Sustainability Archivos | Page 2 of 3 | Kallpa I Tour Operator

Tierra de Leyendas – More than just a boutique hotel

Have you heard about Tierra de Leyendas? It is possible that you did because it is one of the nicest hotels in Ushuaia. Besides its confort, charm and great service, they are involved in different important sustainable projects that we would like to share and support.

Maia and Sebas (the owners of the hotel) have been working for years in the development of sustainable practices in the hotel, as well as in the community of Ushuaia.

In the hotel they provide plastic solutions by recycling and removing the plastic track, conscious use of energy, use of compost as well as a vegetable garden, where they produce all that is served in the restaurant.

Through “A limpiar Ushuaia ” the civil association created by Tierra de Leyendas owners they carry out campaigns to clean the city as well as native forests of plastic waste and fagg-ends of cigarettes. Moreover, they promoted environmental laws and education to different institutions and companies.

At the same time, they also are respectful of the historical and cultural patrimony of the region. In fact, the name “Tierra de Leyendas-Land of legends” arises from the decoration of the rooms as they are inspired by hidden local stories that happened “at the end of the world”. Every year, in April, the hotel holds a meeting called “Manos a la Tierra”. Through their foundation “A limpiar Ushuaia” local artists, neighbors of the community, are invited to educate and build consciousness about the protection of the natural and cultural patrimony of Tierra del Fuego.

We know that alliances with partners,hotels and guides who are committed to this kind of action and care about sustainability, will lead us to a much better future.

About O2 Hotel in Puerto Iguazu and Its Sustainable Practices

On this occasion, we are glad to present a recently opened 4* hotel in Puerto Iguazu. We are referring to the O2 Iguazu Hotel which understands the importance of establishing sustainable management in its operation.

All their processes are based on a balance between the business, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions, making some specific commitments based on their programs, action plans and protocols. To name a few: respect and protection of human and labor rights, tourist accessibility, healthiness in food and beverages, sustainable shopping, conservation of biodiversity, responsible solid waste management, among others.

Some of the concrete sustainable actions the 02 hotel took are:

O2 Iguazu hotel uses a sustainable process of waste separation. That allows them to stop the generation of 300kg of organic waste. In addition, all the food waste is donated to the local farms in the area to use to feed the pigs, generating compost.

In order to reduce the environmental impact to the minimum, this year the hotel planted 344 trees in the Iryapú reservation, to compensate for their carbon footprint emission.

They use two renewable energy systems for hot water heating: 1) a system of pellet boilers, which is obtained from the reconversion of the main by-product of the wood industry, sawdust.

2) Photovoltaic panels were installed on the rooftop of the hotel to use solar energy.

For more information, please contact your Account Executive in Kallpa.

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Living in the Jungle in Misiones

Living in the jungle provides unexpected and unique experiences. Animals wandering free in the wild, picking up groceries and medicines from diverse plants and trees, coexisting with a humid climate all year round. Life in the rainforest is lively, colorful and tough.

Yacutinga was the first jungle lodge in Argentina, created almost 20 years ago as a project for biodiversity conservation and protection in the northeast of Misiones province, one of the richest natural regions in the country.

Today it has become an ecotourism attraction itself for anyone who enjoys raw nature and who is willing to take part on this environmental and sustainable project. At Yacutinga, guests discover not only the unique curiosities of these magical and vast surroundings but also the deep bond between man and nature. Whilst visiting Yacutinga, guests contribute to a new conservation and sustainability concept in Argentina.

The Origins program, besides providing a complete jungle interpretation and understanding, promises an unexpected journey to find out about the lifestyle and social reality of the Kagui Pora Guarani community. The idea is to complement this experience reaching native flora and fauna and also getting to know day by day life in the jungle.

This is a 4 days / 3 nights program, starting at the Raices Argentinas inn (only minutes away from the Puerto Iguazú airport) where a special truck picks you up and gets into the subtropical rainforest to take you to the Yacutinga protected area.

On the way, the red dirt soil combines with many shades of green, diverse and lush vegetation and jungle noises and aromas that awaken your senses. Signs by the road warn about the presence of many wildlife species that may come your way.

After a few hours, you will finally reach Yacutinga Lodge and probably be greeted with homemade warm chipa (baked rolls made from manioc flour and cheese) and fresh drinks.

During the stay, a set of planned activities provide the opportunity to understand life at the rainforest from an environmental and social point of view.

Kayaking through the jungle waters and hiking into the forest joined by expert ecologist guides. A tour to the yerba mate plantation including an explanation about the mate ritual. Learning about how locals use medicinal native plants for homeopathic medicine; an ancient tradition that allowed the settling of the pioneer families in this rural environment. And, of course, the visit to the Kagui Pora Guarani community and meet its people and learn about their lifestyle in the jungle; comprehending their nature, traditions, habits, myths and legends.

Yacutinga Origins proffers a unique experience for the adventurous traveller. A close encounter with nature and local people at a place where past and future meet to create a curious present. An eye-opening experience for any visitor.

Please contact us for more information about this special program.

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Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

We are a growing company and we also help others to grow. For this reason, we want to cooperate with foundations and organizations that bring growth to society and people with fewer resources. They really care and know what reduce, reuse, recycle mean.

Such is the case of “Fundación Compañía Social Equidad”. They have a recycling workshop where they receive donations of obsolete digital equipment which they recycle to later donate to organizations that cannot access new technology, with the objective of bridging the digital divide in the society. They also have a technical school where they train people who have been excluded from the labor market due to little or no knowledge of new technologies and web 2.0. Finally, they have an area of project implementation and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)

Due to the emergence of the digital divide that appears as a future threat to social integration in the year 2001, economic crisis in full, “Fundación Equidad” started to take shape. One of the things that led to its inception was the program of Digital Communication and Journalism where emphasis was placed on stimulating the desire of the participants to learn, create and produce, helping to improve their self-esteem. One workshop, aimed to 20 adolescents between 15 and 17 years, was held under the Young Web Program, from the Ministry of Education of the City.

Other prominent developments of the Foundation were Research for Education andTechnology to present an overview of programs for inclusion and use of technology in the schools of the City of Buenos Aires.

The School Computerisation Programme, which from 2001 provided computers to schools in five provinces of Argentina. They also created the Digital Community Centers with leaders and teachers in the country. They created 14 Digital Community Centers in 7 provinces that provide digital literacy and Internet access to poor people. A Digital Community Center is a place that provides public access to computers, training in the use of basic software applications, navigation and social services over the Internet.

Environmental pollution is a consequence of improper waste disposal and since at Kallpa we are committed to doing our portion for the environment care, we have decided to donate equipment and computer supplies to “Fundación Compañía Social Equidad”and to commit even more with all the aspects involving our development as a company as regards as social responsibility.