Habitas Rise Fund

Program

Our initiative begins the moment our guests check in. Upon staying at one of our Homes, we contribute $10 on our guests’ behalf to our Habitas Rise Fund. At check-in, we also gift our “Friendship Bracelet,” which symbolizes our collective responsibility and commitment to each other, the local community and the environment. During their stay with us, our guests are invited to participate in various volunteer work and initiatives, and at check-out, they have the option to make a small donation to the fund. Other ways we support the Rise Fund include the hosting of regular events, gatherings and concerts whose proceeds go directly to Rise and the local communities; proceeds from the sale of certain local items; and, of course, contributions from our community and guests.

Environmental Impact
We identify and support conservation initiatives that actively work to combat climate change and human development. Through collaborations with community leaders, we seek to preserve and regenerate our planet for us and generations to come. Efforts include reforestation projects, wildlife conservation, reef regeneration, carbon emission offsetting and more. Examples:

NOH BEC REFORESTATION . Noh Bec Community Reforestation Program is fostering rainforest regeneration in the Bacalar Lagoon Watershed and helping the community create economic alternatives by offering sustainable tourism experiences deep in the jungle.
CLIMATE ACTION AND CARBON FOOTPRINT OFFSET . Habitas Tulum has partnered with Coop Ambio’s Scolel’te Program, a certified carbon capture program, through reforestation activities and sustainable forest management in Chiapas, Mexico. Through this initiative, we contribute to the mitigation of climate change and promote social welfare by strengthening local capacities and community participation.
PLASTIC HUNTERS AND PUNTOS LIMPIOS. Via Habitas’ Plastic Hunter Initiative, ‘Puntos Limpios’ is a highly successful project that places receptacles and stations at strategic locations in Tulum to manage plastic and other recyclable materials and educate the local community.
CORAL REEF REGENERATION. With our partner Oceanus, we help regenerate the Mesoamerican Reef in our Tulum home by “planting” coral colony fragments, contributing to the ocean’s biodiversity.
STROMATOLITES AND BACALAR LAGOON ECOSYSTEMS. By partnering with Agua Clara non-profit organization, we are helping monitor the water quality of the lagoon and its interconnected ecosystem that gives Bacalar its seven  shades of blue.

MARINE TURTLE CONSERVATION. Along with Papaya Playa Project and the Tulum Municipality, we patrol 1 km of sandy beach to take care of marine turtles that come to nest every year from April to November. 1 out of 1000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood and come back home to give life to the next generation.
BIODIVERSITY ACOUSTIC MAPPIN G .In alliance with ConMonoMaya we are creating an Acoustic Mapping of the Biodiversity that inhabits our home in Bacalar. This will allow us to evaluate our regenerative approach to how we co-live with nature, create new ways of understanding land development, and blend sound-music and the art of conservation.

Community Impact
We support initiatives that provide economic and educational opportunities, encouraging economic and social growth by supporting indigenous communities, youth programs, local artisans and farmers. Examples:
LADLE TULUM. In Tulum, we are proud to support the non-profit organization Los Amigos de la Esquina, which empowers Tulum’s next generation of leaders through innovative, educational and inspiring activities surrounding wellness, art and the environment.
UHURU LAND REFUGEE SETTLEMENT UGANDA. Our RISE initiative in Uganda (Nakivale & Kampala) focuses on building community through education and cultural programming. Located in the Nakivale settlement, The Uhuru Land of Uganda is an agora designed to change the refugee experience through programming and public spaces created and built by the refugees themselves.
SAIRA NAMIBIA. United by a shared vision of hospitality and the future of our planet, Habitas and Saira Hospitality have partnered to employ locals, recruiting 70 people for training and hiring 14 people to work full-time in our Home in Namibia.
COMMUNITY FARMS – XHAZIL COMMUNITY. The Xhazil Community’s organic greenhouse farming operation is one example of the micro-economies we support in the places we call Home. By purchasing their organic vegetables, we contribute to the community’s prosperity and wellbeing.
ICE CREAM TRUCK ALULA . We have customized our own ice cream truck that we drive to schools, where we give free homemade ice cream to kids. We use these opportunities to have conversations about the environment and social issues.