James of Olas and Eric of Hartwood talk about the Paradise that Tulum is with Ralph Lauren Magazine

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Once a hippie hideaway, Tulum has emerged as a destination
for the fashionable to decompress and spiritually recharge

“s we enter Hartwood, an open-air restaurant located, as its website says, “on the jungle side of Tulum Beach Road,” a guitarist plays a melancholy Spanish tune. Oil lamps cast a faint light in the damp darkness. Near the large wood-burning oven’s wild flame, a pile of squashes, dried flowers and potatoes are displayed like a Dutch still life. Standing in the orange light, a tall, thin man with a prominent ginger beard toils at the oven. Eric Werner is his name, and he once worked at Peasant and Vinegar Hill House in New York City. He first visited Tulum years ago, fell in love with it and stayed, opening Hartwood in December 2010. “My wife, Mya, and I believe that if you put your whole self into your dream and pray,” says Werner, “then Tulum is the place to build upon those principles.”

We sit among jasmine and gardenia trees. A bronzed man with wild curly hair brings pineapple-habanero margaritas followed by deliciously charred skirt steaks, melt-off-the-bone pork ribs cooked in agave leaves, mashed sweet potatoes, persimmons and sautéed chia, an exquisite, pungent local spinach. Here, there is no electricity, everything functions on sustainable energy and the ingredients come from nearby farms. “Tulum is a truly magical place,” says James Greenfeld, a New Yorker who moved here to open his five-suite luxury rental, Casa de las Olas, near the Sian Ka’an nature reserve and who organizes OH! Food, a sustainable gastronomy festival, with Werner. “It’s very raw and pure.”

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Like Greenfeld and Werner, many of the people who now live in Tulum were once only visiting; bewitched by the town’s mystical charms and turquoise Caribbean sea, they stayed. Tucked in the Yucatán tropical jungle and spread along the narrow, powdered sugar–sand beach, this is where hippie travelers once came to camp and discover the area’s thriving Mayan heritage, including deep spiritual rituals that inspired a New Age revival. But now Tulum is also a home away from home for editors, photographers and socialites such as Carine Roitfeld, Mario Testino and Jade Jagger, who flock in for the holiday season to relax, practice yoga and explore the area. A three-and-a-half-hour flight from New York, three major Mayan temples, the world’s second largest coral reef, a biosphere protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the luxuriant jungle, soothing cenotes (sinkholes used for bathing) and a never-ending beach lined by the rustic palm-thatched huts known as palapas—this, they say, is paradise.”

follow link to read rest of article:

http://global.ralphlauren.com/en-us/rlmagazine/editorial/spring13/Pages/Tulum.aspx

Simplicity is best when it comes to recycle depots

The new recycle depot will be simple and easy to maintain. The local businesses will take a responsible role in making sure that their recycled products get to the depot, a simple task as many remove or compost their garbage already. What the depot will do, is separate and sell the recycled items to help the maintenance costs of the depot and ensure that the recycled items get delivered to companies outside of Tulum who can reuse plastic, cans, glass and more! Tulum’s limitations to recycling were contacts with companies who would take the recycled garbage and a committee to run the depot efficiently. This has been found and local businesses are overjoyed!

Photos of the proposed recycle depot

Thanks to the resident committee of Tulum, a volunteer committee that has donated their time and expertise to this project. It is citizens like these that make Tulum what it is, a community focussed town that cares about its people and its ecology.Follow the development of the new Recycling depot on Facebook!

This REM song has been in our heads all day…did they know something that we did not? Is today really the end of the world? According to our neighbors here in Tulum, Mexico, a mayan community and home to the Tulum ruins, the world is not ending today, but it is the birth of new time. What that means is up to you to decide, a new time to _______________ (fill in the blank)

For us the end of the Mayan cycle means a deeper sustainable belief

Living in a Mayan community has connected us to the Mayan time cycles for many years. December 21, 2012 is a big shift, not the end of the world as people and REM like ot believe but the end of a cycle, and the beginning of new one. It is almost like a New Year, a time to reflect back on how time has passed and how we want to spend that time in the future. Though it is not officially a New Year, that comes December 31, we are looking at December 21, 2012 as a time to re-affirm and reflect on how we live and what passions fuel how we live. December 21 is time to define again our lives passions and deepen them, not change them or create new ones like a New Years Resolution but deepne what we believe in and continue on the path that we have learned from our experiences in Tulum, one of the Mayan centers of Mexico and Latin America.

