San Francisco Green Festival 2009

All Things Green 3 days in San Francisco. 450 exhibitors. 150 speakers. 45,000 attendees. An almost zero-waste event. Green Festival ‘09.

San Francisco Green Festival 2009

San Francisco Green Festival 2009

San Francisco Green Festival 2009

Cibo = Food

A Sausalito Treat Lovely, historic Sausalito lies just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, in Marin County. Once it was a magnet for beatniks and bohemians and poets. Today it attracts tourists. On Bridgeway, the town’s main street with “oh, wow!” vistas of downtown San Francisco across the bay, businesses are geared to visitors, not locals. The unspoken attitude seems to be: If  Lucy and Bud from Sheboygan don’t care if my place is green as long as it’s got these gorgeous views, why bother?

Cibo pastry

So we say bravo for Cibo, a modestly priced, stylish new caffe on Bridgeway (at the corner of Pine Street) that proudly posts on its chalkboard menu the many local and organic farms from which it buys fresh ingredients—for breakfasts the likes of house-made granola with award-winning Straus organic yogurt or poached eggs on toast served with creme fraîche, fingerling potatoes, delicata squash and baby root vegetables. Later in the day, you won’t go wrong with a dungeness crab or sauteed wild mushroom panini. Anytime is perfect for a little something from Cibo’s tempting selection of baked goods with a cup of freshly made drip coffee from Blue Bottle, the organic microroaster from nearby Oakland that we believe (and we’re not alone!) is the Bay Area’s best.

The inspiration for Cibo (which literally translates to food in Italian) is from Tera and Alfredo Ancona, from the family that has operated Angelino’s, an Italian restaurant in Sausalito, for 25 years. Cibo is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Another tip: For a romp through Sausalito in its heyday, pick up a copy of The Earthquake Shack. It’s “a breathtakingly kaleidoscopic portrait of the salt-sprayed world of Sausalito,” in the words of a reviewer—and the plot of this engaging novel turns on a wild and crazy movement to head off an environmental disaster.

Maui, Green and Wild

Smoothies in Paradise Most people venture into the ever-greener wilds past Hāna on Maui to check out the pools of Ohe‘o Gulch or Charles Lindbergh’s grave. We go for organic fruit smoothies whipped up in a bicycle-powered blender. Or for a cup of smooth, shade-grown coffee, brewed from biodynamic/organic beans roasted that very morning; they were dried on a trampoline in a Bucky Fuller dome with help from a solar-powered fan. (Make mine with a splash of coconut milk, please.)

You’re in Kipahulu at the roadside stand of Laulima Farms, the most beautiful middle of nowhere you’ve ever seen. Look around. Sloping upward from the too-cute stand, this is the epitome of alive, a natural riot of food-in-the-making, flowers, butterflies, and pollinating bees. At a nearby pond, ducks make snacks of slugs and other garden pests. Because you’re on the gentle haunches of Mt. Haleakalā, you’re in a United Nation’s biosphere reserve. The good folks of Kipahulu have also declared it a GMO-free zone.

It was all guava and cane grass, recalls Josh Stearn, the farm’s manager, when it was purchased by his family (which owns the organic, vegan and raw Café Gratitudes in the San Francisco area). Laulima means “many hands together,” and that’s what it took to transform these 13 acres. Most of the labor, then and now, comes from interns who trade use of their hands for the chance to live in this beautiful place. Today they’re harvesting all kinds of leafy greens and tasty veggies, herbs, roots like ginger and turmeric, tropical fruits (including 8 varieties of banana), cacao, not to mention the awesome coffee. Nearby Hotel Hāna-Maui, a green oasis of a much tonier sort, buys tons of this bounty; the rest is sold at the farm.

All power flows from solar panels, the wind, or a back-up generator that runs on veggie oil (as do the farm’s vehicles and motorized equipment, including the small coffee roaster). Plantings are done permaculture style-permanent agriculture—to minimize energy use, human and otherwise. Ground cover, for instance, is the low, quickly spreading peanut plant, which need no mowing and puts lots of nitrogen back into the soil. The farm stand is a local gathering spot for talking story, checking out crafts by local artisans, and bulletin boards with flyers and newspaper articles about organic agriculture and sustainability. There are even weekly farm tours.

