Category — real estate

I love staying in luxury hotels. In general, they are cleaner than my house, the beds are fluffy, and the interior designs are up-to-date and functional. I have been keeping my eye on the new Hyatt hotel in Seattle – Olive 8. If approved, the Olive 8 will be the first hotel/condo building in the city of Seattle to be LEED Silver certified. Besides the usual luxuries you can expect from a Hyatt hotel, the Olive 8 features

• One of the largest green roofs in downtown Seattle at 8,355 square feet.
• Plumbing infrastructures which will result in water savings estimated at 2.4 million gallons per year, or 32% less water usage than a conventional building of this size and occupancy.
• A comprehensive recycling/re-use program including food composting.
• Green housekeeping and Green dry cleaning services
• “Watt Stopper” light switches powered by hotel room keycard. If you are not in the room, the lights will not be on!
• Preferred parking spaces for highly fuel-efficient vehicles as well as outlets for electric cars.
• An Interactive Green Touchscreen in the hotel lobby to educate visitors and owners about the green systems in place, and shows the reduction in water and power usage. This is the first of its kind downtown Seattle.

I think I need to figure out a reason why I would need to stay at a hotel 5 miles from my house !

Olive 8 - Green Roof

Urbane - eat local and sustainable at Olive 8

Spend a day at the Olive 8 spa featuring green and organic treatments

I try hard to live a life that is eco-friendly. While there is room for improvement, I make a daily effort and ask myself if there are ways I can make any activity better for the environment. I bring my own bags to the grocery, walk to errands when possible, and save my food scraps for the food and yard waste. That being said, I also like beautiful things and sometimes being eco-friendly and wanting things that are beautiful can be a touch combo. Does buying eco-friendly always mean hemp and patchouli? If I am decorating my house, does this mean everything will be used and battered in order to be eco-friendly? I don’t think it does and so started my quest for eco-chic products, real estate, home design, and more.

What is eco-chic? Simply put – it is the combination of environment and modern beauty. It is things that serve a practical need and consider the environment when being produced while allowing one to show their personal style. I have seen it defined more along the lines of trendiness and environment but I beg to differ. I don’t think it is shallow or self-indulgent to want to things to be well-made and beautiful. I don’t want eco-chic things because it affects my social status or because I am looking for personal validation or acceptance. I just believe that I shouldn’t have to sacrifice my personal style or the look of my surroundings in order to be more eco-friendly. I hope you will join me on my quest for all things eco-chic. Please send me you suggestions and comments!

Warmest Regards,
Tracy