Osmosis Goes Green with the Green Spa Network

GREEN SPA NETWORK'S 2009 CONGRESS A SUCCESS

Green Spa Network's Congress in early November was a watershed event, redefining the role of spas as vitality centers for community and global resilience. Read more about their exciting work over a five-day meeting (pdf) of spa professionals from all segments of the industry.

OSMOSIS IS FIRST SONOMA COUNTY SPA TO BUILD PERMITTED GREYWATER SYSTEM

Osmosis continues to move toward becoming a green spa with the completion of our new greywater system and constructed wetlands, the first of its kind in Sonoma County. Saving nearly 1000 gallons of water per day, Osmosis is paving the way for other local businesses seeking to transform used water into thriving gardens.

In addition to being beautiful water gardens in and of themselves, constructed wetlands support biological diversity. Essentially an organic water treatment facility, our constructed wetlands will serve as a home for thriving plant and animal life, including Northern California’s abundant native birds, reptiles, water lilies, and more. Learn more.

GREEN SPA NETWORK

Osmosis is proud to be a founding member of Green Spa Network,a non-profit trade organization dedicated to bringing sustainability practices to the spa industry. As one of twelve founding 'Seed Spas,' we have committed to an in-depth environmental assessment and action plan that will also provide the expertise to assist other spas.

GSN projects are providing resources for the spa community as a whole and include: greening benchmarks for the spa industry; the release of a "Green Spa Toolkit;" an annual meeting to exchange ideas on greening; and an Internet forum to foster collaboration among spas seeking to green their operations.

OUR COMMITMENT TO GREENING

Osmosis has been recognized by the Business Environmental Alliance of Sonoma County with its Best Practices Award, in recognition of [its] environmentally sound business practices. We're proud of this award, which is shared by all our staff and associates whose hard work and imaginative suggestions continue to contribute to the Greening of Osmosis. Read more about the BEA of Sonoma County.

To reinforce its deepening commitment to sustainability, Osmosis is transforming every aspect of our operation to align with principles of earth-friendly living. Our goal is to demonstrate that eco-conscious business practices can improve the viability of a business and, at the same time, address the planetary imperative for sustainability. We are developing an Environmental Mission & Policy Statement statement, a draft of which can be viewed here (will download as a .pdf). If you have questions or comments about our Greening process, please email the GreenTeam(at)osmosis.com. We'd enjoy hearing from you.

The Green Spa Experience

Osmosis sees its Greening as a first step in shifting the image of a spa visit away from one of pampering indulgence to a more grounded and holistic experience. The aim is to create a compelling "Green Spa Experience," that makes the obvious connection between personal and planetary wellness.

Greening and resource conservation are not new themes at Osmosis. We began in 1989 by tackling a veritable junkyard on a derelict 5-acre property in Sonoma County. After removing dilapidated railway cars and many truck-loads of debris, 15 years of continual renovation have transformed Osmosis into one of the most attractive day spas in the country.

Working with a team of local artists and craftspeople, much of the spa has been refinished with eco-sensitive materials--from recycled driftwood and organic textiles including hemp, to non-toxic paints composed of natural raw ingredients such as clay, plant oils, and latex from rubber trees. A new water-treatment system enhances taste and quality with a patented technology from Japan, eliminating the need for trucking in bottled water. Inventory in the gift shop is being converted to fair-trade products. All our skincare products are free of carcinogens and produced by companies committed to the highest standards of health and environmental responsibility.

A new composting system is being organized with assistance from a world-renowned microbiologist as part of our effort to reach zero waste. We are the test site for an innovative air-handling system to decrease costs while boosting comfort levels. Conversion to biodiesel is underway with one vehicle currently powered by recycled vegetable oil. Non-toxic cleansers have been eliminated.

Personal health, longevity, and planetary sustainability all connect in the spa experience at Osmosis.

A list of our greening accomplishments at Osmosis, and the work that's left to be done.

GREEN PODCAST

Osmosis Founder Michael Stusser recently spoke with GreenLivingIdeas.com about Osmosis' greening efforts and our role in developing Green Spa Network, now immortalized in this podcast. Be sure to check out their green tips, how-to articles, down-loadable white papers, podcasts and videos at www.greenlivingideas.com - and we're proud to have them as neighbors, right next door in Santa Rosa!

Links to Greening Resources

Many people have contributed to our greening process at Osmosis. Here are some of them, together with a few other resources you may find useful as you work toward a more sustainable way of life:

• Students from the Presidio School of Management's Sustainable Management MBA Program outlined a sustainability path for the spa.
• Another valuable option for learning more about sustainable management is the Green MBAprogram, formerly at New College of California, and now relocated to Dominican University.
• Sebastopol Heat & Cool, Inc. is working with Alexei Dolgoff on the experimental air-handling system.
• The beautiful natural wall finishes at Osmosis were hand-made and installed by Janine Bjornson, of clay, bones and stones, and Tracy Thieriot of Tactile Interiors.
• Craig Mitchell designed the driftwood furnishings at Osmosis. Phone: 707-888-4856.
• Restorative Technologies provided the new water filtration system.
• GreenHome.com has been very helpful in suggesting and supplying non-toxic cleaning supplies, recycled products, and advice to Osmosis in developing our greening process.
• Is your business interested in going Green? Check out the Bay Area Green Business Program to learn more.
• There's a great way to evaluate your ecological footprint at earthday.net. (Look on the right for a link to "Ecological Footprint.") It takes about a minute and it's certainly enlightening!
• Tired of junk mail and dinnertime phone calls? Center for Democracy & Technology's tools make it easy to opt out.
• Learn more about the world of worms for composting at wormwoman.com and cityfarmer.org
• Co-op America is a valuable resource for Green information.
• Joseph Phelps Vineyards has a new winery in Freestone using biodynamic principles. Read more about this technique.
• The Green Lodging News is an excellent resource for greening information for the hospitality industry.