Gibb’s Farm, part III: Obvious luxury rife with responsible subterfuge
May 8, 2008
Gibb’s Farm is a responsible employer and community member, yet the efforts made in areas of environmental preservation and resource protection shouldn’t be overlooked, as craftily shrouded as they may be. As one might imagine, access to services and supplies in this far-flung region have never been a cakewalk and a natural interdependence with the community of Karatu developed when the farm was established in the late 1920s.
For this lodge, necessity is not only the mother of invention but also sire to sustainable building practices that leverage the skills and know how of the local community in such a highly creative, extraordinarily functional fashion that one can appreciate its craftsmanship and beauty independent of its extremely responsible bloodline. Over the course of 80 years as a working farm in Africa, structures at Gibb’s Farm have had to endure hard wear from daily use and formidable weather conditions. When time comes for replacement or renovation, virtually all building materials are salvaged and reused, including cement, roofing sheets and timber.
Gibb’s Farm has been known to have saved the smallest metal scraps - nails pulled from timber are melted down and repurposed into spectacularly crafted decorative hardware - you’d never know the pretty bathroom hook and window locks had rich former lives as lug nuts and bedsprings. New guest cottages are built with local labor from almost entirely local + salvaged material. Of the minimal new materials brought to Gibbs, significant vigilance goes in to assuring they come from responsible sources. Cottage walls are 50% glass, offering generous doses of natural light. Almost all furniture is made on site using local materials and labor in workshops on farm property.
The behind the scenes at Gibbs is teeming with activity… we toured the barnyard, said hello to the pigs and cows while inspecting the large scale composting operation that naturally fertilizes the farm’s 10 acres of organic crops. We then perused the storage facilities where seemingly EVERYTHING that was ever brought to the property has been salvaged and carefully stored and categorized for future use.
After visiting the furniture building workshop, we spotted their great big sun farm: Gibb’s has recently installed one of Tanzania’s largest solar water heating systems. It’s an impressive operation and 90% of their water is now heated by solar power, cutting down on firewood consumption by about 50%, the firewood they do use is primarily scraps from the carpentry shop. Walking back to the lodge, a WWII truck lumbers by … in fine repair and daily use. Reduce/reuse? That’d be Gibb’s Farm.
Oh but back to those gorgeous, decadent bathrooms… deep soaking tubs, indoor and outdoor showers. You already know that the water is solar heated, but isn’t a truly luxurious bath multi-galloned, excessive and wasteful? Not when your tub water has a second career.
Grey water from guest baths, laundry and the kitchen are reclaimed in a water treatment system that leverages the natural filtration properties of calla lilies, papyrus and cat tails to clean the water on its way to irrigate the property’s ample organic crops. Naturally born, it’s the prettiest water filtration system I’ve ever seen.
Truly a slice of heaven on earth, one can follow a fresh farm meal with a lengthy meander through the flower-saturated grounds at Gibb’s Farm, myriad bird calls echoing across the property. Elephants trumpet from the fields below as the staff congregate, raising their voices in song, marching toward the interlopers, urging them out of the crops back into neighboring Ngorogoro Crater.
Take an interpretive hike with a Maasai healer, visit with an artist in residence or simply retire to the quiet of your porch to listen to the cheerful crow and chuckle of farm life, watching the sun shift across the verdant landscape. A longstanding good neighbor that happens to be a luxurious wayside, Gibbs Farm’s delivers environmental responsibility, social mindfulness and charm in spades.
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hi molly!! this is looking great! I’m really enjoying reading these. It is an honor to have been a part of it.
krista
This place is AMAZING! I saw it on the Lonely Planet Tanzania site but had no idea about all this. I am hoping to visit the Ngorongoro Crater in late July - probably too late to book this but how fantastic it would be to stay at such a place. May many follow in their footsteps someday.