Pousada Picinguaba

Sustainability

The village of Picinguaba is located in the heart of the Mata Atlantica rainforest, a unique ecosystem, part of which is listed by UNESCO as World Heritage. Its conservation is capital for the future of our planet.

In our business activities and forms of living, we make sure to promote environment-friendly ways, such as recycling, using returnable drinks’ bottles, use of cultivated wood, making our own soap from kitchen oil residue etc. We also have our own compost heap for all organic residues.

Through our NGO, APIS, we encourage other local businesses and village residents to adopt some of these simple yet very effective actions through lectures, workshops and practical actions, such as placing garbage bins on the beach and building a compost heap at the local school.

We use water sparingly, and whenever possible we make sure that the produce we buy is organically grown. This will be ever more frequent as we now have our own organic producing farm in Sao Luis do Paraitinga.
The rooms here have no air-conditioning, television or telephone, not only because we want to keep things simple and restful, but also because we want to apply a rule of minimum impact on the environment.

Social accountability is a reality in Picinguaba. Most of the hotel staff are locals from the village whom we train in the hotel trade. Their salary and the benefits that we provide have a marked influence on the economy of the village, particularly as job opportunities are not many in this region. The loyal members of our team not only get a salary, but also education and training and an opportunity for personal development. We finance language classes and professional training courses in the best hotels and restaurants of São Paulo.

A fair redistribution of resources is a principle in which we believe. Although it works out more expensive, we buy most of what we need locally (fish, seafood, products etc.) and as a priority we use manpower from the village when labor or skills are needed for the upkeep of the Pousada. This brings in some extra income for the people of the village, whose economy is based on the sea.

A traveler today can also play his part in sustainable development. When he comes here, he meets another culture, and this encounter helps it to survive harmoniously. Pousada Picinguaba intends to take a leading role in nature conservation and social commitment, with the support of other stake holders of tourism in Brazil.

Pousada Picinguaba was selected by Alastair Sawday Publishing and is listed in Green Places to Stay (2006).