Don Orlando Gualinga’s house is located near the center of the Community, a preferential location for him because he was one of the first migrants from his homeland, Sarayacu, in the province of Pastaza. Sitting in the hammock with green shorts and a bare torso due to the high temperature above 30 degrees Celsius (100 F) and high humidity, he begins to tell us the history of Sani Lodge, which dates back to the beginning of this century.
He worked as an oil worker in the 1960s and spent around 20 years at the drill. During this time, he witnessed the degradation of the Amazon rainforest due to logging, a situation that was getting worse over time due to the pollution that spread into the soil, air, and water.
ECUADORIAN OIL
The Ecuadorian oil pipeline, which runs 500 km from its origin in the Amazon forests, is temporarily stored in the town of Shushufindi at around 260 meters above sea level. It is then pumped to an approximate height of 4,000 meters in the Ecuadorian Andes and descends to the Port of Balao in the province of Esmeraldas, which borders Colombia. From here, the oil is exported around the world.
Oil is the first export product and generates the highest revenue for the Ecuadorian state. Approximately 500,000 barrels are produced daily, primarily from the Ecuadorian Amazon, with a limited positive impact on local development.
OIL SPILLS
There is a constant incidence of oil spills into rivers along the pipeline route, with mercury, lead, and vanadium discharges. Those responsible «compensate» the communities for the contamination with cheap food bags and gallons of water. It is important to note that this vital liquid is a part of the community’s diet, and its consumption has been linked to cancer and other health concerns. Furthermore, the environmental impacts of oil spills, such as acid rains and ecological disasters, have been highlighted in cases such as the Texaco case in Ecuador. This involved corruption in the judicial system, resulting in a lawsuit by the oil company against the Ecuadorian state.
THE LOCAL ECONOMY
Don Orlando mentions that he spoke with his American bosses, especially one of them who was very fluent in Spanish and whom he had asked if they would need more local labor after the drilling. The answer was a resounding NO since the company requires technicians. This is why the doors were completely closed since most of the local population had not completed primary school. Consequently, getting a job within the oil installations was almost impossible.


SUSTAINABILITY
In the 1990s, Don Orlando noted the presence of tourist accommodation in the area, which positively created employment opportunities for local residents in areas such as maintenance, catering, and tourism guidance. Seeing the damage that oil could cause, he envisaged Sani Lodge as a sustainable enterprise that would generate work for the community.
FUNDING
The next question was how to raise the funds to build the lodge, which was made possible by an agreement with Occidental Petroleum Company to carry out seismic work in the Sani Isla community. Thus, on January 25, 2000, Don Orlando’s dream began taking shape in the Chawllacocha Lagoon’s surroundings: Sani Lodge.