Recently I traveled to South Africa. Before leaving, my aunt encouraged me to visit “the winery that was on the news with the ducks.” So, I looked up the winery and headed out to find it. It is a 350-year-old property. The winery’s management shared so much valuable insight about how they have incorporated sustainable methods to maintain the land. At 350 years old, how much more sustainable can you get? They must be doing something right!
They have an irrigation system that is supplied from local sources and they collect rain in reservoirs. The ducks eat pests that threaten to deplete the vines and grapes. The crops they source are suited for their soil—they didn’t pick the land and then attempt to alter the land to suit what crops they grow.
You might be thinking… so what? This is simple. That is exactly it. Sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when it coincides with what is already going on in nature.
At the end of it all, we never did get the chance to see the ducks, as their shift was over before we arrived. What we got instead was a simple and legendary example of sustainability.