What sustainability looks like at Sugar Bay
My husband, Nic, really hates cutting down trees. When we were deciding where to put the cabins at Sugar Bay, we looked at where the trees were growing and built around them. We planted more than 200 more in the early years of our children’s camp in Zinkwazi Beach.
You can still see that decision in the layout of the camp. What’s harder to see, and matters a great deal to me, is what the children take home with them. I hope that after a week with us on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, the children go home a little more curious about the ocean and a little more inclined to look after the environment wherever they live.
Giving children a reason to care
I have a soft spot for sharks. I understand why children are frightened of them, but if all a child knows about a shark is that it has teeth, it’s quite a leap to ask them to help protect it. That’s why I spend time at camp teaching children about sharks. I want them to have the chance to be curious about an animal they might otherwise only fear.
I feel much the same way about the ocean itself. Children can tell you what they love about a beach once they’ve had the chance to enjoy it. My hope is that, years from now, when a decision about that stretch of coastline concerns them, they’ll remember why they care what happens to it.
Nic takes a particular interest in snakes. He’s taken courses in identifying and catching them, so he can move a snake away from the children and release it safely. We talk to the children about snakes, too. Nic also keeps bees and moves them away from areas the campers use. On the subject of enjoying the outdoors, our signs around camp say “Bare feet are best”. Nic, who never wears shoes, leads by example on that one.
What’s on the camp menu
We bake our own bread rolls, make our burger patties from scratch and buy local fruit and vegetables in season where we can. In winter that means oranges, and in summer, watermelon and grapes. We subsidise the healthier choices in the tuck shop so the children can get more for their pocket money.
At meals, there’s plenty to eat and there are always seconds. We encourage the children to help themselves to what they feel like eating and come back for more whenever they’re hungry. A farmer collects leftover food for his pigs, and we compost vegetable scraps along with cuttings from the camp grounds.
One decision I’ve made about our menu is to leave fish off it. I’m concerned about trawling and the impact of taking fish from the ocean. I have reservations about fish farming too. I’ve made the same choice for my own family.
Keeping the cabins cool and the taps off
When we redesigned the cabins, we raised the roofs to improve airflow and added insulation to keep the summer heat out. That’s allowed us to keep the cabins cooler without installing air conditioning. We use solar energy to help power camp and heat the swimming pool, and gas geysers for hot water.
Zinkwazi has had its share of water problems. We filter our drinking water at camp, keep an eye out for dripping taps and ask the children to turn them off properly. We’ve also recycled since the early days, when we had to drive our recycling to someone who could take it. These days we have a collection, and we recycle cardboard, plastic and used cooking oil.
Some choices are harder to make for a whole camp. At home I can choose a cleaning product I like and spend a little longer scrubbing. At Sugar Bay, somebody else has to do that scrubbing. Our team has a lot to clean in the time available, and we use stronger products than I use at home.
What would you do with 100 old rash vests?
Before we opened Sugar Bay, I spent hours looking into ways children could make art out of things other people threw away. I still get a kick out of finding a use for something. An old food container, for instance, is just the thing for carrying artwork home when the glue is still wet.
Our campers turn old skateboards into go-karts. We’ve covered old surfboards in fabric and hung them on the walls. When we replace the duvets and pillows in the cabins, we cover the old ones and use them as outdoor cushions for the children.
The one I’m stuck on is our rash vests. We replace about 100 a year. If you work with textiles, run a surf school or have made something useful out of old swimming kit, I’d love to hear how you did it.
Zoë Ellender is the founder and director of Sugar Bay Camp, a children's holiday camp and school tour destination in Zinkwazi Beach on KwaZulu-Natal's North Coast, South Africa.
