As part of our Green Living Vacation series, we wanted to share with our Green Living Column readers a leading Green resort that is only three hours away from San Francisco.
Famously known for its ultra-luxurious accommodations, breathtaking views and super-secluded location, Post Ranch Inn has been a world leader in 5-star service for years, with only 40 guest rooms hidden on 100 acres of lush hillsides shrouded in oak trees and giant redwoods. Guests can gaze at the endless Pacific Ocean, soak in their private tubs, enjoy the cliffside infinity pools, hike the many trails, or dine in their award-winning restaurant. But what is even more impressive is their vigilance to creating a truly carbon-neutral, green-centric resort.
Post Ranch Inn has been implementing eco-friendly programs for the past few decades, including a 990-panel solar installation, the largest hotel solar project in California and one of the largest in the nation. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the system reduces carbon emissions by approximately 611,000 pounds annually.
To see the exact impact that the solar instillation has, they have installed a Recurrent Energy's Solar Monitor where anyone can view current and historic performance data.
As well as harnessing the power of the sun, Post Ranch Inn carefully manages the use of water. Unlike the majority of hotels that are on the grid, Post Ranch Inn captures water from the many wells scattered around the 100-acre resort. This includes all the drinking water in the rooms, spa, restaurant, hot tubs and infinity pools. Instead of offering guests plastic water bottles, Post Ranch supplies recyclable water-filled glass bottles. Guests are also given a stylized steel water bottle for hikes and as a souvenir to take home.
Each room is a beautiful expression of rustic elegance, including an organic king-size bed overlooking a wood-burning fireplace, indoor spa tub, private terrace and massage table.
There are 10 outdoor steel hot tubs (made from recycled steel) on the property, 6 of which are heated by solar hot water panels located on the roofs of the rooms. With rooms that have solar panels, the water used in the room is heated from the sun daily and the floors in the 10 new rooms are heated by radiant heat, also supplied from the sun.
Mike Freed, the key visionary for Post Ranch Inn's eco-friendly endeavors and managing partner has led the green movement.
Some of his innovations include:
• The use of low and zero-VOC paints.
• The desk lamps in the rooms are made from recycled plumbing parts (made by a San Francisco artist).
• The redwood used in the 10 new rooms were remilled from old redwood wine barrels.
• Low-voltage lighting and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs, CVUs and LEDs) are used wherever possible, especially in guest rooms.
• The inn provides subsidized housing on property for many of the inn's employees in 20 two-bedroom apartments to help reduce traffic and energy emissions.
• Sheets and towels are made from 100% certified organic cotton, with no artificial dyes.
• All guest-room items are reusable, such a wooden hangers and metal guest-room keys.
• There are recycling bins in the rooms and throughout the property.
• Acclaimed Executive Chef Craig von Foerster uses seasonal, local and garden ingredients to craft four-course menus that change daily.
The management at Post Ranch Inn is dedicated to supporting Mother Nature and doing all they can to create a safe, eco ethos where guests can connect to something grander and more important than "just a visit to a pretty resort." Their powerful connection with nature and relentless commitment to green technology can and should be implemented by others who want to excel in the hospitality industry.
Reprinted by permission of Teresa Rodriguez Williamson
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