Quinta da Fornalha
Have you ever thought about the consequences of your holidays abroad? Ok, everyone needs a holiday and it is always best to go elsewhere to get some real relaxation. So how about feeling less guilty about your carbon emissions by going to an eco-hotel? Sustainable tourism is becoming more and more popular, even in the Algarve, as people want to enjoy their holidays to the fullest without damaging the environment.
(photo credit: jimpg2)
An appropriate definition follows:
“Sustainable Tourism in its purest sense, is an industry committed to making a low impact on the natural environment and local culture, while helping to generate income and employment for locals” (source).
Quinta da Fornalha is a perfect example of sustainable tourism located in the natural reserves of Sapal in East Algarve. This family business in the council of Castro Marim cherishes the Algarvian culture by its organic agriculture, accommodation for guests in refurbished traditional country houses and informative tours exploring the local fauna and flora. For about 100 years they have been producing organic milk products such as half-fat milk, half-fat yogurt and yogurt cheese with their “holsteinfrisiarr” animals. They are also established with other organic produces such as figo and olives and also in the near future in oranges. Last but not least, they also produce organic salt.
Alongside their delicious organic agriculture business, they run a sustainable 
tourism centre which allows guests to be accommodated in refurbished traditional farm houses. They can provide their guests which different types of activities such as visiting the agricultural sites, exploring Castro Marim’s cultural history and also seasonally guests can try collecting and drying aromatic herbs or collecting salt. Future plans also include a restaurant, an
organic food store and a natural Spa (one that I will most certainly visit!).
I know, sounds too good to be true. But it is. So it is worth a visit.
For more info, visit the Quinta da Fornalha website.
To bee or not to bee
We already explained the colours of the 3 ecobees. But what about the ‘bees’ themselves? Are we talking about the honey making animals here or something else? When generating names for our initiative, we came up with an endless list of possibilities. In essence we agreed on the 3 elements (air, water, earth) and a way of life we are promoting: ‘to be green’ in all aspects and live a responsible life.
(photo credit: TW Collins)
Finally 3ecobees was chosen. The origin of the ‘bees’ is therefore more as ‘to be’ or ‘to act’ rather then the bees. Nevertheless we feel connected with the actual ‘bees’ as hardworking, dedicated creatures, producing a delicious product.
Bee Bashing
This is an email reply to Jennifer, writer of http://www.algarve-beach-life.com/algarve-blog.html (sorry no link from us). On her blog (post: Green Algarve? dated: Monday, July 21, 2008) , she chose to inaccurately pass judgment on the 3ecobees project. Since her blog doesn’t allow for comments (how convenient) we felt it would be best to voice our feedback on our blog (which welcome’s all comments).
(photo credit: Tomas)
Our response:
“Jennifer, thanks for the write up on your blog about 3ecobees.com … I understand with all the green talk, some might assume green washing. However, rest assured this is not the case with 3ecobees. It’s unfortunate you didn’t research the project more closely as you would have seen your opinion on this project is rather incorrect.
I’m not going into detail what 3ecobees stand for, that’s clearly communicated on our site. But again you know this. A link to the 3ecobees site for your readers would have provided accurate information they needed to get the whole story instead of the distorted truth you chose to publish.
We would have been happy to address any questions or doubts you have about our project at the fair or at anytime. So it’s unfortunate that you’ve decided to take this route instead of contacting us to learn more about the project and how you could possibly contribute, rather than taking a bitter stab at a project that you clearly know so little about.
As I’m sure you understand, relocating to a new country has innumerable challenges, we are trying to do the best we can for our community and our business. We would be happy to support your projects and would appreciate the same consideration in return.
If you would really like to understand the project, we’d be happy to talk to you at any time.
3EcoBees“
Portugal’s Hidden Treasures: How will they be discovered?
Today is the final day of the Eco Fair in Olhão and so far, it’s been three days of learning, sharing and connecting with other socially responsible people from across Portugal.
Before we head down to Olhão to open our booth for one last time, we thought this would be a good opportunity to write this post.
In the past few days, we’ve shared the 3EcoBees story with curious strangers, new friends and partners and now, more than ever, it’s clear why 3EcoBees has formed.
(photo credit: Francisco Oliveira)
All across Algarve and Portugal, there are hidden treasures from ecotourism activities, culturally rich traditions, new investment opportunities that make Portugal a unique place to live, visit and do business with. BUT, these treasures are not always visible and there’s no clear map to help locals, tourists and investors discover them.
Sometimes, when everyone else is waiting for someone else to take the first step, you need to be the one to drive change. We like to think, 3EcoBees is the right step to promote and further develop the hidden treasures that make Portugal a unique country beaming with potential.
See you at the Faira for food, wine and eco bingo.
The 3EcoBees Presentation
In preparation for this weekend’s fair in Olhao, Susanna, our helperbee, rolled up her sleeve and helped the team by creating a small power point slide about the 3EcoBees Story. This is still a working draft. And we’ll probably tweak a few slides here and there. But wanted to make it public before the fair and get some feedback on the 3EcoBees slides.
3ecobees logo finalized
Given we had only a couple of days to design our 3ecobees‘ logo, we’re very pleased with the outcome - as it represents our organization’s image well.
Why 3 Different Coloured Bees?
- Light blue = “air”
- Dark blue = “water”
- And Green = “earth”
We’re now dressed and ready to connect with businesses, organizations and individuals who share our goal and commitment of developing and promoting a sustainable Algarve and Portugal.
3EcoBees will be at Olhão´s Eco Fair
(portuguese version available here)
3EcoBees, the result of a joint venture between two Algarve based companies Ambiendura, an environmental consultancy, and Chama Inc., a marketing and visibility company, are looking to change the colour of their region to Green.
By joining forces, the two companies are looking to promote and develop the Algarve as a green region for both tourists and locals, in the areas of sustainable tourism, eco-investments, eco-products and eco-lifestyle. With a strong visibility and communications strategy, as 3EcoBees, we want to shed new light on what already exists and encourage new investments in the Algarve. We’re also interested in collaborating with regional and international experts to create a think tank which will support this objective and grow the project more organically.
We will be introducing the project at the Feira Nacional de Parques Naturais e Ambiente in Olhão, held from July 24th to 27th. We’re looking to work with businesses actively engaged in developing green and sustainable products and services in the region and country. If you have an eco or green type business not taking part in the fair but interested in having your products/services represented,please contact us to find out how you can participate.
(portuguese version available here)
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3ecobees is a new green think tank in the Algarve, formed by Ambiendura and Chama Inc to promote and develop a sustainable Algarve. More>> -
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