Green Pearls® eco-hotels demonstrate daily that travel and sustainability can be combined. This is made possible by the people behind the scenes, who put their heart and soul into creating a greener planet – we introduce you to them in our new series.
Our destination today is Keemala on Phuket Island. More precisely it is located in the woodlands of Kamala, Phuket, Thailand and focuses on a natural and sustainable philosophy. The Keemala concept celebrates the culture of four fictional ancient Phuket tribes, the ‘Pa-ta-pea’ (Earth), the‘Khon-Jorn’ (Wanderers), the ‘We-ha’ (Sky), and the ‘Rung-Nok’ (Nest) people. The brand and design concept are based on respect for the environment in implementing practices that have less impact for the planet overall. Wherever possible the resort harnesses techniques to lessen the carbon footprint through the following best practices. We spoke to Mr. Jason Allen Villarino, the General Manager at Keemala since 2018.
For me, sustainability means:
For me, sustainability is about restoring balances for our environment. This goes beyond nature to encompass a more holistic life cycle. From keeping in tune and harmony, enabling ecological balance through responsible farming and agriculture, and to consuming responsibly. From the hospitality perspective, it is more than about guests feeling good about the conscious experiences being offered, but everyone else along the way as well from the farmers who can enjoy the pecuniary fruits of their labor to the fishermen who are catching fish in the fair and purest form, to the staff who can feel a sense of pride in their contribution to social responsibility.I
I am particularly proud of this green initiative at Keemala:
I am particularly proud that Keemala has established and cultivated a positive relationship with our local community. Specifically through our support of the local child development center which contributes positively to a wide-reaching number of families.
I am also proud of our ‘Garden to Kitchen’ initiative from seed to harvest which has now come a full circle to include food waste management toward zero-waste effort
GROWING OUR OWN HERBS & VEGETABLES
Keemala’s organic garden supplies almost 50% of our ingredient needs. We produce mushroom varieties, lettuces, morning glory, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, chili, basil, aloe vera and more daily. This significantly cuts down on carbon footprints from both food production and delivery, and offers safe, healthy and fresh greens for our guests.
REDISTRIBUTING EXCESS FOODS
Through our partnership with Scholars of Sustenance, excess foods from our kitchen are redistributed to disadvantaged communities and orphanages throughout Phuket. This not only reduces potential food waste but helps improve wellbeing, health and nutrition of families and children in need.
COMPOSTING FOOD WASTE
Compost not only helps to enrich the soil and enables higher crop yields but by preventing organic waste from going to landfills, also significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste from our kitchens now get composted daily through a simple process that only requires a few extra steps to our normal working routines,
This is what makes Keemala so special:
The representation of Phuket culture at its best. Guests can experience local and historic traditions in a bespoke and luxurious way, and still learn and be immersed in authenticity.
Our plan for the future:
We will continue in our commitment to delivering outstanding and bespoke experiences to guests, striving to enhance the sustainability of our journey together with guests, associates and the local community.
If you want to know more about the Keemala, take a look here at greenpearls.com. Here you can find all the articles of the series “Hoteliers up close“.
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