In a few weeks time a remarkable event will happen in Boulder, Colorado. Over 500 large and small business leaders will come together to learn how each is contributing to a meaningful and safer world, while still managing to make a profit and even to live a relatively stress-free life.

This gathering is the annual LOHAS Forum, aka Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, to be held June 23-25.

LOHAS offers a rare opportunity for both business owners and consumers to meet with the decision makers from many large companies, including Coca Cola, Petco, eBay, and the CEO of Ecover, and for those larger businesses, who may not know how to navigate the rapidly changing market, to learn from smaller ones who are making it work. It is also a place to find out about new trends and approaches to engage conscious consumers, who pay close attention to more sustainable and ethical ways of doing things.

With the current economic downturn affecting us all, many business people are asking themselves: “What am I doing and can I do it better, for both my business and for the planet as a whole? Can I, even if only in a small way, make a difference?” Last year we were all holding onto our financial dashboard with white knuckles, hoping we would be able to pull through. But now, LOHAS organizer Ted Ning tells, “People are asking, ‘Why was I in the rat race to begin with? I want to make decisions and spend my money with a greater awareness of the outcome but I don’t know how to do this or where to go.’ LOHAS provides an enormous amount of information to assist those who are making changes so they can understand how to maintain their business and market position.”
 

Travelers Philanthropy

empower local communities by providing social services, jobs, skills, ownership, education, and environmental stewardship.

Case-in-point: After a trek in Nepal, Dr. Antonia Neubauer, founder of Myths and Mountains, a Nevada-based travel company, asked her Sherpa guide what he would do for his village. “Build a library,” he responded. That library project has since evolved into READ (Read Education and Development), which is today a network of 40 community-owned and operated libraries across Nepal.  Myths and Mountains donates $50 from every traveler to support READ. For about $46,000, READ builds a library; stocks it with 3,000-5,000 books; trains locals; and funds sustainable community projects. The program won the 2006 Access to Learning Award from the Gates Foundation. 
 

"Voluntourism"

Closely linked to Travelers Philanthropy is the movement for “Voluntourism,” active, hands-on, volunteer vacations that address global issues of environmental degradation and poverty alleviation, while fostering understanding between visitors and host communities. Its origins trace back to the days of healers, explorers, and sailors who traveled while offering services to those in need. With growing awareness of global citizenship and social responsibility, it is no surprise that “voluntourism” is booming. According to Peter Yesawich, CEO of America's leading hospitality marketing agency, 6% of all U.S. active travelers took a volunteer vacation last year.



Case-in-point: Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) is a not-for-profit organization that uses volunteer visitors to protects tropical marine environments. CCC’s Fiji Reef Conservation project is just one example of a two week trip that trains volunteers to collect scientific information, which is then used to provide recommendations for the sustainable management and conservation of coral reefs and tropical forests.

Carbon Offsets for Travel:

There are increasing concerns about global warming and the effects of carbon dioxide produced from flights, road trips, and other fossil-fuel based recreation. Air transportation alone is believed to produce between 4%-10% of greenhouse gases worldwide. A range of businesses are taking responsibility for reducing their “carbon footprint” by decreasing emissions and donating to tree planting, forest protection, and solar, wind and other renewable energy projects.

Cases in point:

-          Carbon Offset Companies:  Dozens of companies help travelers calculate the greenhouse gas emissions caused by their travel and then “offset” the impact. Vermont-based company, NativeEnergy, collects “carbon offset” donations to invest in Native American-owned farm projects such as wind turbines, solar arrays, and a manure digester project that powers a 160 kW generator to displace fossil fuel and methane emissions.

 

-          Travel Websites: Expedia and Travelocity have developed programs for travelers to buy carbon offsets when purchasing tickets online. Expedia has partnered with TerraPass to offer “Carbon Balanced Flyer” luggage tags. For about $5.99, travelers can offset approximately 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

 

-          Airlines: NatureAir, based in Costa Rica, is the first airline to pledge to offset all its fights. The airline launched a program to financially support sustainable reforestation in Costa Rica, through a system outlined in the Kyoto Protocol, and is conducting research into alternative energy sources such as ethanol and pig waste.

