The sustainability gospel in the hospitality industry is slowly taking root in Uganda, with more entities choosing to adopt clean energy options to minimize their carbon footprint, eliminating single-use plastics and supporting local communities among other strategies.
It is a no brainer, however, that a huge percentage of the hospitality businesses have not grasped the essence of some of the sustainability tenets and standard operating procedures.
Located in the outskirts of one of Uganda’s most pristine forests and home to the prized (and endangered) mountain gorillas, pursuing and upholding sustainability ideals is not a matter of riding the wave to string in filtered clientele for Kaara Gorilla Mountain Lodge, the survival of this vital ecosystem depends on the how eco-friendly the lodge’s operations are.
There are masterplans on sustainability – five-star hotels rambling on about their glass drinking water bottles and zero plastic policies but diving deeper into the practicalities and technicalities of zero diesel emissions, zero soap waste, self-producing and waste composting at Kaara Gorilla Mountain brings more gravity to the practice.
The sustainability story of Kaara Gorilla Mountain Lodge, which opened its doors to visitors in September 2024, dates back to 15 years ago when the proprietors first thought of opening such an establishment.
“We planted Musambya trees over 15years ago as part of our commitment to sustaining the environment. We chose to harvest those trees and use them as furniture for a variety of reasons,” Peter Muzora, the Director Kaara Gorilla Mountain Lodge told Prime News.
One of the reasons is sentimental, he said, – storytelling.
“We wanted to be able to sleep on, eat off of and lounge in our very own furniture that had been originally planted by our late father whose dream it was to open a lodge,” Muzoora narrates, adding that maintaining the trees by themselves meant they could trust the quality of the wood – which is evident from every Musambya bed, chair, board and table at the lodge.
To widen their perspective on sustainability as a hospitality entity, the proprietors embarked on a benchmarking trip to Masai Mara, one of Kenya’s prime destinations which boasts accommodation facilities that have a commendable sustainability score.
“I benchmarked Sopa Lodge in Masai Mara where I learnt about water harvesting at scale, and used those learnings to harvest rainwater as our exclusive water source. We further filter that rainwater using a UV filtration system that enables us to serve it in glass bottles, thus eliminating the need for plastic mineral water bottles,” Muzoora said.
Kaara Gorilla Mountain Lodge pursues sustainability in various aspects with practices that feed into the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) ideals – acknowledging all impacts of tourism, both positive and negative, and aiming to minimize the negative impacts while maximizing the positive ones.
The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) also calls on sector players to take full account of their current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, address the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.
Sustainability – More than just a craze
Most of the consumer paradigm shifts that happen within the travel and hospitality sectors leave lasting marks on the tourism industry and set a new pace on the dynamics of operation along its value chain.
In the hospitality sphere, for example, the boutique hotel boom around the 1990s and 2000s changed the market rules curated by the big sector players for centuries, giving the millennial consumers something more local, more diverse, more eclectic that catered to various tastes and lodging preferences like room-sharing.
While other sector players, according to hotel experts, downplayed the rise of boutique hotels as a trend that stood no chance against conglomerate brands that had existed for centuries, this has proved to be more than just a craze, prompting chain hotels and big franchises to either establish or acquire boutique hotels to keep up with the consumer needs.
Likewise, while some sector players viewed eco lodges and accommodation establishments fronting sustainability in the 1980s as just another publicity pick up that would probably morph into an inconsequential marketing wave, slow as it might have been, the ‘trend’ has birthed indisputable reasons for adoptability across the board.
Also read: Kaara Gorilla Mountain Lodge: Soaring Comfort, Scenic Bliss
Kaara Lodge’s sustainability practices
“We define Sustainable Luxury as the fusion of opulence and responsibility, reshaping the traditional notion of hospitality. By embracing ethical practices throughout our supply chain, we can exist in harmony with our surroundings, empower local communities and ecosystems, and preserve this pristine rainforest for generations to come,” a feature on the lodge’s website reads in part.
Zero Diesel Emissions
Kaara Lodge operates on an 11-KiloWatt Solar Grid, which powers 100% of the daily operations, doing away with diesel generators. Nighttime operations are powered by Lithium lon solar batteries “which completely replace fossil fuels, ensuring you have no carbon footprint during your stay with us.”
This initiative aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal Number 7 – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
According to the UN Climate Action, fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.
Speaking to Muzoora, PrimeNews also gathered that the planting of the Musambya trees over a decade before the lodge construction commenced, was intentional to lower diesel emissions during the transportation of wood up hill to the site.
This sustainability strategy was complemented by using other locally sourced materials like sand, timber, flowers, plants, artwork, and the volcanic rocks.
“Most of, if not all the materials we used in the construction were sourced locally. This lowered transport emissions significantly, while also guaranteeing localized investment in the local suppliers,” Muzoora said.
Self-producing
Apart from sourcing materials close to home, Kaara Gorilla Mountain Lodge produces food from her own garden which also contributes to lessening transport emissions but also reinforces the farm-to-table experience for the guests.
“All our produce is either self-produced in our garden or locally sourced. This lowers transport emissions and ensures that the local communities around us tap into our supply chain, for a true farm to table experience. We welcome you to take part in picking your own vegetables from our garden,” Kaara Lodge website states.
Zero single-use plastics
One of the luxuries that visitors enjoy at Kaara Lodge is a water bottle they are handed upon checking in, for use through the course of one’s stay. This courtesy extends beyond the confines of the lodge to the Bwindi Impenetrable jungle where resident visitor might go to trek Mountain Gorillas or do community engagements with the intriguing, indigenous Batwa people.
This eliminates the need for single-use mineral water bottles in and around the lodge, known to be one of the greatest contributors to plastic littering.
Zero soap waste
Kaara Lodge uses refillable bottles for bathroom essentials like body wash, hand wash, shampoo and conditioner, aiming at zero soap waste and eliminating single use plastic bottles.
It should be noted that these bathroom essentials are organic and made in Uganda by a Ugandan female entrepreneur.
Community empowerment
Among other reasons why the proprietors of Kaara Lodge embarked on the tree growing project was to scale up employment opportunities for the locals.
“Local artisans and carpenters were used to design the timber into beautiful desks, chairs, beds among other things. This directly benefitted the local economy,” Muzoora emphasized.
He further noted that members of the local community were involved in all phases of construction from ferrying sand, gardening, welding and carpentry.
“A number of locals have since been retained to do landscaping, and the staff is fully recruited from the region. We also source vegetables from our community out-growers to ensure that they also benefit from the lodge long term.”
Visitors who stay at Kaara Lodge get a chance to witness the epitome of artistry skills of the local groups showcased in beautiful products such as wooven serving trays, laundry baskets, bamboo chandeliers, jewellery boxes among others. Any purchases made directly benefit the locals.
Composting
Reducing non-biodegradable waste means there is less waste to be termed as waste. At Kaara Lodge, all food waste is composted and used as a fertilizer in the Lodge’s garden.
The non-biodegradable waste is incinerated – a waste disposal method that ably reduces waste by 90% -instead of being dumped at a landfill, which, sooner or later, necessitates yet another landfill.
—
Kaara Gorilla Mountain Lodge sits atop a hill in Rubuguri Village, in the Rushaga Sector of the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Visitors flock Bwindi’s southern part to trek gorillas, thanks to the numerous habituated gorilla families therein.
2 Comments
This is a beautiful read
This is a beautiful read lady