Home News & Features The Golden State’s Green Accommodation Growth

The Golden State’s Green Accommodation Growth

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California has long held the status of being a progressive state seeking to push green solutions, often in the face of its heavy industry. Sixty-eight percent of California’s energy is renewable, according to a report last month by Forbes, and this proactive approach towards creating a clean environment is seeping into secondary industries—not least hospitality and housing. Between the natural inclination of citizens and industry, a lot is being done to clean up the state.

From the effort to remove straws from California beaches to heavy emissions taxes strong-arming business into being more thoughtful towards the environment, several measures are creating a business climate in which green is native.

Communities Around Environmentalism

The need for housing across the USA is finally declining after years of growth, according to Reuters. The construction industry remains strong, and in California has taken a green tilt. Everything from low-cost urban housing to upmarket condos and houses in Orange County is being influenced by the need for environmentally friendly construction. Case in point is the flagship Newhall Ranch project in Orange County. Following a storied battle between planners and environmental activists, a huge community is now being developed under the auspice of being completely carbon neutral. This bodes well for future developments, especially where in previous years the pressing need of housing had overridden environmental and ecological considerations.

Hospitality Lending a Hand to the Planet

In addition to local communities, the hospitality industry is taking a positive step towards being green. This includes big business, with the news that Legoland’s new hotel will open and be the first hotel accredited in Carlsbad under the “environmentalist” tag issued by state legislation. Other hotels are implementing wide-ranging and creative water retention policies. Whilst ostensibly to combat the devastating drought in the region, it has the knock-on effect of being widely environmentally beneficial.

The state government has attempted to lead the way for business to follow by setting an example. The ambitious CA Sustainable State Buildings for A Brighter Future scheme tracks to the finest point the state’s usage of carbon, water and energy, to set benchmarks and exemplars for business to follow.

Proactive Policing & Control

For all of the hard work done by companies and individuals to prop up environmental schemes, there are malcontents in every community that are unwittingly causing damage to lodging’s attempts to slow climate change. California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported earlier in April 2018 that police had seized upon a group that were seizing succulents from developments across the state. Whilst this seems innocuous, succulents are often planted for specific environmental reasons and help to preserve local ecosystems. The state legislature has sought to demonstrate its intention to treat “green” crime seriously by prosecuting the group to the full force of the law.

Environmentalism is growing across the globe and even in difficult sectors like hospitality. The difficulty of implementing issues can be a barrier, but as always, California is showing how everyone can get involved to help combat climate change.

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