco achievement: building and operation of the hotel

2. Indicate addition al sustainable practices that you plan to institute within the next 6 months. Everything that we are missing on this list that applies to us in Costa Rica.

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