Water Conservation in an Environmentally Friendly Hotel

Green Ideas for Environmentally Friendly Hotels

Check water conservation measures before you check-in

Why is water conservation important? Because water isn’t as abundant a resource as we think it is. Of all the water present on the planet, only about .008% is available for human consumption.

There are numerous water conservation tips for you to act on, and act you must.

• institute a sheet and towel re-use program
• install low-flow toilets and waterless urinals
• install flow restrictors in your sinks and showers
• plant your gardens using water-wise, or xeric, gardening techniques and plants
• irrigate with gray-water

Implementing a towel and sheet re-use program saves not only water but also energy, soap, and labor. The combined financial savings alone makes it worthwhile, but the water savings is like putting money in the bank; you’ll have water available for your use, at a reasonable price, in the future.

Low-flow toilets are better than ever. Not only do they flush better but also they come in dual flush styles so you can save even more water. Waterless urinals also save a great amount of water.

Flow restrictors also have improved. You no longer have to settle for the pins-and-needles shower that once was the hallmark of shower head flow restrictors. You can even get shower massaging heads that are flow restricted to 2 gallons per minute.

Planting your garden with xeric plants gives you the option of lush, green gardens that don’t normally require more water than falls from the sky. There are techniques and styles you can use to enhance the natural beauty of a xeric garden so you will save money and water, and impress your guests with beautiful gardens.

Source: Environmentally Friendly Hotels

By their very nature, hotels and lodges are bound to impact on the surrounding environment.  What is important is that efforts are made to mitigate these impacts, especially in wildlife conservation areas.  You may conserve water religiously when at home but what about when you are on holiday?  Hotels, B&B’s, guest lodges and restaurants potentially use astonishing amounts of water. The next time you are faced with a choice between two or more places of stay, choose the one that is the most environmentally friendly.  A good way of ascertaining the establishment’s eco-status is by looking at what sort of water saving systems they have in place. If you are searching for a place to stay in South Africa, look out for the Water Rhapsody sign that signifies a high degree of water conservation.  Having worked at- and visited many 5-star private game lodges, I have been surprised at the general lack of water conservation measures.  Hoteliers and all other hosts can reduce their water-use by installing Water Rhapsody rainwater harvesting systems, grey water recycling systems and toilet flush systems.  Water Rhapsody’s Multi-flush toilet systems are even better than the commonly used dual-flush systems because one has complete control of how much water is used.   The Water Rhapsody Poolside Tank receives and re-uses the water normally discarded by the swimming pool backwash process.  This water is often toxic to plants (especially from saltwater pools) and adds unwanted water to sewers and stormwater drains.  Implementation of greywater irrigation systems in conjunction with a waterwise indigenous garden can reduce water use drastically.  If you are in the Lowveld, particularly in the White River or Nelspruit area, contact Lisa Gibson for all your green landscaping requirements.

Water Rhapsody and Yes Solar Mpumalanga have joined forces so that we can offer holistic solutions to sustainable living.  Water and energy are linked and solar energy is particularly suited to sunny South Africa.  Yes Solar Mpumalanga is a Solsquare Solar Energy distributor.  Solsquare solar water heaters are made in Germany and are SABS- and Eskom-approved.  We are also water tank dealers (authorized JoJo Tank dealers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo) and can supply the full range of JoJo water tanks (and JoJo tank stands) as well as Atlas Plastics water tanks.

Contact us for a free quote on a rainwater harvesting system, grey water recycling system (or other water system), water tank, water tank stand or solar geyser.