Nine Western Cape hotels have taken part in a bid to reduce their water and electricity consumption and waste generation. Any industry or business can do the same, by rethinking their inputs, outputs and processes, using better technology and training staff into better habits. This is called `cleaner production` .

The nine hospitality establishments are:

1. Vineyard Hotel [www.vineyard.co.za ]
2. Greenways Hotel [ www.greenways.co.za ]
3. Spier Wine Estate [ www.spier.co.za ]
4. Southern Right Hotel [ www.southernright.info ]
5. Monkey Valley Resort [ www.monkeyvalleyresort.com ]
6. Boulders Beach Lodge [ www.bouldersbeach.co.za ]
7. Winchester Mansions Hotel [ www.winchester.co.za ]
8. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve [ www.grootbos.com ]
9. Whale Trail, De Hoop Nature Reserve. [www.capenature.co.za ]

Led by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, a team of consultants and Departmental staff conducted audits and compiled reports on each hotel or lodge. The reports showed where electricity or water could be saved, and compared the costs of making the change to how much money would be saved over time; this is called the payback period .

Some examples of interventions are:

• LED light bulbs
• timers and insulation on geysers
• multiflush toilets
• low flow showerheads and tap aerators
• sorting waste into recyclable, compostable and non-recyclable
• reducing usage of chemical cleaners to only what is necessary.

For more examples see The Sustainable Living Centre. [http://www.sustainable.co.za]

Most of these interventions have payback periods of only months. Thereafter the savings just keep adding up. Important is to train staff about how these new systems or devices work. Also remember that there is always room for further improvements at a later stage, especially when renovating or building.

Lastly, the environmental benefits of cleaner production can be marketed. The Department is now working on establishing a `green star` rating system.

For examples of hotel green rating systems see:

• Green Globe [www.greenglobe21.com]
• Green Hotelier [www.greenhotelier.com]
• Heritage South Africa [www.heritagesa.org].

For more information contact:

Catherine Bill
Tel: 021 4832760
Email: cbill@pgwc.gov.za

Russell Mehl
Tel: 021 4832752
Email: rmehl@pgwc.gov.za