How we came to visit the rubber plantations of Michelin in Bahia,

Brazil

In Paris we met Claire Dorland, globally responsible for the Michelin

brand. She invited us to discuss the future of the Michelin brand and the

way in which Michelin is integrating sustainability more and more into all

its activities.

Claire starts talking: “As you know, a lot is going on in the area of

sustainability and we are very proud that we can and do make a big

difference here. We produce tires, which are part of vehicles that exhaust

CO2, that is our business. We recently developped tires that have less

friction with the asphalt and therefore use less energy, less fuel and

therefore produce less CO2. This is one of the areas that we are busy in

and we are constantly looking how we can contribute to making transport

less polluting and more sustainable. A challenge with which we are

confronted every day!”

Interesting story of which I would like to learn more.

“I understood that you are looking for stories on sustainability, is this

story good enough, you think?”

“I think so, if you can give us some more background information, we can

work with it!”

“We do need some time, because next week we are going to Brazil for a

month for several projects we are involved in concerning the reforesting

of the Mata Atlantica.”

“Say what? That is a coincidence! We have a huge sustainability project

set up in the South of Bahia, in the middle of the Mata Atlantica. It is

called Projeto Ouro Verde. It would be great if you can go there and write

a story about the project, it is something we are really proud of and would

like to share with others. Can you do that for us?”

Of course we can, we make the necessary preparations, find out where

the rubber plantations exactly are, make an appointment with some of the

key people of the project, take our photo and film cameras and off we go.

After a week of planting trees in the Atlantic Rainforest in Nazare

Paulista, lots of meetings and a guest lecture in Sao Paulo, building a

house in the favela, we leave for Salvador in the relaxing state of

Bahia.Yesterday we interviewed the new CEO of TAM and of course he

upgraded us to business class....TAM flies us in two and a half chilling

hours to Salvador where our friend Eliane Zanchet is waiting for us. 

We will go together to ZANK, the boutique hotel she has set up a few

years ago with her two sisters, in Rio Vermelho, one of the nicer areas of

Salvador. But before we arrive at ZANK, she takes us to her new shop

annex art gallery, 'Anavá, Madeira do Brasil'. Here she advises about and

sells sustainable wood, her passion long since. The shop is perfectly

located, with a view on the ocean, and we have a very good cafe com leite

in the Cupcakes Cafe which is located just behind her gallery, smart

thinking.At ZANK we get the chance to chill and be spoiled with a

beautifully decorated room. In the

evening we enjoy drinks on the

rooftop terrace, letting our

thoughts go freely while watching

the ocean.

The next morning we are picked

up by Regis, one of the drivers of

Michelin, to take us to Itubera,

where we will spend 3 days to

discover the Projeto Ouro Verde,

the Project Green Gold. We are

soon to find out that this is a

school example of a company

applying the People, Planet, Profit

philosophy.

The area that we drive through is indescribably beautiful, changing

scenery of trees, huge palm trees, thick primary rainforest as far as you

can look. Hardly any houses, this really is a different planet. This is where

we see how impressive the Mata Atlantica used to be. If you get out of the

car and try to go into the forest, I am sure you will be completely lost

within 15 minutes, I have never seen anything like this, cool!

After several hours, we arrive at the Michelin rubber plantation where

Paulo Bonfim is already waiting for us. “Bom dia”, he says, “tudo bem?”

welcoming us in the Brazilian way. “Tudo bom”, we answer in our best

Portuguese.

We quickly put our stuff in the bungalows that are built for guests at the

Espaco Verde and head to the main buiding where Paulo is waiting for us.

Lunch is served! Great foor accompanied by the best juices you can

imagine, Graviola, Goiabada, Manga, Maracuja, Caja, etc. Every time we

eat, we will try another flavour, all fresh!

The bungalows at Espaco Ouro Verde

After lunch, we go to the auditorium of the Espace and Paulo gives us a

short presentation of the Projeto Ouro Verde, the Green Gold Project. He,

just like all other people we will meet, are very proud and anxious to

share their story and show us all there is to it.

Tags: Anouk Pappers,borrachia natural, car tires, Cool, CoolBrands,CoolSustainability,CoolTravel, Michelin,natural rubber,Sustainable car

driving,Sustainable rubber,Sustainable rubber plantations, sustainable tires, tires, Transmedia storytelling, Travel, Zank, Paulo-Roberto Bonfim,

Carlos Mattos, Juliana Laufer, people planet profit Michelin, Michelin sustainability

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