Sustainable Safari Sustainable Safari
Garonga Garonga

GreenActions

Garonga Safari Co. is invested in reducing our carbon footprint and creating an eco friendly safari experience in South Africa. Through the various green actions listed below, we use our surrounding natural resources sustainably and with minimal wastage left behind. We continually seek innovative ways to be kinder to our environment and the wildlife we share it with.

Spekbom Tree Carbon Offset

Garonga will be offering Guests to plant a Spekbom Tree to offset some of their Carbon Footprint.

We will plant them in our Boma so the Ellies, Rhinos etc don’t eat them.

A short explanation of Spekbom: This plant (Portulacaria Africa) holds perhaps one of the greatest secrets in our fight against offsetting carbon Emissions. This evergreen succulent is indigenous to South Africa and can be found towering high in the Arid Karoo or in the E.Cape. This plant can grow to 5m in height and live up to 200 years old.The highest recorded carbon sequestration from a spekbom thicket is 15.4 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) per hactre per year, making it a great contender against the Amazon Rainforest. On average though, 1 hactre of Spekbom will sequester 4-10 tonnes of CO2 per year in the right Circumstances. It can easily survive in the harshest on environments with little water.

Cost R 220.00 per tree with the Guests name and date when planted.

Green Actions Green Actions Green Actions Green Actions
Environmental Impact Management

Environmental Impact Management

  • As a lodge we are conscious of the amount of waste that is generated and do everything that we can to minimise that waste. Any waste that is unavoidable is separated into Paper, Tins, Glass, Plastics, Food; and is weighed before disposal allowing us to track our carbon impact.
  • Any food waste is kept separately and after weighing is transported to a feeding site for warthogs.
  • We have switched over to recyclable rubbish bags, to replace plastic bin liners.
Solar Plants

Solar Plants

  • In order to minimise fossil fuel consumption and our carbon footprint, we try to use solar energy wherever possible.
  • Our newest camp, MCH Private Tented Camp, runs exclusively on solar energy and has no connection to the main power grid.
  • Our founder camp, Garonga Safari Camp, runs on a combination of solar energy and grid provided power, with all of the front of house energy being provided by solar.
Water Usage

Water Usage

  • We keep a careful record of our water usage through the use of water meters.
  • Weekly reports are given regarding usage to keep track of any wastage.
  • We have an onsite water plant that maintains the quality of our water.
  • We have a water filtration plant whereby grey water is treated, cleaned and redistributed back to our water hole in front of the main camp, negating the use of fresh bore hole water.
Water Geysers

Water Geysers

  • All of our guest rooms have hot water supplied by heat pumps and in one room we have installed a thermodynamic geyser.
  • By using these pumps we are only using power when hot water is required, unlike electric geysers that use power 24/7.
  • In our staff accommodation we provide a donkey boiler, which is a traditional system where water is heated using a wood burning fire. We also use gas powered geysers which provide instant hot water with no electricity required.
Drinking Water and Reusable Bottles

Drinking Water and Reusable Bottles

  • We have an onsite bottled water system run by Vivreau which provides instant cold sparkling and still water.
  • Unfortunately due to Supplier problems, and spiralling costs, we are using plastic bottles for soft drinks.
  • All of our guests are provided on arrival with a reusable metal water bottle to use throughout their stay and keep as a momento when they leave, hopefully encouraging sustainability off-site as well.
Fire Wood

Fire Wood

  • We collect wood for fire wood from dead trees around the reserve, reducing the risk of a wild fire and exercising caution to keep the ecosystem in balance.
Reports

Reports

  • Weekly reports are compiled on all energy usage including water, gas, diesel and waste. This enables us to keep track of where we can improve.
  • Solar usage is also reported on a weekly basis to see how our solar power system is reducing our carbon footprint.