Sold on Sustainability
01 Dec 2009
by: — Randy B. Hecht
Sold on Sustainability
Businesses
in Mexico are answering the call to provide a greener future for visitors and
locals alike
It's profitable being green. That's the discovery
being made by businesses throughout Mexico, which is seeing increased interest
in sustainability and green initiatives in industries as varied as tourism, real
estate, and household products.
In one sense, green practices are nothing
new in Mexico, where reusing and recycling have been standard practice for many
generations. But the increased worldwide focus on ecological concerns is helping
to drive a growing trend toward earth-friendly practices in Mexico's vacation
and retirement destinations. The younger end of the baby boom generation has shown
particular interest in diverse communities, ecotourism, and giving back, says
Quintin (Faurest) Montenegro, owner of Emerald Coast Developments, a developer
of residential communities in San Pancho, a small village in Nayarit, on the stretch
of Pacific coast north of Puerto Vallarta.
"[Boomers] are sharing their
ideas and they're being well received," Montenegro notes. "Green technologies
and services were a niche market, but people now expect to see environmental responsibility
as well as cultural responsibility in the communities they choose for their second
homes."
Keeping
it Local
The trend toward locally sourced dining is in full swing at
Hacienda Santa Rosa de Lima, a Starwood Hotels property located 45 miles from
Mérida. Many of the ingredients used in the resort's restaurant are grown
organically on the premises or in neighboring haciendas, and the seafood is caught
by local fishermen. There's even a selection of herbal teas produced from plants
grown in the property's botanical garden. And as interest in cultural tourism
grows, the resort is helping to sustain local Mayan traditions by buying handicrafts
from local artisans, the majority of whom are women, to display throughout the
hotel.
San Miguel de Allende has long been a favorite of U.S. and Canadian expatriates
and retirees. The city's largest independent and assisted living community, called
Cielito Lindo, features a low-maintenance landscaping scheme. There's also a water
conservation system, and buyers have the option of choosing a solar water heating
system that Cielito Lindo estimates will pay for itself in two years' time. The
community also features a clubhouse with walls constructed of material made from
straw. That particular feature began as a university project for Eric Chazaro.
A principal of Organización Caoba, the development company that built Cielito
Lindo, Chazaro studied sustainability while earning his undergraduate degree in
industrial engineering, and it has become a prime selling point for Cielito Lindo.
In
fact, the development has been a hit despite the soft real estate market. "We
were very surprised because things were slow [most of the] year," Chazaro
says. "But suddenly, in August and September we sold all of what we were
supposed to sell for the year."
Emerald Coast Developments is employing
eco-construction strategies at its residential communities in San Pancho. Montenegro
says the company has two environmental objectives: low-density development and
a small carbon footprint. To that end, 70 percent of the total area of the first
development, slated to roll out in 2010, will be green space. Designed for locals
and foreign buyers, the community incorporates green building techniques such
as solar paneling, compressed adobe block construction, and a recycled water system.
Emerald
Coast Developments also has established the Emerald Coast Foundation to provide
funding for a range of projects that contribute to sustaining San Pancho as a
great place for locals to live. "Our main focus has been education and reclaiming
public spaces to create community," Montenegro points out. He adds that investment
in the area has encouraged more young people to return to San Pancho after completing
their college education. "We are seeing the town's children returning as
architects and engineers and interior designers," he notes. "That's
kind of the subtext of the development and bringing in more foreigners. A greater
guest community has greater needs."
Interest
in Ecotourism
Alltournative Off Track Adventures of Playa del Carmen
has built its business on green practices. Brand manager Raúl Madrazo says
the company has seen a growing interest in ecotourism and cultural immersion among
all groups of travelers, from families to honeymooners. Alltournative offers a
variety of trips, from a Maya Encounter, which introduces visitors to ancient
ruins and modern-day Mayan villages, to adventure travel activities like zip-lining
above jungles and cenotes.
Revenue from the tours helps to finance the
company's sustainability goals, which include providing increas-ed income and
employment opportunities for the Mayan people that will allow them to preserve
their communities and customs. The trend of combining travel with cultural immersion
has also increased the local pride in the indigenous Mayan heritage, Madrazo says.
As
these emerging trends demonstrate, travelers can help create a better world simply
by going somewhere and supporting positive change. Driven by the interest in environmentalism
among international visitors and local businesses, Mexico is certain to sustain
its efforts to promote a greener future.
— Randy B. Hecht
Tires
and billboards are part of a new line of eco-accessories gaining popularity in
Mexico City. A company called Sustenta is turning inner tubes into backpacks and
converting billboards to messenger bags. It also manufactures disposable pens
that literally go to seed instead of going to landfills. Made of bioplastic derived
from corn polymers, each pen is 100 percent compostable, and as a bonus, the caps
are embedded with arugula, basil, dill, and fennel seeds. When the pen runs out
of ink, it can be planted in the ground and reincarnated as a mini garden.
A
new product line tied to the 2010 World Cup will launch early next year, says
Sustenta sales director Angel Trejo. Items will include T-shirts made with a blend
of cotton and recycled plastic bottles, and the world's first certified-organic
100 percent blue agave tequila.
Sustenta already sells its products in Spain,
Italy, and South America and hopes to enter the U.S. market. Trejo believes the
sustainability movement plays to one of Mexico's strengths and that the market
for Sustenta's products will grow if consumers remember the value of natural and
cultural diversity. "Natural resources are a key for the next 20 or 30 years,"
he says, "and we have to understand how we can take advantage of that and
make sustainability a reality."
— R.B.H.
Photographs: Courtesy of Starwood Hotels; courtesy of Sustenta
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