Sustainability is more than just a catch-phrase at Huka Lodge

HUKA LODGE PUTS SUSTAINABILITY IN THE LIMELIGHT AND ANNOUNCES NEW ECO-FRIENDLY INITIATIVES

Huka Lodge and New Zealand social entrepreneur Jayden Klinac, founder of For The Better Good, share the same philosophy when it comes to sustainability: the desire to be part of the solution and change our single-use waste culture. Both agree that people really do want to do the right thing when it comes to reducing the amount indestructible plastic in our landfill and ocean – it’s about giving them a choice to do so.

Recognised for its pioneering spirit and consistent global acclaim over the past 94 years, Huka Lodge is committed to adopting the best sustainability practices to look after the local environment, community and the planet. Their most recent initiative was to partner with Klinac’s For The Better Good which produces a plant-based water bottle that can be composted.

Huka Lodge now stock the reusable and recyclable water bottles, which can be refilled for free at one of 200 refill stations across the country, and the lodge also had its own branded stainless-steel hydro flasks made. This might sound like a small step but according to Klinac, a million conventional oil-based plastic bottles are bought globally every minute and only a tiny percentage involve recycled material, and most will never be recycled.

Huka Lodge is constantly searching for ways to actively adopt and participate in sustainable initiatives throughout the property, and beyond.

Other sustainable initiatives include:

· A strong focus on reducing single-use plastic by using linen bags for laundry and Housekeeping, replacing plastic drinking straws with paper ones, using eco-ware wooden recycled cutlery for picnics, purchasing in bulk to markedly reduce packaging

· Active pest management across the 17-acre grounds has contributed to the elimination of introduced pests and serves to support the regeneration of native flora and fauna with only environmentally sound sprays, fertilisers and chemicals used

· Supporting local initiatives like Greening Taupo to re-plant native species of trees and shrubs to create a stronger natural environment for threatened species

· Most of the plants in the lodge gardens were chosen to provide food sources for native birds and pollen for bees, while a secluded part of Huka Lodge’s property is home to a very successful Queen bee breeding programme

· Executive Chef Paul Froggatt embraces the use of organic produce and natural ingredients in the lodge kitchen, carefully selecting suppliers who offer free-range, ethical animal husbandry using sustainable practices, and ensuring all fresh fish is sustainably harvested, and by long-line method

· Three EV charging stations have been installed, and as required, old vehicles will be replaced with electric/hybrid models

· Old batteries, spent printer cartridges and Nespresso pods are safely recycled, coffee grounds are used as fertiliser and plant cuttings are processed in a chipper to create bark to suppress weeds

· All incandescent and halogen bulbs are being swapped over to energy-efficient LED versions, with timers installed on sensor-operating lights to reduce energy waste