Hotels and resorts around the world are working to improve their environmental sustainability, putting objectives like the reduction of energy, water, and waste at the top of their agendas.
A few solar panels and a recycling program alone, however, do not a sustainable hotel make. Local people—modern communities as well as their tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage—are just as essential to the equation as ecological initiatives.
That’s the philosophy behind Beyond Green, a global portfolio of some of the most sustainable accommodations on the planet. Every two years, each hotel and resort on Beyond Green’s roster is reevaluated according to 50 sustainability indicators in three categories: environmentally friendly practices, support for the protection of natural and cultural heritage, and the social and economic well-being of local people.
andBeyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge in Tanzania(Courtesy of Beyond Green)
In other words, Beyond Green properties don’t just use renewable energy and abide by low-waste principles, they protect natural ecosystems and prioritize native species in their landscaping, support cultural traditions and foster cross-cultural respect and understanding, hire local residents at fair wages, contribute to community-based initiatives in everything from education to sanitation, and much more.
“Beyond Green is really about transforming travel for good,” says CEO Lindsey Uberroth. Their member properties are “inviting guests to be part of something much bigger.”
First established in 2021 to unite the travel industry’s sustainability leaders, Beyond Green has grown to include 50 hotels, resorts, and lodges in 22 countries—including six new members just this year in Colombia, Spain, Tanzania, and Bhutan.
Of those few dozen properties, a full ten percent are located in California (okay, technically, one is on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe). We took a look inside each to see some of the ways they’re positively impacting local landscapes and communities.
Cavallo Point, Sausalito
(Courtesy of Beyond Green)
At the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on the bay’s northern side, Cavallo Point is an extraordinary example of heritage preservation. Instead of building new structures, the lodge repurposed a former military base, Fort Baker, earning top architectural honors from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In addition to serving sustainable, seasonal ingredients from local producers at their restaurants (and cooking school), Cavallo Point’s $3-per-night surcharge goes to support community-based organizations like the Marine Mammal Center, Wildcare, and the Bay Area Discovery Museum. The “epitome” of understated luxury, Cavallo Point is committed to environmental stewardship from its Healing Arts Center and Spa to its guided hikes through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
// 601 Murray Cir., Fort Baker (Sausalito), staybeyondgreen.com
Carneros Resort & Spa, Napa
(Courtesy of Beyond Green)
Bound by rolling vineyards between the Napa River and the Mayacamas Mountains, Carneros Resort & Spa is Wine Country’s most sustainable property. Each of its guest houses uses responsibly sourced cedar siding and heat-repelling roofs, and an on-site wastewater treatment plant allows the resort to reclaim greywater for irrigating its landscape of drought-tolerant native plants. They’re raising pollinating bees and egg-laying hens on the property (other restaurant ingredients come from small, regional farms) and reusing cooking oil as biofuel. Carneros also supports the Napa Valley Community Foundation and education and equity initiatives in the wine world, offers curated eco-friendly amenities like compostable coffee packs and rocking chairs made from recycled milk cartons, and composts all their food waste, then uses it to fertilize the resort’s gardens.
// 4048 Sonoma Hwy (Napa), staybeyondgreen.com
Edgewood Tahoe Resort, Lake Tahoe
(Courtesy of Beyond Green)
On the edge of one of the world's deepest bodies of water, Edgewood takes its stewardship of Lake Tahoe seriously. They carefully protect natural water sources from stormwater runoff with a membrane filtration system and remove 500,000 pounds of built-up sediment annually to allow for the spawning of native fish. The resort is also LEED Silver Certified, a recognition of its adherence to the world’s highest environmental standards, using locally sourced granite and a lake-sourced cooling system that lowers energy consumption in the summer months.
// 180 Lake Pkwy (Stateline, NV), staybeyondgreen.com
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur
(Courtesy of Beyond Green)
One of the most iconic resorts on the West Coast, Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn has been committed to protecting the local ecosystem since its opening in 1992. That commitment begins with “biophilic” architecture crafted with natural and reclaimed materials meant to blend in with the coastal environment, insulating green roofs on its Ocean Houses, and Tree House accommodations built on nine-foot stilts to prevent fragile root systems from damage—but it doesn’t stop there. The resort has dedicated 90 percent of the property’s 100 acres to supporting endangered species and replacing invasive plants with native ones, is powered entirely by solar energy, and serves only locally raised meats and vegetables in its restaurants. Post Ranch also led the effort to create an affordable healthcare center, and donates 100 percent of its Big Sur Community Fund to local organizations like Ventana Wildlife Sanctuary and the Big Sur Fire Brigade.
// 47900 CA-1 (Big Sur), staybeyondgreen.com
The Ranch at Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach
(Courtesy of Beyond Green)
This Southern California gem covers 87 acres of the Aliso Canyon, minutes from the town of Laguna Beach. The “linchpin” of the resort’s sustainability efforts is their advanced water reclamation project—which saves an estimated 21 million gallons of water a year—but the property also uses an on-site crusher to convert glass bottles into sand for its golf course, donates all excess unused toiletries to Clean the World, and removes trash and debris from nearby Aliso Creek. In addition to receiving Laguna Beach’s first “Ocean Friendly Restaurant” certification, The Ranch partners with The Ocean Institute to provide marine science and eco-educational programs to the public, with the Laguna Canyon Foundation to preserve the region’s open spaces, and with the Orange County Bird of Prey Center to connect guests to rehabilitated native raptors.
// 31106 Coast Hwy (Laguna Beach), staybeyondgreen.com
Venture Farther with Beyond Green
Dromoland Castle Hotel in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Ireland
(Courtesy of Beyond Green)
Take a look at a few of Beyond Green’s most notable uber-sustainable hotels, resorts, and lodges around the world:
Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia
In the Gobi Desert at the heart of Mongolia’s largest national park, Three Camel Lodge is an otherworldly escape that plays a significant role in supporting the rich cultural heritage of the region’s traditional nomadic families.
andBeyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, Tanzania
An arboreal retreat near Tanzania’s Great Rift Valley, the Lake Manyara Tree Lodge does safaris right, with a commitment to local landscapes, animal species, and communities.
The Parkside Hotel & Spa, British Columbia
The Parkside is one of a limited number of urban properties in Beyond Green’s portfolio: a downtown Victoria hotel with rooftop gardens, a partnership with the Indigenous Songhees Nation to provide guests with immersive tours, and more.
Dromoland Castle, Ireland
Sustainable 16th-century castle. Need we say more?
