Environmental protection under palm trees

Environmental protection under palm trees          PDF

Solar energy, natural wellness and biological vegetables

How to care for the environment in an African country shown by Severin_touristik in Kenya. Biological purification plants in line with European standards, vegetables from their own farm and African wellness - the German company leaves a green mark within the safari country.

These commitments have been recently honoured by TÜV Rhineland, who featured the Severin Safari Camp in Tsavo West National Park and the Severin Sea Lodge at the Indian Ocean close to Mombasa with their certificates for service efforts and spa quality during ITB Berlin in March 2009. The TÜV auditor especially mentioned the "sustainability and the careful use of resources" in the four-star property. For the first time, TÜV audited holiday facilities in Kenya, the popular destination in Africa.

Both the hotel and the camp distinguish themselves in their extraordinary efforts towards environmental protection. They dispose waste by way of biological purification plants, a closed circuit recycling system for waste and solar energy for warm water. A hotel-owned bio farm in Kikambala near Mombasa cares for vegetables, fruits, chicken and eggs without using artificial fertilizer. The Severin Sea Lodge was the first hotel in Kenya to employ an environmental issues manager.

Background: Environmental protection in Kenya - It works like this

"Especially in African countries, a private initiative for environmental protection is necessary" says Severin Schulte, who founded the Severin_touristik Ltd. 30 years ago and runs it up to now: "It would be some kind of dissipation  not to make use of the sunny climate in Africa." Additionally, staff, inhabitants and guests are trained on company property. "We use specifically organized seminars to tell the Kenyans as well as our guests about the environmental threat and the protection at Kenya's coast and within the national parks." With illustrated charts which have been designed together with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) tourists get to know a lot about Africa's natural treasures, e.g. that the roots from the Acacia "Commophora Africana" are used against fever.

"Sustainable tourism is our future, especially in Africa, where so many great natural treasures are available „says Severin Schulte.

Severin Safari Camp: Safari with ecological comfort

The Severin Safari Camp was opened in 2001 and extended in March 2009 with the new wellness spa. It is the first holiday camp in Kenya to possess a biological waste water treatment plant amidst the bush. The luxurious camp with 21 tents and 6 suites in an elegant natural design offers unique scenery with view to Mt. Kilimanjaro within Kenya's largest national park, the Tsavo National Park. It is world-famous for its more than ten thousand "red" elephants.

Fresh water is brought to Severin Safari Camp by using their own pipeline which comes directly from Mzima Springs whose water also serves the Kenyan coast with drinking water. Waste water from tents and the kitchen is collected and filtered in a natural way with lava stones, gravel and sand. It is then used for watering the 25 hectare lawn within the camp: "Wasting as little water as possible is an important fact to protect the environment in East Africa. It is a region which has to endure long dry seasons again and again"explains hotel owner Severin Schulte.

Hot water for showering is gained day and night exclusively by solar energy and heat recovery of the power generators. "To heat the water we don't need any diesel or electricity"stresses Severin Schulte. Special lamps with low energy bulbs light the camp and at the "Out of Africa" restaurant the lights ensure that insects are not attracted to them. The power generators are high efficiency and take care of the voltage supply and use less than 8 to 9 litres Diesel per hour. With this, exhaust gas and pollution are kept at a low level within the national park.

Keeping away monkeys is a special environmental task in Africa. At Severin Safari Camp organic waste is dried in so-called "monkey cages" which can't be entered by the animals and then burned in lava ovens and composted. All glass bottles as well as plastic waste are brought outside the national park and recycled. "We do everything so as not to disturb the National Park's ecological balance" says Severin Schulte.

KENBALI SPA: Africa's green beauty secrets

Also the KENBALI SPA at Severin Safari Camp strictly adheres to the green concept. In this first wellness oasis amidst the bush, guests can enjoy traditional African beauty treatments and relaxation massages like „African Dream". The specially trained therapists exclusively use natural oils like coconut oil from the fruits of the elephant tree. The first Ying-Yang pool in Kenya is also filled with water from the neighbouring Mzima Springs.

The modern environmental technique from Germany and Switzerland remains invisible for the guests of the Severin Safari Camp. If the water level within the drinking water tanks hidden in a „Service Manyatta" drops for example, a pump at Mzima Springs will start automatically. Natural scientists have proven that hundreds of hippos and crocodiles keep Mzima Springs in a appropriate ecological balance.

Severin Sea Lodge: Beach hotel on environmental track

For more than a decade Severin Sea Lodge has now been the champion in environmental protection of Severin in Kenya. The beach hotel with its 200 rooms was again featured "TUI Environment Champion" several times, an appreciation by the biggest German tour operator for the hundred environment-friendly holiday hotels worldwide.

