Sustainability

Aware of the fact that both hotel and restaurant activities are heavy consumers of many resources, as well as waste generators, Noah Surf House has environmental and sustainability policies, aiming at reducing the ecological footprint, through a process of environmental and social performance’s improvement.

And so, we have already implemented a set of measures aiming at greater energy efficiency and a water/waste management policy, to gradually reduce the amount of waste produced.

- Solar panels that generate 70% of the water heating needs (showers and taps). When that need is fulfilled and guaranteed, the energy generated by the same solar panels is redirected to heat the pool (during Summer) and/or radiant pavement (during Winter);
- Heat pumps with high energetic efficiency, used for radiant pavement (first heating option, being the solar panels a complement);
- Led illumination;
- Washing machines and refrigerators with highest energetic efficiency (this aspect has much relevance as most of hotels choose not to invest in more expensive, but higher efficiency, equipment).

- Flow reducers that guarantees 4-6 l/min in every water tap and 6-8 l/min in every shower;
- Rainwater harvesting system that redirects water to a well, to be used in toilet flushing, garden watering and washing;
- We hand over a Noah’s Welcoming Kit to every Guest, which contains a 24 Bottle made out of stainless-steel, which can be refillable with filtered water in different hotel areas.
- The plants chosen for our Garden are autochthonous (local) and do not need watering.

- Different containers to select and separate the waste produced;
- Composting station that allows the usage of organic waste, produced internally, transformed into organic compost without pesticides used as a natural fertilizer on our organic garden. The same garden will grow vegetables and aromatic herbs for both Noah’s restaurant and surf house kitchens;
- Abolishment of every disposable plastic object, for instance, the straws;
- Our napkins are made of compostable paper.
- Reuse of some materials and objects as decoration pieces and furniture which, otherwise, would be considered as trash (upcycling).

- Monitoring system of resources’ consumptions (water, electricity and gas) in many Surf House’s areas; - Sustainability training is given to our workers;
- Sustainability policies;
- Seasonal menus with local and organic ingredients whenever possible;
- Encouragement next to our guests to do hiking trails and go preferentially on foot or by bicycle, around Santa Cruz. - Development of activities related with sustainability, like beach clean ups, with our guests.

- Reuse of the existent old Wall, avoiding the construction of, at least, one new;
- Usage of cork as a thermic isolation;
- Garden roof tops with autochthonous (local) plants, which contribute to each building’s climatization.

“Nothing is lost, everything is transformed”
- Storage lockers recovered and reused from the previous Summer Camp building;
- Plumbing pipes turned into lamps;
- Old bricks from industrial coal furnaces are now used as wallcovering;
- Old water deposit is now our fireplace next to the reception;
- Farming presses, danger traffic signs, construction beams, old boats, octopus traps, fishing nets and fishing floats are used as decoration objects, inside the main building.

We have 12 chickens, without names yet, but with leading roles on our Composting process, as they take part in a closed feeding cycle which makes that process better and faster. What does this mean? Our chickens feed the compost with their dung, the dung feeds warms and other small insects, small insects feed the chickens!

During the Stay we invite our guests to pay a visit to our hen house and organic Garden. Green beans, chioggia beets, parsley, basil, kale and tagete are some of the cultures we grow.