 

-          Ski Resorts: With snow melting two to three weeks sooner than it used to in the 1950s, it is no surprise that 46 U.S. resorts are investing in renewable energy sources. Nineteen are offsetting 100% of their energy use through wind-power credits. Leading the industry is Aspen Skiing Company, with a purchase of 21,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy credits, the largest purchase in U.S. ski history, Aspen will keep nearly 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Green Architecture:

Organic gardens, native landscaping, solar and wind power, waste water composting, rain water harvesting, gray water irrigation, and recycled building material are a few of the signs of the burgeoning field of ‘green’ architecture linked to tourism.  Small ecolodge owners and luxury chains are beginning to recognize the ecological and often economic benefits of green architecture. 

Case-in-point: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has a global reputation for environmental stewardship through its Green Partnership Guide, a 17-step process to sustainable best practices in the lodging industry. Each property has developed initiatives that support the corporate commitment to reduce the ecological footprints of its properties. For example, by simply changing 40 watt incandescent to 9 watt compact florescent bulbs, Fairmont San Francisco reduced 351,942 kilowatt-hours with an annual cost savings of $41,564.

 

Agroecotourism:

Many family-owned farms are tapping into travelers’ interest in rural heritage and lifestyle.  Through agroecotourism, farmers generate additional income by hosting visitors, educating the public, and promoting farm products. In Vermont alone, income from farm based tourism activities generated $19.5 million in 2002, representing approximately four percent of the total gross farm income.

Case-in-point: Shelburne Farms is a 1, 400-acre working farm, National Historic Landmark and a nonprofit environmental education center that hosts some 66,000 visitors per year.  Originally built in 1886 as a private country estate of William Webb, his descendants have turned the estate into model of agroecotourism. According to Director Alec Webb, Shelburne Farms is an educational center that uses a sustainably managed landscape as a classroom to foster an appreciation for the natural world and demonstrate stewardship in sustainable forestry, dairy-making, and cheese-making. Shelburne Farms received the 2006 National Conservation Achievement Award from The National Wildlife Federation for its environmental stewardship.


These are just a few trends that highlight ecotourism principles of environmental and social stewardship. To further promote responsible travel, The International Ecotourism Society is hosting a Global Ecotourism Conference in Oslo, Norway from May 14-16, 2007 and a North American Ecotourism Conference in Madison, Wisconsin from September 26-28, 2007.  


Ecotourism:
The International Ecotourism Society
www.ecotourism.org

Global Ecotourism Conference 
www.ecotourismglobalconference.org

North American Ecotourism
www.ecotourismconference.org

Philanthropy:
Travelers' Philanthropy
www.travelersphilanthropy.org

READ Global
www.readnepal.org

Voluntourism:
Coral Cay Corporation
www.coralcay.org

Green Architecture:
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
www.fairmont.com

Agroecotourism:
Shelburne Farms
www.shelburnefarms.org

I assume that many of you are looking at your personal finances due to a new year and the tax man that will soon be knocking. Many may be asking themselves - "How can I do well while doing good in today's economy?" Well this is what I certainly am doing for my own personal reasons. Not only am I an advocate of sustainability management when it comes to business but also when it applies to personal finance. It certainly seems strange to think about investing as the unemployment rate hangs at 10%, foreclosures continue and penny pinching seems to be all the rage. And I find it so peculiar how we all relate to money. Money is supposed to be a unit of exchange for objects and services. It is not something to be a slave to. But why are we such slaves to it? Where does all the emotional baggage come from that surrounds it? What if we look at it money with different perspective? Would that give us some better ideas, attitudes and insight? This is what I have done and here are some great books I have recently read that I would recommend to anyone to read who is considering a new direction to take for their financial future and outlook on what to value.

