On Saturday 29th March, Earth Hour invited people all around the world to turn off their lights for one hour - from 8pm to 9pm - in their local time zone.

Residents of 24 cities around the world made the symbolic commitment to living greener lives as partners in Earth Hour. The idea of the green event was to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take simple green steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), who organised Earth Hour, residents of the capital of Thailand were among those to make a significant effort to live green on 29th March. Bangkok succeeded in decreasing its electricity usage in Earth Hour, and estimates of the resulting reduction in carbon dioxide emissions were between 41.6 and 102 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Also in Thailand, one property developer has been recognised for addressing the green concerns of investors .

The Village property development on Coconut Island, located close to Phuket, has been awarded a 'Commended' kitemark from website What Green Home. The website, which profiles green property developments around the world, annually awards kitemarks to developments for their sustainability.

The Village has been awarded the kitemark for the many green aspects that have been incorporated into both the design and building of the property development. It is a zero-carbon development, making use of solar panels to generate power as well as using heat from the air conditioning exchangers to heat water in the villas, thus reducing carbon emissions.

The development, lying off the southern tip of Thailand, has a clear waste policy with colour-coded recycling bins being provided to encourage the recycling of glass, plastic, paper and other materials. Properties at The Village are also eco-friendly in their collection of rainwater and the fact that the site's water is cleaned and recycled for use again. In conjunction with these important features, the company behind this green Thailand property development also utilised wood from sustainable, locally forested trees and concrete made onsite from indigenous materials. Coconut Island has also been made car-free, with guests of the resort using either electric golf buggies or bicycles for transportation.

"In developing The Village on Coconut Island we wanted to ensure that it not only met government standards for eco-efficiency but also led the way on many important issues that are affecting both the world today and are set to affect the world of the future," says Jay Walker, sales and marketing manager for The Village.

For those investors who are concerned about the impact they have on their surroundings as much as turning a profit, Thailand's green property developments may well be worth considering

Related article:
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For more information:
Call 00 66 878 888 082 or visit: www.thevillage-coconutisland.com

Article first published 30 April 2008