Safari, wine, gourmet and nature in South Africa

Ecorating: 3.5

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Steenberg hotel:

Steenberg employ mostly local people and pays them over the standard wage in South Africa. The hotel educates both staff and guests on the environment and nature. They offer engaging and educating activities to all guests. Local guides offer projects that guests can participate in.

Recycling, reuse, reduce are used as principles. Local communities are supported by participation in various projects that preserve culture.

The hotel itself is carefully restored and dated until 1682, today the hotel is classified as a national monument.

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve:
The Grootbos Foundation, which is a registered section-21 Company (non-profit), was founded in 2005 for non-profit operations in Grootbo’s nature reserve, a unique destination world-famous for its ecotourism near Cape Town, South Africa.

Grootbo’s nature reserve is located on Agulhas Plain in the heart of the Cape Fynbos lowlands, a region of unprecedented biodiversity. At Grootbos, it is believed that better ways has to be found to get better economic returns from this natural fynbos and marine landscape rather than from cultivated and developed landscapes. Natural resources must also be made more accessible so local people can be educated about their unique heritage and its value.

Green Future is one of Grootbo’s project. This project has helped unemployed locals to become educated gardeners. The reason for choosing to invest in this project is partly to educate more people to take care of endangered species in the fynbos environment. They have a training center at Grootbo’s where students and teachers are being educated. The gardeners not only help to preserve nature and plants, they also sell plants to customers who in turn plant these endangered species in their gardens, the money goes directly back to Green Future, which re-invests their profit in educating more people and later hire them as workers.

After the success of “Green Future”, “Growing the Future” was founded, a project that deals with food production. Since many people in South Africa have moved from the countryside and into the cities in hope of finding work, one also sees that the knowledge of farming is disappearing increasingly. This project is about teaching people how to use and grow products on a small area that can yield returns. Every year 8 women are being trained how to farm in a profitable way. For example, how they could make strawberry jam from strawberries to get at bigger economical return in the long run.

Spaces for Sport is a project that creates opportunities for young people to participate in sport activities. Spaces for Sport provide access to professional coaching. Their vision is to improve social inclusion and community development. Sport is a wonderful easy way to break down social barriers and bring people together on equal terms. For the youth field, it also provides a healthy focus and inspires pride and determination to succeed.

The project is also supported by the Football Association of South Africa. Tiger Turf United Kingdom provides with a FIFA standard artificial turf, which is the first of its kind in southern Africa. It is thanks to this type of organizations that they are able to launch such community sports programs to build a positive future for South Africa.

Hog Hollow Country Lodge:
At this lodge you will find a robust recycling program and also assist others in the neighbouring area to implement the same. You have to recycle, reuse and reduce as policies. All organic waste is given to a local pig farm. They run a program to eliminate imported plants that have a negative impact on the natural environment, planting native trees all year round.

In 2008, Hog Hollow was accredited by the Wilderness Foundation Green Leaf, which is a non-commercial organization that works to preserve the environment. They have developed a tool for how hotels and tourist activities can measure their footprint and reduce the negative effects on the environment. One looks primarily at water, energy, waste management, product and innovation.

Hog Hollow take responsibility for their employees, who all come from the local area. The offer them constant training and pay wages that are above normal. They also invest in Kids of Kurland, which is an organization in the local area that offer school programs. Hog Hollow pay salary for a specially trained teacher whom help  children with disadvantages to complete their schooling.

Kariega Game Reserve is dedicated to responsible tourism and is the largest employer in the community Kenton- on -Sea. They believe in developing responsible knowledge regarding locals from the area. The Kariega Foundation is sponsoring three different schools – Farm Field School, Ekamvalesizwe School and Nompucuko School. Kariega believe that the future lies in the hands of youth and that education is a very important part of development and sustainable living. The vision is to help these non-privileged schools to be the spark of hope and pride in this poor environment. Kariega Foundation helps through donations and with the help of volunteers and lodges.

Kariega also work with a volunteer program that guests can participate in and includes the following projects:

– Leopard Project. It is a partnership project with the Centre for African Conservation Ecology of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Kariega is a sanctuary for Leopards whose population is constantly decreasing generally in South Africa. Efforts include observance and work to change attitude towards these predators in order to eliminate poaching.

– Elephant Impact monitoring

– Lion Prey monitoring

– Bird Projects

– Hyena Tracking and Monitoring

Conservation management:

– Animal Counting

– Control of non-native plants

– Soil Erosion

– Maintenance of roads

– Parasite Control

– Fire Management

– Education / Community Development Theory

– The reserve supports a nearby school with maintenance and tuition for students whom have a far distance to school