With most of its properties located in ecologically important but fragile wilderness areas, Heritage plays a critical role as a custodian of some of Africa’s most significant national parks, game reserves and community group ranches. The group works hand in hand with the Kenyan Government and landowning communities to protect these vital areas through concerted campaigns of conservation projects, tree-planting, environmental auditing, water and energy management, and public awareness campaigns.
Heritage has been supporting the government’s campaign to ‘clean up’ Kenya’s tourism industry, with each Heritage property ensuring compliance with strict environmental standards, including the protection of the immediate environment, the safe and hygienic disposal of waste, and the treatment and monitoring of wastewater. Incentives are offered for best environmental practice through an elected Environmental Committee, which presents awards to the department that displays the greatest commitment and innovation in environmental and resource conservation.
In 2004, the company also adopted a comprehensive and holistic Environmental Management System to monitor the natural impacts of all aspects of its operations, from the source, use and disposal of consumable resources to the impacts of guest services and back-of-house facilities. Many changes have already been made, from the use of unleaded petrol, low-sulphur diesel and CFC-free refrigerators, to practical composting technologies and proactive energy-saving and water-conservation policies. All Heritage’s safari camps have adopted blanket bans on the use of charcoal and plastic bags, use coffee-husk briquettes for heating their water, and recycle all their old linen, motor oil, paper, and used soap and shampoo containers.
