Holistic retreat in Bahia, Brazil

By employing people from the local communities, visiting them, getting them involved in different activities like making local products such as local coconut oil, palm oil, flower, honey etc. By helping with different social projects e.g. with an association which is called Casa do Boneco. We have donated an area of land of 20 hectares and are helping at the moment with the infra structure to make a place where a group of children and youngsters can learn, get experience and can create an income, a self help project.

Our intention is to help people from the local communities to set up small businesses to create an income like the producing of natural remedies, honey, agriculture, cultural productions, handicrafts, textile. We buy local products as much as possible and have our own transport (truck, Landover), which we use a lot to help to transport the local people.

For energy we only use solar energy and wind energy. Our septic tanks are fully ecological. Our buildings are constructed with ecological, natural materials. We separate our rubbish and get it recycled. We have planted more than 2000 trees in the last 3 years.

Most organic waste (food left overs) goes to the chickens. Organic waste from the gardens and trees is used to make compost. Because we use solar energy all our bulbs are low energy bulbs, our fridges are 12 volt and extremely low energy use. All waste water is treated and used for the plants and trees.

When people arrive we inform them about our system and the way we look after nature and our resources, we give our guests natural shampoo and soap and ask them not to use chemicals. Our garden is 100% organic. We are setting up a perma culture system of agriculture to grow our own vegetables and fruits. We serve mostly vegetarian (some fish) health food.

The people working here come from the local communities. A minimum of 10% from the profit of all the activities goes to different social projects. One project supports the association “casa do Boneco”, a project which has worked for more than 20 years with children and youngsters from itacaré. We help them to set up a facility where the older children can learn different trades. An other project we support is a local Waldorf school which works with needy children from the local communities. Our intention is to set up different micro enterprises which will benefit the local communities.