Sustainable Restaurant
In an effort to push our sustainability program to the next level, we at the Harmony Hotel have decided to focus on “greening” our restaurant. According to the Green Restaurant Organization (www.dinegreen.com), which certifies restaurants for their efforts to incorporate sustainability into their operations, a sustainable restaurant should work to:
Some of our efforts to green our restaurant include: Worm-based Composting
These processes have produced some grave results: Each year, more than 4 million tons of chemical fertilizers are incorporated into the world’s soil. The Harmony Hotel has implemented a simple, yet complete, separation and recycling system in order to control and manage its waste. Through the process of worm farming, organic waste products (those that decompose naturally in presence of air, water and/or heat,) are recycled as fertilizer, which is then used to maintain the landscape and support the vegetable gardens. The Harmony’s embrace of worm farming techniques has substantially reduced the amount of waste produced by the hotel. What’s more, by teaching hotel staff and guests about the benefits and techniques of reuse of organic waste, the worm farm serves as a valuable educational resource for local farmers.
We are now growing: yuca (a starchy tuber grown in the tropics), cilantro de cayote (cilantro), papaya, zacate de limón (lemon grass), tilo and hierba buena (herbs used by locals to make teas). According to our executive chef, “these products not only help us to lower our environmental impact by reducing the carbon emissions caused by transport, but are also of superior quality and taste”
Bamboo Straws
These bamboo sticks are grown locally by Don Tino, the head of our gardening staff, and have been dried and cured for use in our freshly squeezed fruit juices and cocktails. In fact, two other hotels in Costa Rica (Lapa Rios Ecolodge in the Osa Peninsula and Arenas del Mar Beach and Nature Resort in Manuel Antonio) have also caught on to the trend and have begun to buy straws from Don Tino as well. Green Plating The Harmony Hotel has also incorporated a number of alternative, “green” plating options to be used in its restaurant, including bowls made from coconut and sushi plates made from re-claimed marble slabs. Organic Food
Some of these items are even produced on our onsite huerta, including yuca (a starchy tuber grown in the tropics), cilantro de cayote (cilantro), papaya, zacate de limón (lemon grass), tilo and hierba buena (herbs used by locals to make teas).
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One of the biggest problems facing traditional agriculture today is the loss of organic materials contained in the soil, caused among other things by the cultivation of monoculture populations, use heavy machinery and use (and abuse) of agrochemicals.
One of our first steps towards building a sustainable restaurant at Harmony was the creation of an onsite huerta (garden), which produces a number of fruits, vegetables an herbs that we have recently begun to incorporate into our menu. 
You may have also noticed that our pajillas (straws) are made from one of the “greenest” materials on earth: bamboo (family Laciasis sp.). 
The menu in the Harmony Hotel includes a number of organic food items, including organically grown coffee from Costa Rica’s Central Valley and seasonal fruits and vegetables.