AWEN TREE HOUSE

Contributor	Herbert Hamele
Country	Italy
Keywords	ETGG2030-GP ETGG2030-MAP
Organisation	AWEN TREE HOUSE
Postal address	Loc. Vitellino 14, 06061 Castiglione del Lago (PG) Italy
Webpage	http://awentreehouse.com
Release date	08/04/2022
Landscape type	Unspecified
Topics	Good Governance & CSR
GSTC Criteria for Industry	A3 Reporting and communication A7.3 Sustainable practices and materials A9 Information and interpretation D1.3 Energy conservation D2.1 Greenhouse gas emissions D2.2 Transport D2.3 Wastewater D2.4 Solid waste D3.1 Biodiversity conservation D3.6 Wildlife harvesting and trade
Marketplace category	Certified Green: Accommodation Providers
Type	(Best Practice Business)

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#	File name	Contributor	Release date	Uploaded by	Upload date	Size	Content type

Biosphere Responsible Tourism
Category:	Self-catering house
Size:	Small
Protected areas nearby:	Lake Trasimeno; Historic Castiglione
Certifying body:	Biosphere certification

Outstanding contributions

The Awen Tree House provides self-catering accommodation in a special building constructed within a grove of holm oak trees. The ethos presented to the guests is one of escaping to nature, with the opportunity to sleep in a tree and get away from intrusive technology. Certification by Biosphere is used to back this up. All waste is separated and wastewater is filtered and recycled. The operators inform customers about wildlife and nature in the territory and provide bikes to explore nearby natural areas. They collaborate actively with WWF to combat illegal fishing and poaching.

The Tree House is built from FSC wood using green building techniques and has thermo-acoustic insulation in hemp fibre. This natural material is refractory to mould and insects ensuring healthier environments. It is fire resistant, light, totally recyclable and biodegradable. It is also a carbon negative material that synthesizes carbon by reducing CO₂ and other polluting emissions into the atmosphere. Hemp is also an anti-seismic material and avoids the extensive use of water found in traditional materials such as concrete.

Villa Hermani is a 17 bedroom guesthouse in Măgura mountain village, in the middle of the Piatra Craiului National Park. Livestock breeding is the basis of the local economy. In summer the animals graze in the alpine meadows cared for by shepherds and dogs as protection against wolves and bears, and the hay meadows in the village are still scythed. The guesthouse was opened in 2004 and initially certified by the Eco-tourism association AER in 2006. The guesthouse is operated by Carpathian Nature Tours (CNT), a tour operator specializing in soft adventure, nature/culture discovery and wildlife watching, with a high level of responsibility.

Key SDGs related to this action

See: Tourism for SDGs - Recommendations for Companies