The Sands at Nomad

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Name of the facility	The Sands at Nomad
Certification Achieved	Silver
Year opened	2015
Tourism region	Coast
County	Kwale
Address	P.O. Box 5066 – 80401 diani Map It
Telephone/Mobile	+254733373888
Email	[email protected]
Website	thesandsatnomad.com
Facility Notes	The Sands at Nomad is located within in the South Coast of Kenya, Off Diani road. The boutique hotel is set in a unique environment that offers a beach to bush experience. The hotel is situated with a forested area that forms part of the fragmented and Eastern Africa Coastal Forests. These Forests is a fragment of the coastal forest that extended from South of Somalia to Mozambique. Presently only a few remnant fragments of the forest are in existence. These areas have been recognized as biodiversity hotspots and have a high number of endemic species. Some of the fauna found in this area include; duikers, flying foxes, shrews and a variety of birds and insect species.
Energy management	The Sands at Nomad is connected to the National Power grid. The records are kept aptly. The facility also uses solar water heaters for heating water for the guest rooms. About 80% of the guest rooms are fitted with solar water heaters. A generator with an output of 45 KvA is used as back up for the facility. There are up to date records of the generator fuel consumption.
Environmental management	The Sands at Nomad is guided by its environmental policy that emphasizes on dedication to the practice of sound environmental stewardship, promotion of health and safety of guests and employees as well as integration of all sustainability concerns in their business operations. The facility undertakes its annual self-Environmental Audit (EA) as required by EMCA 1999 (Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act.)
Chemical use	The facility uses biodegradable bathroom amenities from Cinnabar Green in the guest rooms. The facility is already at a second phase of testing a natural cleaning product produced by a company called grounded. The products will be used for laundry and general cleaning within the facility.
Conservation Criteria
Community Criteria
Solid waste management	The facility has designated separated bins made from gunny bags, throughout the premises to encourage waste separation by guests. As a waste reduction measure, the facility provides guests with water from refillable glass bottles in the room. The resort has also completely eliminated the use of plastic water bottles. Guests are provided with refillable glass water bottles from the bar, sources from a company called Nature’s cool. In addition, the guest rooms all have water dispensers which are fitted with refillable 18 litre water bottles, as well as a glass bottle in the bathroom. The Sands at Nomad has a no plastic straws policy. This policy has gone a great way in reducing plastic waste from the resort. The facility also creatively reuses wine bottles in the facility for décor and as building material. The Sands at Nomad has also engaged in waste recycling on behalf of some facilities within Diani. Currently, the facility is collecting plastic water bottles that will be repurposed to form building material for a green house, which will then be used in the permaculture farm.
Water management	Main source of water for the resort is a nearby well. The water is pumped to the facility and stored in a 30,000 litre reservoir
Visitor communication & education	Visitors are briefed upon arrival on the facility’s operations and environmental values. The guests are provided with room information sheets upon arrival that clearly state the operations of the hotel. The Sands at Nomad has innovatively invested in a mobile application, The Nomad App- that has detailed information on the resort’s activities. This is aimed at engaging the guests on a digital platform. The resort has a resource centre for the guests that is furnished with a variety of literature that is especially targeted for recreational reading. The Sands at Nomad has a unique approach for guest interaction through a variety of plaques and notices that are placed at strategic points within the facility. The facility also uses social media to update its visitors and the general public the achievements, progress and activities within the resort. In this regard the Sands at Nomad has a social media campaign on facebook called “Thinking Green”.
Pollution	The facility uses low light emitting bulbs to minimize light pollution at night.
