Category Archives: Eco

Langkawi Live, Langkawi Green

Posted on November 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

It’s safe to say that when an event happens successfully two years in a row, there’s a strong possibility its on its way to annual occurrence status. This year the Langkawi Live, One Earth Music Festival 2012 had increased sponsorship enabling more wide spread promotion, which bodes well for the 2013 possibilities.  The festival attracted music fans from around Southeast Asia including travelers who altered their travel itineraries to attend.

ALL THE WAY FROM SABAH, LEGENDARY AMIR YUSSOF

The event venue was once again the Frangipani Resort & Spa in Pantai Tengah. The Frangipani practices up to 150 eco friendly measures in their quest for clean and green and were recently awarded the well-deserved and highly coveted ASEAN Green Award  2012.  As an active participant in the Langkawi River’s Project, what better place to showcase not only world class music but also highlight the numerous environmentally friendly practices implemented successfully by the resort.

THE MAGIC OF LANGKAWI’S PANJI WARISON

The One Live and Frangipani Teams did such a great job in creating the music festival that one of their initial intentions for this second-year-in-a row event almost got overpowered. The story behind the birth of the music festival is not just about music, but having a vehicle to spread the message of keeping Langkawi “clean and green.”

ARTISTIC RECYCLING!

In 2011, seeing the advancing development in Langkawi, Frangipani Group Managing Director Anthony Wong did a little brainstorming with music loving friends  Zarul Albakri and Patrick Chen and came up with the idea of a Langkawi music festival used as a catalyst to highlight green practices. This year’s  Langkawi Live, One Earth Music Festival  set the stage for ‘annual’ event status and the brilliance of bringing world class music to Langkawi as well as promoting environmental education.

THIS ECO SEA CRITTER WAS A FESTIVAL HIT

The Frangipani Resort & Spa proudly claim to be the greenest resort in Malaysia, which may be seen by some as simply a promotional singsong thought up by some public relations team. But seeing the measures they have taken towards the goal of a “clean and green” Langkawi, it may be more of a verbal challenge to other Langkawi businesses; a practice what you preach encouragement to others to think outside the box in protecting Langkawi’s precious eco-systems.

FRANGIPANI HAS THEIR OWN WETLANDS

Reduce, recycle and reuse is the Frangipani mantra and they do indeed practice what they preach.  Anthony Wong is a strong advocate of responsible tourism and will often go to creative extremes, sometimes forgoing typical landscaping options, to ensure their environmental impact is at a minimum.

ONE OF THE MANY ON-SITE GARDENS

Frangipani’s eco practices include water recycling using plants such as Thalia and Water Hyacinth as part of the grey water filtration system to growing their own organic produce on site to a daily informative eco-walk through the resort’s grounds.  From aluminum can wind chimes to aged bathroom fixtures, the Frangipani re-uses of every bit of resort refuse possible in their quest for a cleaner and greener Langkawi.

WATER HYACINTH WORKS WONDERS IN FILTERING GREY WATER

There are only 10 Malaysian resorts to have obtained the ASEAN Green Award this year, two of which are in Langkawi. The Frangipani Resort and Langkawi Live have joined forces rather nicely in raising the bar when it comes to sustainable tourism AND cultural events in Langkawi , the future looks bright for this annual event and a cleaner greener Langkawi.

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Eco, Langkawi Events

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Recycling in Langkawi

Posted on August 25, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Langkawi being an island with over a million visitors each year, waste management becomes increasingly problematic. In addition to the abundance
of plastic bags and styrofoam containers used on a daily basis, the rubbish just stacks up.  What to do? Landfills and incinerators are a solution. However, the long term answer for the majority of the rubbish is recycling.

MAJOR OVERFLOW

Most Expats in Langkawi are familiar with recycling in their home countries. We arrived here from San Francisco where 80% of the rubbish is recycled. So we started hording our recyclable materials from day one; paper, aluminum, metal and glass.

Little did we know that it would take some bit of time to find a reliable recycle business to take these materials, so they just kept piling up. We were quite happy to discard our ‘collections’ when re-cycle options became more apparent.

ZENS ENTERPRISES RECYCLING CENTER

Zens Enterprise is owned by Cheah Song Hui and is located just north out of Ulu Melaka on Jalan Ulu Melaka on the left hand side of the road.  They recycle metals, plastic and paper. When I asked about glass Cheah quickly stated that it was too expensive to recycle due to the shipping cost to the mainland.

HELPING KEEP LANGKAWI GREEN

Cheah first came to Langkawi with his father at the age of 2. He lived here until he moved to the mainland and became involved in the construction business. Growing tired of the construction trade and longing for a simpler lifestyle Cheah moved back ot Langkawi in 2007 and started the recycle company with a friend.

