The following article was first published on Examiner.com Feb. 6, 2016.
New Englanders looking for a sustainable travel destination should consider San Francisco. While yes, the carbon footprint of the flight is great, you can offset that; and if you're lucky, you'll fly the eco-friendly and fun Virgin America, the first domestic airline to offer such offsets.
San Francisco: where does one begin? It's this examiner's hometown so there is bias, of course, but arguably, in a state known for its environmental awareness and activism, San Francisco sets the bar.
But where do you stay? There are several options, but for anyone looking for the quintessential San Francisco experience, only one hotel will do: Stanford Court.
Nestled atop Nob Hill just steps from Union Square, the 393-room hotel is close to many modes of public transportation (BART, Super Shuttle, buses), and accessed by cab, Uber, or by, yes, cable car. Staying here you'll enjoy a charmed visit as you listen to the tinkle of cars cabling their way up and down California Street. (Tip: this examiner still loves her Super Shuttle. You can book online and it's cheap.)
The Examiner wanted to find out what makes the hotel -- the converted mansion of 19th c. railroad magnate Leland Stanford -- so delightfully sustainable, so we spoke (via e-mail) with their general manager, Michael Baier. Following is an edited version of our conversation:
Has Stanford Court always considered itself a sustainable hotel, and if not, when did you officially become one?
We made this one of our “core” focus areas when Highgate (management co.) took over the hotel in summer of 2013.
How have you earned this designation?
We have been recognized with TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Silver Level designation.
Tell me about the “Juice Bar” charging station for electric vehicles in the courtyard area. [It has a striking image of Frankenstein‘s monster on it.] First, when did that go up, and how often is it used?
We installed it a couple of years ago, and it gets used often, particularly on weekends as locals come into the city.
You offer free bike rentals – how many bikes do you have and how popular is this? What type(s) of bikes are they?
We have a total of 18 bikes in our fleet. They are extremely popular and our guests appreciate this amenity! We also provide them a variety of suggested routes depending on their skill and endurance levels. We feature Specialized bicycles, which is based in Morgan Hill [a San Francisco suburb]. Bikes are serviced regularly by a professional service so they are always in top condition and ready for our guests!
Tell me about any sustainable features inside the guest rooms.
Our current in-room efforts include low-flow shower heads and energy-efficient lighting. When we renovate later this year, we plan to replace our toilets with low-flow models and upgrade lamps and all lighting to LED.
I’ve stayed at some “green hotels” but they still have the little coffee pods, which are not environmentally conservative. Is it unrealistic to have an entirely green hotel – i.e. people have to have their coffee?
We are still a hotel and need to give our guests coffee in the morning. Our free-trade, organic Equador coffee is available in the lobby for free. This helps steer guests to the most sustainable choice!
Tell me about your amenities and how they are green.
We also offer Zipcar as an option to guests so they don’t have to rent a car at the airport. Every little bit helps. We also send guests treats on special occasions from Nuubia San Francisco, a confection company, and Alter-Eco, a local sustainable food company whose social mission is deeply rooted in their DNA.
Can you quantify how much carbon the hotel has saved since its gone green, if there is a specific time when you made this shift?
That information is not available.
Are guests there pretty good about not asking for towels and bed sheets to be changed often?
Yes. I think this is the most basic way hotels participate in sustainability, and it reaches coast to coast.
Low-flow showers seem to be a mixed bag. Tell me about your showers. I loved the bathtub and shower in my room. I don’t think low flow is particularly advantageous if someone takes a longer shower, right?
I think most travelers are used to seeing low-flow shower heads in hotels as well. In general, I think the positives outweigh the negatives considering older showerheads can dispense four gallons or more per minute versus one and a half to two gallons from the low-flow versions. There is a new wave of even lower-flow units that we are exploring that provide exactly the same sensory experience as a high-flow showerhead. The pressure and volume feels exactly the same to the user while using only a quarter of the water.
Tell me about the elevators – are they eco-friendly? If so, how so?
Our elevators are vintage 1970’s models and have not been modernized. When we modernize in the future, we’ll certainly incorporate anything we can to lower our carbon-footprint further.
How do you heat this [eight-floor] hotel? Do you employ geothermal anywhere?
We do not. As an old building, we utilize the municipal steam supplied to us by the city. Our equipment that the steam feeds has been upgraded and modernized so the end-result is less natural gas being burned by the city on our behalf.
What are the hotel’s goals as you go forward trying to reduce your carbon footprint and help the planet?
We are an old building, so the pursuit of an LEED certification would require a massive investment. As time moves on, our owners may elect to make such an investment. In the meantime, we’ll continue to make an impact where we can by continuously improving our processes and capitalizing on technology. New things present themselves frequently. We’ll try to stay at the forefront by employing new and exciting things.
Did the Paris Agreement [the climate agreement], recently signed by 194 nations in France, inspire Stanford Court to work even harder to be green? If so, how so?
