We have designed and refined our lodging as we have learned more about the various issues related to the current environmental crisis: the climate crisis, the collapse of biodiversity, resource scarcity, and global pollution…

To navigate this complexity, we first focused on establishing a strong local presence in our village and the Alpilles mountain range through the Valeurs Parcs brand. We have also joined committed initiatives such as 1% for the Planet; as part of this, we donate 1% of our revenue (which includes your booking price) to organizations working to protect the environment.

We’ve also educated ourselves on these complex topics, primarily through the Climate Mural (for which Cédric serves as a facilitator), but also through various readings (some of which are available in the cottage’s small library) and through training programs like those currently offered by the SATOR Transitions platform. For example, we were particularly interested in the work of scientist Olivier Hamant on resilience.

In 2025, we also founded an organization called “Un Pas de Côté dans les Alpilles,” which aims to host scientific conferences on topics related to the transition. This year, the initiative took the form of a festival held in our village of Aureille in February, and we hope to continue this endeavor!

In 2022, we received support for our laboratory project from ADEME’s Sustainable Tourism Fund, which really helped us get off to a flying start! Since then, we’ve continued to invest so you can try out and discover solutions for tourism that’s more respectful of resources and the environment.

Would you like to listen to a podcast that explains our approach? https://audmns.com/NJQhvYd

“The laboratory of ecological solutions,” a place where we experiment!

Today, we position ourselves as a laboratory for eco-friendly solutions: a way to introduce our guests to changes in practices or solutions that we find interesting. For example, we recently modified the garden to reduce the amount of grass that needs watering and increase the number of plants and shrubs that are drought-resistant and promote biodiversity.

Our ongoing tests

To learn more about our current reviews in a fun way, check out our review sheets below!