The Cure For Money Madness - Spencer Sherman
spence spoke at the 2009 LOHAS Forum about his new process for curing what he termed 'Money Madness'. He had sufferred from it and noticed it in his clients, too: those irrational feelings about money that make otherwise rational adults behave foolishly—buying high, selling low, overspending, lying to their spouses, equating their self-worth with their net worth. Money madness stresses us out, poisons our relationships, and keeps us from making as much money as we can. So Spencer invented the cure. Now, in The Cure for Money Madness, he gives us the tools that have helped thousands of people find greater peace of mind—and make more money.

accorind to Spencer, money madness comes from unproductive messages that we received long ago such as, “It takes money to make money.” or “Paying rent is just throwing money down the drain.” “Don’t talk about money.” When you challenge the messages, you can transform all aspects of your money life: earning, spending, saving, investing, giving, borrowing. More money will flow to you. Your relationships will improve. You’ll enjoy your money more. And you’ll be more generous, too.

In The Cure for Money Madness, you’ll discover:

How much your money madness has been costing you
How wealthy you truly are, by using the revolutionary Actual Net WorthTM statement
How “small and boring” can help you outperform the top investors—without watching the market
How to communicate about money in ways that create deeper connections with your spouse, parents, children, friends, and colleagues
How to know what is truly enough

Money madness keeps us from living as richly as we might and enjoying the wealth we have. In these tough economic times, The Cure for Money Madness transforms fear and stress into prosperity and peace.

I like this book because I can relate to it through the emotions that I have experienced that are attached to money and there are very simple steps to follow that Spencer has put together to get to not only the root of the emotions for reprogramming but also a roadmap to financial freedom.


Slow Money - Woody Tasch

Another presenter at LOHAS, the ultimate green conference. Woody has seen a lot regarding asset management. This book talks about large picture and  presents the path for bringing money back down to earth- philosophically, strategically, and pragmatically- and with an entrepreneurial spirit that is informed by decades of work by the thousands of CEOs, investors, grantmakers, food producers, and consumers who are seeding the restorative economy.

This is the path toward a financial system that serves people and place as much at it serves industry sectors and markets. To discover this path and to begin to walk down it: That is the mission of Slow Money. This mission emerges from Woody Tasch’s decades of work as a venture capitalist, foundation treasurer, and entrepreneur, whose explorations shed new light on a truer, more beautiful, more prudent kind of fiduciary responsibility—a fiduciary responsibility that is not stuck in the industrial concepts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but which reflects the economic, social, and environmental realities of the twenty-first century.

These explorations take us from the jokes of his father to the insights of his son, from the boardrooms of foundations and start-up companies to the farm fields of Vermont, from gopher holes in New Mexico to the possibilities of an alternative stock exchange, from Carlo Petrini to Muhammad Yunus, from Thoreau to Soros.

    * Could there ever be an alternative stock exchange dedicated to slow, small, and local?
    * Could a million American families get their food from CSAs?
    * What if you had to invest 50 percent of your assets within 50 miles of where you live?

Such questions—at the heart of Slow Money—are the first step on our path to a new economy and a new culture. Inquiries into Slow Money is a call to action for designing capital markets built around—not extraction and consumption but—preservation and restoration. Is it a movement or is it an investment strategy? The answer is yes.

I enjoyed this book because it provides clarity and reason behind alternatives that can happen if we look at our current broken financial systems that chase quarterly earnings instead of measuring full wealth beyond dollars. It put me in a very calm and peaceful state of mind and made me appreciate the simple things more. It has started a movement that I am all behind and am hopeful it will lead the path to sustainable green business.




Your Money or Your Life - Joe Dominguez, Vicki Robin, Monique Tilford

This is a book I read a while back that really gave me the best roadmap to savings that I had ever had at a time when I really need it. I was in a large debt hole and after reading I was able to have a blueprint of a savings plan and goals that I was able to accomplish. Thier program is a simple yet powerful one that I did successfully. And if I can do it anyone can.

