Green Plan
As a small island with a growing population and density of resorts / businesses, etc. and a very limited water supply it is of utmost importance that all business operators act responsibly when it comes to looking after Lipe and the surrounding environment. The lack of regulations or at least the enforcement of the regulations in this area mean that unless individual businesses take a personal responsibility for the environment Lipe could quickly turn into a lost paradise.
Our Commitment
Serendipity resort is committed to build, operate and manage the resort and infrastructure in an environmentally friendly way to ensure there is no negative impact to the land, sea and surrounding environment in general.The following details how we plan to achieve this from build through to the operations of the resort :
Build Phase
General - The resort will be constructed entirely from wood imported from sustainable forests
in Malaysia. We will avoid the use of concrete, chemicals, pollutants, etc.
During the build phase we will retain as much of the flora as possible. We will
move the planned positions of the structures where there are plants and trees we
wish to retain. If we do have to remove any trees we plan to plant two more for each
one removed.
Grey Water System Management
Grey Water i.e. waste water generated from domestic activities such as laundry,
dishwashing and bathing. We plan to collect our grey water in a completely separate
system from the “black water” management. Some of this grey water will be recycled
back into the natural water table through a sub soil level delivery system (a mulch
filled trench system). Increasing plant growth & topsoil nutrification. The rest
of the grey water will be used for flushing the toilets after going through a
cleaning tank (to eliminate floating and sinking items). This greatly reduces
the use of the available freshwater.
Black Water or Sewerage Management System
Traditionally a soak away system has been used on Lipe to dispose of the human
waste generated, effectively this system just deposits the waste back into the
land using the soil, rocks etc as a 1 stage filtration before the “water” re
enters the fresh water reserves in the land. This system works OK with very
small population density but not anymore.. unbelievably some new developments
on the island are still installing this basic system (it’s cheap.!) which will
invariably have a detrimental impact on the local environment (polluting theirs
and their neighbours water supply.!) Some developments have installed sceptic
tank systems. These sceptic tank systems can work very well if the water content
of the waste is reduced to accelerate decomposition through composting. Just
putting a sceptic tank system in is not enough. These systems have to be managed
to ensure their effectiveness and to make sure there is no detrimental effect to
the environment. Serendipity understand these systems and have planned the system
to achieve our Commitment.
We are currently researching the possibility of using composting toilets in the
resort which greatly reduce water usage and do not add pollution to the environment.
These toilets have been put on Business Weeks list of 25 ideas that could change
the world. They are used throughout the world especially where there is a shortage
of water. This is one way we could demonstrate a measurable positive impact to the
environment and guests could share in the conservation of Lipe.
Operations
Water (usage, sustainability, etc.) - As has been stated, Lipe has a limited water supply the key to preserving this supply is limiting the amount used. Serendipity will encourage guests (and staff) to reduce the amount of water they use to bathe, flush, brush teeth, wash clothes, etc.One of the main factors in the effort to keep the water supply clean, safe and available is the use of detergents , soaps, etc that do not add phosphates and other toxins into the environment. Serendipity will only use such products that are proven to be eco friendly and will discourage guests from using any other type of cleaning product during their stay.
Waste management – general
Serendipity will use the following system to dispose of waste generated from the resort.General principle:
Avoid - Avoid producing or bringing waste onto the island in the first place.
Minimise – Minimise the amount of waste produced.
Re Use – Use items as many times as possible.
Re Cycle – Re cycle what you can only after you have re used it.
Dispose – Dispose of whats left in a responsible / environmentally friendly way.
After this principle is applied the disposable waste will be separated (separation
is the key to successfully managing waste) The waste shall be separated into
the following categories and dealt with as detailed:
| Category | Examples | Disposal system / method | Remarks |
| Compost | Vegetable food waste | Composting system at the resort | |
| Incinerate | Meat, bone, cooked food waste etc. | Incinerated in furnace on site | |
| Returnable (i.e. back to the mainland to be disposed of responsibly) | Cans, bottles, cardboard, plastic etc. | To be taken to the recycling center in Satun province. |