Ono Hawaii

Meet Mr. Delicious On the Big Island of Hawaii,  the fiery, lava-spitting Big Kahunas of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park draw awe-struck visitors from around the world. But only a mile from the park, in mystical Volcano Village, there awaits another unstoppable force of nature. His name is Ira Ono. That’s what he calls himself anyway—ono means delicious in Hawaiian. Really his name is Ira Kauffman.

As far as we’re concerned, Ira can call himself anything he wants. This delicious guy is an internationally known artist, and his Volcano Garden Arts is a 1908 farmhouse-turned-gallery made of California redwood brought by ship, rail, and horse-drawn wagon. The gallery’s offerings range from kooky collectibles to large works of significance, including many by Ira himself (his ceramic sculpture and masks are in many important collections throughout this country, Europe and Japan). But what we particularly love about Ira is that he creates art—and inspire others to do the same—from throwaway items. As far back as the 1980s, he devised and performed a dance piece called “Trashface” in a massive costume built entirely from junk. Later he launched the Big Island’s annual Trash Art Show, which features art and wearable fashion made of recycled materials.

“They’re things that evoke emotion, they’re part of the past, and they’ve been rescued,” he says. “I’ve always believed inanimate objects have a life of their own, and my role as an artist has been to discover them.”

Pay Ira a visit and discover them for yourself at his fascinating gallery, then stroll through the manicured grounds, greenhouses, and gardens, or explore one of the trails that lead from the property to upland rainforest. He also rents out a cute and cozy caretaker’s cottage (check out the amazing bathroom!), and at the rear of the gallery has recently opened Café Ono, featuring “green cuisine” created from the “freshest, locally grown and organic ingredients possible”—a much-welcome addition to the lackluster Volcano food scene.

Let us guide you to all things green & great in the Aloha State. Download your own copy of our award-winning e-guide, Green Traveler Guides Hawaii. We don’t take you anywhere we haven’t been!

Book It, Danno: Honolulu’s 1st Green Boutique Hotel

Are we in NYC … LA … SF? No way. It’s definitely Waikiki outside. And this is Hotel Renew, Hawaii’s first upscale boutique hotel with a hip, eco vibe.

No tiki torches here. Instead you find a lobby space of limestone and sand-blasted oak. And before you can check out the sleek lobby lounge, you’re handed a naturally scented towel and chilled beverage, and personally escorted to your room. The renewal has begun—for you, for the planet.

Hotel Renew’s 72 guest rooms are compact but as efficiently arrayed as a space-age berth. The decor: earth hues, natural rock, shoji screens, and gentle wave patterns in the bedding and carpet. Lighting is dimmable and energy-efficient. The everything-on-demand entertainment system (the first of its kind in Hawaii) transforms the flat-screen HDTV into a personal computer. Access the internet, music, movies, or dock your iPod – all at no extra charge. An air purifier and bottled artesian water is yours free for the asking.

Back down in the lounge, complimentary breakfast with organic coffees and teas awaits each morning. Organic snacks and smoothies during the day. Signature cocktails in the evenings.

What we like most: They call it Planet Renew. Their mission statement (and impressive 4-page checklist of eco-actions taken at the hotel) pledges “a positive impact in our local community” and to “renew the planet … in every aspect of your stay.” Mahalo!

Let us guide you to all things green & great in the Aloha State. Download your own copy of our award-winning e-guide, Green Traveler Guides Hawaii. We don’t take you anywhere we haven’t been.

The Greenest Resort in Hawaii

Big, Big  Green Resorts are the cruise ships that don’t budge an inch, and in places like Hawaii, these big guys still rule. It’s easy to see why… for families who want lots to do without leaving the property, for meetings and events and big fat weddings, and often because they simply have the best sand to sun on, the best places to eat, drink and be thoroughly pampered.

Think of the eco-impact these mega-properties have. Nowhere else in the fragile Hawaiian environment comes close to matching the sheer scale of consumption and waste, or their potential for contamination of the land, sea, and air they touch. Usually owned or managed by big corporations from far away, they would seem to have less incentive to be good green citizens. And yet a surprising number of these big kahunas are trying to do the right thing.

