Our Ethics - and what we ask of our Clients
Environmental Matters
Our business headquarters is a real first, environmentally speaking: the first all-natural cob house on a South African city street.
Making headlines and changing perceptions, we've built an elegant
double-storey house out of mud and straw (plus lime and dung in places)
that we hope is changing the dominant perception among
locals that a "real house" should be made of bricks and concrete rather
than the "mud huts" of the past. The house "breathes", allowing it to
stay naturally cooler in summer and warmer in winter; this is done
through a combination of thick earth walls and large areas of passive
solar heating through sun-facing windows. We've sourced either recycled wood (old railway sleepers), alien trees (gum poles, cut down for using too much water as part of a government environmental programme), or locally grown sustainable woods (siligna and pine), all treated and sealed with organic products, avoiding the use of harmful chemicals. Have a look at our accommodation available there at www.cobhouse.co.za
Our tours aim to continue the same theme. For food stops and
restaurants we select conscious local providers, can offer tours that
cater well for vegetarians and vegans, aim to stay organic or
sustainable (in the case of seafood, we support restaurants who are part
of the SA Sustainable Seafood Initiative). We take guests to local
farmers' markets, and to craft markets that are sustainable, giving
advice on bartering (where appropriate) and on craft that may be
unethical to purchase as against the craft that is genuinely supportive
of local communities. We include site visits to conscious
craft-producing small businesses, we seek out organic and biodynamic
farms, even on our township tours. We offer tours by bicycle where
appropriate and give sound advice on use of public transport wherever
this is a reasonable alternative for guests e.g. meeting guides at a
train station rather than waiting for a hotel pick-up. We provide
clients with suggestions for appropriate activities while here that will
be of benefit to the local environment. We do not provide new plastic
bottled water, for example, but encourage clients to bring their own
water and even to pick up litter en route if possible.
Economic / Social Matters
We are a small South African family-run business, who make use of
local labour and skills wherever we can, and encourage
clients to make use of local businesses that have consciousness and
concern not only for the environment but for their workforce and
community. We provide customised tours to Western
Cape destinations that are off-the-beaten track and usually have a substantial environmental/cultural/spiritual component, according to our clients' wishes, but always use registered township local guides
to guide township sections of tours, to ensure benefits to those local
communities. We also interact with local NGOs who assist in making lives
more positive in the poorer areas of the Cape Flats and provide
opportunities for them to showcase their work to our clients. We can
also advise on other tourism industry products that
are as "conscious" as we aim to be. We endeavour to find similar businesses in other parts of the region for our responsible guests to enjoy and support.
Our Travellers' Code of Conduct
Here are some guidelines and ideas for responsible travel you may want to take note of when visiting us, to help your holiday make a difference.
Cape Town, despites its challenges and inequalities, is a part of the
world that we find refreshingly "real" - it needs a bit of care with
your valuables, but it's worth stepping off the beaten track a bit,
partly because there are a lot of people here with a fabulous sense of
what's truly heart-felt and worthwhile in life, people who can bring you
more than just a chance to reach the furthest rock in the south-west of
Africa (wonderful though it may be to see baboons along the way!) We
can help you connect with the more organic / culturally funky and diverse/ holistic and soulful/ historic and hilarious people and places in and around this big "Mother City".
TRANSPORT :
Cape
Town does not, unfortunately, have a particularly brilliant public
transport network and some of your trips may need to be by car,
notwithstanding that, during daylight hours, we have a very relaxing
train route into Cape Town - or along the attractive coastal route to
Simon's Town - running regularly from close to our house. DO
use the trains (just not with a moon bag) - be careful during the
evening, and check with others if you're using other lines to the Cape
Flats, which may not be so safe. The same applies to using minibus
taxis, which are usually fine on the main suburban routes during the
day, as long as you have an idea of what you're doing and where you are
going. If you hear contrary advice (as offered for example in many
guidebooks) - check whether the person offering has personal experience!
