Design

Published on January 18th, 2008 | by Keith Rockmael

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Going LEED Gold at the Gaia hotel

gaia-go.jpgWe had heard a lot about the LEED Gold Gaia hotel in American Canyon (even we had to look up American Canyon and we live in San Fran) but we hadn’t actually visited it. Yes, we can only tell so much from a press release. The hotel, rather unassuming, sits right off busy Highway 29 just a short hop to both Napa and Sonoma Valley but once in the lobby or the rooms it’s not easy to hear any of the traffic. But onto the Green stuff. When checking in, it’s hard not to notice the kiosks with “green touch screens” which display how much water, electricity savings and how much CO2 the hotel emits. The overhead Solatube Tubular skylights represented an even more impressive aspect. Even on the cloudy day, the lobby had no artificial lighting, but you wouldn’t know it but the amount of natural light.

We got one of the choice rooms overlooking the man made lagoon which plays home to koi, frogs, various plant life and Artemis and Apollo (two impressive swans that live in the lagoon and strut their way around most of the hotel). By the way, the koi pond uses recycled water from the site which they clean and filter prior to entering the pond.

The sparten yet comfortable rooms offer lots of Green aspects. Small things like offering fair trade, organic coffee and not having those tiny shampoo bottles littering the bathroom made a big difference. Here they provide shampoo, lotion in bulk dispensers. We also like that all restrooms use recycled tiles and granite. While in the bathroom, we give wet kudos to the water saving low flow showerhead, which offer plenty of water pressure for one person (but not two, if you catch our drift).

We slept easy not only with a comfy, firm mattress but breathing easy with the low VOC paints were used throughout the rooms and rest of the hotel. It also helped us to know that solar panels provide 12% of the hotel’s electricity.

We know that a boutique type hotel needs a relaxing but unsustainable hot tub (yes, we partook and didn’t feel guilty) but we didn’t feel too keen about the microwave that inhabited our room but even with the little monster we felt pretty energized about our stay. It sure beats a stay in an unsustainable Motel 6.

We could very well come all the way to wine country without visiting some organic, sustainable and do we dare say biodynamic wineries. Stay tuned.

Bidermann goes deeper into red in first half. (Bidermann SA) (Brief Article)

Daily News Record November 10, 1993 PARIS — Bidermann SA lost 124.3 million francs ($21 million) in the first half of this year, underlining the difficulties the company is experiencing in the current recession. goldtoesocksnow.com gold toe socks

In the comparable period in 1992, Bidermann lost 111.6 million francs ($18.9 million, at the current rate).

Group sales advanced 23 percent to 2.1 billion francs ($356 million) in the half, mainly due to the addition of French men’s wear retailer Armand Thierry, which Bidermann bought for 325 million francs ($55 million) last fall.

As previously reported, Bidermann vice-president Georges Jolles last month revealed that he will leave the company in the near future, fueling rumors that the group may be in financial difficulties.

Earlier this week, group president and majority owner Maurice Bidermann declined to comment on Jolles planned departure and denied that his company was strapped for cash. “We are not short of cash and are not in any financial crisis,” Bidermann insisted. However, he confirmed that Bidermann would present a restructuring plan in the next few months. Bidermann International’s net indebtedness currently stands at over 1.5 billion francs ($172 million), much of this stemming from Bidermann’s acquisition of Cluett, Peabody in 1990. The Bidermann group owns Arrow shirts and Gold Toe socks and controls the license of Ralph Lauren’s women’s wear in the U.S. and the men’s wear license of Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo and Daniel Hechter. go to site gold toe socks




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  • Jeff

    I have seen these natural light systems and they produce a much most pleasant atmosphere that the alternative.

  • Jeff

    I have seen these natural light systems and they produce a much most pleasant atmosphere that the alternative.

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