“In 15 years I will own the system free and clear. That is when I will really rake in the cash. Long term, it will be just fantastic.” I recently spoke with Mike Freed, managing partner of the Big Sur, Calif.-based Post Ranch Inn, and those were his words when describing his property’s recently launched 990-panel solar installation. When chatting with Mike, I wondered how many property owners would be patient enough to wait that long to enjoy all of the benefits of their investment. Not many, I suspect.
Freed and his team at the Post Ranch Inn worked 18 months to find an organization that would pay for the system that will produce almost 400,000 kWh of pollution-free electricity in the first year. They found Recurrent Energy, which currently owns and operates the system. The Post Ranch Inn, through a power purchase agreement, buys all of the electricity the 990 panels produce from Recurrent at a rate lower than they normally would pay to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). Recurrent makes its money by not only selling power to the inn but also to PG&E. The inn’s agreement with Recurrent enables it to own the system after 15 years. “One of the secrets to doing solar is to get someone else to pay for it,” Freed said.
Solar is a perfect solution for the inn’s coastal location, and the panels generate the most power during peak rate hours. The inn is fortunate enough to have the land for the installation; the inn is set on a 100-acre property. Guests entering the property have to look hard to find the panels but the solar system has quickly become a point of attraction—for guests and animals alike. It is common to find deer, wild turkey, bobcats, foxes, quail and other wildlife catching some shade beneath the panels.
History of Environmental Leadership
Freed said the solar installation has given his staff a huge morale boost and is one more element to attract guests to what is already one of the greenest properties in the United States. The Post Ranch Inn and its sister properties—Cavallo Point-The Lodge at the Golden Gate, Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Island Resort, and The Sea Ranch Lodge—have all been recognized for their environmental achievements. Cavallo Point is expected to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Here are just a few more examples of steps the Post Ranch Inn is taking to reduce its environmental impact:
• The Post Ranch Inn created the first commercial gray water system approved in Monterey County.
• The inn ensures water use is measured daily as required by the State of California, and performs an annual energy audit, including wattage and propane. Water quality is monitored and tested weekly, both on property and at a private laboratory.
• Water is conserved in guestrooms thanks to low-flow showerheads and toilets.
• Laundry detergent is biodegradable and hypoallergenic, with botanicals and herbal active ingredients. Steps are also taken to minimize the overuse of laundry detergent and related chemicals.
• No chemical pesticides or herbicides are used on the property. Pests are controlled by cedar-based, pump-spray products and natural predators such as bats that live in the area.
• Sheets and towels are made from 100 percent certified organic cotton, with no artificial dyes.
• Flower-based guest soaps are handmade in nearby Santa Cruz; other in-room guest amenities are Earth-friendly.
In-Room Recycling Practiced
• Each guestroom and employee housing unit has a recycling bin to make collection easy and accessible. Wastebaskets are lined with recycled newspapers instead of plastic bags. Recycling bins are also kept at maintenance, housekeeping and in the employee break rooms.
• Post Ranch Inn’s award-winning Sierra Mar restaurant supports small producers and the regional economy by serving all-natural free-range beef and poultry and fresh, locally-grown seasonal organic vegetables and fruit.
• The inn maintains on-site gardens with fruit trees and herbs that are used by the restaurant and in spa products. A new garden will soon be planted to provide fresh vegetables and flowers for guests’ enjoyment.
• Sierra Mar uses biodegradable containers made of corn starch, plates formed from bagasse—a by-product of sugarcane—and utensils created from potato starch. An alternative to non-degradable plastic packaging, these products are also renewable, sustainable and compostable.
Sod Roofs Reduce Heat Loss
• The innovative environmental design was intended for people to feel a part of nature, not just to be observers of it. The earth-sheltered guesthouses with sod roofs blend into the landscape and reduce loss of heat; the stilted tree houses were designed to protect the fragile root balls of nearby redwood and oak trees.
• The honey used in honey facials is collected by one of the first spa crew members who is also a beekeeper. Eighteen hives are pollinated from Post Ranch flowers. This local honey is also used in the restaurant.
• A master wood craftsman designs and builds guestroom furniture in an on-property carpentry shop. Since the inn’s inception, Mark Sullivan has created hand-crafted pieces, including beds, tables and chairs in bubinga, redwood, mahogany and other woods. In addition, trees that fall on property are retrieved from the forest and made into benches along the pathways.
Click here for more information on the Post Ranch Inn.
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