Do you spend more than you earn? Does making a living feel more like making a dying? Do you dislike your job but can't afford to leave it? Is money fragmenting your time, your relationship with family and friends? If so, Your Money or Your Life is for you.

If you are looking for a serious, no-bones-about-it approach to simplicity and financial independence, we recommend that you read and follow the nine-step program outlined in Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin with Monique Tilford.

There is simply no better, step-by-step program available than this. It has helped thousands of people simplify their lifestyle and dramatically change their relationship with money.

Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin took back their lives by gaining control of their money. They both gave up successful — and stressful — careers in order to live more deliberately and meaningfully. Now, in this inspiring and empowering book, they explain their nine-step program that shows you how to:

    * get out of debt and develop savings
    * reorder material priorities and live well for less
    * resolve inner conflicts between values and lifestyles
    * convert problems into opportunities to learn new skills
    * attain a wholeness of livelihood and lifestyle
    * save the planet while saving money
    * and much more

WHY READ THIS BOOK?

Ask yourself these questions:

    * Do you have enough money?
    * Are you spending enough time with your family and friends?
    * Do you come home from your job full of life?
    * Do you have time to participate in things you believe are worthwhile?
    * If you were laid off from your job, would you see it as an opportunity?
    * Are you satisfied with the contribution you have made to the world?
    * Are you at peace with money?
    * Does your job reflect your values?
    * Do you have enough savings to see you through six months of normal living expenses?
    * Is your life whole? Do all the pieces — your job, your expenditures, your relationships, your values — fit together?

If you answered "no" to even one of these questions, this book is for you.





More Than Money; Questions Every MBA Needs to Answer - Mark Albion

I really like this one as it is a quick read with powerful insight for those new grads. Can MBAs, often cast as risk-averse conflicted achievers caught in the MBA trap of "I'll make money now and then...", find their true happiness and achieve their destiny in the midst of societal and peer pressures?

Absolutely--if you recognize that what you thought were your safest career choices actually may be your riskiest. How so? Your safest choices keep you on your destiny path; your riskiest ones take you away from it.

How do you know? More Than Money offers four questions and twelve principles to keep you on your path and tools to help you measure where you are and what you need to do to fulfill your destiny.

I highly recommend this book to MBA students or to those who know new MBA's and give it to them as a gift.

These are a mixed and diverse grouping of books and some may value some more than others. If you have any other books or experiences on personal finance or understanding our societal relationship with money I would love to know about them. Please share.
 

I get many inquiries on the latest LOHAS market trends from various businesses, students and other organizations targeting the 17-19% of the adult population that makes up those avid conscious consumers who trive on ecological thinking, socially responsible investments, yoga, energy healing and green business.

So here is my quick solution for those searching for LOHAS data. We have uploaded the keynote sessions from the 2009 LOHAS Forum to Youtube and Facebook.

Below is the Natural Marketing Institute's presentation part 1 of 5. I recommend viewing them all. Enjoy!



 

Remember there are 4 more vids that are part of this so please view them all. If you are looking for the ultimate green business conference then register for the 2010 LOHAS Forum set for June 23-25th in Boulder Colorado.

I just returned from the International Spa Association Annual Conference held in Austin Texas. This was my 4th ISPA event and it is always a treat. It certainly is the most well groomed, beautiful person event I go to. Spa is a big piece of LOHAS as it incorporates
health and wellness along with personal care and green building. The last few years has seen a surge in green health spas have seen a surge in green orientation with things like eco-friendly towels and robes along with natural and organic skincare, essential oils and body treatments. These elements are a no brainer for modern LOHAS consumers who want LOHAS products without sacrificing quality. LOHAS consumers are also a main target audience for spas as many are those who frequent spas for massage treatments or other forms of wellness for the body and soul. (that would be me!)

