21 mrt

Mabira Forest Lodge Uganda

In Uganda there is a small rainforest under pressure near Kampala. The Mukono area is around 1600 hectares. Our own company, Mabira Forest lodge has been developed in this rainforest. The resort can accommodate 50 guests. It has a restaurant and a small swimming pool overlooking the pristine nature. We have targeted a growing group of travellers, tourists, and businessmen and women. People with a conscience who want to enjoy the full potential of a tropical destination without having a negative impact on the people and the planet. This has worked; the lodge still welcomes many tourists every year.

The community in Mukono consists of around 25.000 people. It is a mix of different tribes. They live from agriculture, handicrafts, tree felling and entrepreneurship. Mabira Forest Lodge became also a flywheel for ecological, early circular, social and economic development in the region. It was the driver of transformation to a new economy. We built a new ecosystem in cooperation with many different stakeholders. This was based on a shared vision for the area, our common ground.

The flywheel for integrated transformation became a model we called ‘COOLRegion’. We developed this with Wageningen UR in NL, Forest Trends USA, Ashoka and Kampala University in Uganda. The World Bank noticed the progress we had made in Uganda and invited us to present the lodge and COOLRegion in Washington DC.

02 mrt

Country Estate Groot Marienbosch

Country Estate Landgoed Groot Marienbosch, 823 hectares, is situated in Commewijne, 30 minutes from Paramaribo, Surinam. It is an old cacao, orange plantation with a traditional country house, which was built in 1749. Many animals can be found on the plantation, like monkeys, special birds and many butterflies’. On this country estate sustainable tourism, wellness is combined with ” green” development. Agriculture that is suitable on the partly salty ground of the country estate. University of Wageningen but also islands like Texel in the Netherlands have experience in growing “green” on salty ground. Large-scale forestry is not possible. 100%Zomer was the entrepreneur; co-founder, co-owner and statutory director.

07 mrt

Grenada, integrated sustainable island building

Grenada is an island that is part of the Caricom. This is an organization like the EU in the Caribbean. Grenada is also known as the “Island of Spice” because of the production of nutmeg and mace crops of which Grenada is one of the world’s largest exporters. Its size is 344 square kilometers (133 sq. mi), with an estimated population of 110,000. Surinam is also part of the Caricom a country in which 100% Zomer has developed several businesses in Surinam. Besides that 100% Zomer transformed several (secluded) areas in Surinam into integrated sustainable micro economies.