Casa 579 Ethics and The Community
Casa 579 tries to make a difference in our actions both environmentally and in the local community. Here´s how:
We recycle wherever possible.
We provide FREE filtered water so you can reuse plastic bottles and avoid creating more unenvironmentally friendly waste (and of course it´s cheaper for you too!)
Our housekeeping staff are encouraged to take an active role in the decisions that are made with regards to the running of the house. Housekeeping staff are also paid above the minimum wage.
- Santa Teresa, the location of Casa 579 is a sustainable tourism area and one of Rio’s only environmentally protected areas, which means that all tourism takes place within the existing infrastructure, and that local people are trained and given employment as a part of the sustainable tourism programme.
- We have partnerships with local service providers (taxi and mini bus drivers, tour guides, language teachers, local charities and social projects) and always recommend local bars, restaurants, tour guides etc to our guests.
- We always try to recommend cultural places of interest and events to make sure you get the best quality and a true insight into the local customs and community. We try and avoid 3rd party tour operator tours where the focus is on as many tourists as possible on the tour and from which hotels earn a commission and which mostly do nothing for guest comfort or authenticity. Where we do use 3rd party tour operators we will advise which ones fit more with our ethics policy, then the choice is up to you.
- We provide guidance on local cultural and social matters, and offer guests the opportunity to give back to the local community by visiting or participating in local community / social projects or providing donations to locally operating NGOs.
- Where possible we actively volunteer in local community projects.
We also furnish the house by purchasing arts, crafts and materials directly from local artists and co-operatives which provide an income to people within Rio’s low-income communities and favelas. We encourage our visitors to purchase souvenirs this way too and can arrange for you to visit the local artists ateliers. We do NOT take a commission from any artists or co-operatives we recommend, here are a selection:
Getulio, a local artist using recycled materials to create innovative art for the last 25 years
Mulheres de Julio Otoni, a womens co-operative making unique lamps from recycled materials with Rio's Favelas as the main theme
Jean Cruz (and his dog Bob), who captures vibrant images of the local area onto canvas