The spa market has exploded in the last 10 years but the term 'spa' has been butchered quite a bit. I can go to my local Wal Mart or strip mall and find nail and hair salons with spa incorporated into their name - (usually in bright neon lights). However when I go into them nose gets singed with smells of chemical toxins from manicures or hair products or get blasted into the street from techno music. I often see  articles and pictures of exotic locations with luxurious hotels with spas included in glossy magazine spreads. All of course with a hefty price tag that limit me to my imagination as to what the lifestyles of the rich and famous is like. Call me old fashioned and snobby but that is not what I consider the true meaning of spa. The whole point of the creation of the industry was to generate awareness of self and healthy lifestyles. These initially were wellness centers that provided space for integrative alternative medicine practices such as massage, acupuncture, energy healing and meditation. Somewhere along the way external beauty, pampering and opulence founds its way into the mix and led the growth of the industry. When I was growing up hotels that had golf courses were all the rage and was a status symbol of a quality hotel. Now if the hotel has a spa it is considered a luxury hotel.

The economic crisis has caused many hotels to reconsider this paradigm. Insiders of the industry have told me that many hotels that incorporated spas into their properties from a 'me too' type of keeping up with the Jones attitude often did not factor the costs of operation into their profit/loss margins. Rather it was blended enigmatically into overall hotel costs. A spa on hotel property was a thing to have and since business was good the scrutiny on spas was limited. Nothing like a crisis to mix things up. Now that hotels are struggling with occupancy so are hotel spas. Those that did not have a structure to measure costs and profits are really floundering. This is also true with destination spas. Some say the wealthy are still booking and traveling - that market will stay the same regardless. But the so called 'wealthy wannabe' are the ones who are not spending. Overall spas are seeing their customers still come to their spas but are spending less per visit. This was echoed by many who I spoke to over the course of the event. For us to have a sustainable economy on all fronts we need to hit the reset button.

The spa industry was visibly hit at the event as well. Last year the ISPA conference had over 3000 people. This year there were about 1700. The exhibit space was also about half as many vendors as last year. Obviously the foot traffic was much quieter than years past. Yet I was surprised when I spoke to most vendors that they felt positive about the event. They said that although the traffic was less those that were walking the floor were serious buyers who were purchasing orders from them and there was more time for a deeper discussions and relationship building.

I think this brings up a very significant point for all businesses - how deep does a relationship go once the transaction is taken out of the equation? This is something that many companies are facing as many people are not spending. The old ways of business are being re-evaluated to figure out how to maintain relevancy in an environment that is transaction less. If you have ideas on next steps please share your thoughts.

I think that this is also a time of opportunity for spa leaders to refocus attentions on wellness. Health care is on the forefront of many people's minds with the debates on health care reform getting a lot of media attention. I think spas are a great place for educating people on preventative care and relaxation. Plus if you think a massage or organic living is expensive you should look at the price of health care. The spa industry has seen a purge of businesses. Now if they can re-establish the focus on the reasons for wellness I think we would all find that refreshing. I would love to hear your thoughts.

I recently had the chance to speak at the Natrukosmetik Branchenkongress in Nurnberg Germany. This was an executive event produced  in conjuction with the same organizers that produces BioFach, the largest organic and natural product expo in Europe. It was great fun to visit Germany and see quaint towns and castles built in 1100 A.D. with shiny 2009 BMWs and Mercedes parked in front of them; a visual testament to this country’s age and evolution. This was the main reason why I was excited to attend this event. I wanted to hear how the organic and natural skincare market is different than the U.S. and learn what makes Germans tick. LOHAS is very popular in German speaking nations of Austria Switzerland and of course Germany. Out of all the EU countries I have heard the most activity coming from the Deutsch. There is a LOHAS German website, lots of German Twitter tweets and even a German LOHAS conference held the same time that our LOHAS Forum is held. In fact we had a live Skype connection between conferences and brief discussion during the event. How international!
The region is known as being a leader in the organic market too. It is the birthplace of bio dynamic farming and Rudolf Steiner has left quite a legacy of education, and agricultural philosophy. Familiar brand names such as Dr. Hauschka Weleda and Primavera are German based.  Jurlique was also developed by 2 Germans in Australia and Aveda by outspoken Austrian Horst Rechelbacher. Lots of brainpower from this region. I wanted to find out what was ticking currently.