Environmental conservation	The resort is directly involved in forest conservation. The facility owns about 50 acres of forested land, which forms a part of the remaining Coastal forests of Eastern Africa. Within the forested area, the facility conducts alien species removal. Through this, the facility aims at eliminating the invasive neem tree species while encouraging other indigenous species to thrive. The Sands at Nomad has created an artificial pond which also serves as a water point and bird bath within the premises. This initiative makes use of water overflow from a tank from another property. This also serves as a diversification of ecosystems within the forested area which promotes species variety in the area. The facility has a proactive approaches for building support and involving guests in conservation of biodiversity. For example the resort is participating in the #PLASTICREVOLUTION flipflopi dhow initiative. In this project guests are encouraged to buy miniature gifts crated from recycled flip flops where the proceeds are dedicated raising awareness on marine pollution and beach cleanup activities which will be culminated by a rubber dhow expedition in sailing from Lamu to South Africa. http://www.theflipflopi.com/the-flipflopi-dhow/ The facility has a weekly environmental clean-up day, dabbed Takataka Tuesday. On this day, the facility conducts a beach clean-up both North and South of the Hotel’s location. Over 1000kgs of trash has been removed from the beach since April 2017. The facility also participates in other clean up initiatives in partnership with other stakeholders in the area. In September 2017, the facility participated in the International Coast Clean up Day, in which 1,200 Kgs of trash were collected between Tiwi and Galu. The resort in involved in turtle conservation partnership with Diani Turtle Watch. The facility has a hatchery known as the Nomad Hatchery which serves as a turtle nest relocation site.
Waste water management	The facility swimming pool is cleaned via sieving, backwash and vacuum cleaning. Records are kept on a daily basis. The facility conducts effluent tests on a quarterly basis and has a valid effluent discharge license. Grey water from the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms is managed through soak pits. Black water throughout the facility is managed through a system of septic tanks and soak pits
Purchasing and supplies	Vegetables and fruits are packed in reusable crates while meat and dairy products are stored in freezers. Where possible dry goods are bought in bulk to reduce on the packaging.
Employment and remuneration/staff welfare	Basic Staff benefits at the hotel include food and uniform. The staffs at the Sands at Nomad are under a staff union that handles staff welfare.
Staff education, communication and awareness training	Staffs have been trained on firefighting skills and use of fire-fighting equipment. Notice boards are used to facilitate communication to the staff. The employees are regularly trained per department for skills enhancement.
Cultural preservation and promotion/protection of local sites	The Sands at Nomad promotes the local culture actively in various ways. • The architecture of the facility depicts the local Mijikenda traditional huts with thatched roofs. • Various pieces of décor have blended contemporary designs with the local culture e.g. cushions, old dhow for holding towels etc. • Some staff member such as porters dress in traditional clothes to promote the local culture. • The hotel offers cultural visits to Kaya Kinondo for the guests to experience the local culture.
Benefits to local community/community empowerment	The facility employs staff primarily from the local area. Approximately 80% of the employees are locals. The Sands at Nomad supports the local community in various aspects related to conservation and enterprise and. They include; • Nomad Permaculture farm and community education centre. This project has just been started at the resort and is aimed at producing fresh herbs for the restaurant while educating the community to make their land more productive. This will help in providing an alternative source of income for the local people. • The facility has a weekly Maasai Market within their premises to allow local entrepreneurs to sell curios and artifacts directly to the guests. • The facility also supports a group of young local acrobats to entertain the guests at the beach front Nomad Restaurant. The hotel also gives donations of Chipped crockery, cups and reusable cooking oil, to a local children’s home called the Born Again Children’s Home.
Cultural Criteria
Health and safety	Firefighting equipment has been inspected and duly serviced by Kensil Limited. A number of employees have been trained on fire-fighting skills. Food handlers have undergone medical tests in August 2017 in compliance with Food, Drugs, and Chemical substances Act. Cap 25 The facility has an emergency procedure and emergency contacts in place included in the room information folder within the guest rooms. Fire exits and assembly points are properly marked and displayed within the facility.
Child labor, abuse and human rights	The management of The Sands at Nomad strictly adheres to the minimum legal working age of 18 years.
Business Practises Criteria
Entry Date	12th March 2018

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