Sustainability
• Cleaning products, soaps, shower gels and shampoos used in the house are eco-friendly, some of them are produced by us, others as much as possible come from organic Portuguese producers
• Tap water is drinkable and of good quality
• We sort out and recycle everything we can
• We compost everything we can to make and keep our soil healthy and rich in nutrients
• We provide our guest with reusable shopping bags making them less dependent on one use plastic bags
• We put emphasis on reuse and upcycling of materials and furniture for our renovation and modernization project
Consumables
• Our swimming pool uses a Magnesium based water treatment system which is natural, good for the skin and the plants
• We used lime paints on the inhouse walls which are made from natural materials (clay, minerals and natural pigments). Good for a healthy environment, wash-up and disposal is safe and non-polluting.
• We have sown and planted a large variety of plants and flowers to increase biodiversity
• Enjoy picking veggies and fruits, aromatics and flowers in the organic garden
• We use recycled toilet paper
• Living room fireplace is sourced by local wood
Environment
• We choose to work and collaborate with local businesses
• We collaborate and donate to Portuguese Environmental organizations which are committed to local sustainability projects in reforestation and other positive impact initiatives
• We help guests to calculate their vacations carbon footprint and give them the opportunity to offset this by donating to reforestation projects
Community
We hope you will share our commitment to environmental sustainability.
We aim to reduce our impact on environment, and we encourage our guests to help us have a lighter touch on our planet earth.
Much of our property was renovated and modernized by ourselves and local craftsmen
Power and water
• We have installed solar panels that heat the water and photovoltaic panels that generate electricity
• For the colder months, we use 2 additional heat pumps for heating the water
• Our electricity is largely provided from renewable sources
• All our radiators have thermostats to avoid wasting power
• We put emphasis on having appliances with a high energy rating to lower our power use. Older appliances are replaced by energy- efficient ones.
• We do not have air conditioning, but we use air flow management to keep the house as cool as possible during hot summer months.
• Our light bulbs are all LED to limit our power use
• We collect the rainwater from our roof to fill an underground 7500 l tank located in the garden. The collected water is treated to make it safe and potable for inhouse use (tap water, showers, toilets, washing machine, dishwasher) and for irrigating our garden