The Natrukosmetik event had about 100+ C-level execs ranging from Este Lauder to regional pharmacist. Of course being German planned, the event was very organized. Lots of presentations on data and much of this data from big research firms such as Kline and IRI claimed that the organic skincare market is the fastest growing sector of skincare.

1/5 of all Germans are buying natural cosmetics in a country of 82 million – you do the math. This market is increasing at approximately a 8.5% clip. Not bad. There was also much talk about how LOHAS consumers are leading the way in advancing the demand for organic and natural skincare. I am not sure what I expected but I thought it would be some advanced culture that was light years ahead of the U.S. with our muddy waters of confusion and greenwash labeling. To my surprise I found that they too are faced with the same challenges:

• Consumers don’t see the difference between natural and organic
• Market not moving fast enough to change rapidly
• Customers change faster than retailers
• New conditions for marketing – less tolerance for poor quality

Unfortunately most of the presentations were data heavy and for a creative person like me, I tend to get bored easily and had to stop from being the daydreamer in the class staring out the window. The fact it was all German didn’t help. Thank god for the translators!

 (Me with Hana Hrstkova of Kline during a reception)

But there was a time when things really got heated up and that was during a panel discussion about seals and certifications. We all know about how confusing certifications have become over in the U.S. and in Germany this is also true. There are several certifying bodies jostling for position as a leader in certification. These are:

BDIH
Eco Cert
Soil Association
Natrue

Put these on top of USDA, Natural Product Certification, Green Seal and others here in the U.S. and you have a big mess.

The arguments on what direction to take was heated. Lots of chatter which is to be expected as most of the Germans I met did not sugar coat their opinions. But one woman summed up the issue quite nicely. She reminded everyone that certification was meant to make it clearer for the consumer to understand the transparency of the product and feel safe about buying it. But now all it has done is created additional confusion on top of greenwashing that many cosmetic companies do.

I totally agree. Initially those in the industry had a great vision and came up with what appeared to be a great strategy. However in developing the strategy the focus was lost on the vision and became more focused on the strategy. Thus we are in the mess we have to deal with now with certification.  Id love to hear your thoughts on what you think.

It may be controversial, but it’s the best we’ve got. The Environmental Performance Index provides a way to numerically rate each of the globe’s countries by their overall greenness, or lack thereof. Not surprisingly, Switzerland is first, the U.S. is 39^th, while China is down at #105 and India comes in at 120^th.

The EPI rates everything from air, water, health of its citizens, agriculture, impact on climate change, ecosystem vitality, among others. This type of sustainability reporting was produced by a group of top environmental scientists with grants from major foundations.

EPI’s findings quantify a situation we all know exists: how can the less populated, wealthy, developed countries demand that the other less developed countries follow suit in drastically reducing carbon emissions to save the planet and become a green economy? Especially those like China and India who are giving birth to a middle class numbering in the hundreds of millions. Many countries that did poorly on the EPI are producing consumer goods for U.S. shelves that are exported since we don’t want to build them here and it is dramatcally cheaper. The classic NIMBY (not in my backyard) scenario, indeed.

The time is now for ALL countries to accept that their economies must take a bit of a haircut in the name of ecological living. How much value will the super stringent vehicle emissions regulations in California have when on the other side of our world, millions of new drivers will be putting cars and trucks on the road that have antiquated pollution control systems? We need to bear in mind that our relatively small population of around 330 million is absolutely dwarfed by India and China’s billions. Soon enough, these countries carbon emissions will make the Western world appear miniscule. Without comparable cleanup standards and subsidies in the Chinas, Indonesias, and Indias, what’s the point for the rest of us to drive hybrids and acquire solar panels?

This clearly needs to be a worldwide effort, with everybody putting aside their own immediate priorities for the greater good. This is not strictly magnanimous, nor is it the naive rantings of a tree hugger. If we don’t ALL clean it up, and soon, it will be a moot point – by the year 2050 or even sooner in my opinion.

