House and Leisure - October 2015

VERDANT VOYAGE

As colourful as a Madiba shirt, Hotel Verde

outside Cape Town International Airport is

billed as Africa’s first carbon-neutral hotel.

A guest’s one night stay, generating around

54 kilogrammes of carbon emissions,

is offset via sustainable farming and

reforestation initiatives in Zimbabwe.

In this water-wise oasis rainwater is

collected, bath and shower water is used

to flush toilets, and you’ll find a rooftop

garden (right) and eco pool. Lush living

walls green the interior; an aquaponics

system provides herbs and vegetables

(below); and consumables are procured

within a 160 kilometre radius to decrease

food miles. To get closer to its zero-waste-

to-landfill target, Hotel Verde bottles water

on site, makes use of split bins and produces

its own compost.

Besides three wind turbines this power-

savvy hotel has solar panels, geothermal

cooling systems instead of energy guzzling

air conditioners, and Kone elevators that

can generate electricity depending on

the weight they carry. Cleverly, the most

energy-efficient rooms, according to their

location and the season, are booked first.

hotelverde.com

A GUEST’S ONE NIGHT STAY

IS OFFSET VIA SUSTAINABLE

FARMING AND REFORESTATION

INITIATIVES IN ZIMBABWE.

PHOTOGRAPHS: GREG COX, GRAEME WYLIE, SUPPLIED

JOIN

HOTEL VERDE’S

EARTH HOUR DINNERS

every Wednesday

from 7pm.

GREEN LIVING SUPPLEMENT

ECO BUILDINGS

FROM GOVERNMENT OFFICES TO HOTELS AND HOUSING, THESE ECO-INNOVATIVE

PROJECTS SHOWCASE SMART SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES

1015_HL_158_160_GREEN LIVING_buildings_RFO.indd 158 2015/09/07 10:55 AM