Here’s a case in point: the Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. We visited in 2007 and were, frankly, blown away by how green it really was. Yet then, as a prospective guest, you would have been hard-pressed to know this. Our only clue was that it had won a Green Business Award from the state of Hawai‘i … info that was buried deep on its website.

Not since green has gone mainstream. And certainly not since the Mauna Lani was named by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the world’s top earth-friendly getaways (the only U.S. beach resort so honored).

It has long been one of the loveliest resorts in the Aloha State. It sits on 3,200 acres, which includes 3 miles of the finest Kohala oceanfront and the Francis H. I`i Brown championship golf courses, which boast solar-powered golf carts. Using its sun-kissed location to maximum advantage, the entire resort went solar in 1998; it now lays claim to having the most solar generating capacity of any resort in the world. This has won plaudits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The entire hotel is nonsmoking. Nontoxic cleaners are used as much as possible, and housekeepers donate deposit bottle-refunds to local charities; pest control is eco-friendly. Swimming pools have chlorine-free bacterial control. Guest room air-conditioning is motion sensor-controlled. In addition to being a Green Business Award recipient, the resort has won the Keep It Hawaii Kahili Award for its malama (“responsible stewardship”) of its ancient Kalahuipua‘a fishpond.

The Mauna Lani Spa uses Hawaiian-made natural products, and the exceptional CanoeHouse restaurant (where island  superstar chef Alan Wong got his start) works magic with local and organic. As an educational program for guests and local kids, the resort raises juvenile sea turtles and sharks for ocean release in its salt-water ponds.

Natural fertilizers green the grounds and golf courses (and are used minimally because of drought-resistant grass); treated waste water is used for irrigation of drought-tolerant indigenous plants. A green waste composting facility processes 5 tons per day; fishponds are vacuumed—no flushing into the ocean. Subdued resort lighting minimizes light pollution for the Mauna Kea Observatory.

For a comprehensive review of this property and all things green & great in the Aloha State, download your own copy of our award-winning e-guide, Green Traveler Guides Hawaii.

Green At The Gate

A Green Icon Kudos to the National Park Service. They’ve succeeded (with the help of other green-spirited souls) in recycling one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s iconic military reservation into one of the region’s brightest green gems.

It’s now called Cavallo Point—the Lodge at the Golden GateRight after it opened, the New York Times named it one of its top summer destinations, so you may have heard that it is a former Civil War-era military post in Sausalito that is now a luxury urban national park lodge at the foot of the world’s most famous bridge. Restored were 29 historic 2-story buildings around a vast parade ground—pressed-tin ceilings deleaded and reused, hardwood floors and fireplaces restored. Reclaimed materials for furnishings and decor. LEED design standards integrated with original windows and other historic elements of the former officers’ quarters, barracks, gym, and chapel. Fourteen new buildings replaced 1960s-vintage (read: ugly) army homes. These guest rooms and suites have rooftop solar panels; radiant heating; low-VOC glues, paints, and carpets; insulation made from recycled denim; and windows that minimize heat loss. Organic bedding is standard in all guest accommodations.

Several big hotel chains wanted at this choice spot, but Cavallo Point’s management was awarded to a development group that included management by eco-conscious Passport Resorts (Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur). The park service liked the scale of their proposal (142 rooms) and the guaranteed space for a new organization, the Institute at the Golden Gate.

The Institute promises to be a beacon for the most important voices and minds in the green world. A joint project of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the park service, it intends to host conferences and sponsor lectures.

Much more could be said about the superb job that is being done here, and about its unique setting and style. Its excellent restaurant, Murray Circle, that showcases local and organic blessed by 1-star Michelin chef Joseph Humphrey. Art exhibits. Cooking school for “learning vacations.” A spa. Music and yoga in the restored chapel. Outdoor adventures in the Marin Headlands and beyond.

Cavallo Point exemplifies a benchmark in stewardship of the past, present, and future.

