Hotel Verde Saves at Least 14000ℓ Every Month — Here’s How

The climate crisis can seem overwhelming, we know, but there are things you can do to make a difference. Choosing carbon-neutral accommodation is a great start.

Hotel Verde is the first hotel in Africa, and the 6th globally, to receive LEED Platinum status for new construction. This internationally recognised green-building rating & certification system was developed by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) and audited by the GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute).

We have also received LEED Platinum for operations and maintenance, making us the first hotel globally to achieve double LEED Platinum certification. For the operation of the hotel we achieved a 6-star Green Star certification from the Green Building Council of SA. The sustainability strategy and certifications were guided by Ecolution Consulting.

Thanks to this, Hotel Verde is the first hotel in Africa to offer accommodation and conferencing that is 100% carbon neutral and has since received multiple awards recognising our sustainable efforts and innovations

But how do we save water exactly? It’s thanks to a combination active systems (technical installations), and passive systems (building design).

HOTEL VERDE ACTIVE WATER-SAVING SYSTEMS

The hotel installed the following active technologies to save water in the hotel:

Grey water recycling system

Water from the showers and baths, as well as the condensate from most HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling) fan coil units, is drained to the PONTOS grey water recycling plant where it is filtered and sterilised.

The recycling process uses very little energy. The water is first filtered to remove macro particles. It is then passed through a series of tanks that are aerated for optimal conditions for bacteria that break down organic matter in the water. Lastly, the water is steriliSed by passing it over ultraviolet lights.

The colourless and odourless processed grey water is then reticulated throughout the hotel and used for the flushing of the toilets, saving up to 6000 litres of drinking water per day.

Sub-soil drainage and rainwater harvesting

The rainwater from approximately one-third of the roof is captured and passed through a passive, self-cleaning mechanical Wisy screen filter before being channelled to a 40,000-litre stainless steel tank in the basement of the building.

The basement extends below the water table, so all water that would otherwise want to migrate into the basement is filtered and collected in sumps before it is pumped into the 40,000-litre tank. Most buildings’ basements that penetrate the water table are dewatered but sent straight to stormwater and wasted.

The water from the tank is then used for outdoor uses such as irrigation, car washing, aquaponics units, and the cleaning of hardscapes. It is also linked to the greywater reticulation system so that rainwater can also be used to flush the toilets in the future if desired or if the greywater recycling plant is required to be shut down for maintenance.

HOTEL VERDE PASSIVE WATER-SAVING SYSTEMS

Drip irrigation system

Drip irrigation systems are installed as opposed to the conventional spray systems that use significantly more water than the former. This system is fed from the rain water harvesting tank.

Low-flow fittings

All fittings throughout the building are “low-flow” allowing the same functionality but saving water by aerating it and limiting the maximum pressure.

Dual flush toilets

All toilets are dual flush allowing users to flush using only the amount of water required.

Waterless urinals

Waterless urinals in the building will save close to 1 million litres of water each year.

Washing machines

The hotel washing machines reuse the final rinse water from the previous cycle for the next load’s pre-rinse cycle.