Our founder: Thais Corral

Thais Corral

Thais Corral is a social entrepreneur and catalyst, serving as the Founder and Director of Instituto Sinal do Vale, a place-based initiative that focuses on the social and environmental regeneration of a 200,000-hectare bioregion in the Mata Atlântica, Brazil. She advocates for planetary and societal regeneration by promoting a decentralized ecosystemic model, enabling local actions to meet the planet's urgent needs. Thais is also the co-chair of the Advisory Board for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

As a co-founder of WEDO (Women, Environment, and Development Organization), Thais helped bring women's perspectives and presence into the United Nations, playing a key role in global advocacy. Her contributions have been recognized with the United Nations Environment Programme's Earth Champions Award and the Silicon Valley Tech Award for technologies that benefit humanity.

In addition to her work with Sinal do Vale, Thais is a counselor for the World Future Council, which identifies and promotes the best social and environmental policies for future generations. She also serves on the international council of the Home for Humanity Network and is involved with Futuro Latino Americano.

Thais holds a master’s degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and from the United Nations University at the University of Chicago. Before embarking on her career as a social entrepreneur, she spent six years working as a journalist in Italy.

History:

History

SINAL has evolved in the past 12 years, from being a living laboratory of small experiments to becoming a campus that develops and expands a bioregional economy that promotes the integral health of people and the planet. It has been recognized and is part of important Regeneration Networks such as Sistema B focusing on Business for benefiting the world, Regenerative Communities Network and Regeneration International. It is also a key participant of the Movimento Viva Agua, led by Fundação Grupo o Boticário, a network of like minded organizations that work towards regenerating the Guanabara Bay region.

In these past years, SINAL has hosted more than 4,000 people from 6 continents through our volunteer and internship program as well as through learning journeys and events. We have hosted over 150 events and retreats, our partners being Brazilian and

international organizations such as the BMW Foundation, Coca Cola Institute, International

Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Fundação Grupo O Boticário.

Since 2017, SINAL has spearheaded a series of events on Regeneration that built a community of leaders in the field in Latin America, curating in 2019 the first edition of RegenerArte – a festival promoting regeneration through arts, music, and personal development with facilitators from around the Americas and the world, followed by a workshop on “Regenerative Campi for the Future.”

In terms of conservation, SINAL has planted over 50,000 trees, and manages a 10,000 native tree seedling nursery. Around 50 hectares of degraded land is on track to regenerate under SINAL’s stewardship. With several agroecological solutions being tested on campus, around 10 different agroforestry models can be found, as well as an organic mandala garden with a productive permaculture strategy. The food processing lab on campus, Sabores da Floresta, always has a team of experienced natural culinary students experimenting with recipes and processing techniques.

Expanding its impact beyond the borders of the campus, SINAL has also incubated two notable solutions to promote a regenerative economy in its bioregion.

Madre Frutos, a social impact business that processes and sells green jackfruit as a sustainable, regional, healthy meat alternative to restaurants and food distributors. Through Madre Frutos SINAL contributes to containing the spread of the jackfruit tree, an exotic species that competes with the native forest, by collecting the fruit before it matures, offers a healthy food alternative that can function as a substitute of meat, and has created 12 jobs in the local community.

The Guanabara Bay Trail is a 110 km long distance trail that will function as a catalyst for an economy that values the environmental assets and promotes the overcoming of social inequalities. Bound together through a path that weaves natural, historic and cultural heritage, inhabitants along the trail can offer ecotourism services such as hosting, gastronomy, recreational outdoor activities, etc.

Our vision towards 2030 and beyond is being a practical example of a new local economy that produces without destroying, regenerates the social and natural ecosystems, and promotes the biodiversity of the bioregion.

Best Practices:

Sinal do Vale is committed to upholding best practices in terms of conduct, acquisitions, and conflict of interest management, ensuring transparency and integrity in all its operations.

Protection and Safeguard Policy

Goods and Services Acquisition Policy

Ethical Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy

Advisory Council

Our council members are entrepreneurs, innovators and responsible leaders from all over the world, committed to creating a more sustainable, equal and just world