Source: ‘touching the earth lightly’:http://www.touchingtheearthlightly.com/about.shtml

Throughout our Hoerikwaggo website we have mentioned responsible tourism and how this trial was built in an eco-friendly manner. The way the accommodation, specifically, was built concentrates around the phrase ‘touching the earth lightly’ – meaning building the Hoerikwaggo accommodation in the most eco-friendly and non-disruptive manner. All designs for the camp are centered on this mission of responsible tourism. 

Touching the earth lightly is actually a company that is run by two South Africans; Stephen and Grabeth. Their designs include; archway entrance sun dial, alien vegetation furniture, climbing wall, compass fire place, eco tree toilet, eco fence, eco lighting, hiking stick project, mole rat tunnel walkway, one flush shower, sea shell showers… all of these designs are incorporated into the Hoerikwaggo Tented Camps that our clients will stay at on our Hoerikwaggo Trail. 

Touching the earth lightly ‘thinks green’ by protecting indigenous forests, saving water and using renewable energy – they design and build hiking trails, tented camps and eco-lodges all around the world and, specifically, some of their unique work can be viewed on the Hoerikwaggo Trail at the Orange Kloof tented camps, Silvermine tented camps and the Slankop tented camps.

They use the natural area as inspiration for their eco-friendly designs and blend their buildings into the natural habitat while working with the natural flow of the landscape.

They believe in sensitivity and respect on the environment and they aim at minimising the impact of their developments on the natural environment. Their designs may be eco-friendly but they are also tastefully done with a lot of thought and consideration to the landscape. The designs are unobtrusive and reflect what responsible tourism is all about with regards to the Hoerikwaggo Trail!

Touching the earth lightly uses materials that are low-embedded energy products, with a focus on sand-bags, eco-beams, cob, re-cycled alien vegetation, rock and local “found” materials. They minimize the use of high embedded energy products, non eco-friendly and petro-chemical products, concrete, steel and cement wherever possible.

To see some of their designs and to read more about ‘touching the earth lightly’ please visit there website: http://www.touchingtheearthlightly.com/about.shtml