OUR STANDARD
THE CERTIFICATION STANDARD
OUR STANDARD - COSTA NOSTRUM
The Certification Standard for Sustainable Management and Development of the Mediterranean Beaches – Costa Nostrum® is an original and innovative “tool” that can objectively guarantee the sustainable development of the Mediterranean beaches, primarily by defending the environment, greatly contributing to the financial development of the region around sustainable Costa Nostrum® beaches and, of course by ensuring social cohesion and prosperity of the citizens of the region.
Furthermore, the Costa Nostrum® certification standard also constitutes an online tourist information portal for visitors – tourists, regarding the infrastructure, classification and characteristics of each sustainable Costa Nostrum® beach. Once fully and universally developed, each prospective visitor of a coastal area in the Mediterranean who can access the website or download the relative mobile application, will be able to check the sustainable Costa Nostrum® beaches, their facilities and characteristics (natural – such as flora, fauna, weather, etc. and artificial – such as the services provided). At the same time, by filling a simple option form, they would be able to choose a sustainable Costa Nostrum® beach depending on their requirements, e.g. appropriate infrastructure for people with disabilities, baby facilities such baby changing units etc. Moreover, advertisements and promotion material for both local traditional products and for the workshops that produce them will be displayed on the information section of the website and the mobile application for each Costa Nostrum® beach, as well as on the beach itself, around it and at the nearby dining businesses.
WHAT A SUSTAINABLE BEACH IS?
Until now there has been no strict definition of what constitutes a sustainable or green beach but in general terms it can be described as a beach which incorporates the principles of sustainability within its management plan thereby achieving first and foremost the preservation of natural resources and the protection of the environment, favors the economic development of the locale to which the beach belongs. and finally encourages social cohesion and the prosperity of the people living along its periphery.
WHICH BEACHES CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS SUSTAINABLE BEACHES?
Το following draft certification is designed in such a way that all beaches, whether they are organized or not, public beaches or those which are financially exploited privately, and even those which are considered beaches of an ecological nature, can be currently certified as Sustainable Beaches – Costa Nostrum, as long as they meet the basic criteria for certification.
STRATEGY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COSTA NOSTRUM - SUSTAINABLE BEACH
The strategy towards the establishment and characterization of a beach as a sustainable beach – Costa Nostrum, includes a series of basic stages, which upon their completion provide the ability for a beach to be characterized as a sustainable beach and thus be categorized on the basis of its specifications and its infrastructure.
Throughout all stages of the planning and implementation of the management plan and certification process there is constant evaluation of the results which arise and subsequent modifications to the initial management plan according to the individual requirements and characteristics of any given beach.