The Severin beach hotel ensures the warm water supply with 300 sq. M. of sun collectors. A biological purification plant in line with European standards cleans up to 150,000 l. of waste water daily from the rooms, the kitchen and the laundry. Laundry bags have been converted from plastic to paper, fences were replaced by hedges to support the birds' nest-building. Even in the hotel rooms, waste is separated. Remaining food is forwarded to pig breeders, batteries are sent to Germany for disposal. Severin Sea Lodge was founded in the early 70s by Rudolf Schulte and is known as a classic in Kenya's tourism.

 

Technical specifications about the environmental protection at SEVERIN SAFARI CAMP

Supply of process water

  • The supply of process water is carried out by using 3 wells near Mzima Springs, about  1,7 km from the camp
  • The water is filtrated with gravels and sand in a natural way
  • 3 GRUNDFOS under-water pumps are installed with a low power consumption, 0,75 KW each
  • The electrical power supply is carried out by using a buried cable from the electricity centre of the generator house
  • A feeder tank of about 110 cubic meters in the staff area serves as a reservoir with automatic level regulation: when the water level falls, the pump starts automatically
  • The water is kept germfree by an automatic chlorination facility
  • The water quality complies with the WHO standard

 

Hot water generation

  • The hot water generation is carried out exclusively by vacuum solar ducts and the heat reclamation of installed heat exchangers at the exhaust emission facilities of the current generators
  • Surface of solar collector about 35 sqm / temperature effect for heating the water during daytime about 75° C
  • Exhaust heat recovery of the current generators is between 40° and 55°
  • The heated water of about 55° C is saved in 4 isolated warm water tanks with 1000 l each
  • Both systems are closed systems, therefore a contamination is impossible

 

Current generators

  • The electric power supply during day and night is carried out by modern current generators of CUMMINS DEUTSCHLAND which run mutually or can also be operated synchronously
  • 2 x 25 KW and 2 x 60 KW, fitted like mentioned above with exhaust heat exchangers for hot water generation with automatic regulation
  • If at night or total occupancy one aggregate with 25 KW isn't enough and the maximum power of 25 KW is reached, the second one with 25 KW is switched on automatically or alternatively one of the 60 KW aggregates can be used
  • The lighting of the camp and the staff area is carried out by energy saving lamps with 5 Watt at about 90%

 

The pool / KENBALI SPA

  • The pool filter system is a Duplex construction with low-noise circulating pumps and low power consumption with a circulating performance of 45 cubic meters per hour (recirculation of the water volume about 8 times a day)
  • The pool is supplied with water from Mzima Springs
  • Additionally, there are a counter current device and 3 massage jets
  • The backwash water of the filtration system is used for watering the trees and the grassland around

 

Laundry

  • The laundry is equipped with machines of the German company STAHL DEUTSCHLAND
  • The needed water is softened by a modern softening plant from about 20° German hardness degree to 3° German hardness degree. With this, the washing is preserved, but most important, the use of laundry detergent is reduced by about 2/3, which contributes to the environmental protection
  • The waste water of the laundry runs through a laundry detergent separator into our own waste water treatment plant

 

Waste water treatment plants

  • There are 2 waste water treatment plants from the Swiss company WAMA
  • An Aqua Simplex Pionier ASP with swimming aerators in a closed concrete packaging with three chambers is installed at ground level
  • Energy demand per year: 2680 KW/hours (per day about 7,4 KW)
  • A Bio Clear 60 plant, where the clearing process of the waste water is carried out by sprinkling over lava stones in a separated basin
  • Energy demand per day: about 3 KW
  • The cleared waste water is used for watering the trees and grasslands
  • In order to not disturb the biological clearing process by fat, starch or phosphate, accordant separators have been installed e.g. in the kitchen, laundry etc.
  • The clearing sludge is used for manuring the plants

 

Planning and realization

  • The technological plants have been planned by MAYR & Wolfram GmbH in Munich and Helmut Günter, technical consultant on site, the individual components have mostly been prefabricated in Germany. We only used materials and equipment which need little maintenance and are suitable for tropical climate. The whole technology was installed together with the local technical staff of Severin Safari Camp which was trained intensively in functions of the plants and in environmental protection.
  • During the construction of the camp and the digging works, we paid attention to remove as few trees as possible, buildings were constructed accordingly, and the ditches for technology were dug around the trees.
  • Removed trees were replaced by new plantings.

 

Severin_touristik GmbH is a dynamic hotel and tourism company with head office in Sundern (Germany). The company is separated into the business areas Severin_hotels & gastro and Severin_travel services. Severin Sea Lodge and Severin Safari Camp in Kenya as well as the Sunderland Hotel and the Bars Baraza and M1 in Sundern belong to Severin_hotels & gastro. Severin_travel services comprise the tour operator Severin Travel, Severin Air Safaris, The Out of Africa Collection and the TUI travel agency in Sundern.