OUR PRIORITY: CARING FOR PACHAMAMA
Our Ecohotel embraces and promotes measures aimed not only at reducing environmental impact but also at regenerating the ecosystems that surround us. We work to ensure the well-being of the current population while safeguarding the quality of life of future generations, by caring for and revitalizing the environment that gives life and identity to our community.
WATER
We protect and prevent contamination of soil, drinking water, and the sewage system by continuously training our team and seeking eco-friendly products, innovative ideas, and new technologies. We periodically perform proper maintenance of all sanitary installations to ensure optimal performance and have developed a Water and Energy Saving Manual based on international standards. We also encourage our guests to adopt simple responsible-consumption habits, such as optional towel replacement every other day and the free refill of reusable bottles with filtered drinking water—reducing plastic waste in the process. In internal-use areas we have installed air-pressure fluxers in faucets and showers to save water.
Our garden follows xeriscaping principles, highlighting the native flora of this climate: cacti, succulents, and tree species that require less water and minimal phytosanitary products. In recent years, we have begun creating a small botanical park featuring species native to arid regions. The installation of a swimming pool remains under evaluation until all cost-benefit (economic and environmental) considerations are analyzed and a design consistent with the socio-cultural characteristics of the area can be achieved.
In 2019, we built a graywater purification system to treat water from laundry machines for later use in irrigation. This phytosanitary plant—installed in our Ecohotel—is the first of its kind in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. As part of the same expansion project, we also installed a green roof covering a surface of 42 m² above the breakfast room, the first green roof in the Quebrada and Puna Jujeña region.
Since 2024, we have implemented a cleaning system for rooms and common areas based on natural and biodegradable products, free of fragrances and aggressive chemical agents. These carefully selected solutions ensure deep, safe hygiene while protecting human health and reducing environmental impact.
ENERGY
Our energy management strategy focuses on reducing demand, optimizing consumption and equipment performance, and making the most of one of our region’s most valuable resources: the sun.
For over a decade, we have incorporated solar thermal solutions into our daily operations: a custom-built solar oven and dehydrator used for food preparation, and solar water heaters manufactured in Jujuy by the local company Juysolar. In 2020, we went a step further by installing an innovative solar air-heating system in the reception and breakfast room—the first implemented by a private enterprise in the entire province.
Our energy strategy is complemented by the use of A-rated appliances, LED lights, solar luminaires for both indoor and outdoor lighting, optimal building insulation, preventive maintenance, and continuous staff training.
In December 2023, we commissioned a 14.3 kW solar photovoltaic system consisting of 26 panels installed over the parking area, supplying 100% of the hotel’s electricity demand and injecting surplus energy into the grid. This is the first distributed-generation installation in a hotel within the municipality of Purmamarca.
In October 2025, we added an analemmatic sundial designed specifically for Purmamarca’s latitude. This educational feature allows visitors to tell the time using their own shadow and complements our existing traditional sundial.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The rapid growth of tourism in the Quebrada de Humahuaca has placed significant pressure on natural resources and waste-disposal systems. Aware of this reality, Ecohotel Posta de Purmamarca committed more than 20 years ago to minimizing negative impacts and promoting a circular approach to the materials we use.
We operate a comprehensive waste-management system that enables us to responsibly dispose of 80% of the waste we generate, based on source separation, detailed record-keeping, and traceability of the final destination of each type of material. This system is supported by operational manuals, ongoing training, and the active collaboration of our team members and guests.
We process approximately one ton of organic waste annually through an innovative microorganism-based composting system installed by a local organic nursery. This method accelerates decomposition without the need for turning or watering, producing high-quality compost used in our garden and orchard. Surplus compost is donated to small farmers and neighbors in the area.
We also maintain a strong commitment to waste reduction and the elimination of single-use plastics: replacing disposable amenities with refillable dispensers in rooms and common areas, offering filtered water in glass bottles, using biodegradable bags for organic waste collection, among other measures—all while encouraging responsible consumption habits among guests and staff.
Plastics, glass, cans, paper, and other recyclables are carefully sorted (into 40 different categories) and delivered to the Municipality, local entrepreneurs, NGOs, and cooperatives of urban recyclers, strengthening the region’s circular economy. Thanks to this comprehensive approach, the Ecohotel has significantly reduced the volume of waste sent to landfill, raised environmental awareness, and demonstrated that sustainability can be effectively integrated into every operational decision.
SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE
In all construction and remodeling projects, we prioritize sustainable architecture, which favors the use of local materials, respects the landscape, uses resources efficiently, generates less waste, and provides healthier, more comfortable indoor environments. We also apply bioclimatic design—structures capable of regulating their own temperature without additional technology—and bioconstruction techniques using recycled or repurposed materials, transforming potential waste into resources.
The expansion of the reception, laundry room, and breakfast area completed in 2020 marked a milestone for the Ecohotel by combining ancestral construction techniques with technological innovations and circular-economy principles. Local materials such as adobe, stone, and cane were preserved, along with traditional knowledge from the Quebrada, and integrated with solar thermal systems—including solar water heaters—and a solar air-heating system developed in Jujuy by Fundación EcoAndina. Circular-economy criteria were applied throughout the project, prioritizing material reuse, waste minimization, and resource-efficient construction processes.
The project also included the installation of a phytosanitary plant for reusing laundry graywater for irrigation, and a 42 m² green roof that improves thermal efficiency, biodiversity, and interior comfort. Together, these solutions made the extension a pioneering example of sustainable architecture applied to tourism in the Quebrada and Puna regions. The project was recognized in December 2020 with the AmCham Argentina CSR Award in the Environment – Responsible Production and Consumption category.
CORPORATE CARBON FOOTPRINT
As part of our management and environmental commitment, in 2024 we calculated our Corporate Carbon Footprint following international GHG Protocol standards, using 2023 as the baseline year. In 2025, we updated the results in accordance with ISO 14064:2018, establishing an annual monitoring system that enables accurate measurement, reduction, and communication of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.
Measuring our carbon footprint is a key tool for identifying improvement opportunities, optimizing processes, and responding to the growing demand for transparency from guests, partners, and regulatory bodies.
In recognition of this work, in 2025 Ecohotel Posta de Purmamarca was awarded Level 3 – Leading Company in the Corporate Climate Ambitions Program of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Jujuy, the highest distinction granted to organizations with verifiable results in mitigation, adaptation, and emissions management. It is also the second company in the province—and the first SME—to achieve this recognition, reaffirming its leadership in the transition toward low-carbon hospitality.
FORESTATION
We actively promote the protection of native flora, taking every opportunity to raise awareness and engage our community. We organize environmental-education workshops, collective planting activities, and the distribution of trees to local residents and Indigenous communities, strengthening the connection between people and their natural surroundings.
We produce our own seedlings and collaborate with an organic nursery in the provincial capital, contributing local seeds to reproduce native species and preserve regional biodiversity.
For ten years, we supported a significant forestation project in the Chalala neighborhood, where more than 500 trees now grow. In 2020, we expanded this initiative to the Angosto del Saladillo area—near the Salinas Grandes—mobilizing donations of native species that are cared for by Fidel Hoyos, a local guardian committed to his territory and to the dream of seeing his landscape flourish again.