The NGO Mecenas da Vida is the creator and coordinator of the local carbon neutralization program. The NGO was created in 2005 and two years later, they developed and implemented the “Turismo CO2 Legal” program.
The project was designed to operate in a network, as a “Social Carbon Fund”, financially maintained by local companies that joined the project, in order to neutralize their CO2 emissions. The monthly contribution is calculated based on the production of waste and the consumption of electricity, natural gas and fuel.
The funds raised by the program are used in a project with traditional farming families in the Itacaré-Serra Grande APA (Environmental Protection Area). Besides technical support, families also receive a “Conservation Grant”, so that they can take care of their forests and produce/plant tree seedlings in degraded areas of their properties.
The program aims to transform APA Itacaré-Serra Grande into a sustainable destination model, where all CO2 emissions are neutralized, promoting environmental conservation and socio-economic development in the region.