What we are looking forward to is creating a garden with local fruits, herbs and vegetables for our guests. We look forward to finding more ways to recycle in the community of Tulum and share this experience with our friends and guests. We look forward to spreading the word through actions and education alternative ways of living that brings people together. We look forward to sharing our paradise with those who are keenly interested in sustainable living practices.

What did the end of the Mayan calendar and the beginning of a new time cycle represent to you?

We love finding great people who do great things. Fernando, the owner of a catamaran in Tulum is one of those people, building interesting tours in Tulum that sustain the beauty and delicate eco-system that visitors find in Tulum. As a marine archeologist and trained boat cpatain, Fernando found his calling as a young boy and followed his dream to be a guide and navigator of the ocean, his real home and what he loves.

Catamaran Tours that take you into another dimension

This is not just another catamaran tour. We have all been on those tours, where you sail around, see some stuff, they fill you with beer and then drop you back at your hotel in hopes that you remember little of what you saw, or did. Cause there was little to see or little to learn. Those catamaran tours are over once you set foot on the Tulum beach at Casa de las Olas. the owner, Jimmy, has found a super passion catamaran owner and marine archeologist who will give you the historical ride of your life! Enter the Tulum ruins and the Sian Kaan, two of Tulum’s most treasured attractions. Throw in the second largest barrier reef in the world, some fishing, snorkeling and great information, and you have it! One of the most fun and informative tours that looks after the ocean, the mangroves, the beach and the fish. You can see but you can not touch! Fernando will let you know that his tour is a sustainable tour where people get to learn, experience and share in the ocean without leaving a trace!

Catamaran tour details

The tours are fluid, meaning Fernando will fit into your schedule, you dont have to fit into his, weather permitting and enthusiasm alive! If you want to check out Tulum from a different perspective while staying at Casa de las Olas, check at your time of reservation for a day that works for you, book your tour and be flexible. If the ocean is not cooperating, it may have to be another day. If you prefer a sunset cruise, Fernando is up for it. If you prefer an early morning cruise before anyone is up, it can be arranged. No matter which day you go or at what hour, you will get not only a great catamaran ride but share in the knowledge of this seasoned historian and marine captain that knows the waters of the Mexican Caribbean better than the back of his hand.

Check out the sustainable practices at Casa de las Olas, and see if this sustainable development property is best for your next vacation.

The new bikes are in! Casa de las Olas has added another dimension to their sustainable living practices by adding bikes as an option for guests! No more rental cars needed to cruise around and check out restaurants, the Tulum Ruins or travel to Cesiak. If you are up for a bit of a slow adventure, meaning you are not whipping around in a car, bikes are a great way to see Tulum.

No license required! Bikes are a slow way to see more of Tulum

Leave your drivers license at home unless you want to get outside of the Tulum. Bikes are a great way to see more of Tulum or check out the Sian Kaan while chilling on one of the best beaches in the world. These bikes play a dual function, they can be driven on the road or if you are really up fora  great adventure bike along the beach in these beach combers! Large tires, low riders and no complicated shifting! Get on and go.

Why bikes are considered sustainable transportation in a sustainable city

Benefits for the environment:

• The country could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by just increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.
• Reduced air pollution – 60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation. Now that is interesting!
• Every time you ride, instead of drive, you prevent one pound of CO2 emissions per mile (average).

Benefits for traffic & parking:

• Traffic and parking can get tough in Tulum. Car rental is perfect for Day trips. If you ride a bike, it takes a car off the road and reduces parking congestion.  You can fit 14 bikes in one parking spot!
• Tulum is low on parking both on the beach road and the center of  town. Get your VIP parking spot right in front of any restaurant or store, just for you, if you arrive by bike!

Benefits for your health:

• Cycling can help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. Three hours of bicycling can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.
• A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories in an hour.  Awesome!
• In 1964, 50% of kids rode to school and the obesity rate was 12%…. In 2004, 3% rode to school and the obesity rate was 45%.

Thinking of a sustainable vacation where you know your holiday is contributing not only to your personal well-being but that of others? Check out Casa de las Olas, a sustainable villa on the Tulum beach that does everything it can to uphold its deeply rooted sustainable beliefs. Don’t know about Tulum and what it has to offer? Download our free Tulum guide!

Guests think they rocked it! We think we rocked it! After learning, eating and drinking their way through three days of classes with Eric, The group settled down to a final dinner at Hartwood that they prepped that day. To compliment the creations of the Oh! Food Workshop team, Ricardo provided a wine pairing and Mexican wine tasting seminar during the feast.

It really was sustainability you can eat!

