Düsternbrook is a guest farm in Namibia, situated near Windhoek. We offer 6 lodge rooms, 2 furnished safari tents, and a small campsite. Our guest farm is located on a mountain with a breath taking view overlooking a dry wide riverbed. The historical old farm house is built out of natural stone, in colonial style. Since 2010 we also have a chalet at the dam (where the hippos live), where you can stay close to nature. Düsternbrook Safari Guest Farm started to work on sustainable tourism long before 2005 and so we managed to obtain 3 out of 5 flowers in the first year, 2005. Once re-checked in 2007 we obtained again 3 flowers and with improvements done since 2007 we applied for 4 flowers in 2008. We are proud to say that there are only very few establishments who have obtained 4 flowers and we are so far the only one in the guest farm category. At Düsternbrook we endeavor to promote sustainable tourism in all areas and our aim is: "Reduce the social and environmental costs and maximize the advantages!" We recognize and respect the fact that we have a responsibility to nature and we intend to conserve and sustain resources, protect and develop the local community and reduce our ecological footprint. This little introduction, with only some examples, gives you some insight into our guest farm operations. Water, Waste and Energy Management First of all in everything we do nothing is perfect here as you might be used to from your European environment. Everything is a compromise of available time, resources and level of education and also subject to prioritizing of other important jobs to be done on the farm. We promote water, waste and energy saving in best practices to staff and guest through information in the guest rooms and an information centre. Water In the water consumption chapter of the 2008 Living Planet Report it stated that 98% of the countries water resources are already fully utilised and the problem is only going to get worse with the population growth. In Nambia too is the most valuable natural resource in Namibia. We are the driest country south of the Sahara and for that reason water conservation is of high importance! In Namibia 80% of the rain evaporates immediately, 15% is absorbed by the roots and evaporates through the leaves, 2-3% is flowing off in rivers and ONLY 1% goes into the ground which again is partly pumped as water supply. At Düsternbrook Safari Guest Farm our main source of water is a 70 meter borehole with an electric pump with a 20 minute time switch and a windmill. Out on the farm outposts we only use windmills and dams. We regularly monitor and record our water usage to ensure that our consumption stays within the seasonal averages. Furthermore we installed a time sprinkler system which starts in the early morning hours so it reduces the amount of water lost through evaporation and also controls the overall amount used for watering. Moreover we cover the pool in the evening and most of the winter season due to the high evaporation. Waste is directly related to the increasing population and consumerism. Our aim is to manage waste so that the tourist and farming operation does not have a negative impact on the environment through landfill use, litter, and water or soil pollution. Therefore the classical formula: reduce, re-use and recycle is also applied here for many years. A recycling-bin system has been set up where we recycle in 6 different areas: paper, carton, cans and tins, hard plastic, soft plastic and glass, which we bring once a week to the recycling centre in Windhoek. Did you know that 1 recycled can gives you 3 hours of television? Moreover we re-use glass jars for homemade jam, envelopes are used as file dividers, all paper that has only been printed on one side is used for internal printing and most of our food waste is used as chicken feed for the employees on the farm. For our sewerage water we have a three chamber biological cleaning system and a French drain. In 2008 we added a trickling filter, to break down the ammoniac. Only now we can in future use the recycled water for the garden. Hereby we hope to have water savings between 30% to 40%. All conventional methods of energy production have large hidden cost to the environment, some more some less, therefore we intend to use less of conventional energy sources, using alternative sources of power that are renewable, non polluting and environmentally friendly wherever possible, but there is also a cost factor as energy from the grid is highly subsidised. We use energy saving light bulbs, gas cooking, windmill powered water pumps, solar heated hot water and limited outdoor lighting. Additionally we have no air conditioning (because the temperature is controlled by roof design), central heating and TV´s in our guestrooms. Conservation In Namibia we have a number of species of wild plants, animals and insects that are indigenous or endemic to this country. If any of these species are lost it woul