For your lifetime: healthy soils, happy people
Before I worked in tourism, I worked in agriculture. I love farming and feel that, in another life, I could have been a very happy dairy farmer somewhere in the west of England. In Kenya, agriculture is the lifeline for most people. Almost everyone has a cho-cho (grandmother) or uncle who grows tomatoes or tills the land in ‘shagz’ (Sheng for ‘homelands’). But, it may surprise you to know that this wholesome image of the grey haired lady working in her fields isn’t as wholesome as you might imagine. Of course, when you live hand-to-mouth (known as subsistence farming) and either eat what you grow or sell some of it for a small profit, you can’t afford (literally) to fail.
Because of this, farmers use heavy amounts of fertilisers, chemicals and old or impractical methods to get the most from the soil. I know more about soil than most, having worked for a Dutch R&D organisation doing soil testing for mainly smallscale farmers across Kenya. Kenya’s soil is not happy - in fact, in most regions the land is over-grazed, over-farmed, eroding at an alarming rate and lacking in basic nutrients.
The Safari Series is not an agricultural organisation. But it doesn’t mean our commitment to the soil doesn’t matter. Since we are a completely tented camp, our water from showers and handwashing basins runs straight into the ground. This means that any soaps, shampoo or conditioners used by our guests goes in there too. Chemicals in these products seep into the ground and can affect local waterways, animals and plants. Instead, we encourage guests to use the soaps we provide for them - namely products from Cinnabar Green and Grounded Africa.
Cinnabar Green is a local Nanyuki-based company who has created delicious smelling, completely natural soaps that are made from ingredients that do no damage to the ground.
Grounded Africa is a Nairobi company focuses on washing products for cleaning purposes and conform to the highest human/environmental standards set by EWG and MadeSafe. They do not use any synthetic fragrances, or any known hormone disruptors. I was shocked to learn that that breathing in bleach is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day in terms of lung damage.
Buying products like these is a biggest cost - but, for the safety of our staff, the clenliness of our camp and the knowledge that we are protecting and preserving the beautiful Lolldaiga Hills we know the price is a small one.