The next OH! Food Workshop will be held May 24th to 29th, 2013 and can be booked as we write! Demand is high and prices are good, and Eric has hand picked another Tulum chef from Celti Restaurant to share in the culinary experience that guests will have. Chef Claudia will be hosting one evening of the OH! Food Workshop where she will share her family recipes for moles and Mexican desserts, Chef Claudia’s specialty and we have to say…the best!

Photos of the OH! Food Workshop 2012!

Pictures and images speak louder than words! Check out what the OH! Food Workshop had in store for the first guest of this event!

Reserve your space now for the Summer 2013 Workshop!

If you are looking for a sustainable vacation that teaches you more about sustainable lifestyles, this is the vacation that would serve a double purpose.

Photo credit – Diedre and Jorge

Our trees make music every day, the waves make even more. When you add the wind you get a natural symphony that lulls you to sleep or just keeps you occupied on the beach. What we have not tried yet is a manipulation of natural sounds to create yet another dimension to sustainable music. This symphony created from a tree is ingenious and adds a different element to natural sounds we hear daily. Our friends at shft.com are sharing this great video produced by Italian-born, California-based sound designer and composer Diego Stocco.

Have a  sustainable invention or way of living that you want to share? Let us know as we are always looking for inventive and creative ways to live that honor sustainable living practices. Check out some of our natural sounds at Casa de las Olas in Tulum, Mexico where we have chosen as our sustainable destination and home.

We stumbled up a wonderful statement from the Tourism Board of Mexico, describing all things that we love about Mexico and the Riviera Maya. We already know all of this, and with our little piece of paradise, share what we know in Tulum. What we love about this description is the eloquence, the pointed descriptions and the overall tone of what Gloria Guevara Manzo, the Secretary of Tourism, had to say about her home and what we call home.

Listen up, Mexico has a lot to offer

“To talk about Mexico is to discuss history, tradition, warmth, culture, archeological zones and great wonders which makes this country a unique nation. Our country [Mexico] is geographically privileged…a factor which characterizes us ona world level. In order for you to get to know more of our natural beauties, our archeological zones, magical towns, colonial cities, ecological reserves, sustainable areas and our sun and beach destination, the Secretariat of Tourism [with local businesses] developed various routes which will allow you to visit within our country. Mexico is one fo the nations with the most diversity, it counts with more than 30 thousand archeological sites more than 110 historical monuments and it occupies the fourth place internationally of places declared ‘Heritage of Humanity’.” Gloria Guevara Manzo, Secretary of Tourism.

Tulum has most of these Mexican delights in one location

Ms. Guevara Manzo carries on to talk about the gastronomy of the Mexico, the diversity of activities and accommodations and the hospitality extended to visitors of Mexico. And we knew all of this. We experience this every day in Tulum and throughout the Riviera Maya, daily. Which is why we have made it our home.

Tulum has one historically significant Mayan Ruin site, the Tulum Ruins with Coba only 40 minutes away for another taste of the Mayan culture. Tulum is the entrance to the Sian Kaan Biosphere, one of the largest protecte UNESCO sites in Mexico with over 300 species of birds and over 100 species of orchids. Tulum is located on the Mexican Caribbean with some of the best beaches in the world and the 2nd largest barrier reef in eyes view from your beach chair. The Mayas call Tulum and the surrounding area home where they continue Mayan traditions for their children and people interested in their arts.

Tulum is geographically priviledged with a highly sensitive eco-system surrounding the entire city and dictating the sustainable and environmental practices of residents and businesses. The ocean co-exists with fresh water lagoons, mangrove grows with coconut trees, birds and butterflies love the ecosystem of Tulum, making it their home through out the year.

If you are looking for a food fest where you can experience local products, unique blends of cultural cooking and some great chefs, Tulum is the place to be where international chefs learn from local eateries wonderful Mexican recipes and cooking techniques that bring a load of history, and culture to the table.

The quote above from the Secretary of Tourism is spot on, and wonderfully states what Mexico and its cities, like Tulum, are in reality. Mexico and the Tulum area make Mexico a wonderful, rich and interesting place to hang your hat for a few days or a few months. Have you tried it yet? If you have not take these words to heart. If you know Tulum, you will know that the quote above is just…..true (with hands clapping as finally someone has stated the fact about Mexico and Tulum.)

During a dinner at a local restaurant that uses copal to keep the mosquitos away, a visitor asked what copal was and where it came from. Our answer, embarrassingly, was incomplete. ‘It is a natural resin that keeps mosquitos away’. (eyes rolled and forks went into the plates of food) This prompted an investigation of the copal incense we use in Tulum and which tree does copal come from, and why it is used so much in this land of the Maya and what other purposes are there of copal.

What is copal and where does it come from?

