Choosing where to go for a truly spectacular getaway can be a challenging endeavour. What is it about a particular place that keeps you coming back over and over? Is it the feeling of coming home when welcomed by staff that feel like family? Or an incredible candle-lit dining experience beneath the stars? Or possibly some of the best leopard sightings in the world? Is it the dramatic views or understated chic decor in the lodge? Or is it a sustainably conscious choice? Perhaps when choosing your next bush getaway, all of these factors can be met. In my opinion the green initiatives of a place are most significant to me. The knowledge that you are coming to relax in nature whilst keeping a system of respect for the earth in place is, for me, of utmost importance. It’s due to this that I am proudly writing about Londolozi’s sustainability efforts. Just by you visiting us, you are encouraging growth within communities and helping us too, to find new ways to improve and adapt in this ever changing, human-affected world.
As the newest member of the team at Londolozi, and someone who gets ridiculously excited about sustainability, deciding to write a blog series surrounding Londolozi’s prodigious efforts seemed obvious. Therefore, each blog in this series will be dedicated to another aspect of sustainability. From the first whirlwind day of my life at Londolozi what has stuck out for me most has been this incredible dedication to sustainability and the ripple effect of our endeavours out into the world.
There are so many things done daily that help to drastically reduce Londolozi’s impact on the earth and to try and encourage all who come in contact with us to adopt a small part of this approach to managing and respecting our resources and bring that back to their daily lives. This is demonstrated in so many ways, both on the decks and in the rooms of the five camps and in the village; from our incredible solar farm, to permaculture projects and more. The 2020 Vision concept ensured that every aspect of the lodges that could be made more sustainable have been, yet it is a constant work in progress.
What I also find incredible is the sustainability of each guest suite. For those of you who have visited us you might have noticed these small changes to our rooms to reduce our impact. Although small, with each guest that visits us this accumulates into change.
- We have completely done away with plastic bottles in the rooms, both for milk and water and have glass bottles that we refill on site. This has resulted in 1.5 tons of plastic waste not making it onto the property each year.
- The slippers in the rooms are made from recycled plastic thanks to our friends at The Joinery.
- The bins in the rooms are lined with paper bags.
- We only wash towels upon request from the guests in order to use less water.
- The earbuds in the rooms are made from a combination of bamboo and paper, making them entirely biodegradable.
- The containers used for toiletries in the rooms are reusable and we refill them with only earth-friendly products from our 1926 in-house range, designed by Bronwyn and Shan Varty.
- The cleaning products that we use in the rooms, on the decks and in the Londolozi Village are also entirely biodegradable and products that work in tandem with our probiotic led water treatment centre.
- Staff are pedantic about switching off unnecessary lights and reporting water leaks.
- Power saving LED bulbs have replaced all other bulbs.
- We only use air conditioning units when absolutely necessary and we have invested in inverter air conditioners throughout the lodge.
But most importantly, what fundamentally makes Londolozi so sustainable, is the Londolozi family – the people themselves. Education is the first step, but the understanding and respect for the land that comes after this is what slowly changes the human perception and behaviour towards the land and its resources. The passion of the staff members and their desire to live in a better world invariably passes on to the guests who interact with us and they go home with a renewed intention to tread lighter upon the earth and live in a more conscious way.
Londolozi is a place where you can relax and unwind knowing that your stay is one that not only enables you to grow and become the best version of yourself, but is also helping to lessen the damage done to our planet. Next time you are staying in one of our suites look at for the small but impactful sustainability initiatives in action. Let us know if you have any sustainability tips that your practice in your household in the comments section below…
Join our global tribe:
As a Londolozi Ripple Fund supporter you join a global tribe of people who hold the belief that the restoration of the planet can only come out of a profound shift in human consciousness.
We have established a Londolozi Ripple Fund Impact site where you can follow regular updates of projects and donations as they unfold.
For more information or if you would like to make a donation and start your own ripple effect, please reach out to us on ripple@londolozi.co.za