RE-USABLE MATERIALS READY TO SHIP OUT

Cheah says that the move has made him happy. He likes the quiet and peaceful pace of life and  Zens Enterprise allows him to give back to the community that has become his home. Open every day except Fridays. DIRECTIONS

 

PLASTIC AND STYROFOAM, THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

*In addition to recycling, the community can also help keep Langkawi GREEN by decreasing their use of plastic bags and styrofoam. Bringing your own containers and re-usable bags for shopping and takeaway foods can make a positive impact!

 

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Posted in Eco, Langkawi People and Places, Langkawi Services

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Compost 101 at the Frangipani Langkawi

Posted on August 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa   has been tackling waste management  issues for years and they practice what they preach .They
recently had Hafiz from PPSPPA come and demonstrate Takakura Home Composting Method, a waste management practice being implemented throughout Southeast Asia. Surabaya, Indonesia and Sibu, Sarawak
have already seen environmental improvements with this practice.

ZU INTRODUCING HAFIZ

VISITORS FROM SABAH TOURISM COUNCIL

My friend Zuraidah (Zu) is quite passionate about environmental issues, especially when it comes to recycling and waste management. It’s only fitting that she became part of the Team at Frangipani  Langkawi . Zu knew of my previous failed attempts at composting, so she invited me to the demonstration being given to visitors from Sabah Tourism Council.

IT STARTS WITH KITCHEN SCRAPS, WATER, SALT/YOGURT

FINELY CHOPPING KITCHEN SCRAPS

It generally takes a couple of weeks  for organic waste to decompose, through the process of decay and fermentation.  The decaying process is actually what causes the bad ‘odor’. The Takakura Method enlists fermentation to neutralize the decay aroma.

By initially adding kitchen scraps to a mixer of salt and water or yogurt/gula merah and water, a storable fermenting liquid is made. After one week, you can start your ‘magic bucket’, Mr. Takakura’s
name for the composting ‘container’.

EQUAL PARTS OF CHICKEN FEED, WOOD SHAVINGS AND TOP SOIL

PERFECT CONSISTENCY WILL ALLOW BALL SHAPE

The compost ‘starter’ for the magic bucket is made with equal parts of chicken feed, top soil, wood shavings or leaves (crumbled). By mixing the dry ingredients with the fermented liquid  concoction, the base of the compost is made. The proper consistency is reached when you can actually form a ball with the mixture. At this point you’re ready to add to your ‘magic bucket’ and begin your home compost.

‘MAGIC BUCKET’ MADE FROM BASIC SUPPLIES

By adding some of the ‘thickened’ compost material to the magic bucket, you can the proceed to add chopped kitchen scraps as they accumulate and mixing it in. We were told even fish ‘guts’ could be added without causing a stench! The fermented liquid speeds up the decomposing process of all the organic waste creating a beautiful compost usable for gardening . Some individuals have taken the process farther and are now making extra income by selling their home-made compost.

 

*PPSPPA in Langkawi is available to demonstrate this easy waste management solution to other hotels, groups or schools, free of charge. You can call them at +6 04 966 4735
or + 6 04 966 4735

 

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Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat

Posted on July 14, 2012 by | 4 Comments

Earlier this year I was planning a visit to Negara National Park, but when
I looked for accommodations, all I found were ‘tree huts’. Maybe I had an outdated guidebook, but although I try to be adventurous, the thought of spending the night in an advertised  “tree hut” sounded uncomfortable at
the time.

AMBONG-AMBONG RAINFOREST RETREAT

So when Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat invited me to come experience first hand what they are about, I quickly accepted. And with much
of my sometimes-outdated concepts, the word ‘retreat’ conjures images based
on my own life experiences.

Coming from California, past experiences with ‘retreats’ were sweat lodges, group hugs and strange concoctions of food to keep one’s system running smoothly. Ambong-Ambong is not like that at all. Although they are quite friendly there were no ‘group’ hugs or condolences for my previous bad habits.

THE VERY PERSONABLE G.M. ANNA

General Manager Anna escorted me personally to my assigned accommodation. In fact she herself welcomes all the guests personally if she’s onsite.  I was shocked when I saw that my accommodation was three levels high, from
the forest floor to the canopy layer! So, although I wasn’t wearing a Pith
Helmet I was feeling the ‘jungle adventure’ from this oh-so-comfortable
luxury ‘tree hut’.

Upon entering I could look down at the main living from the entry foyer. This consists of a lounge area to the right and the dining area and kitchen to the left. The interior is contemporary, balanced by tasteful details that reflect the culture of the island and the region.

BEAUTIFUL INTERIOR DESIGN!

The upper and lower levels each offered a well-appointed bedroom with a large private bath and lounging area and enough windows to view ever aspect of the rainforest and it’s inhabitants without disturbing them. I felt like they knew I was there but were quite happy with the arrangement.

