MNN - Mother Nature Network

Tonight I will be resting my head in the comfort and beauty of the fabulous Bardessono Hotel in Yountville, Calif. In 2010, this Napa Valley boutique hotel received LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the first hotel in the state to reach platinum level.

 

Now I don’t normally have the luxury of jaunting off to Napa Valley for an eco-retreat, but this is a business trip. I am attending the first Eco Driven with Toyota & Friends event. Toyota, Aveda, Threads for Thoughts, YogiToes and others will share their sustainable business practices with attendees through workshops, panel discussions and a variety of other activities.

 

Check in throughout the week as I update you on the latest in green business news from the event, but today I want to focus on the eco-friendly features that enabled Bardessono to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

 

The Bardessono is powered, in part, by a 200-kilowatt solar power system. The 947 panels are mounted on the hotels flat rooftop, which makes it invisible to neighbors. In addition to the solar array, there are 72 300-foot geothermal wells onsite. The geothermal system provides heating and cooling to the rooms.

 

Other eco-friendly features include:

 

 

Bardessono also features a restaurant that uses local, farm-fresh ingredients and even has carbon fiber bicycles for guest use. Yes, this week I’m in eco-luxury hotel heaven.

 

Related green accommodations story on MNN: 10 luxury eco-resorts [Photo gallery]