GREEN HOME

As the first boutique hotel in Buenos Aires to incorporate a ‘green side’ to running our business from the very beginning, we’re always on the lookout for new ways to become more sustainable. That’s why all our rooms feature:

• Custom-made reusable pump dispensers for toiletries to reduce unnecessary disposal of plastics (the average hotel room otherwise discards six small plastic bottles per guest!).
• Individually-controlled gas central heating and air conditioning, and low wattage bulbs in the outside areas, to increase energy efficiency.
• Electricity cards which turn off the power when your room is empty, and motion sensors in the common areas, so that the lights will never be on when nobody’s home.
• Our own specially-developed natural toiletry products.

Whenever possible, we work with returnable and reusable packaging. We partner with community organisations to ensure we recycle as much as we can, for everyone’s benefit. Our current initiatives include:

• Separating Home’s rubbish at source into specific colours for plastic, cardboard, glass and organic waste, and working with local organisation El Ceibo, which collects and recycles it for profit. For example, they sell the plastics to an organisation which turns used plastics into fabrics.
• Partnering with community-based company EcoVolta to ensure used batteries from TV remote controls and other electronics are recycled or disposed of properly, protecting the city water supply.
• Donating plastic bottle tops to the Hospital Garrahan, which uses them in fundraising projects.
• Donating out of use sheets and slippers to Hogar Buenos Aires, which provides foster care to 55 underprivileged children. (www.hogarbsas.org.ar)



• Donating out of use towels to the Neonatology section at the Garraham Hospital.
• Sending used kitchen fats and oils to a manufacturer which repurposes them for fuels and other non-food uses.
• We are members of Responsible Tourism Network (www.turismosostenible.org.ar)
• We adhere to the "Air Conditioners in 24º" policy of of the Responsible Tourism Network.

As an employer, we feel socially responsible for those workers whose businesses touch ours. We inspect the factories and offices of our suppliers, such as laundry services, to ensure that working environments are clean and above board, and that the workers are treated well. All Home staff receive training about running an environmentally-conscious business. And we love to support our local food shops when we put together our natural restaurant menu!

Home is proud to have pioneered ‘eco-design’ and many other environmentally-friendly business practices to the Buenos Aires hotel scene, and to play an active role in the community. If you have an idea to help us run our business more sustainably, please let us know!