The greek startup Costa Nostrum started a crowdfunding campaign aiming to expand in Cyprus, whilst until now it has been operating mostly in Crete.
The company was founded in 2015 by Vassilis Zisimopoulos, having as an object the certification of public and “private-operating” beaches. It has created the Certification Standard for Sustainable Management and Development of the Mediterranean Beaches – Costa Nostrum Sustainable Beaches”, an innovative tool which can guarantee the sustainable development of the beaches contributing significantly to the protection and enhancement of the environment, the financial growth of the current area, while it ensures social cohesion and citizens’ prosperity.
According to this model, which includes a series of criteria ( environmental, social and financial), the company certifies beaches as “sustainable” every year.This way it offers them essential benefits such as revenue increase for the municipality or the hotels, as well as for the coastal businesses, environmental protection, improvement of the coastal area and attraction of new visitors.
So far today, the Certification Standard of Costa Nostrum has been recognised as “Good Practice” for the European Interreg Programs BlueIslands and Mistral and has distinguished at the European and Greek Business Awards for the Environment 2020.Also, the company has the support of Eurobank’s egg and of CapsuleT Accelerator, of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels while it has successfully completed the program of the Technical Chamber of Greece, Prototype by TEE. It has received awards in Greece and in Italy and has contracted cooperations with leading corporations, such as the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research ( HCMR).
For its expansion in Cyprus, the company has as an “ally” the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and, as it mentions in its announcement, the next help it seeks is this of the public. So, whoever wishes can support the crowdfunding campaign of the company and help its vision come true. A vision for sustainable management and protection of the coastal ecosystem for the benefit of all visitors and mostly future generations.