We've been using the trains and taxis for the last 14 years in Cape
Town and never seen or heard of a dangerous incident happening around us or to anyone we know.
Cycling (helmet strongly advised) is a popular pastime in the Cape (we
have the world's biggest cycle race here every March!), but not such a
common means of transport, partly condemned by the recurrent
South-Easter (it once took one of us 15 minutes to ride from Rondebosch
to Cape Town - and 45 to get back, literally being lifted off the bike
twice). The bus network is infuriatingly badly organised and
unfortunately difficult to get timetables for; overland coaches are more
reliable. SO, if you are
going to go by car (as we often have to!), think about what else you can
do to offset this - there are a whole load of local NGO tree-planting
projects you could think about here as a direct carbon offset, for
example, which could enrich the whole experience of visiting here for
you, as opposed, say, to donating to a less personal (if still worthy)
international carbon offset programme.
SHOPPING :
There
are a lot of accreditation schemes out there to make sure that you
really are buying worthy craft items from people that could do with some
benefits. On our tours you could visit wine farms that are guaranteed to be using fair trade
practices, local theatre shows with a difference (presented to township
children, for example) and visits to award-winning new green buildings
(we're not the only ones!).
There are some fisheries that are wiping out our fish stocks and others that are sustainably supporting long-standing local fishing communities; there are toy shops selling fake South African money (manufactured in China!) and others selling beautiful, natural-fibre African dolls made by women who've learned new skills. If you'd like to ensure your money goes to more worthy causes, we would love to help you find the better choices!
There is a national 'Proudly South African' brand which includes a host of fair trade accreditations around union rights, environmental sourcing etc., visible on many consumables from our shops. You can support the local economy with these purchases. Of course, there are other worthy brands that haven't got round to getting this national level of accreditation, including many small and cottage industry products.
Craft markets in town present some beautiful wood/ stone/ wire and beadwork. Even though much of this is produced by recent immigrants from further north in Africa rather than locals, Africans in general could do with your trade for their craft. The Pan-African Market in Long Street is better placed for this kind of thing, or for real guaranteed fair trade local items there are a number of co-operatives (including Streetwires) we can help you connect with.
Cape Town also offers a wide range of innovative and creative clothing designers who would enjoy your support, (Kalk Bay, nearby, has a hive of boutiques), as our local textile industry is being threatened by the stronghold that China has on the clothing industry at the moment.
Generally we would encourage you to support small independent businesses wherever possible.
The production of 1 kg of beef is estimated to use as much water as all the showers you will take in the rest of your life ! There is a lot of meat on offer here in SA, (some free range and organic), but our culture is also very familiar with vegetarianism. You can almost always find a wide variety of vegetarian options available and they're usually very tasty.We also have a yummy vegan restaurant near our HQ and know of others for vegan guests! Most organic food (and indeed non-organic food) is grown locally - we are lucky with our climate and can boast a wide range of delicious summer fruits. We have more than enough diversity of foods available locally, at all seasons, for you to be able to avoid buying something that has travelled thousands of kilometres to be here - but it's worth checking for the origins of fruit and veg in the shops just to be on the safe side.
We have more than enough diversity of foods available
locally, at all seasons, for you to be able to avoid buying something
that has travelled thousands of kilometres to be here - but it's worth
checking for the origins of fruit and veg in the shops just to be on the
safe side.
WATER :
South Africa is a dry country, and as in many parts of the world, urbanisation is putting ever more demands on our municipal water supplies. Please don't waste water, and ask about the water use policy of the various businesses you may visit. Certain of our supermarkets are much more water-wise than others! Water can too easily be polluted too: try and choose establishments that use biodegradable products for cleaning/laundry etc. While there are many bottled water companies in South Africa, at the time of writing Cape Town municipal water is safe to drink, and the same applies to most other national supplies - if in doubt check with locals.