Another tip: For a romp through Sausalito in its heyday, pick up a copy of The Earthquake Shack. It’s “a breathtakingly kaleidoscopic portrait of the salt-sprayed world of Sausalito,” in the words of a reviewer—and the plot of this engaging novel turns on a wild and crazy movement to head off an environmental disaster.

The Green King

His Green Majesty Everywhere you go in Thailand, there he is. Shrines with his portrait, towering images draped in banners and floral arrangements, are seemingly omnipresent. Oddly, he is seldom seen smiling, but Thailand reveres him. He is King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch.

He has been king since 1946. He is in poor health. But as he nears his 82nd birthday on December 5, 2009, it is time to recognize His Majesty as the Green King.

A much young King Bhumibol Adulyadej

A much younger King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Like other ceremonial monarchs, he could have settled into the regal life of ribbon-cutting ceremonies and state dinners, but this king is a celebrated jazz musician (he jammed with Louis Armstrong), inventor (he was awarded a patent in 2005 for a new method of cloud seeding that brought rain to drought-stricken areas), and champion of sustainable agriculture. He has spoken against efforts to woo Thailand’s vast number of small farmers into agribusiness’s net of pesticides and GMO crop seed. He has created demonstration farms throughout his country, and has attempted to create opportunities for northern hill tribe farmers to convert from opium poppies to other cash crops like organic coffee.

We wish him an even longer and greener life.

America's Greenest Luxury Hotel

New In Napa We check in and are escorted through sunny courtyards and flourishing gardens to Room 102. We draw in a breath. “Oh, wow,” we gasp. What we behold is a modern, high-tech suite made welcoming as a country inn by just the right accents of dark wood and warm natural tones. This is amazing. We plop down on the sofa and run our hands over the soft bed linens. Our eyes scan over the generous living and sleeping spaces separated by a double-sided fireplace (gas) and twin plasma screens. Then we gawk at the over-the-top bathroom (his and hers vanities on opposing walls, a “bubble-up” soaking tub and 2-person steam room/shower, both edged by windows that encourage us to gaze out upon our private walled patio and outdoor shower). Lovely natural light bathes nearly every nook and cranny—we have 200 sq′ of window glass, we later learn—but we can change all that. All it takes is a few moments of fun at one of several elaborate arrays of controls. Hey, these switches are cool—not only can we motor down, and precisely angle, the various sets of exterior venetian blinds, but how about all these dimmers, the fireplace on/off, the sound system adjustments….whoa! Our bellman is trying to tell us something. Yes. Our suite is also a private spa. Cleverly concealed behind a sleekly designed bathroom cabinet is a hideaway massage table for personalized treatments … after proper preparations by a spa butler, of course.

We look at each other and smile. And we think this: This is gonna be great. And then we think: Phil Sherbourne has really done it this time.

We are at Bardessono, the eco-conscious Sherbourne’s latest property, in Yountville, a little more than an hour’s drive north from San Francisco in the Napa Valley, the epicenter of California wine country . When it opened in early 2009, Bardessono laid claim to being the greenest luxury hotel in America. As far as we know, no challenger has toppled that assertion. How can we describe for you the vision that Sherbourne and his team imbued in this stunning new destination? Well, it turns out they have come up with a pretty good phrase. They call it hospitality that weds living “deep green” with luxury.

Let’s talk hospitality first. Some of it is high tech: A digital sensor switches off the lights and fireplace and turns off the heating or cooling after you leave your suite; on your return, everything goes back to just the way you left it (frequent guests are greeted by a room pre-set to their preferences). Some are natural: Orange and mint infused water at your bedside every night, along with an aromatherapy patch—simply pat the the patch onto your shoulder and let its essential oils and aromas escort you to dreamland. Some are personal: You’ll notice right away there’s no traditional hotel front desk. Just a couple of stylish work stations peopled with smiling staff. They welcome you as if your arrival has been eagerly anticipated and hand you an ingeniously conceived packet that holds your room key cards and a neat little booklet that fills you in about everything from the high-performance mountain bikes in the hotel bike shop that await at no extra charge to a very impressive set of “eco facts.” This is how we first learn the particulars of the deep green part:

♦ Solar power—940 photovoltaic panels that can produce 260 thousand kilowatt hours per year—by far the largest system for any hotel in North America.

