Sustainability at Pashan Garh
At every &Beyond lodge we seek out small (and sometimes not so small) but meaningful ways of putting our values into action every day. Each lodge supports the conservation of wildlife and contributes to its neighbouring communities in one way or another. In addition, we seek to limit our impact in terms of fossil fuels, the use of renewable energy, water and waste management, and recycling.
Current Sustainability projects at Pashan Garh
Crocodiles & Conservation
&Beyond Pashan Garh Panna Wilderness Lodge recently hosted 15 children from the Amjhiriya community. The children were picked up at the crack of dawn, and the whole village was up early to see them off! The group enjoyed an informative Conservation Lesson in Panna National Park – a definite highlight was the boat ride along the Ken River in search of crocodiles. Thanks to the Pashan Garh family for organising such a memorable day for these children.
Pashan Garh Reaches Out
Situated in Panna, Asha Bhavan is a centre that cares for underprivileged children and is committed to protecting the rights of physically challenged and disabled children. The &Beyond Pashan Garh family recently invited 40 of these children to spend a day at the Lodge. For many of them, it was their first outing, and they were delighted when a high tea was served in their honour. After filling up on biscuits and vegetable pakoras (assorted vegetable dumplings in chick pea batter), the children gave a heart warming singing performance to the staff and guests. Several guests were so impressed that they generously made contributions to help the lodge support of Asha Bhavan. The Pashan Garh family aims to continue making a difference in the lives of these special children.
Pashan Garh’s Naturalists Get Down & Dirty
The naturalist team at Pashan Garh is playing a crucial role in the building of the lodge. Shree has taken charge of 20 donkeys and labourers, while Hada has a tractor and trailer with a team of builders. They are both working hard at clearing rubble from the site and replanting any trees damaged by the building process. Ratna (India’s first trained female naturalist – and CC Africa’s first female head naturalist) has taken over the management of ‘Bombay’, the temporary builder’s village which is home to 500 stone masons and builders. Ratna and her team ensure that Bombay has sufficient clean water, and are busy removing litter and installing rubbish bins. Ratna, Shree and Hada are also creating a water recycling system to recycle the grey water from the staff village and use it to water the vegetable garden. Nothing like team work!
The Nutritious Pashan Garh’den
Pashan Garh chef, Balveer, and gardeners, Devisingh and Devidayal, have transformed the staff village area into a flourishing vegetable garden. The entire team pitched in to create a garbage segregation area, complete with a compost heap that provides rich organic nutrients for the garden. The lodge’s water recycling system passes ‘grey’ water from the showers in the staff village through a sand filter, producing 3 000 L of water a day that is used to water the plants. Labourers and children from the local community created the colourful fish tank which stores the recycled water. Inspired by Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Pashan Garh also has a garbage incinerator, which provides ash that is combined with the compost to produce organic fertiliser for the vegetable garden. This well-oiled ‘machine’ has enabled the lodge to grow fresh lettuce, chilli, garlic, spinach and zucchini. Now that’s Guest Delight that makes a difference!
