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We are ecocentric.
Yes. We care about our environment.
We want to take care of it and preserve it, because we want our clients to keep visiting us.
We hope they will continue to discover the idyllic places that surround us.
We want the waters of our beaches to remain transparent, so that our families can continue to dive into them. So we have decided to tell it here, loud and clear, to see if we can all bring out the ecocentric in all of us.
How it came to be
Grupo Piñero is a tourism group with 25 hotels and several residential complexes in Spain, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Four golf courses in the midst of nature, nearly 5 miles of beaches in the Caribbean, managing close to 3,000 acres of land… and that is a big responsibility, both to the environment and to society. And one day, thinking about how we could put our grain of sand (from the beach, of course), we realized that human beings are selfish by nature. Seriously, there’s nothing to be ashamed of: it’s ournature! We all want to prosper, survive. We want the best. For us, for ourkids, our people, our neighborhood, our city… and suddenly we saw that if it got bigger, eventually, between all of us, we would end up taking overourwhole planet. With “do-goodism” things haven’t worked out very well; maybe by fostering ecocentrism we will achieve a better outcome.
Who is it aimed at?
Being the good ecocentrics that we are, we’re the main target. We want to do things right, set an example. We’ve been working hard for years to make sure that our impact on the environment is positive. But we can do a lot more. We can tell our plans to our clients, our partners, employees, friends, schools in the countries where we operate…
This movement is aimed at everyone who feels that this extraordinary planet is THEIRS.
Our coasts
100% of our hotels and residential complexes are on the coast… So we have developed a super-plan for the improvement of our beaches, their waters and all their biodiversity. We have called this superplan the PGIL (Spanish acronym for Integral Coastline Management Plan), and it has a team of expert geologists, biologists and engineers who have come up with incredible and sustainable ways to preserve our coastal ecosystem.
Ourobjectives include:
· Repopulating and protecting the reefs.
· Increasing biodiversity in our hotels.
· Educating and raising awareness in our communities.
· Guaranteeing the quantity and quality of sand so that sea turtles have space to lay their eggs.
· That we, as a visiting species, have a little piece of paradise for our enjoyment.
How ecocentric is that?
Our landscape
We preserve the landscape around us so that the symbiosis between its elements is maintained and, thus, endures. We take care of an authentic Mayan orchard, we promote a beautiful ecological path, we improve the wooded areas… So far it seems easy… But is it possible for a golf course to respect orography and biodiversity?
Not only is it possible, but with the help of the right specialists, it can even be enhanced. Playing golf among millenary cenotes, waiting for a crocodile to cross the river before hitting your ball, or strolling among endangered species with your caddy are acts of true ecocentrism.
The same is true of our residences and hotels, which not only respect the local flora, but the landscaped areas are populated with protected and endangered endemic species. We have already recovered more than 100 species. And we have planted more than 5,000 trees in the last three years.
If landscape is the interaction between nature and human beings… here we have a real romance.
Our flora
If only ourchildren knew how important trees are, perhaps they would grow up aware… and fascinated by nature. We have come up with a delicious way to entice them. We have started planting native fruit trees in ourhotels, so that our guests can experience the harvest, the authentic flavors, and enjoy the connection with the origin of everything. More than 20 different species of fruit tress thus far.
And for the effort to have a lasting effect, we are cataloguing native species with potential use in gardening, such as the Bayahibe Rose (Peresquia quisqueyana) (national flower of the Dominican Republic) and the Dominican Bellflower (Cubanola dominigensis), both endangered species. Or the “henequen” in Mexico, a plant cultivated by the Mayas that decorates our garden in Tulum, as well as the thatch palm or the parlor palm, all of them protected. In addition, we use vegetable waste to produce our own fertilizers…
Fertilizing for ecocentrism to grow and grow…
Our wildlife
In our destinations we not only respect the local species, but many of them coexist peacefully with our guests.
And we don’t mean mosquitoes.
We have red-eyed tree frogs, hummingbirds, Jamaican jutias, cheeky coaties, the American crocodile (this one is more shy, don’t worry)… We also promote the nesting of protected birds, and it is a privilege to be able to say that in our beaches we have facilitated the birth of more than one and a half million sea turtles since 2000. And one of our most ecocentric enclaves is Samaná Bay, the world’s largest sanctuary for humpback whale watching.
