This article is a translation from “Pequeñas Acciones , grandes cambios reales” published by Yelcho en la Patagonia.
At Yelcho en la Patagonia, we believe that sustainability is not a green sticker or a brochure tagline — it’s a way of operating, deciding, and inhabiting the landscape that surrounds us. Many of the actions we’ve taken over the past seasons aren’t visible to our guests. They’re not on the breakfast table or in a photo, but they’re present in every drop of water, in every emission-free kilometer, in every local purchase, and in every piece of waste that never gets created.
This year we took concrete steps — some quiet, others pioneering — to ensure that the positive impact of our operations extends beyond our property and contributes to the wellbeing of the natural and social environment that sustains us. In a place where the landscape speaks for itself, we believe the best way to honor it is to protect, regenerate, and share it with care.
These are some of the actions we implemented as part of our commitment to more conscious, respectful, and regenerative tourism. Some are visible, others happen behind the scenes — but all contribute to the same goal: protecting the place we call home.
🧴 Sustainable Amenities: Eliminating Single-Use Plastics and Using Certified Products
In the 2024–2025 season, we made a concrete move toward responsible hospitality by eliminating all single-use amenities. We replaced individual containers with refillable dispensers and carefully selected suppliers that share our sustainability vision.
We partnered with Brika Organics, a Chilean company specializing in sustainable cosmetics. Their products are made with natural and biodegradable ingredients and designed with a low environmental impact.These products meet high sustainability standards and are certified by international institutions:
- ✅ Cosmos Natural (ECOCERT): European certification guaranteeing natural ingredients and the exclusion of harmful synthetic substances.
- 🐰 Cruelty Free (Leaping Bunny): Ensures products are not tested on animals.
- 🌱 Vegan Certification: No animal-derived ingredients.
- ♻️ Recyclable and reusable containers: Aligned with circular economy principles.
Brika also promotes local production with a triple-impact approach:
- 🌿 Clean formulas, free of sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, and microplastics.
- 🧪 Septic-safe and aquatic ecosystem-safe.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Support for local suppliers and traceable production processes.
This initiative not only significantly reduces waste but also ensures that every product we use aligns with our ecological and social values.
💧 Our First Onsite Water Treatment Plant
To minimize the environmental impact of our operations, we implemented a major improvement in 2024–2025: the installation of Yelcho en la Patagonia’s first wastewater treatment plant.
The system was designed to operate efficiently in a low-density setting like ours and treats both greywater and blackwater onsite. The process includes biological filtration, sedimentation, and subsurface dispersion, ensuring that treated water returns to the environment without risk of contamination.
This reduces nutrient and organic load that could affect surrounding ecosystems, including Lake Yelcho and local wetlands, and meets high environmental standards with low visual impact.
The initiative was recognized by Patagonia Land Conservation as a pioneering example of best practices in protected natural areas.
♻️ Recycling Program: Sorted Waste for a Circular Future
We launched a formal recycling program focused on separating, storing, and transporting glass, plastics, and cardboard.
This required adjusting our common areas with sorting points and establishing a weekly routine for transport to the municipal recycling center in Chaitén, over 57 km away.
Our maintenance and cleaning teams received specific training in:
- Waste classification and sorting
- Volume reduction (e.g. PET bottle compaction)
- Pre-cleaning and drying to prevent contamination
The collected materials are delivered to the local recycling system, contributing to a circular economy in the province and reducing landfill waste.
🛒 Local Sourcing: Fair Trade and Circular Territory Economy
We prioritized direct purchasing from local producers and small businesses in Chaitén and Santa Lucía. While this often means paying higher prices than large distributors, the real value lies in supporting local economies and reducing logistic dependencies.
What we source locally:
- Seasonal fruits and vegetables
- Artisan bread
- Packaged goods from small producers
- Local craft beer (Wechun)
- Hardware supplies
Benefits include:
- 🛻 Lower transport emissions
- 💸 Income redistribution within neighboring communities
- 🧑🌾 Strengthening local identity and supply chains
- 🧭 Greater transparency and trust in suppliers
This approach builds long-term human and commercial relationships based on cooperation rather than cost alone.
🥬 Self-Production: Food from Our Own Land
Beyond efficiency, we believe sustainability includes autonomy and a strong connection to the land. That’s why we expanded our in-house agricultural operation in 2024–2025.
Our agroecological garden supplies most of the vegetables and herbs used in our restaurant and breakfast service, and our free-range chicken coop provides fresh, high-quality eggs.
Key benefits:
- 🐓 Ethical animal treatment
- 🥬 Real-time harvest with pesticide-free crops
- 🚫 Fewer containers and transport emissions
- 🌱 Educational value and guest experience
This internal supply system reconnects visitors with natural food cycles and fosters more conscious, sustainable eating.
⚡ The First EV Charger in Palena Province
We installed the first public electric vehicle charging station in Palena Province in 2024–2025.
Located in our parking area, the semi-fast Wallbox charger is compatible with most EV and hybrid models in Chile. It’s available to guests and anyone traveling the Carretera Austral.
Benefits include:
- 🔋 Encouraging zero-emission travel in ecologically sensitive zones
- 🚗 Closing the infrastructure gap in remote areas
- 🛣️ Promoting long-distance sustainable mobility on the Austral Highway
This initiative aims not only to meet the needs of new conscious travelers but also to inspire other tourism ventures to embrace low-impact technologies.
🏫 Community-Centered Tourism: Free Access for Local Schools
This season, we emphasized our social sustainability work by opening our facilities free of charge to schools throughout Palena Province.
From Futaleufú to Chaitén, we welcomed children and youth for educational visits, outdoor activities, and community events — offering access to natural spaces that are often beyond reach.
We also supported schools, churches, foundations, and cultural groups by donating stays, meals, and experiences to be used in local raffles and fundraising events, creating a positive loop between tourism and community development.
We firmly believe that a tourism project in Patagonia should not exist in isolation — it should be an active part of its community.
🧑🤝🧑 Internal Sustainability: Team Commitment and Policy Reform
We understood that lasting change depends on a committed team. That’s why we reformed our internal policies and company statutes, integrating sustainability into our organizational identity.
These updates included:
- Formalizing environmental and social best practices as permanent policies
- Making sustainability a cross-cutting theme in meetings and training
- Recognizing sustainability not as an “extra” but as core to how we operate, decide, and grow
Real impact happens when values are not just declared — they’re institutionalized.
A Commitment Beyond the Season
At Yelcho en la Patagonia, being sustainable means caring for the environment, the people who live here, the ones who visit, and those who will inherit it.
Our actions go beyond good intentions — they’re concrete decisions that affect how we use water, choose suppliers, relate to our neighbors, and open our doors.
Most of these efforts are invisible to guests, and probably won’t show up in a review. But they’re in every corner: a biodegradable soap, a schoolchild’s first visit to the wilderness, a raffle prize that helps fund a local project.
Our commitment doesn’t end with the season. It renews with each winter, each pruning, each decision for the future. Because sustainability is not a destination — it’s how we walk the present with long-term vision.
And that — more than a service — is an act of respect.
