Dispatches
Mountain Lodges of Peru – Peru (“Awareness in the Andes”)
April 14, 2009
The Inca Trail leading up to Macchu Piccu is currently experiencing heavy traffic due to the influx of tourists hiking the trail. Since there are other routes up to this impressive site, Mountain Lodges of Peru (MLP) created several eco-lodges along the 50 km route to promote sustainable tourism while improving the lives of the 200 families living along the route. They created 4 eco-resorts that combine sustainability with high-class tourist hotels, yet this group wasn’t happy just creating luxury. They also wanted to help the community, so they founded Yanapana, an organization that creates income and provides training to help local businesses get started and succeed.
Working with the community, the lodges staff over 80% of their positions with workers from the local community, thus filtering income into the community through multiple avenues. For example, area mule-drivers (the gentlemen that move the mules loaded with guests’ luggage through the area) used to be treated like slaves and required to do an unending number of tasks throughout the journey. MLP, however, decided to double what mule-drivers are typically paid and clarified what their roles are so they’re not abused. They donated 7 new horses (valued at $30,000 USD) to improve the stock and breeding of the horses and also created an office for the mule-drivers. They are also working with mule-drivers to develop a plastic recycling program to create additional income from the plastic they pick up along the trail.
Eco-Team at Mountain Lodges of Peru
So how does MLP ensure that their lodges are environmentally sustainable? First they created an Eco-Team, which looks at the entire footprint of each building. Since the buildings are very remote, it was important to MLP that they not create a giant mess for each community to clean up.
How do you deal with waste when you don’t have a giant landfill or septic system to take care of everything? First, all food waste is composted behind the building in a large pit. Next, they have a greywater filtering system where all shower, sink, kitchen, and toilet water is filtered down through several tanks and then used for irrigation for the local area. The government is also watching this project to measure success and determine if it has applications in other areas.
Deforestation is a problem in the area, so MLP is using the land around the lodges, as well as help from the local community, to come up with a solution. They coordinated with 7 families to grow 100 local trees and plant them in the area. Yanapana essentially gives all the resources and training to the community members and then lets them take the project on themselves. They get seedlings for the trees and containers to grow them in, then use the compost from the kitchen and water from the water filtration system to grow the trees. Next year they plan to work with 14 families and expand the program to the other 3 lodges.
Many of the projects are tested at the main lodge then implemented at the other three lodges. As the eco-programs succeed, scientific tourism is encouraged because scientists realize this area is special and worth investing time and energy in.
Yanapana Peru
MLP, besides building sustainable lodges, works to improve the lives of the 200 families living in nearby communities. They created Yanapana Peru, the social arm of MLP. Their goal is to eradicate poverty in the area; they found a way to work with what they have, i.e. employing lots of community members. Yanapana Peru provides seed funding and resources to purchase materials and pay for training to give community members a trade. For example, all of the Mountain Lodges are staffed 80% by people from the local community. Many other hotels and lodges in the area bring in staff from the big cities, leaving the communities out in the cold. By involving local community members, MLP provides additional income to the community, giving educational training such as hotel management and culinary skills. They also help community members grow local fruits and vegetables (all organic) to increase the variety in their diet.
Their idea of sustainability is long-term and community-wide. To keep a project going you have to work with a community, using their own skills and ideas to give them resources, instead of just a gift or donation, to really implement a project. By investing in the community, they took flat-lined towns and “began to move the economy,” says Ricardo Hernandez, Planning and Compliance Manager of MLP. MLP and their Yanapana Peru Foundation support these local businesses by giving them funding and education to purchase materials and to get started. They then bring the tourists on a hike to Macchu Piccu through the town where they can purchase local crafts. They also give women and children resources and education, which brings the quality of life up for everyone. While there, we got to visit several of the projects that MLP supports, including Local Artisans, a woman’s clothing co-op and a local school.
Local artisans
First we met up with a local marmalade lady who showed us how she was learning to make marmalades and jams out of locally grown produce. She originally made a living by creating a variety of foods, but it was too expensive to purchase all of the ingredients and equipment. She found out about the health benefits of eating natural marmalades and thought this could be a great way for her to earn income for her family while also producing something good for the world.
Since the materials for her jams all come from local farms, the more successful she is, the more successful the farmers are. One fruit she uses – the ahuaymanto (a quetchua word) – is used as a medicine to lower cholesterol and fight osteoporosis and is packed with many vitamins. It has 23 preventative properties and 4 healing properties. The natural pectin inside works as a preservative, so she doesn’t have to add any unnecessary chemicals. She had several of her jams on display when we arrived and we got to try this magical healing fruit. To be honest, it tastes a bit like a tomato when you eat the fruit raw. The community wasn’t even eating it until recently–it just grew wild around the town and everyone ignored it. Now they are growing it to sell and eat. A large jar of her marmalade sells for 10 solis or $3.50USD.
She has been so successful that she has expanded to other towns, teaching other women her process and how to earn income for themselves. She is also teaching some of the local children so they learn more about local foods. She only makes marmalades that are in season and can make special orders by working with her clients. For example, for diabetics, she can make the marmalade without sugar.
Women’s Textile Cooperative – Asociacion Apu Salkantay Huarmicunas de Mollepata
This cooperative started when a group of women saw the many tourists going through the town of Mollepata and decided they wanted to do or make something that would earn them extra income. They went to Yanapana to pitch their idea and succeeded. Yanapana brought in specialists to teach them about making natural dyes, blending colors and how to make weavings, especially symbols that represent local life. Yanapana also helped them get legalized, unionized, organized and licensed. Now the women bring money into their homes to help out their families.
The women members use all natural dyes, many from the local area. For example, eucalyptus is used for a plum color, moss is used for an orange color, and pepper tree leaves are used for a green. There is also a little worm the women use that is ground up, sun-dried, and mixed with oil, water and fixers. It makes up to 16 different shades of purple. Scarves retail for 60 solis ($21 USD) and a poncho sells for 400 solis ($139).
Supporting Area Schools
MLP and Yanapana Peru (YP) also help communities by providing resources and improvements to area schools. In the town of Mollepata, the local school has one teacher and one helper for the 50 children that attend. YP provided school supplies, cereal, and hygienic materials while we were there. Since many homes lack these items, there are serious cavity problems in just about every community that YP works in. Talking with one staff member, she said YP’s goal is to prevent massive problems, so they are working with the children at a young age to teach them about things like proper dental care.
Since this trail system has been so successful, Hernandez wants to use this program as a pilot project for other communities. You too can be a part of this exciting adventure and support communities throughout rural Peru. This trip retails for approximately $3,000 USD and includes stays in all 4 eco-lodges, food, and mules to carry your equipment, and transportation around the area.
