A leader in sustainable environmental practices, Six Senses Zighy Bay will not be slowing down in 2019. Taking a step forward, the resort will ensure to cultivate methods that save the earth and educate their guests to take these learnings home with them. Eat With Six Senses, the brand’s philosophy of making food fresh and therefore serving the best possible version of the food, takes a life of its own in terms of reducing the ecological impact by using produce and products that sourced, transported and used sustainably.
Six Senses Zighy Bay has been taking measures to save their local and surrounding land from harmful chemicals and malpractices, but also intend to take it further and advocate to saving planet Earth with the following steps:
Banning soya and palm oil products
Both palm oil and soya plantations are responsible for deforestation in different countries and are causing harm to the soil and the environment. It is also very difficult nowadays to find soya products that have not been genetically modified thereby doing more harm than good to the body. Soya is one of the foods which is high in lectins, which can be harmful when regularly consumed. In an effort to ensure the food served at Six Senses Zighy Bay is not tied to products that harm either the environment or the guests and hosts that consume, they have been replaced entirely with healthier and sustainable alternatives.
Keeping their waste organic
Working towards achieving a zero-waste goal, Six Senses Zighy Bay only uses environmentally responsible cleaning products. All the waste glass, timber, or recycled paper at resort are then upcycled for various uses around the resort in their very own Earth Lab. The resort’s Alchemy Bars teach guests how to make sustainable and clean body products from kitchen staples. Going chemical-free with fresh and natural ingredients is great for the skin and reduces the impact on the planet.
Banning processed food
Six Senses Zighy Bay’s culinary team actively choose to not buy food items that are processed or contain MSG (Monosodium Glutamate). The resort has therefore replaced several types of umami products with seaweed and equivalent ingredients. The team also cook all their food from scratch, maintaining the quality of the food served to guests and staff alike and ensure the freshest servings. The resort grows its own produce and uses the products of animals in their farm in their menu, by making their own ice cream, cheeses, milk, fruits, vegetables, micro-herbs, jams and condiments.
Eliminating plastic completely
Six Senses Zighy Bay tries to refuse and reduce the intake of plastic products or packaging in the resort as much as possible. To ensure going plastic free, almost all single-use products that enter the resort grounds are bio-degradable, and the ones that are not are in the process of being replaced. The resort says ‘no’ to plastic straws and provides their guests with reusable shopping bags and water bottles. They hold various ocean and beach clean-up campaigns and educational sessions at the neighboring schools about the importance of farming and the use of local produce.
Being mindful of water consumption
Six Senses Zighy Bay has its own reverse osmosis water plant that produces high-quality drinking water. The purified water used for drinking is currently being tested for microplastics to ensure the absolute best quality of water. Waste water is treated with zero discharge, and greywater is recycled and used in irrigation around the resort.
Going green
Keeping the earth green is not a new effort in Zighy Bay. The resort’s permaculturist has taken on a major soil remediation project to vitalise the soil in the dessert through the Dibba farm and the organic garden in the bay. With the help of their new composting machine, the team have completely eliminated all the organic waste produced by the resort, which made up nearly 76 percent of the total waste produced. This is now converted entirely into compost every day, added to the soil with charcoal, and completes the cycle by aiding the growth of the very produce that guests are served. At the Earth Lab, guests can even learn how to make their own fertile soil at home, reclaim their own seeds, and are introduced to the delicate art of caring for plants. At the other end, the glass bottles that are consumed end up back with the sustainability team and are then upcycled into decorations, ornaments and jewellery.
From the first quarter of 2016, the resort has been continuously undertaking initiatives to involve hosts, villagers, and guests in tree planting to make Zighy Bay, as well as the nearby township of Dibba, a beautiful green landscape. Continued efforts were planned on Earth Day, with 45 hosts, who managed planting 20 trees in the organic garden, joined by 20 guests planting 10 more trees in the beautiful green patch. On the same day, moving towards the Zighy Village, Six Senses Zighy Bay’s hosts managed to pool a manpower of 18 people and encouraged five villagers to plant 10 more trees in this neighboring fishing village.
So why not start 2019 on a mindful note with Six Senses Zighy Bay. Visiting guests can sign up for a variety of suitable workshops for practices that they can take home with them and apply their own Six Senses philosophy. Reservations can be made through emailing reservations-zighy@sixsenses.com or calling +968 2673 5555.
