Cambria, CA Home to Two Green Hotels

cambriapines


Cambria Pines Lodge and Creekside Inn have both received community recognition for their commitment to environmentally friendly practices.

Cambria Pines Lodge implements the following green practices:

Water and Energy Conservation - They use low-flow toilets (1.6 gallons per flush or less), low-flow aerated shower heads, and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in guest rooms and in the Main Lodge building. Outdoor irrigation systems are designed to maximize water conservation. The Main Lawn is allowed to go naturally brown in the dry season in order to conserve thousands of gallons of water each year. Lawns in the theme gardens (including the Gazebo Garden used for weddings and special events) are kept beautifully green all year round.

Toiletries - Most rooms include wall-mounted dispensers for shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner, significantly reducing the number of amenity packages that enter the landfill each year.

Linen Reuse Program - Rooms contain cards that offer our guests the option of reusing sheets and towels. Unless requested to do otherwise, we change sheets every second day when a guest stays more than one night. Environmentally friendly chemicals are used for carpet cleaning.

Laundry - All bedding and towels are washed on-site with equipment that uses Ozone technology to save significant amounts of water while minimizing the use of electricity and gas. Environmentally friendly detergents are used.

Recycling - Guests and staff are encouraged to recycle glass, paper, and plastic through the provision of recycling containers in guest rooms, offices, and garbage pick-up areas. A commercial trash compactor minimizes landfill waste.

Organic Garden - The CCOF - certified organic kitchen garden at Cambria Pines Lodge provides the hotel restaurant with fresh, healthy lettuces, herbs, and produce. The Cambria Pines Lodge kitchen supplies the grounds crew with compost material, and, the garden crew also composts and mulches their green waste that is clipped and pruned.

Grounds - Cambria Pines Lodge uses 100 percent non-potable water on all of its 26 acres. The grey water is trucked in from the surrounding Cambria community. Drought-tolerant gardening is practiced on large sections of the grounds; almost no chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used; they use some integrated pest management; and almost 100 percent organic practices.

Office Electricity - Staff is advised to turn off all computers, monitors, printers, copiers, and scanners overnight and when not in use. Most of our equipment features an energy-saving mode.

Construction - The Winter Construction staff follows environmentally sound construction practices whenever possible.

The 23 room Creekside Inn, also in Cambria, has been recognized as the first Green Suites Certified Green Hotel in Cambria, California. The 4-Leaf rating awarded by Green Suites International, the industry's leading environmental hotel product supplier, marks with distinction the hotel's commitment to environmentally sound business practices. The Green Suites Green Hotel Certification Program rewards a hotel’s environmental policies and purchasing.

Achieving 4-Leaf status is no small task. “There are currently only Seven 4-Leaf hotels in the country, so this is a great honor for the Creekside Inn,” says Dan Bornholdt, President of Green Suites International.

The Creekside Inn’s success in Green Hotel Certification is an indication of its eagerness to pioneer a practical approach to hotel management that is sensitive to the needs of customers and helps protect the environment. Guests appreciate the steps a hotel takes to be environmentally friendly, and they experience tangible benefits during their stay. A crucial aspect of being a Green Hotel is ensuring a safe and healthy living environment for guests and staff. The toxicity standards of the Certification process address this by recognizing environmental health-oriented initiatives such as natural personal care products, non-toxic cleaning products, recycle containers in all rooms, new water conservation system, energy efficient lighting, and all non-smoking rooms which the Creekside Inn has implemented.

Guests also find their travel experience to be more satisfying when they know they are minimizing their ecological footprint. Green Suites Certified Green Hotels save an average of nearly 11,000 gallons of water per room annually. Additionally, energy efficient lighting consumes up to 70% less energy, which reduces the need for environmentally burdensome power plants.