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Sustainable by Design
La Confluencia was built with the explicit purpose of being a self-sufficient and environmentally respectful property, and we take great care to be mindful of the surrounding land as well as our community.
While we make no claim of absolute sustainability, we have endeavored to construct the most energy efficient buildings that we’re capable of, and to ensure that our energy footprint is both renewable and recyclable right here on the farm.
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Lodge Construction & Sustainable Features
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The lodge and sauna area were built with plastered straw-bale walls, dead or wind-fallen cedar timber, and local stone. Space heating, water heating, and cooking are done primarily with extremely efficient wood-burning stoves.
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The main fireplace is of Finnish contra-flow design, and also preheats water destined for bathing purposes. Firewood from wind-fallen timber and a managed woodlot are the primary sources of fuel for these purposes. A methane digester produces gas as a source of back-up fuel for cooking and water heating.
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The electricity at La Confluencia is produced on the property by a small hydro-electric turbine which utilizes overflow from a water canal dug by the original settlers in the early 1900s. The entire farm’s water system is gravity fed.
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Giving Back to our Community
Every so often we host “give-back days” where we invite our visitors and friends to share in a day of trail-building or other community improvement activities as a way of caring for our precious area and its resources.
La Confluencia was developed by LEAF — the Land Ethic Action Foundation — as a model for sustainable, self-sufficient living in the Rio Azul Protected Natural Area, which forms a part of the world´s largest UNESCO Temperate Forest Biosphere Reserve.