Costa Navarino: Strongly Committed to Environmental, Social Responsibility

Greek developer TEMES recently presented plans to further invest in new tourism infrastructure to strengthen alternative forms of tourism and sustainable development at Costa Navarino in Messinia.

A sustainably driven destination in the southwest Peloponnese, Costa Navarino is strongly committed to environmental and social responsibility, aiming at a sustainable tourism development in harmony with the natural environment and local communities of Messinia.

During a press event, TEMES revealed that it has allocated some 8 percent of Costa Navarino’s development budget of 850 million euros to create the necessary infrastructure for the environment. The building footprint across Costa Navarino is less than half of the percentage permitted, while some 90 percent of the total land area is dedicated to indigenous and planted greenery.

Costa Navarino has a long track record of initiatives and actions focused on sustainable development practices.

Climate change and Navarino Environmental Observatory

With sustainability at the heart of Costa Navarino’s philosophy from the very beginning, in 2009 TEMES created the Navarino Environmental Observatory (NEO) together with the University of Stockholm and the Academy of Athens. NEO focuses on research and education around climate change and the environment in the wider Mediterranean region. Now, NEO has developed into a dynamic center for modern research (more than 1,800 students have visited and more than 200 scientific publications have been made), while its educational programs are closely related to the research carried out in the region.

Limit single-use plastics

Costa Navarino is the first tourism destination in Greece that, in collaboration with WWF Greece, launched a very important effort to limit unnecessary single-use plastics related not only to the services provided to its guests but to the overall operation of the destination. The partnership comes as a natural step, in line with Costa Navarino’s participation at the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
This action for 2022 resulted in a 38 percent reduction in visitor-related single-use plastics compared to 2019 and a total reduction of more than 9 tonnes of single-use plastics.

Waste Management, Recycling

The integrated solid and liquid waste management system of Costa Navarino is based on waste reduction, reuse and recycling. Part of the waste management system involves the operation of a large-scale wastewater-treatment facility within the premises.

Protection of the loggerhead sea turtle

The protection of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) was a priority for TEMES right from the planning of the Costa Navarino facilities. In collaboration with the scientific team of Archelon, all the coastal lighting of the facilities at Navarino Dunes was designed in a way that is not visible from the sea, so that it does not discourage female sea turtles from nesting or disorient hatchlings when they leave the nest and head towards the sea. Since 2010, TEMES has been implementing an extensive monitoring and protection program for the Caretta-caretta. The results show that sustainable tourism can contribute catalytically to the strengthening of efforts to preserve marine and coastal ecosystems, with a significant increase in the number of nests that for the last 4 years on average exceeds 70 percent compared to 2010 which started the program.

Landscape preservation

Costa Navarino has also embarked on a challenging program to uproot olive and other trees and temporarily plant them in a specially prepared reception area.
As construction progresses throughout the various sites, these trees are replanted in their final location on-site, in an effort to preserve what has been part of the landscape for hundreds of years.
The program, the biggest olive tree-transplanting programme in Europe, has a success rate approaching 100 percent with more than 6,900 olive trees replanted so far. Additionally, more than 9,900 new indigenous trees and more than 1,089,000 endemic shrubs of different species have been planted so far.

Reduction of energy and emissions

As part of its commitments to reduce its carbon footprint, TEMES has developed a comprehensive program, implementing a range of practices including: electricity from renewable sources, reduction of LPG use and use of electricity exclusively for power generation in new hotels. Following these practices, significant reductions in operational emissions have been achieved.

Management of water resources

One of the key measures for the management of water resources was the construction of reservoirs (several years before operation) to cover the irrigation needs of the Costa Navarino, including those for the golf courses, using only surface water from the local rivers. The three reservoirs have a total capacity of approximately 1,180,000 m2, are fully integrated into the natural landscape and today cover all the irrigation needs of the Costa Navarino facilities, pumping a quantity of water close to 1 percent of the runoff of the local rivers.

Bioclimatic architecture

The Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino.

The design of Navarino Dunes is based on the principles of bioclimatic architecture and is fully aligned with the region’s traditional architectural patterns in terms of form, volume and scale, safeguarding the integrity of the local landscape, horizon and ridgeline.
Special design features include: free-standing open roofs; over 5,000 m² of planted roofs; optimal use of sunlight through orientation of buildings, landscaping, artificial and natural shading; external wall insulation system that wraps the building in a thermally resistant
envelope; and artificial ponds that improve the local micro-climate.
The unique design of the Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino at the Navarino Bay area, features earth-sheltered villas and is aligned with the destination’s sustainable principles, featuring planted roofs blending into the natural topography of the land and using local materials.

Navarino Pet Community

Costa Navarino has created a pet community that aims to increase awareness on the stray animals issue and is led by volunteers among the Costa Navarino associates. So far, more than 200 dogs and cats have found a permanent home both in Greece and around Europe.
Moreover, Costa Navarino in collaboration with the Captain Vassilis & Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation and with NGOs, have launched the “Messinia Without Strays” program to address the very serious issue concerning the protection and management of stray animals in the region of Messinia.
The program started in 2016 and until today has managed the following: 250 stray animals have found a home in 13 countries; 137 have been sterilized; 3,500 hours of volunteer work invested in the program; 22 offer their services for free; and 10 tons of pet food have been served to the four-legged guests of the program.

Costa Navarino comprises of several distinct sites featuring five-star hotels, luxury private residences, a world-class golf experience, and many year-round activities. Navarino Dunes is home to The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, and Costa Navarino Residences. Navarino Bay is home to the Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino since summer 2023. Both sites have an 18-hole signature golf course. The nearby Navarino Waterfront is the setting for the new, vibrant W Costa Navarino and the Navarino Agora, a curated marketplace. At Navarino Hills, two signature golf courses opened in February 2022.