In 2023, we started switching the type of fuel we use in our own vehicles to one that has a smaller environmental impact. Now, 100% of our operational fleet runs on ethanol, which emits less CO2 than regular gasoline. We also encourage our suppliers to use lower-impact fuels, which helps us reduce emissions even more across our entire operational chain.

To cut down on energy and water use at the Legado, we put in solar panels at our inn and set up monitoring devices for consumption. This lets us keep an eye on how we’re using these resources. We’ve also got a smart irrigation system at our Atlantic Forest Biodiversity Center. It’ll automatically adjust the amount of water used for irrigation during the cultivation and growth of seedlings.

The biodigester is a small plant that treats domestic waste. It has an anaerobic reactor that uses bacteria to help break down organic matter. All the effluent goes through three treatment phases, where it’s naturally separated by gravity.

The gases that are produced by the process naturally exit through a ventilation system. The treated liquid effluent is directed to the infiltration system, where it is released into the soil. The solid material is separated in the grease box and then mixed with lime for neutralization. This can then be used as fertilizer in beds and gardens.

With this, the effluents generated in the toilets of the access gates to the Legado are directed for complete treatment.

Source: Acqualimp

A dry toilet, also called a “bason,” is a kind of ecological sanitary device that turns waste into dry and compostable material.

This system can turn human waste into organic manure. It separates liquid waste from solids and uses dry sawdust instead of water, which helps protect our water resources. The material in the dry bathroom is removed periodically, mixed with lime for neutralization, and can be used as fertilizer in gardens.

At Legado, we’ve got dry toilets set up in two tourist spots: canoeing and Prainha (which is part of the Copaíba-Prainha Trail program). They were installed in 2018.

The WTP flow is a biological treatment system that operates in stages and continuously.

It goes through anaerobic phases, decanting and disinfection, until the treated liquid residue can be released back into watercourses. We test and monitor the physical-chemical parameters rigorously to make sure everything is working as it should be. The solid effluent is removed by vehicle suction system and sent to specialized partners for treatment.

In Legado, we’ve had the ETE up and running since 2019. It receives the effluents from the inn, restaurant, Biodiversity Center of the Atlantic Forest, and other operational structures with a 20,000-liter storage capacity. It’s enough to meet all our base’s needs.

The water that’s been treated at the WTP is released at the end of the system and flows into a natural watercourse, which adds to the volume of water that falls into the Cambuci Waterfall, an area that’s open to visitors. The river frog (Crossodactylus sp.), a species of anuran amphibian, lives among the rocks and sandbanks. It’s a very sensitive indicator of the quality of the water at the waterfall, and it’s important to keep an eye on the physico-chemical parameters.

We use a worm composter (or vermicomposter) to deal with some of the organic waste we generate at the restaurant. Things like vegetable peelings and coffee grounds go in there. The fertilizer that comes out the other end is used in the garden and in our bed of spices and medicinal herbs, which are at the base of LA Open. You can visit that too.

Click here to see more details about the benefits of a worm.

We’ve partnered with BioMovement to use the HomeBiogas 7.0 biodigester for our organic non-compostable waste, which is basically anything that can’t be processed by the worms (like food remnants, bones, meat, citrus, and so on).

This system uses a compound that contains lots of bacteria to digest the waste (about 10kg a day) and turn it into biogas and liquid biofertilizer. This process happens once a year and allows the system to:

See more advantages about the HomeBiogas 7.0 biodigester, clicking here.