Working with nature
What makes Raja Ampat Eco Lodge
ecological?
The word “eco”, short for “ecology” or the science of relationships between organisms and the natural world, refers to not harming the environment.
The misuse of this adjective by businesses capitalising on the growing ecotourism industry calling themselves "eco" as they are situated next to nature but with marginal ecological practices, has elicited much distaste by environmentalists.
In this case, our two-bungalow Raja Ampat Eco Lodge is designed to minimise its footprint on the natural environment, and meaningfully contribute to the local economy, communities and conservation efforts.
We offer travellers a base from which to explore and experience the richness and beauty of people and place in a responsible way.
With absent or limited resources and infrastructure available to us in this remote location of the world, we go beyond what’s necessary to figure out bespoke, well-researched and tested pragmatic solutions that we try to implement in our day-to-day family living and running of the lodge.
We also don't intend to scale our lodge, but instead demonstrate our best ecological living practices for other communities and businesses in the region to adopt for themselves.
Ecological Living Practices
Local Produce
We eat most of our fruit and vegetables from our garden, and buy only local pelagic fish, letting reef fish populations thrive.
Recycling
We bring our hard plastics, glass and metal to Raja Ampat's recycling facility. We're in conversation with consultants and Indonesian companies to improve facilities and prevent waste from ending up in the sea.
Solar Power
We use a blend of electricity from the village and solar energy to power our water heating and electricity use.
Upcycling
We upcycle where we can, for example, using broken or discarded water tanks as flower beds or vegetable gardens.
Natural Cleaning Agents
We use eco-friendly detergents, dish soap and other cleaning products and minimise the use of toxic or non-biodegradable chemicals for housekeeping and lodge maintenance.
Black Soldier Fly Composting
Black soldier fly only eat as larvae making them non-invasive, non-annoying and amazing composters for food waste and our cooking oil. Not only do they hinder flies from breeding, but they also release a pheromone that keeps away other insects.
Biochar
We burn small wood waste material into a charcoal-like substance to enhance the soil fertility of our land.
Rainwater Use
We harvest about 10,000 litres of rainwater which we use where we can, i.e. the hot guest showers, garden and RO-filtered cooking water. Rainwater isn't always a practical option so we have a borehole where we pump water for toilets.
Organic Food Production
We do not use any chemicals in our food production system.
For support on eco projects in Raja Ampat, please contact us if you might require initial advice or in-depth consultation.
