Sustainable Living

Sustainability is our guiding principle at the Rainforest Retreat. Here it is not merely a saying but a holistic way of life. Our eco-tourism project is closely linked with our organic spice farm and the environmental education programs we conduct — all of them emphasize SUSTAINABLE LIVING.

We maintain a healthy respect for the carrying capacity of the land for both our agro-ecology and eco-tourism projects. We have remained intentionally small because it is the only way to stay truly self-sufficient and sustainable. Through our eco-friendly design and construction and use of alternate energy, we have ensured a minimal ecological footprint here.

Our farm is also self-sustaining and animal husbandry plays an important role. We produce all necessary inputs like compost (using biomass and cow dung slurry from our biogas plant), growth enhancers such as panchkavya, jeevamruth and pest repellents (from plant extracts) in-house.

We also maintain a dense forest-like canopy, water bodies and fallow wild areas to encourage biodiversity. Organic farms rely on a healthy predator–prey (pests) balance to keep things in check.

The use of alternate energy systems is critical to our functioning. Hence we have been using solar energy (both photovoltaics and water heating) for over 20 years. Green waste is fed to domestic animals and converted to dung which is used to produce the bio-gas which we use for cooking. We practice rainwater harvesting and everything possible is recycled. Nothing goes to waste.

We even provide excellent quality drinking water in glass bottles, thereby eliminating the menace of plastic. You too can assist by not bringing—or leaving behind—any plastic waste.