Eco-friendly in the Friendly City

The term ‘green’ is often used loosely to describe companies that have adopted generic eco-friendly solutions. In its commitment to enforce sustainable business policies and reduce its impact on the environment, the Boardwalk hotel has stepped up its efforts to improve the water and energy efficiency of its operations. Through several interventions and staff behavioural changes, the award-winning 5-star eco hotel is saving over R1-million every year on water and energy costs and, according to its general manager, Mike van Vuuren, is on track to achieve its ‘green’ goals in 2018.

As one of two Sun International operations in the Eastern Cape, “the Boardwalk takes to heart its obligation to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment and to use water and electricity efficiently. It’s also pleasing to see the willingness of our employees to support our endeavours to adopt ‘greener’ working practices,” says van Vuuren.

Recognising the role its staff plays in the success of the hotel’s energy initiatives, employees at the Boardwalk are regularly trained on proper recycling processes and are encouraged to be ambassadors for the hotel’s conservation efforts. This includes adhering to environmental policies at work and adopting greener alternatives at home.

To complement this ‘eco mindset’, the Boardwalk only uses environmentally-friendly materials in its operations and has adopted strict measures for the disposal of hazardous chemicals. According to van Vuuren, the eco-friendly hotel started its ‘green journey’ five years ago, but efforts were maximised in 2016. Since then, several technological interventions have been completed to save water and electricity.

To reduce electricity consumption, the Boardwalk has replaced all conventional lighting equipment in the hotel and casino with energy-efficient LEDs and CFLs; fitted variable speed drives on all motors and pumps to control their electricity usage; and has modified its two chillers for air-conditioning so that only one is used on cooler days. The hotel only uses  heat exchange methods for cooling purposes and for heating its indoor pool.

To conserve water, flow restrictors have been installed on all taps throughout the complex and water-efficient showerheads have been fitted in the hotel’s bathrooms. Rain water is also being harvested and is used for topping up the cooling tower supply. As a result, the Boardwalk no longer relies on municipal water supplies and all irrigation in the gardens is done with recycled water.

When it comes to waste management, this Port Elizabeth eco hotel processes most of the waste generated in its hotel, casino and dining outlets. To streamline these efforts, the complex is divided into four zones: the main casino zone, the hotel zone, the Magic Company zone, and the retail and restaurant zone. Because these areas create their own types of waste, dedicated ‘waste yards’ have been established in each zone and bins are used to separate food waste from other types of waste (wet waste, plastic, tin, metals and hazardous waste). Recyclable materials are safely packaged and sent to recyclers or manufacturing companies for processing while organic waste is used in the Boardwalk’s composting facility.

Speaking on the hotel’s environmental targets for 2018, van Vuuren says: “Our next big project is to collect water from our basement seepage and, through reverse osmosis, process and clean it to a specified quality. The harvested water will then be used to supply the hotel and the wastewater from this process will be used for irrigation at a later stage.”

By adopting greener working practises, van Vuuren is confident that the Boardwalk fully supports Sun International’s Group Sustainability strategy which provides the framework for the hotel’s environmental, social and corporate governance. As captured in its environmental reports published since 2002, the Boardwalk has shown incremental improvements in terms of its compliance with environmental standards in the hotel and tourism industry.

Committed to conserving the environment, watch this space as this sustainable seaside hotel continues its efforts to help create a greener future for the community it serves.

For more info, follow the Boardwalk on Facebook and Twitter: @TheBoardwalkPE