Being virtually off the grid and completely environmentally ethical, Gonana practises what it preaches – every day. All water used in the guest house is recycled to use in toilets and other appropriate places. If you visit Gonana, you’ll see that bathrooms only have showers and even the shower heads are water saving. This dramatically decreases potable water usage without any inconvenience to guests. Rainwater is also harvested and stored in collection tanks, to be used in the house and for maintaining the waterwise indigenous gardens. Even the pool is saltwater.

 

Electricity is a scarce and unpredictable commodity in South Africa, but at Gonana the lights always stay on. This, because all power for the guest house is solar generated; even the geysers and pool are solar heated and the kitchen has a gas stove. So, power to us … always.

Of course we recycle too: paper, plastic, glass and metal. But we also bring in as few of these materials as possible to start with. We just don’t do wastage and junk. Because we do respect the environment in a big way. So even the furniture created for Gonana is of alien pine, and no indigenous hardwoods have been used at all.