Chris van Zyl discusses the drought in Cape Town and the hotel's efforts to reduce water consumption. Some initiatives included installing water loggers and meters to monitor usage, repairing leaks, approving a greywater plant and water treatment plant to become independent of the city supply. An awareness campaign asked guests to reduce usage by informing them of initiatives and removing bath plugs, changing bed linen less frequently, covering pools, and reusing water. By March 2018 consumption was reduced 41% compared to March 2015.

1. Chris van Zyl - Group Environmental Manager

2. • To set the scene
• Cape Town is experiencing the
worst drought in living memory
• January 2017: An appeal goes out
from the City to commercial
properties to urgently reduce
consumption
• 7th January 2017 our water
consumption was 148 kl for the
day, 250 L per person
• Launched an awareness campaign
‘Every Drop Counts’ to focus our
reduction in water consumption

3. • 17 water loggers and 25 manual
meters installed and monitored
• Faulty equipment repaired
• April 2017 consumption reduced to
82 kl per day
• The installation of a greywater
plant, supplying greywater to 190
toilets is approved
• Water treatment plant approved,
treating groundwater to potable
water standards making us
independent of the City supply

4. • Embarked on a new campaign ‘Choose
not to Use’ to inform the guests what
initiatives had been put in place and to
encourage their participation
• Reassurance to guests and the trade
that the necessary plans & initiatives
were in place assuring a reliable supply
of potable water to the hotel
• Level 6b water restrictions
implemented in 2018 and required us
to reduce consumption by 45%

5. • Removed all the bath plugs
• Change bed linen on the 4th morning
• Swimming pools are covered during
the hottest part of the day
• Unfinished bottled water is used for
washing floors
• Introduced paper towels and paper
napkins to reduce the laundry load
• We use the last rinse of the laundry
water to do the first wash of the next
Some initiatives implemented:

6. • H20 Roadshow awareness campaign
focusing on our staff
• In conclusion a 41% reduction in
consumption was achieved by
March 2018 compared to March
2015 and a daily average of 55 kl per
day was achieved