Thriving Tourist Initiative Creates Negative Carbon Imprint.
Hartbeespoort landowner, Dries Burger, is a man who can see an opportunity in anything…whether it’s a disused portion of a 7.3 Hectare smallholding or throwaway bottles and cans.
Some opportunities generate commercial success: the uniquely styled Welwitschia Country Market with Upperdeck Restaurant, Pick-a-Pancake and Country Griller Restaurants on the property. Other opportunities generate something even better, Human Success.
The Welwitschia Country Market initiative of Hartbeespoort husband and wife team, Dries and Jenny Burger is a unique undertaking in it’s own right. With the premise that ‘small and neat’ is good, they have erected forty wooden huts accessed by paved pathways under giant old trees. The rustic styled village offers shopping, eating and entertainment options for the weekly influx of visiting tourists – numbering 9 000 to 14 000 a month.
What gives the Welwitschia story such impact is that the majority of waste generated by this mass human strain on the environment – is recycled, re-used and actually has a negative carbon imprint on the environment!.
The majority of waste generated by this mass human strain on the environment – is recycled, re-used and actually has a negative carbon imprint on the environment.
The thousands of holiday visitors to Welwitcshia Country Market, its’ Upperdeck Restaurant, Griller Restaurant and Pick-a-Pancake eatery generate mountains of waste material. In 2013, Welwitschia recorded it’s levels:
Glass: 14 300 Kilograms
Plastic (HDPE & LDPE): 1 860 kilograms
Tins: 1 320 kilograms
Packaging Plastic: 940 kilograms
Cardboard Boxes: 2 780 kilograms.
The income generation of these tons of collected materials? Just R 9 900.
So why has Dries Burger employ hundreds of staff to collect, sort and recycle these materials for such a small financial reward? “It’s the right thing to do,” says the former practicing doctor.
Recycling re-usable waste materials is just a small portion of the environmentally conscious landowners’ work. The busy entrepreneur has initiated a series of pro-active protocols to conserve and preserve water, maximize resources on the farm and produce organic vegetables too.
It’s the RIGHT thing to do.” Dr Dries Burger.
Water Conservation
Water for the toilets and cleaning at Welwitschia is supplied from a channel, linked directly from Hartbeespoort Dam. All waste water is fed in to a septic tank. Run-off water and rainwater is piped into a 250 000 liter dam. A water purifying system, consisting of UV light and Ozone applicator, processes the stored water which is later sprayed over the land and crops. Although the system cost in excess of R 80 000 and has monthly operational costs in the region of R 2000, Burger believes water conservation is vital for our future. Water on Welwitschia is used twice and the smallholding has the capability of storing water for dry seasons.
Water is used twice and conserved for future use during the dry seasons.”
Produce Trees
Several fruit bearing trees have been planted on the estate, providing fresh fruit produce for the market as well as generating income to support the farm. Fifteen Pecan Nut trees, 70 Macadamia Nut trees as well as Avocado, Orange, Naartjie, Mango and Lemon Trees produce with the help of the recycled water system, aided by Burgers own Compost and Vermiculture systems.
Meat Producing Cattle and Compost
Dries Burger keeps a herd of 30 Dexter Cows. He has recently had them covered by an Angus bull to produce what is known as ‘Dangus’ – an excellent meat producing breed. The dung produced by the herd is used, along with wood chippings, egg cartons and dirty cardboard boxes to make compost. This compost (50 – 60 tonnes a year) is spread over the land to feed the plants and crops on the farm. The compost is sifted through a machine designed by Burger, separating the compost from uncomposted material. Compost is put on a trailer for distribution, the uncomposted material is returned the compost pile for further decomposition.
The cattle herd produce dung for the compost heap and are also excellent meat producers.”
Vermiculture
Dries Burger currently has 23 half drums (vermiculture bins) which house around 300 000 red wrigglers. The vermin compost and vermin tea is used to grow organic heirloom vegetables, grown on a garden of 144 square metres.
At Welwitschia, EVERYTHING is sorted, refined, recycled and re-used. Even the bones from the restaurants are first offered to the dogs first and left to the Hadedas, Egrets and Guinea Fowls to pick them completely clean.
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