The latest update on our living in harmony with nature project, The Green Man Hotel, a soon to be healthy living rural oasis, after the minor border infringement problem we had with our original submission and then the major realignment of the ( Reserva Ecológica Nacional ) borders on our land and the systemic slow progress to get to this point, we are at last reaching the final planning stages for phase one of the project, the first stage of which we will be creating a 100% carbon negative infrastructure for our hotel building and this could potentially and probably will end up being the greenest, the healthiest, the most sustainable, the most eco friendly, user friendly hotel in the world.
This is a carbon negative method of construction using Hemp shiv and lime binder materials that we will be using to create a two storey continuous monolithic structure, hemp/lime is a building system which is internationally recognised as being a low impact sustainable form of construction, a very versatile natural building material that provides a low tech solution for eco friendly zero-carbon or as in this case a negative carbon building, the primary hemp material can also be grown on site or in the nearby locality with negligible transport costs.
The contiguous monolithic structure of floors walls and roofs creates an energy efficient thermal mass that heats up gradually during the day and releases the retained heat slowly during the evening and night, the breathable walls in this type of construction helps create the cleanest and purest indoor air quality possible, ensuring extremely healthy living and sleeping conditions for the long term residents as well as for short term holiday guests.
From a climate and environmental friendly standpoint the beauty of this particular construction material lies in the fact that it sequesters more carbon than it creates, it’s also earthquake proof, has a high level of fire resistance, is damp and mould proof as well as rodent and termite proof, noise proof, wind proof, with all these benefits and a simple though smart low tech building design, this project could well be the most eco friendly, most sustainable and healthiest hotel complex anywhere on the planet with a potential lifespan of hundreds of years and at end of life could be fully recycled.
The ultimate aim of The Green Man Hotel which will be family owned and managed, is to optimise the health and well-being of all our clients whether long term residents or short/medium term users, giving everyone the opportunity to maximise their active and healthy life span, a long term sustainable healthy living environment is our ultimate aim and objective, with cosy and comfortable accommodation with no drafts, condensation or cold spots, our intention is to make this a high value concept whilst keeping it as affordable as possible, especially for the long term residents or core stake holders, (see final paragraph).
Our clients and guests will hopefully have similar views as ourselves about how future climate change will affect our long term living environment and will be happy to be part of this unique low impact development as well as being attracted to the concept of living not just a longer healthier more satisfying life but also to the prospect of living or holidaying in this beautiful location in the sunny Algarve region which was recently voted the best retirement destination in the world.
One of the biggest influences on personal happiness and quality of life is exposure to nature and the great outdoors, a recent study conducted in the UK found that those who spent more time outdoors in natural surroundings were far happier than city-dwellers, healthy people are usually happy people, in addition to feeling happy, energy levels are boosted and the immune system is strengthened resulting in an increase in feelings of vitality and overall well-being.
Nature is fuel for the soul, often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but this research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature, so with this in mind we will be striving to create one of the greenest healthy living hotels ever, one that will give all users the opportunity of living harmoniously within the natural world in an area of outstanding natural beauty, this will be a unique hotel that can tick all the boxes needed to create the infrastructure and systems that will enable a longer healthier and well balanced life for our clients who can then enjoy many more active years on this wonderful planet.
One of the main reasons for this update is to be able create a data base of potential long term residents or users, individuals who are currently looking to escape the rat race, the junk foods, the GMO’s and pesticides etc. or will be looking to do so in the near future, individuals and couples who are looking for an opportunity to live a simpler uncluttered less materialistic lifestyle, one that holds out the promise of being able to live a longer, happier and more active healthy life among likeminded people.
Our preferred long term user profile is for early retirees looking for (quality of life) a simpler, more tranquil stress free life, with the ongoing opportunity to be able to breathe pristine unpolluted air, drink the freshest cleanest water, eat the most nutritious organic food grown on our own permaculture farm that is itself situated in the middle of the new nature reserve area, all set in a breathtakingly beautiful river valley which is almost totally free from noise or traffic pollution and has uninterrupted views all round, there is an added bonus of some great fishing available on our 1500 metre river frontage if that’s one of your favourite pastimes.
We don’t aim to be the biggest or the best or even the most luxurious, we do however aim to be the greenest, the healthiest, the most sustainable, the most eco friendly, most user friendly and potentially the least expensive in terms of value for money or as they say over the pond you will be getting the biggest bang for your buck whichever way you become involved, this unusual overall approach will allow us to be able to offer great value with initial projections suggesting our client/user costs could be 50% less than other similar or directly comparable healthy living resorts, spa’s or even juicing retreats.
There are a lot more features to this project that will make it into a great low cost green development, a clean and sustainable energy efficient alternative to any mainstream complex, the hotel will be completely solar powered using the very latest Tesla solar roof panel system with various backup storage system options, a low voltage direct current energy system for the all round LED lighting, very low heating and cooling requirements, sustainable hotel fixtures and fittings, an innovative smart building design that keeps the plumbing and wiring requirements to the absolute minimum helping to reduce the overall build cost.
This development is intended to be totally self sufficient and sustainable in all areas, with our own underground freshwater resources, our own waste and sewage system, air source heat pumps powered by the clean solar energy will be used for hot water heating as well as for the minimal cooling and heating requirements for the accommodation units, rain water harvesting will supply toilet flush water as well as field and greenhouse irrigation, we will also be composting all our organic waste which will be returned to the land as fertiliser.
Utilising the intended data base of potential clients we will be looking to raise working capital to move forward ASAP on the construction side once we have the final go ahead, to that end we will be offering in advance some very generous and advantageous perks and benefits for a small number of early bird stakeholders, benefits that will be unbeatable in terms of value for money, so if you are looking at relocating to enjoy the 3k plus hours of sunshine available in southern Portugal, bookmark this page for future reference, one other factor to bear in mind is that funds in the UK are producing minimal interest returns and could be at risk of a bank bail-in should the banking sector succumb to another financial crisis in the near future.
One example of what we are offering (fully refundable) works out a lot less than the cost of the average UK home and would get you free accommodation and low cost or at cost full board, another example for anyone just looking for a good investment opportunity in these low or negative interest times would get them around 5% pa ROI plus some free annual holiday time as an extra bonus, worth another percentage point at least, other possible perks for early stakeholders would be choice of hotel accommodation and free upgrade to one of the detached eco lodges as and when they come on stream.
Other opportunities would be available for potentially active or passive JV partners, or for overseas individuals looking at the golden visa option, though one should bear in mind this is not a get rich quick type of scheme. Our business model is to be able to offer the lowest possible charges to clients wanting a healthy living holiday, as well as for the short/medium term clients looking for the opportunity to winter in the sun at an affordable price.
However an early long term resident commitment will get the best deal ever, with no more rent to pay, no council tax or property tax, no energy or water bills, no building or contents insurance just the low cost all inclusive full board tariff, just to be clear, any initial working capital funding pledged would be fully secured and fully refundable after a fixed time period.
For more information on these very special offers email info.thegreenmanhotel@gmail.com