Geothermal system—82 geothermal wells that penetrate 300′ into the ground—that heats and cools guest suites and the domestic water supply—by far the largest for any hotel in North America.

Soy fiber-based rugs, green-certified fabrics, organic bed linens, LED and fluorescent lighting, organic cleaning products, electric vehicles, drought-resistant landscaping.

“Up-cycled” wood salvaged from local Monterey cypress, walnut, redwood, eucalyptus and California bay laurel trees—re-purposed for siding, ceiling beams, furniture, bathroom flooring and more.

A construction process that recycled 93% of all waste.

All waste water treated (by the municipal system) and recycled for irrigation uses.

And so on.

Bardessono is a 62-room hotel and you’ll likely be surprised by that when you see it. It seems smaller, more intimate. Credit the low-rise design and groupings of suites—a few are even bigger than ours, which is a very comfy 550 sq′—around courtyards connected by pathways. There’s also a main building with a handsome lounge, a restaurant for indoor and outdoor dining and meeting rooms, and another with a shop and separate spa for those who simply can’t tolerate being pampered in the comfort of their suite. On the roof of that one is a 75-foot pool ringed by cabanas and panoramic views of the Stags Leap Palisades and the Mayacamas range.

Organic garden

Organic garden

Bardessono is named for the family whose farmstead formerly occupied this same patch of earth, long before grapes became practically the only thing grown in this world famous neighborhood. Presumably, the Bardessonos would be pleased to see the hotel’s organic veggie gardens. They are lovingly cared for, like demonstration gardens more than working kitchen plots. No matter. Sean O’Toole, the hotel’s executive chef, doesn’t need to rely only on what can be grown on the hotel grounds. From long experience, he knows the very best organic producers in the bountiful Bay Area, and you’ll find them on his seasonal menus—Joseph Minocchi of White Crane Springs Ranch with his inimitable herb salad mix, David Little and his heirloom spuds (don’t miss O’Toole’s potato gnocchi!), Mark Pasternak of Devil’s Gulch with his succulent pork, to name a few. Chef Sean also works closely with local cheese makers, fish mongers and wine makers.

Dining room

Dining room

He knows he’s got major competition. Yountville is also home to superstar Chef Thomas Keller and his French Laundry as well as several other laudable restaurants. If our memorable luncheon at an outdoor table on a glorious autumn day is any indication, we predict Chef Sean will do just fine. His flavors are clean and bright, balanced and impeccably fresh. His creations are familiar yet distinctive. And, just as impressively, they are quite affordable considering the exclusive real estate that is Yountville. The green cuisine at Bardessono is worth a stop on its own.

Bravo Bardessono, we say.

America’s Greenest Luxury Hotel

New In Napa We check in and are escorted through sunny courtyards and flourishing gardens to Room 102. We draw in a breath. “Oh, wow,” we gasp. What we behold is a modern, high-tech suite made welcoming as a country inn by just the right accents of dark wood and warm natural tones. This is amazing. We plop down on the sofa and run our hands over the soft bed linens. Our eyes scan over the generous living and sleeping spaces separated by a double-sided fireplace (gas) and twin plasma screens. Then we gawk at the over-the-top bathroom (his and hers vanities on opposing walls, a “bubble-up” soaking tub and 2-person steam room/shower, both edged by windows that encourage us to gaze out upon our private walled patio and outdoor shower). Lovely natural light bathes nearly every nook and cranny—we have 200 sq′ of window glass, we later learn—but we can change all that. All it takes is a few moments of fun at one of several elaborate arrays of controls. Hey, these switches are cool—not only can we motor down, and precisely angle, the various sets of exterior venetian blinds, but how about all these dimmers, the fireplace on/off, the sound system adjustments….whoa! Our bellman is trying to tell us something. Yes. Our suite is also a private spa. Cleverly concealed behind a sleekly designed bathroom cabinet is a hideaway massage table for personalized treatments … after proper preparations by a spa butler, of course.

We look at each other and smile. And we think this: This is gonna be great. And then we think: Phil Sherbourne has really done it this time.

