At Hide Away Guest House we are making every effort to use as little energy and water as possible, an off-spin of which is a reduced carbon footprint. These are some of the initiatives we have in place:
- Hot water provided in the geyser is from solar panels located on the roof and timers attached to the geysers.
- Globes throughout the house have been changed to energy saving globes and numerous lights located around the property are activated by movement.
- We have installed cellulose fibre ceiling insulation throughout the house keeping warmth in in the winter and heat out in summer and should therefore reduce the usage of heaters/air conditioners, etc.
- Although not visible to guests, we do rain harvesting which water is used to clean the verandahs, fill the swimming pool and water the garden.
- Garbage is split into recyclable containers and we donate old linen, etc. to the Knysna Recycling Swop Shop.
- We have recently introduced earthworm farming and the resultant “compost” is used in the garden.
- Where possible we use biodegradable products for cleaning and general maintenance of the property.
It is important to know that Knysna continually has a problem with water. The reason for this is that we do not have any large catchment dams in the area but rely on water from a small dam outside of town that stores 90 days of water at any one time. Generally, the town takes its water from surrounding rivers, boreholes and a reverse osmosis plant.
Please help us to save water – a resource which is becoming more and more scarce in our beautiful country.