Two key confabs – the G20 conference in Pittsburgh, which is happening as we speak, and the revisiting of the Kyoto accord (let’s hope the U.S. signs this time) which is slated for Copenhagen in December – will hopefully be the first major steps in a global initiative to this end. While economic concerns need to be balanced with environmental policy, we may not have the luxury of arguing about it for 10 or 15 years for it will be too late.

Many of the latest and greatest hotel, resort and office properties claim to be sustainable developments– but are they?  A recent experience tells me that while recognition of the “need to be green” is all good, we have a long way to go before even the top level of architects and developers really understand how to design and build a sustainable property.

Of course, there are exceptions, and LEED guidelines assure us that a building is truly green.  However, developers have a strong sense that the incremental costs required to meet LEED Silver status, much less Gold or Platinum, are prohibitive. 

Here’s a real-world example.  Recently, a friend’s 50^th birthday in L.A. gave us the opportunity to try out a brand new resort hotel, Terranea, located on the Palos Verdes peninsula at the old Marineland of the Pacific site.  This magnificent resort is built on over 100 prime acres of priceless land overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  The developer, Destination Resorts, purports to be fully sustainable and offers a “Destination Earth” section on its Web site which details the various energy saving practices employed by the company at the dozens of resorts it owns throughout America.

So, we check in, and while walking down the hallways, we notice it is about 60 degrees.  Why?  Nobody knows.  We asked the alert and attentive, young staff and they looked at us as if we had multiple heads.  It was a full 10-15 degrees cooler in the hallways – and these circuitous corridors are hundreds of yards long – than the rooms, which were plenty comfortable in the mid 70s even without the A/C engaged.  Yet the system was just blasting ice cold air in the halls, 24-7, for no apparent reason.

Even in good hotels, a low hot water supply is sometimes a problem.  Not at Terranea.  Turn on the shower, there is no “H” and “C”, just “H” and “S” … for scalding.   Again, think of the extra power needed to drive the hot water heater all day and night while holding the temperature at boiling point.  Unnecessary and what if you did want a cold shower?

Also, if you find yourself with an empty soda can or already-read newspaper, there is no place to dispose of it, at least, no place where you know it will end up in the recycling bin.  (Admittedly a recycling addict, my husband totes cans, bottles and reading material back home with us in his luggage, to dispose of them in our big blue bin that we know gets properly recycled.) 

Meanwhile, Destination Resorts boasts of sustainable practices on its Web site, including use of CFL light bulbs; re-using sheets and towels; sensor toilets; low flow showerheads, and the like.  We don’t mean to call out Destination Resorts, so much as point out that if the fourth largest resort company in America still has glaring non-green issues, just think about the other new construction that is still a very long way from being truly green.  I had another disappointing experience at the Marriott in Oakland, Calif., at the Berkeley Meeting of the Minds Conference in 2007.   This conference was devoted to building city infrastructure systems green, and Steven Chu was the keynote speaker.   Although the conference content was top notch, I found it ironic that no one seemed to care that the rooms lacked recycling bins; plastic water bottles were frequently used on-site; and an extraordinary amount of food waste was not being composted, so far as I could tell.  
Hotels’ and resorts’ eco-initiatives – especially at green conferences – should be a priority.  In fact, I applaud the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Calif., for its efforts in making the Fortune Brainstorm Green Conference as sustainable as possible.  I never saw a plastic water bottle in sight the whole week I attended; they served organic meals; and recycling bins were readily available. On top of that, carbon offsets were purchased to reduce the travel footprint for the conference. 

Local legislation is helping matters by virtually forcing developers to build green.  As environmentalists, we are constantly hearing about new buildings and developments that are truly striving to go green.  However, Terranea is a wake-up call for us to remember that when it comes to truly living green and thinking about the environment, even the good guys in some cases have a long way to go before really making the grade.

We’d love to hear your experiences with public buildings that are green, but not really.  Post your comments, thanks!