In my publisher’s column last week I wrote about San Francisco’s steps to require owners of new buildings 10 stories or less to put in solar panels and/or green roofing atop the new buildings. Since writing that column, I came across an example of one property in Thailand that has gone way beyond solar and/or green roofing atop its resort. According to Greenroofs.com, the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort has a 2,800 square-meter rooftop hydroponic farm on its roof. The farm is on the third floor overlooking the Chao Phraya River. The resort partnered with Bangsai Agricultural Centre to offer its guests a locally grown, certified organic, freshly harvested selection of Western and Asian herbs, vegetables and salads in its farm. Between 12 and 50 kilograms of each product is produced daily.
The clean, fresh, certified organic produce contains the highest possible nutrition per calorie with up to seven times more rich nutrient compared to produce found in local supermarkets while using no soil, 90 percent less water, 70 percentage less land and 50 percent less fertilizer.
Hydroponic farming is an ancient method of farming that is best described as growing plants with nutrients and water without soil. In weather controlled greenhouses, water and nutrients are delivered to the root system. Seeds are planted in a soil-like substance, which has excellent water holding capacity to encourage plant growth. The resort’s farm consists of Small Green Houses, Sprouting Rooms, Green Houses and Green Tunnels. Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort is currently serving fresh locally produced greens daily from its rooftop farm.
The rooftop farm is just one of the many steps Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is taking to reduce its environmental impact and provide a healthy experience for its guests. Nineteen of its resorts have received Green Growth Certification. That standard consists of 37 criteria and 406 indicators—areas ranging from legal compliance to environmental stewardship. Click here to learn more about green initiatives at Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas. To learn more about hydroponic farming at resorts, go to www.greenlodgingnews.com and search on “hydroponic”.
