An interview with a TV producer from NBC who wanted to start a Green Travel TV show and spotlight Popa Paradise:
What makes your property stand out from others in the Eco-friendly/'green' categories? ie: Energy efficiency, sustainability etc.
Popa Paradise prides itself on its sustainable approach in the islands of Bocas del Toro. The owner, Peter Winn and his management team have always kept a focus on the local population in the area in many ways, including employee and developing the career skills of the local indigenous (Ngobe-Bugle) islanders. Mr. Winn’s first conversation with the local landowner that he bought the land from, assured the man that the resort would employ his sons and continue their education and development. The youngest son from that family is now a licensed boat captain for the resort. Our employment practices, our understanding and appreciation of the local culture and nature, our support of our island neighbors, and our low-impact approach to our island home, are all cultivated in order to sustain the resort as a benefit to the local community in addition to providing a luxurious stay to visitors to Bocas del Toro.
What aspects of your property are Eco-friendly in general?
In addition to providing employment and career development to locals, Popa Paradise supports the local economy through its everyday practices. Our chef has developed relationships with island farmers and fishermen ensuring that much of the menu comes from within just a few kilometers of the resort. We also provide a venue for the selling of crafts, which provides local women opportunity to support themselves. In addition to that, we provide an easy access to different indigenous villages, in order to foster an understanding and celebration of that which our guests and local villagers have in common, rather than an exploitation of our differences. Our overall mindset and approach to the respect and understanding of our position in the islands, both from a cultural and natural aspect, maintains that we continue to make eco-friendly choices as our resort grows.
How does your property affect the wildlife in the surrounding areas?
Our property was built on the site of an indigenous farm, so the land was already cleared before we arrived. Not only have we avoided having to cut down trees, but we have been able to take advantage of our labor force and investment into the land, in order to re-forest some of the land with native species of wood and flowers, bringing the land back to its original state. No earth-moving machinery was used to build any of Popa Paradise, minimizing our footprint on the land. The land dictated the design of the resort. In addition, our economic influence on local fisherman has discouraged the fishing of protected sea turtles and provided opportunities for local education on these issues.
How does your property affect the agriculture in the surrounding areas?
Our chef’s relationship with local farmers has encouraged the continued farming of vegetables and fruits that are local to the area. We also provide a venue for the sale of coffee beans, harvested by local families, providing a good source of income for families. We also off-load our food compost to a staff member who travels by canoe to his village each evening. He feeds the compost to his pig, which is a source of extra income and food for him and his family.
What is the wildlife in the area?
The wildlife in the immediate vicinity of the hotel are a wide-range of birds, including pelicans, parrots, kingfishers, and toucans on occasion. We also have sloths that lurk in the treetops from time to time as well as caimans in the rivers, though they are the hardest to spot. Underwater, just off our beaches, offers the biggest thrills, with colorful living corals, massive eagle rays and basking nurse sharks among the many different species easy to spot.
Are there specific green technologies your property operates with that the rest of us can apply towards a more sustainable future? Energy use in your homes? waste management? etc.
We here at Popa Paradise are very conscious of our precious water resources and have made a huge effort in order to sustain and conserve our resources. We do that through a system of rain catchments, which means we harvest the pure, clean rain off of our roofs and store it in tanks and storage bags. This rain water, through a simple filtration system is delicious to drink and provides us with a steady supply of fresh water. In addition to that, it makes every staff member as well as guests, pause and think about their water usage and its impact locally and globally.
Is your resort taking any initiative to protect those species that are endangered?
We first educate our staff to the scientific claims about the decreasing sea turtle populations. This is in order to establish a credibility of our knowledge on the subject. Once they were convinced of the priority of sea turtles’ survival, we were able to steer (and continue to steer) local fishermen away from killing sea turtles- through threats of reporting them to authorities as well as not economically supporting their fishing efforts for our resort and other peer pressures. Our staff helps with this, by offering a peer-based opinion in addition to our efforts.