GOLD DISTINCTION FOR LA VIEILLE CHEMINEE
Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards 2022
This 11th May 2022 was hosted the first edition of the Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Award at Ravenala Attitude, Balaclava.
The Sustainable Tourism Mauritius Awards 2022 is an initiative of the Tourism Authority, under its project Sustainable Island Mauritius (SIM), which is co-funded by the European Union.
We are very proud, as La Vieille Cheminée has been attributed the Gold Distinction in the Other Accomodation category.
We would like to congratulate and thank our whole team for their support and hard work towards a more sustainable island.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
The 80-Hectare property is owned by a family with strong ecological principles, and with a desire to share their farm and its various activities with their guests.
Having been pioneers of small scale eco-tourism, we aim to keep making Mauritus, through La Vieille Cheminée the ultimate ecological destination for anyone looking for reconnection with nature.
At La Vieille Cheminée, we strive to operate in harmony with our natural surroundings, to take care of our guests and staff, and to positively impact our local communities. Ultimately, we seek to sustain resources and communities, by promoting regenerative agriculture and farming practices.
Through this award, we wish to spread our message further and invite more guests to experience an environment-friendly lifestyle on the farm.
SUSTAINABLE ACTIONS ON THE FARM
– Sponsoring an Environmental NGO : For each bag of compost, potting soil and wood shavings sold, Rs 5 goes to Mission Verte, a Mauritian Environmental NGO.
– Sustainable Forestry : The Albizia, a fast growing and invasive tree species is used intensively for making horse bedding, wood chips, compost and fodder for farm animals.
– Endemic Reforestation : More than 2000 endemic trees planted to contribute to recreate the endemic forests of Mauritius.
– Waste Recycling and Compost Buckets in all lodges : Our guests are highly encouraged to participate in the waste recycling and food composting that we actively practice on the Farm.
– Recycling : Our products (Compost, Potting Soil, Wood Shavings…) are packed in bags which are 100% recyclable and made with 100% recycled plastic.
– Reducing Single Use Plastic : We work on reducing single use plastic in all the meals we prepare for our guests, in the choice of products we sell in the grocery shop and even in the use of paper instead of plastic bags in bathroom bins. (meals containers; distribution of coffee, milk etc in lodges without plastic, BeEau compostable water bottles, BKind zero plastic toilet paper)
– Rain Collection System : From the highest roof at the Kiosk, the rain water is collected, stored into large underground tanks and reaches the lodges thanks to gravity.
– Regenerative agriculture : “Regenerative Agriculture” describes farming practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.
– No chemicals : We have abandoned intensive agriculture as well as the use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. We have adopted more traditional & sustainable techniques from which we produce local fruits & vegetables.
– Local food supply : We grow our own fruits and vegetables, produce our own eggs and jams, and source most of our meat from small producers & artisans less than 2 kms away.
– Bees : We help the surrounding nature breed and grow, by hosting 5 pollinating bee hives.
– Gender parity : More than half of our employees are women (14 women for 24 employees).
– Regional employment : Two thirds of our employees work less than 5 kms from their working place.
3 THINGS WE WANT TO IMPROVE IN THE FUTURE
1 – We have budgeted to convert all water heaters in the lodges into solar this year.
2 – We have planned on increasing rain water collection and storage as we wish to increase our accommodation capacity soon.
3 – We are in the process of buying an electrical vehicle for clean circulation of our staff and guests around the property.
