Sustainable Development of Picinguaba

The Picinguaba village

Located in southern Brazil, halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo is Picinguaba, a small village inhabited by a community of fishermen.

This place, at the heart of the Mata Atlantica coastal rainforest has long attracted many nature lovers in search of tranquility.

Picinguaba Vila, whose name means "refuge for fish” has long lived in autarky, turning only to the sea. Far from civilization, this village was then able to preserve all its spirit and traditions that are today its greatest charms.

The people and Caiçara culture shows a true blend of Portuguese immigrants, slaves and the local indigenous population. Approximately 500 people live in the village and although it is not very large, the development of tourism, the threats to the local ecology, and environmental risks are high.

One NGO giving relief to the village

APIS (Acting to make Picinguaba Sustainable) was created with the aim of helping to try and create a strong awareness in the community.

The NGO works on several levels. They revolve around environmental actions such as waste reduction, recycling, using biodegradable products ... but also education which is at the heart of the project.

The environment can be studied

APIS would be nothing without the active participation of the villagers. That is why the organization wants to warn them about possible environmental problems.

For this APIS has brought many books, the real sources of information. The NGO wishes to join the local schools to better inform the youth about environmental problems. And finally the group would bring in teachers as well as scientists to exchange and share...

Everything is a matter of education, the NGO also explains to people how to recycle, how to limit the amount of water used... It also attempts to involve local businesses to participate in these actions, by employing villagers, buying locally and respecting the environmental measures in order to lead by example.

The key is for NGO is to participate in the harmonious development of Picinguaba.

Support local Pousada Picinguaba

Living in one of the richest ecosystems on the planet, the Pousada Picinguaba has a true desire to preserve this unique heritage. The hotel employees are almost all the villagers who were trained to work at the hotel. Some people have even followed through the involvement of the Pousada, language courses and vocational courses in the best hotels and restaurants in Sao Paulo.

In return, the Pousada Picinguaba provides real support to the Picinguaba village. Whether it is helping with festivals or occasional financial support, the goal is to provide additional resources to families in the village who live almost exclusively on fishing.

But that's not all.  The village also provides the Pousada fresh produce, fish and seafood...

Many other projects

APIS does not want to stop there and will continue to preserve this rich environment.

To do this it examines the possibilities for using alternative energy sources by installing solar panels, using natural methods to heat the water or even building a new air conditioning system....

APIS hopes that its efforts will inspire other villages and be an example of Brazilian environmental protection.