Frangipani initiatives We had the opportunity to visit Frangipani Langkawi Resort and Spa, being one of the finalists for Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Awards, under the category of 'large accommodation'. Nestled in the south of Langkawi Island, they are dubbed as a 'green' resort because of their hard work in conservation, waste management and social contribution. Upon touching down at Langkawi's small but well maintained airport, we were immediately whisked away to the hotel by our friendly host - Seng Chin Loon, Frangipani Langkawi's environmental engineer, or more fondly known as 'Seng'. The resort makes its efforts known right upon arrival with a large sign in the lobby stating, "Frangipani Langkawi supports the principles of a green resort. Help us preserve the environment." This is the first of many 'calls to action' signs around the resort to educate and inspire guests on ways to preserve the environment. Among many things that were displayed in the lobby area, I was instantly drawn to a large wooden display. This huge display was intricately crafted and shaped with into a sea of fish. The story of this wooden log was one of rescue and restoration - washed into sea by the tsunami in 2004, this piece of wood was salvaged and treated before being crafted by a local artisan. This piece of art is a metaphor of the resort's vision - to invest in natural assets to create the lowest impact possible for the running of the hotel. After an initial meeting, Seng took us for a 2 hour walk-a-bout tour around the resort, pointing out ways how the resort's practices influence their surrounding environment. We were brought to the kitchen to understand further their supply chain and waste management process. Kitchen waste is sorted at the disposal point immediately after the plates are removed from the guests' table. Separation bins are placed in the kitchen for leftover rice, oily leftovers, paper, plastic, glass and cans. An elaborate amount of effort is then put into sorting the waste for composting, recycling, vermiculture and feeding the animals in their farm. We took notice also of recycled wood being used to make room signs, resort displays and key chains. Leftover glass bottles are creatively made into light bulb holders. Plastic bottles are stringed together to construct a mini raft used in the wetland area. Even an abandon boat has been constructed as a bar deck overlooking the Andaman Sea - a perfect place to watch the sun set. These creative innovations are simple, yet practical and in doing so, less waste end up in the landfills. In their bid to conserve more water, 85 water tanks were installed all over the resort to collect and harvest rain water. The water treated is used for gardening and washing. Septic tanks located at a strategic position will treat sewage water. This is followed by grey water being channelled to a natural wetland area. This waste water is naturally treated by a precise selection of plants such as water hyacinth, convolvulus, mimosa and
water lilies coupled with a mechanically induced aeration pump. The treated waste water is then pumped out of the wetlands for gardening and sustaining the veggie patch and animals on its little farm. The farm is home to ducks, geese and chickens. Because of such efforts in water conservation, the resort managed to reduce water consumption of RM4.35 per room in 2006 to RM2.84 in 2009. This is a clear indication that being sustainable can reap economic benefits. With a growing concern of high energy usage throughout the world, the resort plays its part by using energy saving bulbs throughout while maintaining thorough monitoring and measuring systems. To educate their guests on their energy and water consumption, a notice board is placed at the lobby and is constantly updated to ensure guests are informed of their energy saving efforts. The resort also incorporates alternative energy sources such as solar panels on all villas. To accommodate their ever increasing food consumption, Frangipani Langkawi set up their own organic garden to supply vegetables, fruits and herbs to their kitchen. The vegetables from the garden are a favourite among guests. To increase participation among staffs, the resort runs periodic environmental competition to engage and excite them about issues concerning the environment. Awards and recognition is given to individual staff or department who has showed most effort in green practices. After a full day of walking around the resort, we were treated to a scrumptious dinner fresh from the garden. For starters we had lightly fried Frangipani flowers with homemade tangy sauce, followed by a main course of rice and an array of vegetables and free range eggs. Nothing beats ending the night with desserts - steamed banana glazed with chocolate sauce and topped with ice cream. We began the next day by visiting a single mothers' community in Pulau Tuba, a raw and authentic fishing village just 45 minutes away from Langkawi. Frangipani actively supports a group of single mothers in skills development on the island. In a partnership between the resort and a local bank, they built a women's craft workshop and invested in some heavy machinery for the mothers to bake and sell local cakes. Crafts made by the women are sold at the resort and proceeds go directly to the women who made it. Through this scheme, the single mothers have a slightly better quality of life with increased stream of income. We had the opportunity to also visit a local school back on the mainland in which Frangipani collaborates with. During our visit, we were brought to a 'green house' built with the help of Frangipani's staff. The school children even had a field day at Frangipani Langkawi to plant trees. Teachers are educated in composting, recycling and waste water conservation. Frangipani Langkawi's employees consist of 90% locals with the remaining 10% coming from other states in Malaysia. By creating jobs and educating local people, it becomes easier to provide conservation measures and make it become profitable and sustainable. As our short stay draws to a close, we had the opportunity to engage with other employees and one common thing surfaces - the resort's efforts in recycling and
conservation sparked a change in their own personal lifestyle. Their admin secretary, Zalifah Zuhri, even commented that she now collects rain water on her own accord for washing and cleaning at home. This goes to show that what little the resort is doing for mother earth is creating a chain reaction with the people around them. Being a responsible accommodation operator affects the entire supply chain - from supporting green vendors, listening to their sales staff, purchasing their products, training to education. Frangipani Langkawi's continuous and tireless efforts in this should be commended and as fellow Malaysians, we should continue to cheer them on.
Ooi, T. (2010) Green Travel Gem In Malaysia. Wild asia