Koh Jum Beach Villas has a mission to be good stewards of the environment. We monitor our eco-friendly label via an Eco-Rating self assessment. The assessment has five equally weighted categories:

Energy
Water
Recycling & waste
Land & Nature Conservation
Community

Energy
Houses are designed with low energy, green design elements and maximum air flow; which provide cool microclimates in the villas and avoid the use of energy-draining air conditioners.
Villas are built under and near existing trees to make use of micro climates to keep the villas cool. Passive solar heating on the roof is an option offered to home owners for hot water.
Electrical appliances and lighting are low energy use.

Water
Our swimming pool is kept clean with an ionization process called “Caribbean Clear”, which minimizes the need for chlorine and is non-toxic.
To conserve our natural resource of fresh water, we use low flush toilets, septic tanks and bio-degradable detergent. Bedding & linen are changed every third day. Landscaping is with native plants that minimize water use. Three shallow wells on site are dedicated to landscape watering as necessary, grey water is also used.

Recycling and waste
Villas construction where possible uses renewable resources. Examples are grass or palm thatch roofs and timbers acquired from legal sources.

We buy fresh and local produce to reduce packaging & transport emission, as well as bio-degradable cleaning products. We only use durable service items (nothing disposable).
No plastic bottles are allowed in our eco-friendly resort. Glass water bottles are returned and refilled. Beer at the lounge is only sold in cans which are recycled. Glass beverages that cannot be returned for refill are avoided where possible or used for back fill for house construction. Tins are recycled.
 Processed packaged food is avoided to avoid litter and garbage. We have a “no burning” policy and other garbage is transported to a landfill site on the mainland.

Vegetable and fruit cuttings are composted, along with organic matter such as leaves. We have our own tree shredder for processing fallen coconuts. Large leaves and branches  are mulched and composted for rich landscaping soil and planned organic vegetable gardens. Organic restaurant waste that cannot be composted (rice, bread, meat) is fed  to chickens in nearby Ting Rai village.
Each guest visiting the site is given recommendations on how they can save energy and minimize waste. We regularly do beach cleanups and promote education with the local community. All trash that cannot be mulched is hauled off the island once a week to the local land fill.

Land and nature conservation
Low density development, with 85% of the land left as green space and avoiding three removal when building, preserves native vegetation.
All wood is treated with a non-toxic product called “Woodbliss”, which acts as a preservative and pesticide.

No roads are on the project, only footpaths. Landscaping is uses native indigenous species, as opposed to fast growing non-native tropicals. Native coastal beach forest is preserved on the southern 100 meters of the property, and restoring the coastal forest habitat throughout the property is a priority.
Seeds and cuttings from nearby islands, as well as drift seeds, are collected and planted in an on-site nursery to re-introduce some coastal native vegetation that was previously on Koh Jum. (An example is the Sea Cycad) 
There is a 20 meter buffer area between high tide and building sites that helps preserve the coastal beach forest habitat. This area is reserved for planting of native beach forest trees and shrubs. From the Andaman Sea looking at the shore of KJBV you only catch an occasional gap in the continuous forest where part of a building is visible.

Community
Currently, over 95% of KJBV employees are from the island of Koh Jum. The full time on-site architect is from Bangkok. 
Just hiring locally does not mean one is building sustainable tourism on our resort.  It takes a lot more.   All of our staff are paid above the legal minimum and we pay their taxes and social insurance. 
Unlike many Thai hotel operators, we try to provide year-round employment to staff who desire it.  When they are not busy with guests, staff take their holidays or work at the resort. They do construction, maintenance, tree-planting and other rainy season tasks.

Local beliefs are honoured. We time new construction with auspicious days on the calendar and cycles of the moon. We participate in and host traditional ceremonies related to commencing construction, opening a business and moving into a home. These ceremonies unite the locals with foreign residents.

KJBV creates sustainable businesses for local families. For example, the beachfront restaurant was built and furnished for a local family to own and operate. All profits from food sales go directly to the local family.
 
KJBV makes regular donations to the schools and the local mosque, which is the centre of the community. KJBV is largely responsible for the long awaited re-opening of a nursery school for 40 children, by providing power and a teacher’s salary. Swimming lessons are provided for Thai children.

 There is a disciplined attempt to educate the local people to keep the environment clean and protected. We are setting a leading example not only to the local villages but also to the other resorts on the island.