Green Guardian- Ziggie Gonzales

Founder, The Circle Hostel and The Plastic Solution

- John Sosmena

Inspired by his Southeast Asian travels and love for the sea, Ziggie Gonzales put up Circle Hostel in Zambales in 2011. Since then, two more branches of the budget friendly eco-hostel— one in San Juan, La Union and another in Baler, Aurora—have opened, along with a venture that is close to Gonzales’ heart: The Plastic Solution.

How did your passion for the environment start?

[I’ve loved the outdoors] ever since I was young. As I got older and got into more activities, that passion intensified [and evolved into] preserving the natural beauty [of the outdoors].

Can you tell us more about The Circle Hostel? What was the idea behind it?

The idea behind The Circle Hostel started as an itch in my head after a Southeast Asian trip. I had been surfing for a few years and saw an opportunity to bring the hostel experience to the Philippines. After writing out the concept I called my partner Raf (Dionisio) to see if he was interested in taking the leap with me. We have a similar passion for the environment, the outdoors, and community development. Since starting, we’ve added a few members to the team who are driven by similar passions.

Cool. We’re curious about The Circle Hostel’s philosophy, #ThereAreNoStrangers. Care to explain?

Filipinos are used to traveling with friends or groups. I wanted to be able to promote the hostel experience of traveling solo and making friends on the road. I’ve made many friends staying at hostels [and] I’m still in touch [with them] to this day. #ThereAreNoStrangers promotes this kind of mindset where the hostel is a place to make fast friendships. We have many guests who met at the hostel and are still very close.