A TERRIBLE PROBLEM IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN COSTA RICA AND THE WORLD:

The cooking oil that left from the kitchens of all hotels and restaurants represents a big danger for the environment, animal’s and human’s health because of the bad techniques people use for waste it:

One drop of cooking oil can pollutes 100 liters of water if it is waste directly through the sink, a river or the sea.

As well, many unaware people re- use it several times for cooking, without noticing that as soon as the oil is elevate for its first time to high temperatures it gets converted into a dioxine that become one of the main causes of cancer for humans.

Finally, other people uses it for fattening animals in farms, ignoring that the animal will be polluted and also the humans as secondary consumers of their meat.

A lack of awareness, recycling culture and a good institution in charge of veiling a sustainable growing, the tourism instead of being a good solution could be starting to represent a problem and an obstacle for the green vision of the country.

THE SOLUTION: YO HAGO EL CAMBIO FOUNDATION, BY ECOGETAWAYS TRAVEL:

According to this alarming situation, our initiative Yo hago el Cambio was borned as a Non

Gubernamental Organization in Costa Rica, offering an integral solution in sustainability and social responsability for the tourism enterprises that want to get involved and be part of the change.

Yo hago el Cambio states, that if the enterprises work in Alliance as a sector, they can make a positive impact, contributing with the awareness of many employees and stake holders, promoting the sustainable development of the communities and preventing effects of the climate change.

The organization has created a network of members that involves hotels and restaurants in four of the seven provinces of the country, offering them a social responsibility program that includes recollecting and recycling services including cooking oil (turning it into biodiesel), plastics, cardboard, glass, aluminum, electronics and paper.

Also, looking for the awareness of the thousands of people that serves to this industry and the stake holders that involves all these enterprises, Yo hago el cambio offers to its members educational seminars and volunteers that inmerge their staff with this cause and with their community’s needs.

IMPORTANT AND POSITIVE IMPACT:

Four years ago, the organization:

  • Affiliated more than 50 hotels, restaurants and enterprises all over Costa Rica to its network.
  • Recycled more than 260 000 liters of cooking oil that will never be a danger for the environment, animals or human’s health and more than 2500 KG of solid wastes.
  • Recruited more than 750 volunteers of the sector to contribute to social or environmental causes that represents a problem or an urgent need into their communities.
  • Have made awareness to more than 1000 people through educational seminars, based in recycling practices, sustainability, among others.
  • Have won more than 5 national and international prizes and recognition for its innovative services and social impact.

Right now, Yo hago el cambio is working on the Alliance of the cruises that arrives to Costa Rica, willing for being the first country that offers a sustainable solution for the cruises industry in the World and also expand the positive impact of their mission through other countries in Latin America.