We are always talking about how to improve in this area. I applaud the world for the success in Paris, but we live sustainably every day whether the world participates or not. I think we mirror how San Francisco and California think - we are at the forefront of nearly everything, at least domestically.
Any funny or unusual anecdotes about trying to stay green? I applaud our staff for always wanting to do the right thing for Mother Earth? Taking all our recycling home with them is obviously a good thing at the end of the day, [but] we had to put a stop to it when we discovered it was having a profound (negative) impact on our [landfill] diversion rate!
I love the composting and recycling bins [next to the lobby]. Are people using them? How does the composting process work at the hotel?
Most people get it, but some don’t take the time to look. We do our best to give people everything they need to make it easy but we still have to manually separate once in a while.
What’s the end life for your food waste at the hotel? Do you donate it anywhere and if so where?
We don’t really need to donate but we would if there was an opportunity. We give back to the community in other ways. We donate time and money to a local charity, [the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals], and we never throw away things like sheets, towels or blankets. Items like this always find a second home. We don’t have a banquet operation at Stanford Court. All our food is prepared to order so there’s never any substantial waste. We do offer a breakfast buffet, but all the food is prepared in small quantities and restocked frequently to minimize waste.
Speaking of food, you source local ingredients at your café, Aurea. Where do you source these products from, or does it vary?
It does vary and it doesn’t stop with food. We try to source everything we can locally. Our local products tend to be high-quality whether we are referring to our hand-soap or beets. We have relationships with distributors who help us on our mission to seek-out the very best in local foods. It’s really not that difficult when you’re in Northern California!
To book a room, visit Stanford Court's site or call them at 415 989-3500, locally, or for reservations from outside the area, 1-855-968 3430. The hotel is located at 905 California Street, San Francisco. Fares to San Francisco vary, so check with your favorite carrier. Winter is a great time to find good rates, especially mid-week.
Photos used with permission: Courtesy of Stanford Court
The following article was first published on Examiner.com Feb. 6, 2016.
New Englanders looking for a sustainable travel destination should consider San Francisco. While yes, the carbon footprint of the flight is great, you can offset that; and if you're lucky, you'll fly the eco-friendly and fun Virgin America, the first domestic airline to offer such offsets.
San Francisco: where does one begin? It's this examiner's hometown so there is bias, of course, but arguably, in a state known for its environmental awareness and activism, San Francisco sets the bar.
But where do you stay? There are several options, but for anyone looking for the quintessential San Francisco experience, only one hotel will do: Stanford Court.
Nestled atop Nob Hill just steps from Union Square, the 393-room hotel is close to many modes of public transportation (BART, Super Shuttle, buses), and accessed by cab, Uber, or by, yes, cable car. Staying here you'll enjoy a charmed visit as you listen to the tinkle of cars cabling their way up and down California Street. (Tip: this examiner still loves her Super Shuttle. You can book online and it's cheap.)
The Examiner wanted to find out what makes the hotel -- the converted mansion of 19th c. railroad magnate Leland Stanford -- so delightfully sustainable, so we spoke (via e-mail) with their general manager, Michael Baier. Following is an edited version of our conversation:
Has Stanford Court always considered itself a sustainable hotel, and if not, when did you officially become one?
We made this one of our “core” focus areas when Highgate (management co.) took over the hotel in summer of 2013.
How have you earned this designation?
We have been recognized with TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Silver Level designation.
Tell me about the “Juice Bar” charging station for electric vehicles in the courtyard area. [It has a striking image of Frankenstein‘s monster on it.] First, when did that go up, and how often is it used?
We installed it a couple of years ago, and it gets used often, particularly on weekends as locals come into the city.
You offer free bike rentals – how many bikes do you have and how popular is this? What type(s) of bikes are they?
We have a total of 18 bikes in our fleet. They are extremely popular and our guests appreciate this amenity! We also provide them a variety of suggested routes depending on their skill and endurance levels. We feature Specialized bicycles, which is based in Morgan Hill [a San Francisco suburb]. Bikes are serviced regularly by a professional service so they are always in top condition and ready for our guests!
Tell me about any sustainable features inside the guest rooms.
Our current in-room efforts include low-flow shower heads and energy-efficient lighting. When we renovate later this year, we plan to replace our toilets with low-flow models and upgrade lamps and all lighting to LED.
I’ve stayed at some “green hotels” but they still have the little coffee pods, which are not environmentally conservative. Is it unrealistic to have an entirely green hotel – i.e. people have to have their coffee?
We are still a hotel and need to give our guests coffee in the morning. Our free-trade, organic Equador coffee is available in the lobby for free. This helps steer guests to the most sustainable choice!
Tell me about your amenities and how they are green.
We also offer Zipcar as an option to guests so they don’t have to rent a car at the airport. Every little bit helps. We also send guests treats on special occasions from Nuubia San Francisco, a confection company, and Alter-Eco, a local sustainable food company whose social mission is deeply rooted in their DNA.
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