In The Green
Our Ecotourism Milestones
"We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment so that we can bequeath our children a sustainable world that benefits all". Wangari Maathai.
Granted, sustainable tourism sounds like a mouthful. But surprisingly, it’s that one, little good thing a traveler or hotel operator does that adds to the bigger picture – like planting a tree seedling towards reforestation or feeding a Maasai woman and her children by buying that colorful beaded necklace so painstakingly crafted.
Sarova Hotels & Resorts' contribution towards enhancing the planet and the lives of local communities has always been a key assignment since inception. For over 45 years of operations, we have proudly embraced several best practices that have ensured responsible travel within our properties, maintaining a sweet spot between conservation and profit. As the needs of our environment evolve, so do our efforts.
Water Management
Ecotourism is at its very best observed when we adopt water conservation and purification methods. By acquiring water dispensers inbuilt with Reverse Osmosis water purifiers, we have upped the ante on your hydration efforts - The aim is to have clean drinking water at 99.99% purity levels for all our hotels' staff and guests.
Grey water, which is wastewater generated from our kitchens and guest room showers is recycled and treated for reuse. This includes laundry use and irrigation in our organic gardens as well as watering the lush flora in our properties. Nutrients in the treated grey water such as phosphorus act as a plant's food source.
Eco-smart rain showers designed to keep water waste to a minimum are installed in guest rooms without compromising on the soothing effects of a great shower.
The Management of Waste
Our greasy business remains just that… our business. Waste cooking oil is recycled into renewable energy (Bio-Diesel), ensuring that it doesn’t end up in sewerage systems that clog pipes.
Kitchen waste and food leftovers are converted into valuable end products such as organic fertilizer used in our in-house organic kitchen gardens. We do love to get our hands in the dirt, often inviting our guests during harvest time which allows them to pick their own ingredients for the chef to whip up a special meal.
We have introduced the use of bulk amenities in our shower closets in the form of luxurious bath and shower gels, shampoos and body lotions that are hydrating as well as indulgent and made from natural herbs and ingredients, free of parabens.
Elaborate effluent treatment plants that process raw waste using a system known as aerobic digestion are set up at both Sarova Lionhill and Sarova Mara lodges to eliminate toxin matter before being discharged into the environment as clear, inoffensive produce. At Sarova Mara, the treated water flows into a watering hole used for drinking by the wild animals within the reserve while at Sarova Lion Hill the water flows out to support the vegetation around the lodge.
Elimination of Plastics
Your sippy moments are best enjoyed knowing you are using eco-friendly straws made of recycled paper. We have eliminated the use of some 6000 plastic straws that were previously going to landfills as waste after one use.
We have adopted the use of glass water bottles which not only provide an aesthetic appeal but our guests in the rooms and the restaurants can rest assured that we no longer provide single-use plastic bottled water. We are proud of our investment, an elaborate, state-of-the-art water filtration and bottling plant, based at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge which serves to provide drinking water for our in-room guests. We aim to pick learnings from this pilot project and later roll out in all our other properties.
Optimization and Conservation of Energy
Our energy optimization efforts include the use of solar energy to heat water in our lodges reducing reliance on electricity. Key to note, we do not burn any type of fossil fuel within our properties, drastically reducing our carbon footprint.
The use of natural light is maximized in all rooms and our city hotels have adopted the use of motion sensor lighting along corridors that automatically goes off when no activity is detected, saving energy by as much as 50%. We have won several awards for our energy conservation efforts even as we continue to be front-runners in the industry through our various initiatives.
Social and Economic Empowerment of Local Communities
How amazing it is to leave money in the pockets of the local communities we operate from. The success of our lodges is attributed to the employment of locals who not only understand the geography of our locations but also have a buy-in on our ideas making them easy to implement. We take pride in our passionate tour guides who narrate their experiences and explain in spectacular detail any curious wildlife query. The organic herb and vegetable gardens are also tended to by these very locals.
Our lodges provide direct route-to-market channels, which include facilitating visits to cultural manyattas for guests who purchase artisanal merchandise. These same artisans are allowed to display their commodities within our lodges selling them directly to tourists. Their profits are pocketed for their families without third-party costs.
Sekenani Primary School has been a beneficiary of our community goodwill. A block of classes constructed within the school has ensured continuous learning with generous guests donating books and sanitary towels to the pupils. Nakuru Girls High School is yet another learning institution that has been gracious enough to lend a 2-acre piece of land, landscaped and maintained for Sarova Woodlands hotel's outdoor events and activities. The hotel went ahead to construct a much need ablution block currently in use at the school.
Tree planting has been an active engagement for the Sarova group, keeping in line with the Kenya Government's requirement to restore and create forest cover by a minimum of 10%. We continue to partner with like-minded organizations towards this commitment.
Continuous Improvement and Skill Upgrade of Sarova Associates
An investment in the continuous improvement of all staff is a core part of Sarova’s ethos. Various levels of training opportunities (both locally and internationally) are provided for and highly encouraged. These are not only available for skills upgrade but also for the handling of personal matters such as financial and health wellness.
Our sustainability efforts have no doubt created active awareness for our guests, staff, shareholders and the local communities that assist in the management of waste. The idea of ecotourism cannot be executed if we are not a collective. Let's not forget the feel-good factor that is felt by the Sarova Family as these activities involve giving back. After all... "The Earth is a fine place and is worth fighting for." – Ernest Hemingway.
Category: Sarova Hotels
Author: admin
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