Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY IN MONTE DO ZAMBUJEIRO
We take care of our guests, we take care of the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, where our property is located and the planet we all live on.
Committed to providing the best service while keeping our environment clean and sustainable, we integrate environmental leadership into everything we do and adopt best practices.
Since the beginning of our project, in 2008, our mission has always been to care for the environment, people, culture and local traditions. In 2020 we started our environmental certification process and since 2021 we are BIOSPHERE certified. This certification and program has allowed us to improve our performance in terms of environmental sustainability and to strengthen our commitment to people and the community.
We are now a BIOSPHERE SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE member.
In the architectural and landscape recovery of Monte do Zambujeiro, we prioritized and highlighted sustainable and traditional materials. We recovered Taipa walls and built new ones. Taipa is a typical construction method in the Alentejo which, due to its excellent thermal behavior, allows for enormous energy savings.
Although we have a grassy area, most plants and trees are native to low water consumption.
In 100% of the units we have solar panels for water heating. With regard to lighting, Monte do Zambujeiro mainly uses LED and solar (outdoor).
The decoration of Monte do Zambujeiro is a combination of family pieces and pieces bought in local stores, which simultaneously helps to “tell the story” of Monte do Zambujeiro and Alentejo.
We make our customers aware to reduce the consumption of water, disposable plastic (we do not use plastic straws) and the reuse of towels.
As part of the concerns about reducing packaging, we do not use single doses of sugar and we are reducing the consumption of packaged teas and increasing our fresh tea garden. Also the coffee used is ground and bulk coffee.
Our actions:
A sustainable attitude also involves including suppliers and national and local entities in the tourist experience in order to contribute to the development of the economy.
That's why we develop partnerships with local fishermen and farmers and ensure that the vast majority of products used are of regional and local origin. In this way we can make traditional recipes known and also make the region's cuisine known to our guests.
The farm-to-table concept of our restaurant is a tangible expression of this commitment – to our customers we serve only the best quality ingredients, sourced from local producers and from the organic production of the Monte do Zambujeiro vegetable garden.
Our staff is 100% local and we maintain the team all year round.
In 70ha, 700,000m2, we have only 1300m2 of recovered and ruined construction, spread throughout the estate, which represents a construction rate of 0.0018%!
In our garden there are aromatic herbs, spices and vegetables, it is developed with traditional techniques and using the advice of some members of our community who help us by sharing their knowledge. The vegetable garden provides our kitchen and is also accessible to our guests.
Our breakfast includes a variety of endogenous and homemade products.
Recycling is also a topic of great importance for Monte do Zambujeiro. All waste and cooking oils are recycled and we have a home composting unit that allows us to obtain a substrate - through the transformation of organic waste, together with garden cuttings - for horticultural application.
We comply with reduction principles, ensuring the minimization of the impact on the ecosystem, and energy consumption and waste management plans in order to reduce pollution through recycling. Where possible, we use local and durable materials in the rooms and all other facilities.
We have created walking trails on the estate where our guests are invited to walk and feel nature in its purest state.
We have several picnic areas.
We promote biodiversity and climate change studies in partnership with the University of Coimbra and ICNF.
We are recovering the forest next to the river and with access to the marsh where hundreds of birds can be observed, more than 150 species identified in the estate. We are a birdwatching (e-bird) hotspot.
We have a pond for the use of rainwater and in order to make a better water management in the estate.
Our guests receive various proposals for activities on the estate and outside with local partners.
We have a mini shop where we sell some local products and sweets.
We have 3 concierge sheep who love fruit and vegetable scraps and are a great and important help in the gardens and lawn mowing.
We are part of several sustainable tourism networks, such as Casas Brancas, Rota Vicentina and the Transformational Travel Council.