The Caribbean is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, but it is also our home. And as long as we can, we will take care of everyone who lives in it.
Our family
More than 14,000 people make up the great family of Grupo Piñero. Our brothers from Bahia Principe with their divisions of hotels and resorts, golf courses and residences; Coming2 that organizes excursions to spectacular places, and our cousins Soltour Travel Partners, Scubaquatic and Turiscar, the electric mobility division. Each and every one of their members has received the same training in environmental objectives and practices. The idea is for each of them to apply them to the extent that their role in the company allows. From the top management, who will have to transfer ecocentric criteria to their decision making, to the people who are in contact with the recycling systems, with the clients, or with the keyboard with which this text is being typed.
Our neighbors
Ecocentrism should be contagious, so in all the communities in which we operate, we try to make this ripple effect grow by giving talks in schools and social centers, buying from nearby co-ops… or doing things as simple as donating recycling baskets to local schools. These actions bring us closer and closer, and in time, wonderful things such as having local associations count on us… end up happening.
Sometimes we go clean up public beaches together, and we are often invited to parties and events, where we take the opportunity to spread ecocentrism everywhere.
Some of the neighbors with whom we workside by side are:
Our destinations
Would you like to visit us to see what an ecocentric experience is all about? We are right here.
Our plans
Here you can see where we come from and where we are heading with our ecocentrism. There’s still a long way to go, but in such good company, it will be an unforgettable journey.
2000
Creation of the Ecobahia Foundation.
Start of the Sea Turtle Protection Program.
Start of the Ecobahia Foundation Wildlife Rescue Program.
2002
Start of the Environmental Education Program. Start of the Coral Reef Protection Program
2006
Rescue of flora in land where the Golf Course was to be built in the Riviera Maya. First protected plant nursery in the Riviera Maya.
2015
Start of cooperation with the Yucatan Scientific Research Center. Start of Grupo Piñero’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program.
2017
First global waste management plan for Bahia Principe hotels.
Travelife certyification in all Bahia Principe hotels.
2018
Signing of collaboration agreements with the Samaná Bay Conservation and Ecodevelopment Center and the Santo Domingo Botanical Garden. Domingo.
Planting of the first protected species in a Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts garden.
2019
Participation in the VII Whale Festival in Samaná.
Creation of a native plant nursery in Playa Nueva Romana.
2020
Planting of more than 6,000 native plants and restoration of 600 meters of dunes.
2021
Start of the “Biodiverse, Clean and Sustainable Samaná” project.
Coastal restoration project in Cayo Levantado, in collaboration with the Dominican Republic’s Environment and Tourism Ministries.
2022
100% elimination of single-use plastics in all our hotels.
2025
40% reduction of the carbon footprint.
2030
Carbon neutrality in our activities and zero waste.
How to be more ecocentric
A good ecocentric is not something you’re born with – you have to work at it.
Here are some things you can work on. No pressure!
01
Use biodegradable or reef friendly sunscreen.
02
Control your water consumption. Reuse towels, turn off the faucet while brushing and do all those things that you learned about saving water. To help a little, we have put water savers on all the faucets.
03
Take advantage of natural light, use energy-saving light bulbs, turn things off.
04
Don’t step on vegetation off the marked paths and tracks. If you’re in the mood for some jungle exploration, ask at our excursion center.
05
Recycle whatever you can.
At our hotels and residential complexes, we make it easy for you.
06
Consume local products and responsible brands.
07
Plant trees or plants. If the Amazon is a bit out of your way, you’ve always got your balcony or your garden.
08
Consume less. As a general rule. Clothing, electronics, cosmetics, junk food… it’s actually the most direct way to reduce environmental degradation.
09
Practice sustainable tourism. When you travel, make sure that you support businesses that help to make things better.
10
Think about the planet you want to leave to your children. Nieces and nephews are also accepted!
News
Here you can see the latest news related to the ecoist movement.
The devastating impact of marine souvenir tourism
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We received the award for Best Environmental Conservation Project in the Tourism Sector!
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Good Ecocentric Practices in the Office
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Our challenge to plant one tree per person moves forward
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Together we will reduce plastic consumption and help to reuse it
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