Ambong-Ambong is the brain-child of two brothers, Amran and Adam Faroze, who have visited Langkawi every year since childhood. They wanted to share their love and respect for Langkawi’s beauty with others from around the World. And being conscious of the delicate eco system designed the retreat with the least amount of impact of the retreats environment. From building around trees to reusing 80% of their water!

ECO MINDED DESIGN

It takes extra time and money to build within nature’s boundaries, but a commendable feat and hopefully a blueprint for future ‘developments’.
Our planet needs its trees and rainforests. And for the business minded,
it certainly makes things much more interesting than bulldozed land that
gets ‘re-landscaped’.

Ambong-Ambong is practically engulfed in the rainforest, yet walking distance from civilization; beaches, mini-marts, restaurants, bars, etc… And yet it’s very quiet there, except for the sounds of nature.

CONVENIENT PATHWAYS

So consistent were the sounds of wildlife that I started to wonder if the ‘music’ was piped in! But no, where there are trees there will be abundant nature and Ambong-Ambong has both. So I now have a new definition for ‘retreat’; a place to decompress, to relax and to catch my breath.

But, Ambong-Ambong  isn’t just another place to stay in Langkawi. They’re also joining efforts with Ishan Malaysian Spa in developing an Ayervedic Treatment Center. The Spa is located within Ambong-Ambong ‘grounds’ and is already providing Ayurvedic treatments. Ishan manager and yoga specialist Baskaran Kosthi and his staff, have been trained by visiting Ayurvedic specialists from India. The retreat’s goal is to have an Ayurvedic Doctor by December 2012.

ARTISTIC FOLIAGE IMPRINTS ON THE STEPS

Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat took it’s name from a native Langkawi plant. The Ambong-Ambong plant helps prevent beach erosion. And on an Island, that’s an important mission. So it’s quite fitting with the retreat’s own mission of insuring the future of Langkawi for generations to come and to give visitors a beautiful place to catch their breath. This ‘visitor’ most definitely did.

 

Ambong Ambong
Jalan Pantai Tengah
Pantai Tengah, Langkawi
Tel: +60 (0)4 9558428
Fax: +60 (0)4 955 8429

 

 

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Posted in Eco, Langkawi Places to Stay

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What’s in a Name? The New “ECO” Lodge

Posted on March 16, 2012 by | Leave a comment

On a recent trip to an island in Thailand, I chose to stay at an ‘eco’ lodge.  Not because I’m  trying to save the planet, but because it looked cute and very ‘Gilligan’s Island’. Usually I’m a bit of a princess and really love room service, but I wanted to check it out. What did I discover? Well there are ‘real’ eco lodges and people that put eco lodge on their sign so they can charge a wee bit more. More green right?!

GILLIGAN

I’m quite a stickler for customer service and I do understand people are busy, but when the person behind the front desk ignores me, well it doesn’t give a good first impression. So, it possibly tainted my entire view of this ‘eco’ lodge. But then you decide.

After a 30-minute ferry ride to this island, I dragged my luggage down the beautiful beach and found my lodging.  The owner of the establishment was sitting at the front desk chain smoking and staring into space. I said hello. No answer. I then told the local staff member , that I was there to check in. She gave me papers to fill out and got the key. I asked her, “Does that man speak English?” She nodded yes. I asked her, “Can he hear?” She nodded. The response from chain-smoking-eco-lodge-front-desk guy (who was European)? A sideways glance at best.

A POTENTIAL ECO RESORT?

I was then taken to my ‘eco’ bungalow, given my key and shown how to lock ‘eco’ chain on my door.  That was pretty much it for introductions. I took it all in and realized I would have to make a few creature comfort adjustments, but well that was why I was there. The new ‘eco’ experience.

But after unpacking and wandering down the beach, I realized I had made a huge ‘eco’ mistake. There were actually more hotels that were more ecologically sound and more comfortable, less expensive, and they were friendly. Oh well…learning curve, again.

ECO HOUSE BOAT?

So I started thinking about this whole ‘eco’ business. What constitutes an ‘eco’ lodge these days? Is there an official certification of greenness? In some places, probably. But in this case, I could have stayed in an abandoned shack or a partially sunken boat and had the same amenities. A 40-watt single light bulb, a rickety ladder to get to the front door, a manager with a bad attitude…is that worth 40US?  No, but when they gave me all the usual excuses about why their advertised ‘free’ wifi was not working? That’s when I packed my bags.

Yes I’m a bit of a princess, so I moved on to another place that was indeed very ‘eco’ minded. They didn’t have to tell the world via ‘eco’ sign, they just were. And their wifi worked just fine despite, ‘the cloud coverage’. Sometimes the ‘eco’ lodge is a little greener on the other side of the fence.

 

 

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Posted in Eco, Ponderings

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