Black Sheep Inn, Eco Club, Green Hotel ier, Sustainable Travel International

Ecuador Black Sheep Inn

In the sleepy Andean village of Chugchilán, close to the majestic Laguna Quilotoa - a volcanic crater / lake, you will find The Black Sheep Inn, thus named because only "black sheep" would find their way there in the early days. Ten years and a lot of effort later from Andy & Michelle, this is now a highly acclaimed, model ecological inn and a permaculture demonstration site, without losing any of its authenticity. Don't miss the infamous eco-conveniences, complete with growing vegetables, and a majestic view!

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Tourists go to the Black Sheep Inn in Ecuador not just to use their famous composting toilets. They stay there for excellent vegetarian food, hiking and spectacular Andean views - even from the toilets, each of which contains a small flower and vegetable garden. Recently the inn installed new hand-washing sinks in the toilets and, as part of HEAM, they posted a sign alongside the sinks which says:
'Water is the circle of life: Rainwater for hand-washing is collected from the roof of this bathroom. The sink drains into the small flower and vegetable garden, which flourishes in the warmth created by the transparent roof. The hand soap is bio-degradable. The garden is fertilised by humanure/compost produced from this toilet. The duck pond below this building is filled with the overflow rainwater from the roof. The ducks eat insects out of the finished compost and lay eggs which we use for baking chocolate brownies, banana bread and oatmeal cookies. Recycling is completing the endless circle.'
In June 2003 the Black Sheep Inn opened a small public library and computer learning centre. It recently acquired another donation to provide 300 school textbooks for children.

moreinformation: Michelle Kirby
tel: +593 3 281-4587
email: info@blacksheepinn.com

Featured Tourism Supplier:
Black Sheep Inn

This month's featured travel provider exemplifies the story of a dream come true. They also operate one of the most sustainable facilities we've found in South America.

In 1993 a couple of American backpackers who loved to travel and explore 'off the beaten track' first visited Chugchilán, Ecuador. "There was no hotel in town, so we knocked on a few doors looking for a bed and ended up staying with a local family," explains Andres Hammerman and Michelle Kirby. "We fell in love with the area: the dramatic Sierra landscape, the great hiking, the canyon, the cloud forest, Laguna Quilotoa, the excellent cheeses and most of all the friendly people."

Of course, when a local asked, "If you like this place so much, why don't you buy our land?" they tried to laugh it off. But it was too late. The seed was planted, and their destiny was changed forever. Over the next few years, Hammerman and Kirby worked triple time back in the U.S. to save enough money to realize their dream. They returned to Ecuador to open an inn that would allow them to align their lives with their values. This now includes growing organic food, raising free range animals, incorporating ecological systems into business operations, and caring for the earth. Now, the Black Sheep Inn is one of the most well respected accommodations in Ecuador.

The Black Sheep Inn is pursuing sustainability on a large scale locally. They have incorporated permaculture into the design of their facility which was built by locals using natural and renewable resources such as adobe and straw. In addition, they utilize food from their own organic gardens and greenhouse. They reuse roof water for washing, gardening, and reforestation of native trees on their property. They also have reduced energy use by 80%, and they are planning on converting half of the property to solar electric power this year. Perhaps, their most famous feature is their composting toilets, complete with inside gardens and a fantastic view!

Their bottom line: "Every aspect of the Black Sheep Inn has been designed to promote conservation, sustainability, and environmentalism." We agree, and couldn't think of a better "eco-lodge" to highlight this month.

For more information about the Black Sheep Inn and other responsible travel providers, visit STI's Eco-Directory or Black Sheep Inn's web site.