One of the main reasons we chose Khao Lak as the location for The Sarojin was its stunning natural beauty, which is something we’re constantly looking to preserve for both the local community and our guests to enjoy. Alongside our 5-star facilities and fantastic team, the natural wonders of our surrounding environment and communities are what make a stay with us truly special – so it’s vital we do our bit to care for and protect these.
Here at The Sarojin we run a number of ‘Sarojin Cares’ initiatives to help our local community, limit our energy and water consumption, reduce waste, decrease our carbon footprint and minimise the impact of our boutique resort on the environment – including The Sarojin Khao Lak Community Fund.
Most recently, we’ve installed a brand-new on-site bottling plant to reduce plastic water bottle use for our guests and we’ve implemented a new beach maintenance and mangrove planting initiative to support the local community – which guests can get involved with too! These are just some of the ways we try to go the extra mile to make The Sarojin an environmentally conscious residence, and we’d love to tell you a little bit more about them…
We Bottled It For You
While plastic has many valuable uses, it’s no secret that the extent we rely on single-use and disposable items causes severe environmental consequences. According to research done by the UN, one million plastic bottles are being purchased every minute around the world – resulting in major pollution of our planet and oceans. With this in mind, we set out to reduce the plastic waste we produce at The Sarojin. From small changes such as replacing plastic straws with sustainable lemon grass alternatives to investing $50,000 in a brand-new on-site water bottling plant – we’re constantly looking for new and innovative ways to help the environment.
The bottling plant has been in operation since October 2019 and upon arrival, all of our guests are given refillable glass bottles in their room with water from our on-site plant. We’ve already seen fantastic results from this initiative and we estimate that we could reduce plastic waste by up to 120,000 bottles per year with our new plant. In a time when every little really does help, we’re really proud to have been able to introduce this for our guests.
Guests Getting Involved- Sarojin Cares Days
With many travellers now wanting to help combat climate crisis and participate in sustainability initiatives during their holidays, we decided in October 2019 to offer guests the chance to help give back to the local community and join our team on their regular ‘Sarojin Cares’ days outside of the resort.
We’ve been running our ‘Sarojin Cares’ days since 2011, with our team participating once a month in a local environmental or community activity. These have included; cleaning our nearby town, coastlines and a waterfall, restoring and painting the bridge at White Sand Beach and joining the local Camillian Centre – a day care facility for disabled children – for a day of arts and crafts.
One of the other regular activities our team contributes to is the Mangrove Forest Planting Project in Baan Nam Kem, which was set up by local fishermen following the 2004 tsunami. Here, guests can help plant new trees and restore the vital mangrove ecosystem which was damaged by the disaster.
What’s more, guests can now help keep our stunning 11km stretch of coastline in Khao Lak clean by joining our Beach Maintenance Project. Guests can pick-up one of our recyclable bags at the hotel’s beach hut, which are decorated with painted illustrations from the children at the Camillian Centre, and bring back any plastic or waste items they see on the beach for us to recycle. Guests can also join the children to paint the bags if they wish, creating valuable interactions for those at the centre.
The Sarojin Khao Lak Community Fund
Established in December 2004, The Sarojin Khao Lak Community Fund, assisted to help communities surrounding our resort rebuild and recover following the Asian tsunami, and the fund continues to contribute to a number of local projects in Khao Lak and Phang Nga province today. From providing medical provision for prosthetic limbs and supporting local orphanages with childcare, to building school classrooms, roads and covering the cost of a full-time veterinary surgeon to care for local animal welfare, there’s such a huge variety of ways our fund gives back to those closest to us. Guests are encouraged to visit and get involved with the projects during their stay and donate if they wish to the fund, with 100% of the money raised distributed to local community projects.
Additionally, we offer a variety of immersive experiences for our guests that support the local community. From a safari experience on Koh Prathong Island to cooking Thai street food for disabled children at the Camillian Centre, there are so many ways that you can help our local community whilst enjoying a dreamy holiday with us – so if you’re planning a stay soon please do speak to our team about getting involved!
