Where Luxury Meets Responsibility

Water Conservation and Waste Management

Water conservation is at the heart of this effort and is driven by our Root -Zone Treatment through Canna plant (one of the biggest of its kind in Asia). The plant effectively recycles our waste water and is used for safe areas like gardening effectively negating the carbon footprint. Our pathways have been designed which allows rainwater to seep through them, thus maintaining the underground water table.

These practices are carried over in our Solid Waste Management efforts as well, as all biodegradable waste generated within the property is decomposed and utilized as manure for our gardens and organic farming. The non-biodegradable waste is collected, segregated and sent for recycling, maintaining the ecological balance within the resort. Empty paint boxes are used as dustbins and paper bags are made out of used newspapers.

ENERGY AND WOOD CONSERVATION

Energy conservation was at the heart even when Aahana was envisioned. The construction was done keeping in mind ecological norms and regulations. Most of the wood used in the resort was "repurposed" and was directly transported from Alang in Gujarat.

The rooms were designed to receive natural light during the day which reduces consumption of electricity and we use energy efficient (LED /CFL) lights across the property. The power infrastructure was planned using high conducting transmission lines to minimize energy losses.

Further energy conversation features includes an increased role for solar energy in our water heating systems and the installation of a Gobar Gas Plant, a renewable natural resource, is used by the staff for cooking.

NATURE AS OUR FIRST GUEST, MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY

Aahana is essentially getting "reforested" as it was barren agricultural land – it hence naturally attracts birds and butterflies and more than 100 different types of birds have been sighted within the property. Learning from local nature experts made us plant natural mosquito repellent plants like Lemongrass and Citronella, hence paring down the usage of insecticides and pesticides.

We are aggressively pursuing a "grown right here" organic direction and have our own spices and exotic vegetable garden which also produces various medicinal plants and herbs that are used for treatments and therapies in our own spa. We also have our own little dairy, and some of the dairy products come from there. We also provide our guests herbal tea that is prepared from more than 10 different herbs growing inside the resort.

The resort continues to promote activities that do not disturb the wildlife. Only light music is played by our singer and the guitarist to entertain the guests so as to reduce noise pollution. We have collaborated with an N.G.O "The Corbett Foundation" for wildlife conservation, to spread environmental awareness.

To promote community based participation the resort undertakes various activities where villagers are actively involved viz; cultural nights where villagers come and perform, they talk about the culture and history of the place and even cook local cuisines, undertake various cleanliness drives in the village and promote their handicrafts.

As an ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE RESORT in a tourism destination, we have undertaken many initiatives. A few of them are mentioned here…

• We have taken a number of small steps to create greener world by using recycled materials for stationery and laundry bags.
• We use small refillable toiletries in the bathrooms and try to keep our banquet setups clutter free by using less of linens and frills.
• One of the most interesting steps we took is using recycled water for our gardens and we actively engage in rainwater harvesting.
• During the day, we put to use the abundant solar energy for our boilers.
• We engage in solid waste management.
• We do not use any pesticides or fertilizers inside the property.
• A large number of herbs and medicinal plants have been grown inside the property. We are happy to share with you that we have been able to considerably reduce the number of mosquitoes in the place by growing lemon grass and citronella

And while we at Aahana Resort go forward on our mission to make this popular destination environmentally friendly, we also eagerly look up to you to share your good wishes for this green endeavor.