The Lapa Rios Ecolodge now gets its power from kitchen grease.
Photo: Lapa Rios

by Brook Wilkinson

The Lapa Rios Ecolodge in Costa Rica, already an environmental and social do-gooder, has just announced that it will be converting to biodiesel. Those of you familiar with the biodiesel debates in this country may pooh-pooh this news, as I did (corn-based biodiesel, the type manufactured most often here, takes more energy to produce than it can generate). But Lapa Rios has it right, according to the eco-geeks over at Treehugger, who've kindly explained that the lodge's biodiesel will come from its own used kitchen grease, and will in fact reduce its carbon emissions by 75 percent.

Lapa Rios has already earned plenty of praise from Conde Nast Traveler: It's the only property in the world ever to be named to both the magazine's Gold and Green Lists, the former for its sumptuousness and the latter for its eco and social sensitivity. Now we've got confirmation from a trusted source that it's continuing to lead the way for ecotourism innovations. The next time you're at a hotel, ask where its energy comes from. If the source isn't already an alternative one like biodiesel or solar, tell them to talk to the folks at Lapa Rios.