BY DORIE MORALES
The Ranch at Laguna Beach is located just north of Los Angeles, really off the Pacific Coast Highway. The resort is renowned for both its luxury and sustainability, nestled among the lush cliffs of Aliso Canyon, a previous 150-year-old homestead.
We are 87 acres deep in the middle of a remote wilderness and rough canyon walls. Sustainability is not a campaign when you’re the steward of a place like this, it’s a responsibility that comes with the land we’re operating on, says Ken Bjorkman, COO of The Ranch.
This philosophy is supported by the resort. It is a founding member of Beyond Green, a collection of luxurious hotels, resorts, and lodges that are renowned for their sustainability credentials. Beyond Green is the incarnation of sustainability put into practice rather than merely a label. Members ‘ properties are checked against internationally recognized sustainability standards that are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which emphasize basic needs, social rights, and environmental protections as well as the three development pillars of nature, culture, and community.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION
A fundamental sustainability initiative is” Bottles to Bunkers.” The resort’s GEO Certified— publicly accredited by the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf — nine-hole golf course is made up of glass waste by an on-site glass crusher, which transforms it into sand.
Another crucial goal is water conservation. Reclaimed water is used to make up 100 % of the property’s irrigation, including the golf course. Each year, this saves between 21 and 22 million gallons of drinkable water.
The property has a few lasting touches throughout. Plastic keys have been replaced by compostable bamboo room keys. For the use of guests, reusable glass and aluminum water bottles are provided. On demand, eco-friendly straws are applicable. Additionally, it is forbidden to use cheap laundry bags, plastic dry cleaners, and straws. The resort recently collaborated with Fox Fold to install wooden tissue boxes in guestrooms that are reusable and green. These initiatives help prevent plastics and cardboard from entering the waste stream and reduce landfill waste.
Light pollution is a problem because the resort is in a semi-urban area. Exterior lighting is therefore limited. Every light fixture on the property is LED, and low-lux exterior lighting was created with only a few lumens in mind. This makes it possible to see the night sky more clearly while minimizing any damage to night creatures.
Only a few examples of the many environmentally friendly practices that are a part of daily life at The Ranch, from using just fair trade and locally produced coffee and tea to removing trash and debris from Aliso Creek and protecting pollinator habitats.
DINING IN GREEN
A stay at The Ranch is more than just enjoyable. Additionally, it tastes delicious. Harvest, a signature restaurant, celebrates the native farming industry. Chef Kyle St. John of the resort’s biodynamic garden serves as the chef’s annual California cuisine. The half-acre garden is managed by” Farmer Leo” Goldsmith, who grows a variety of fruits, vegetables, microgreens, and herbs.
” With all of our summer ingredients in full swing in August. We’re also using the farm’s eggs to hand-make our sauce dough, and we’re currently harvesting sweet summer corn that’s being used in one of our favorite dishes, Special Corn Agnolotti. We’re highlighting everything that the summer has to offer in Southern California, including tons of unique pepper varieties, as well as new heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, summer squashes, and zucchinis. Our Smoked Baba Ghanoush with Miso-Tahini, Chilli-Rosted Pine Nuts, and Warm Naan are some additional summer dishes on the menu. The baba ghanoush is made using farm eggplants, according to St. John. We typically use annual ingredients, sourcing from our farms and regional farms. No matter what time of day it is, our guests can experience farm-fresh ingredients grown straight here on site. We want to highlight the ingredients in various preparations and use them throughout the menu.
The resort can cut down on transportation-based produce delivery by growing its unique produce. Additionally, it composts all food waste that is slippery, aside from proteins and paper. The process reduces methane emissions and eliminates 20, 000 pounds of food waste from landfills. The garden is then given back the nutrient-rich end material.
The guiding principle of Harvest is easy: use what we have, restrict what we buy far ahead, and limit our waste. Everything we can compost, according to Bjorkman, is immediately re-used in the farm’s soil.
The hotel is only a 10-minute walk from the Pacific Ocean, so guests can even dine on locally caught, effectively raised fish. The Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of the world’s oceans and beaches, gave The Ranch the name California’s primary Ocean Friendly Hotel. The second Ocean Friendly Restaurant in Laguna Beach was named Harvest. Additionally, Visit California presented the Ranch with a Rose Award for Best Sustainability or Resilience in June.
We’ve made sustainability measurable, no aspirational, according to Bjorkman, “from reclaiming 21 million gallons of water a year to crushing every bottle into sand for our golf bunkers.” Great hospitality and a strong commitment to the environment are not a choice. You can and ought to have both.
See www. for more details. Theranchlb.com.
Explore our Travel section for more inspiring adventures and green travel destinations.
