"Green" Pacifica - Doing Our Part!

Gran Pacifica Resort's Environmental Responsibility Programs

Environmental Responsibility Statement

Gran Pacifica Resort is proud of the measures and investments we have made to limit our impact on the environment as well as initiatives to rebuild the surrounding ecosystems. While real estate development in the 1st world may be viewed as harmful to the environment, in a developing country, socially responsible development (see GP position) is critical for environmental health and recovery.

Typically, outside the major cities in the developing world, unemployment is high and subsistence agriculture is the primary way of life. Subsistence agriculture exerts extreme pressure on the environment, because with limited funds for fertilizer and farming equipment, slash and burn agricultural methods are employed. The needs for protein and cash also impart a devastating impact.

In the Pacific Lowlands of Nicaragua, where the Gran Pacifica Project is located, fields are burned every dry season to clear them of weeds and brush. This also provides some ash as fertilizer. However, when the May rains come, there is nothing to stop the top layers of soil from washing into the rivers, and they run orange-red with the clay silt. Additionally, deer, iguanas, rabbits and other wildlife are hunted to near extinction for the much needed protein they provide. Deforestation occurs as trees are cut for fuel and the small cash income they can provide when sold as lumber or charcoal.

Sustainable employment is, first and foremost, the most important factor when it comes to reversing the environmental devastation associated with poverty and subsistence agriculture.. By relieving the urgency of providing food at any cost, and by otherwise occupying the efforts of workers, the environment is spared some of the ravages associated with abject poverty.

The other side of the equation is what a project itself specifically does as part of the development infrastructure to limit its effects on the environment. Serious, real dollar investments are required to implement low impact solutions, especially in the heavy clay soils along the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. This is critically important when it comes to sewage and rain water runoff. Environmentally conscious buyers should view these issues seriously.

Gran Pacifica has invested millions, burying 18 and 24 inch storm drains under every street to collect and manage storm water. 40% of this water is directed to infiltration pits where it is absorbed into the earth. The remaining balance is sent to the golf course where it will be utilized for ponding and irrigation. A full sewage system is in place to collect, pump and treat "black water," which upon treatment, will be used for golf course irrigation.. These are two extremely significant mechanisms not commonly found in the region that we are using to protect the environment.

Additional measures including reforestation, both on and off the Gran Pacifica property, are underway.. Several thousand trees have already been grown from seed and transplanted to replace the deforestation that occurred prior to our ownership of the property. Gran Pacifica is making trees available and is providing labor to replant the river banks and public park spaces off property as a way to educate and simultaneously enhance the living space of our neighbors.

In the future, we envision wind power as a major source of renewable energy on property.. Future phases will require water retention and conservation measures on the part of home owners. Soft surfaces will be implemented when feasible to increase the absorbed portion of rainfall. Gran Pacifica will implement the best green technologies to minimize our impact on the project site. Off site our impact will be even greater by creating sustainable employment and reducing the proximate poverty. Through utilization of a sustainable development model and the right use of technologies, Gran Pacifica and its neighbors can not only reduce our impact on the environment, we can dramatically improve its long term future as well.

To get more information about our environmental responsability contact us at: info@granpacifica.com