“Heal the world /Make it a better place /For you and for me and the entire human race/ There are people dying
If you care enough for the living /Make a better place for /You and for me.” ~ Heal The World by Micheal Jackson
In honor of Earth Day today’s post is dedicated to sustainability. In October 2009, the Queen City welcomed its first luxury hotel in the Charlotte Uptown area. The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte is a LEED Gold certified hotel and is the first LEED hotel in North Carolina. The eco-friendly hotel follows LEED standards established by the Green Council and boasts 18 floors with 146 guest rooms, a bi-level penthouse spa, wellness center and the BLT steak restaurant. Highlights of the Ritz-Carlton’s sustainability features include:
- A green vegetated rooftop – great for outdoor parties and entertaining.
- Uses 30% less energy than conventional hotels
- Provides purified water through a Natura Water Filtration program
- Bicycle spaces for 150 guests, the hotel also provides bicycles for guests to use
- Leather products in the hotel were created with recycled leather
- Local and regional vendors were used for materials to reduce transportation and packing
- All dining and beverages come from local, organic and 100% natural products
- Environmentally-friendly cleaning products are used to clean the hotel
Also, couples interested in having a green wedding should sign-up for the hotel’s “Something Green” services. This is a new service created for the Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte to give couples an eco-friendly wedding experience. Insider tips: The restrooms have cloth napkins instead of paper towels. The lounge area stays open until 2 a.m. on the weekends and provides entertainment from a really good jazz band. The vodka, wines, and other cocktails are all organic and taste yummy. Go Green!
A Design State of Mind 