Saving Rhinos with Solar Energy

It has been almost a year now since we built the Nyumba Nne borehole thanks to your generous support. We are delighted to report that the borehole is working well and exceeding our expectations in terms of savings and performance.

If you remember, the reason why we were building this borehole was to stop using diesel-powered water pumps - which are costly, noise and really bad the environment. We knew it would produce savings and also lessen pollution. The more money we save on things like buying fuel, the more money we are able to spend on rhino protection.

As of today, we have 123 black rhinos on Ol Pejeta and still the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa. We are also really proud to say that we had ZERO rhino poached on Ol Pejeta last year. This shows that the funds spent on our security are paying off and we have you to thank for this.

In 2018, we had total savings of US$ 3,925. In 2019, we have already saved US$ 5,233. This is a total saving of US$ 9,158 for the past two years. We pumped 18,841M3 of water in 2018 and 40,976M3 in 2019 so far. The water is serving the entire conservancy including staff camps and waterholes for the wildlife. We are currently suffering lack of rains in Kenya, and this water is really coming in handy for our thirsty elephants, rhinos, buffaloes and more! 

But to us, the most exciting news out of all this is that with conversion of Nyumba Nne and making Nyumba Tano redundant, we have saved 6,500 litres of diesel for the last 6 months (3,500 at Nyumba Nne and 3,000 at Nyumba Tano) which translates to 18 tonnes of CO₂ which means that we not just saving rhinos, but we are also doing our part to save the planet! 

If you are a numbers' person and are interested in more details, we have attached a table of all the savings for the last two years. Please take a look.

Once again, thank you! We can never say this enough.

You might be aware that the UN released a landmark report this week announcing that up to 1 million species are facing extinction. Amid pollution and human consumption, the health of ecosystems on which all life depends is deteriorating at a chilling rate. It is time we all roll up our sleeves. It has become vital that we don't allow more plants and animals to go extinct.

We all have a role to play and we are doing our part with your help. Project like this one are extremely important for the future of our planet and for that of our children and grandchildren. We are proud that you stand with us in this fight. 

We have continued to raise more money for this project, thanks to our recurring donor who opted to give monthly to Ol Pejeta. As of today, our total raised is US$ 25,112 which is an amazing accomplishment. 

Ol Pejeta is still very much on track to become 100% solar powered by 2013. We are not going to deviate from this very important task and we want you to know that you made a huge difference in helping us reach that goal.

If you have never been to Ol Pejeta, we hope that you decide to visit us one day and see for yourself the impact of your generosity. If you are interested in organising a visit, please email me on elodie.sampere@olpejetaconservancy.org and I will help you plan the trip of a lifetime!

In the meantime, I just want to make sure that you have watched our VIDEO UPDATE which we think is the best way to show you what you helped us accomplish.

Thank you again for being an awesome human being. 

Links:

• Our Completed Solar Borehole at Nyumba Nne