Copal is a generic term used for tree resin that is neither in gel/gum form nor amber form. Copal is a tree resin that in between these two states, hard, honey in color and can come from any tree, as it is term used for the hardened resin, it is not the name of a resin from a particular tree. The term is derived from the Aztec Nahuatil word ‘copalli’. The Mayan term for Copal is ‘pom’ which translates to incense not resin.

In the south states of Mexico, Mayan communities use trees from the Buresa family, a flowering shrub or tree that is linked to the torchwood or elephant tree that is found in the area. The Buresa family has over 100 different species of trees that provide resin to the Mayas in southern Mexico. The tree is also a medicinal tree that is used for clearing the body of diseases, used to ward off mosquitos and can be used as a glue.

In the mayan ruins in the southern part of Mexico, copal from the Buresa family of trees has been discovered in burial grounds which proves the spiritual uses of this tree resin.

Uses of copal in ancient traditions and contemporary society

There are many uses for copal that are documented in anthropology journals, but in Tulum, copal is still used for three very distinct and significant purposes – natural mosquito repellant, cleansing of ill persons and spirits, natural glue for leather, ceramics and natural woods.

The Buresa family of trees have specific medicinal advantages that clear the body and the environment of unwanted mosquitos, ailments and for some unwanted spirits. The burning of the copal resin as an incense or resin rock in a wood fire will help the cleansing of all of the above. The Mayas would use copal to clean the spirit of dead animals prior to eating, cleanse public spaces to ensure all spirits are driven from the area, and use copal to ward off mosquitos. This natural cleansing agent is used in contemporary Tulum as a natural agent to help with mosquitos, ailments and more. It is a great sustainable mosquito repellant that is no toxic and does not damage the environment, the indigenous plants or people.

In the back of the restaurant of Don Cafeto in downtown Tulum, a natural tree resin is used to protect and cover the photos that are the highlight of this Tulum tradmark, a unique and contemporary way to use tree resin for purposes other than cleansing.

Copal has a distinct smell and aroma that will link you back to Tulum or other Central America locations that still use Copal as a natural cleansing agent. Unlike other incense, copal is not as invasive as a smell and can be burned in a home without the lingering smells experienced by other tree resins like frankincense and myrrh.

The diversity of this natural cleansing agent goes back centuries in the Mayan culture and ironically is still used today. Traditions continue in Tulum, though sometimes we don’t even know it.

Check out more information about Tulum Mexico and Mayan traditions on our Facebook page.

Now this is fun! There are some great sustainable education and measurement apps that can be downloaded to your smartphone. Seriously! and are enjoying them. Sustainability is one of those words that many people use but they are not sure really what it means or entails. If you are deeply rooted into sustainable movement, you get and can go on for hours about the four pillars that make up sustainable practices. But not all can do this, so download your apps, learn more and see if you are eco or sustainable. See if sustainability is your thing or if it matches your beliefs and how you live.

Remember, sustainability goes deeper than eco or environmental. Sustainability is environment, culture, economies, and people. Focus on local for all of these areas and bam, you have the understanding the sustainable.

Apps for your smart phone that focus on sustainability

1. Ecochallenge – this is fun and mixes a magazine, calculator and social game, with weekly changing topics all into one app. The developers were nominated for the 2011 tech award and you will find that it is a great way to look for solutions to how you live if you wish to be more sustainable or you can engage with other in their social game and test your knowledge.

2. Simply Green magazine – This is an Australian magazine that has some great information about sustainability. The app has a free edition of their magazine each month and if you want you can go to their website and see more information for free. We like the free mag and suggest that you download the app for your smartphone.

Here is a great video from the website that explains how to make your own non-toxic mosquito repellant.

3. Design Observer – This app is a blog and information resource and audio resource and more for up to date sustainability research, information and international projects. It is jammed packed with information and covers all corners of sustainability.Focus is design, but design is used in the broadest sense. Love this app and love the information that is shared.

4. Etiquette Manual to Sustainable practices – this is a great app for anyone hoping to test basic knowledge of sustainability or learn more about sustainable living practices. For kids ages 8 and up, this is fun app that you can use on the plane while traveling to increase awareness of sustainability or just have fun learning more! PRoduced by Planeta we like this simple but educational apps that shares lots of sustainable tips.

5. Eco innovators app – This app is a game, a resource and a way to assess your environmental impact on a daily basis. This can be used by the entire family and is fun, educational and easy to use. Eco innovators use the life cycle assessment to gauge and change environmental impact of daily living.

Love these? Have a favorite of your own. Share your favorite app on our Facebook page and let other know about useful apps that help to increase knowledge about sustainability.