We are at Bardessono, the eco-conscious Sherbourne’s latest property, in Yountville, a little more than an hour’s drive north from San Francisco in the Napa Valley, the epicenter of California wine country . When it opened in early 2009, Bardessono laid claim to being the greenest luxury hotel in America. As far as we know, no challenger has toppled that assertion. How can we describe for you the vision that Sherbourne and his team imbued in this stunning new destination? Well, it turns out they have come up with a pretty good phrase. They call it hospitality that weds living “deep green” with luxury.

Let’s talk hospitality first. Some of it is high tech: A digital sensor switches off the lights and fireplace and turns off the heating or cooling after you leave your suite; on your return, everything goes back to just the way you left it (frequent guests are greeted by a room pre-set to their preferences). Some are natural: Orange and mint infused water at your bedside every night, along with an aromatherapy patch—simply pat the the patch onto your shoulder and let its essential oils and aromas escort you to dreamland. Some are personal: You’ll notice right away there’s no traditional hotel front desk. Just a couple of stylish work stations peopled with smiling staff. They welcome you as if your arrival has been eagerly anticipated and hand you an ingeniously conceived packet that holds your room key cards and a neat little booklet that fills you in about everything from the high-performance mountain bikes in the hotel bike shop that await at no extra charge to a very impressive set of “eco facts.” This is how we first learn the particulars of the deep green part:

♦ Solar power—940 photovoltaic panels that can produce 260 thousand kilowatt hours per year—by far the largest system for any hotel in North America.

Geothermal system—82 geothermal wells that penetrate 300′ into the ground—that heats and cools guest suites and the domestic water supply—by far the largest for any hotel in North America.

Soy fiber-based rugs, green-certified fabrics, organic bed linens, LED and fluorescent lighting, organic cleaning products, electric vehicles, drought-resistant landscaping.

“Up-cycled” wood salvaged from local Monterey cypress, walnut, redwood, eucalyptus and California bay laurel trees—re-purposed for siding, ceiling beams, furniture, bathroom flooring and more.

A construction process that recycled 93% of all waste.

All waste water treated (by the municipal system) and recycled for irrigation uses.

And so on.

Bardessono is a 62-room hotel and you’ll likely be surprised by that when you see it. It seems smaller, more intimate. Credit the low-rise design and groupings of suites—a few are even bigger than ours, which is a very comfy 550 sq′—around courtyards connected by pathways. There’s also a main building with a handsome lounge, a restaurant for indoor and outdoor dining and meeting rooms, and another with a shop and separate spa for those who simply can’t tolerate being pampered in the comfort of their suite. On the roof of that one is a 75-foot pool ringed by cabanas and panoramic views of the Stags Leap Palisades and the Mayacamas range.

Organic garden

Organic garden

Bardessono is named for the family whose farmstead formerly occupied this same patch of earth, long before grapes became practically the only thing grown in this world famous neighborhood. Presumably, the Bardessonos would be pleased to see the hotel’s organic veggie gardens. They are lovingly cared for, like demonstration gardens more than working kitchen plots. No matter. Sean O’Toole, the hotel’s executive chef, doesn’t need to rely only on what can be grown on the hotel grounds. From long experience, he knows the very best organic producers in the bountiful Bay Area, and you’ll find them on his seasonal menus—Joseph Minocchi of White Crane Springs Ranch with his inimitable herb salad mix, David Little and his heirloom spuds (don’t miss O’Toole’s potato gnocchi!), Mark Pasternak of Devil’s Gulch with his succulent pork, to name a few. Chef Sean also works closely with local cheese makers, fish mongers and wine makers.

Dining room

Dining room

He knows he’s got major competition. Yountville is also home to superstar Chef Thomas Keller and his French Laundry as well as several other laudable restaurants. If our memorable luncheon at an outdoor table on a glorious autumn day is any indication, we predict Chef Sean will do just fine. His flavors are clean and bright, balanced and impeccably fresh. His creations are familiar yet distinctive. And, just as impressively, they are quite affordable considering the exclusive real estate that is Yountville. The green cuisine at Bardessono is worth a stop on its own.

Bravo Bardessono, we say.