As surfers and yogis we at Dfrost are always thinking as individuals about the environment and what we can do to lessen our negative impact, whether that’s taking our own bag to the souk, or picking up bits of rubbish we find at the beach. But as a company, Dfrost is working hard to improve our green credentials as well and we need your help!
Read about our efforts to make our tourism business environmentally sustainable and how you can be a part of it on our blog. Help us make the waves and the world a cleaner, greener place.
What is Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable tourism is committed to making a low impact on the local environment and culture, while helping to generate future employment for local people. It aims to ensure that development is a positive experience for local people, local businesses and the tourists themselves.
What does sustainable tourism mean to Dfrost Almugar?
The surfing industry is notorious for not being environmentally friendly; from
extensive long-haul flights, cars searching for the perfect surf spot, through to the non-recyclable materials used to produce boards and wetsuits.
On top of this, the quest for the perfect wave frequently takes surfers to less developed places, where local business is not as environmentally aware as in more developed nations. This is especially the case in smaller surf towns like Taghazout, where the infrastructure isn’t yet in place to support business as sustainably as we’d like.
This is why as a business Dfrost Almugar is committed to forging the way in implementing the best environmental practices and introducing socially responsible initiatives to our local community. We know we cannot change things overnight, but we are passionate about making sure our business provides not
only a positive experience for our guests, but also for our local environment and community.
What is Dfrost doing to keep sustainable?
Recycling
The Moroccan Government intends to increase the rate of material collected and recycled from 5% today to 20% by 2022 whilst at the same time improving the conditions of waste pickers. To support this initiative we actively encourage our guests and staff to recycle with clearly marked recycling bins throughout the house for plastic, metal and glass.
Energy
Morocco has one of the highest rates of solar insolation in the world, with on average 3.000 hours of sunshine a year. Keeping this in mind we installed solar panels at both the Surf House and Villa Surya to limit our use of non-renewable energy resources and power both as far as possible with solar energy.
We strive to only use LED light bulbs at both locations. LEDs consume less energy than traditional light bulbs and they typically last 20 times longer than other bulbs; reducing our need to replace them and therefore the impact of manufacturing, packaging and shipping.
You’ll see throughout the Surf House and Villa Surya reminders to switch the lights off in bathrooms and bedrooms when they are not in use. Help us save the planet one bulb at a time!
Water
At Villa Surya we have a water filtration system that allows our guests to drink directly from the specified drinking water tap, this has dramatically reduced the number of plastic bottles we use at Villa Surya each year, and we encourage our guests to bring their own refillable bottle to use. Â A drinking water tap is shortly to be installed at the Surf House too to cut our plastic consumption down.
You’ll also see signs at both locations reminding guests to keep their showers short. We are in Africa and water is a very precious resource here!
Natural products
We use essential oils, like lavender oil to clean our yoga mats. As lavender oil is a natural disinfectant this limits the need for us to use toxic and non-environmentally friendly chemicals for cleaning.
We ask our guests where possible to bring natural products and toiletries with them to use during their stay. We want to keep our water and especially the ocean as clean as possible, and everything you use on your body, from soap to sunscreen affects the local marine environment.
Food
At Villa Surya we enthusiastically follow a plant-based lifestyle, with our entire vegetarian menu eco-friendly and locally sourced. This reduces not only the impact of transportation and farming on the environment but also supports the growth of local businesses that provide us with our produce.
At the Taghazout Surf & Yoga villa we eat vegetarian 2 nights a week to play our part to reduce human impact on the environment.
To reduce food waste, leftovers are shared by our local staff and any vegetable/fruit peels etc are taken home by our Villa Surya chef to feed to his sheep and goats which are sold as part of Eid Kibr, and food waste from the Surf House feeds owner Mo’s father’s small flock.
For more information on our delicious menus see the Surf House and Villa Surya food and cuisine sections of the website.
Local engagement
We actively search for and hire local people, developing and creating jobs for the local community. During your stay at either location you’ll find the majority of our staff, from the surf teachers to the kitchen staff to our drivers and most of our hosts are all from Morocco, with most of them originally from Taghazout.
We aim to provide all of our guests with the highest quality equipment when they come surfing with us. Whilst this means our guests enjoy a great level of service, it unfortunately also means a high turnover of equipment. Many surf camps would usually discard wetsuits with small holes and surf boards with minor dings, however, at Dfrost we give this equipment away to the local community who wouldn’t normally be able to afford the equipment to go surfing.
As well as our surf equipment we often give away many household items from both the Yoga Villa and Taghazout surf villa when we replace our e.g. plates, cups, kitchen equipment and household goods. These may seem like inexpensive items to us but they can make a big difference to the lives of some of the poorer people in the village.
We also sponsor surf competitions for the local community, whether that’s helping out on the beach, loaning equipment or helping to market the event. Â We like to be as involved as possible in local initiatives, especially when it comes to encouraging the local kids to learn how to surf – after all, that’s how Dfrost Almugar got started.
Take 3 and beach clean ups
Dfrost sponsors 3 – 4 large scale beach cleanups every year, and take an active role in the locally organized monthly beach clean ups.
We also encourage our guests to play their part in the Take3 initiative – picking up 3 pieces of litter from the beach every day.
What can I do to help Dfrost Almugar become more sustainable?
Bring a lunchbox! All our packages include a self-packed lunch to take to the beach with you, but you can help us reduce the amount of paper used to pack lunches by bringing your own reusable Tupperware with you on your holiday.
Bring a reusable water bottle! At Villa Surya, we have a filtered water treatment system so you can reuse your water bottle and limit the number of plastic bottles used during your stay. This is soon to be the case for the Surf House too!
Bring a beach bag with you! By carrying around a beach bag you limit the need for plastic bags and you can also make sure you take your trash away with you from the beach. And vendors won’t need to give you a bag on your shopping trips to the village and the souk.
Recycle! Please use the marked recycling bins in the house for all your water bottles, drinks cans etc.
Switch off the lights! When you leave your room or a bathroom, make sure to turn off the lights so we are not wasting energy.
Save water! Take short showers and do not leave the tap running when you are brushing your teeth.
Use natural products! Please try to bring organic natural toiletries and sunscreen to minimize chemicals in the water.
Take 3! Pick up 3 pieces of litter every time you go to the beach to help keep our beaches clean and our oceans plastic free!
This is only the start. We hope to continue finding new sustainable initiatives to put in place that will benefit our guests, the environment and our community further, and inspire other local businesses to follow our lead.