Going Green at The Dana
San Diego is a city known for offering so much pristine nature, from Torrey Pines Nature Reserve’s eponymous trees (the rarest native pines in America) to the fields of chaparral at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve — and here at The Dana, we’re proud to be a part of preserving this beautiful landscape. Read on to learn about our farm-to-table dining program and some of the other ways we’re going green.
Farm-to-Table Dining
You may have already known that Firefly Eatery & Bar is dog-friendly (pooches receive not only a fresh bowl of water, but a filet-mignon dog biscuit) — but did you know that the restaurant is eco-friendly, too? Our chefs source produce from our private kitchen garden when making their mouthwatering dishes, such as vegetable soup and vegan paella. In addition, choose from rotating kombucha flavors available on our 20-tap tower.
Lush, Tropical Landscaping
Our own lush and tropical landscape frequently garners praise from guests. In an effort to invite further discussion about the abundant plant life, we’ve even rolled out signage throughout the grounds displaying each plant’s name and information.
Yoga
One of the best ways to soak up San Diego scenery and harmonize with nature is arguably practicing yoga somewhere along Mission Bay — and we’re proud to offer this amenity as well. Complimentary yoga sessions will be returning to the property in May 2020, with mats, blocks, and expert instruction provided.
On-Property Best Practices
We do everything we can to incorporate sustainability best practices into our on-property operations. Take a look at the full rundown of our sustainability practices:
- We use low energy light bulbs in guest rooms, public areas, and employee areas.
- We’ve installed light sensors for areas that are infrequently used.
- We educate our staff to turn off lights and turn down heating/air conditioning when rooms are unoccupied.
- We use window drapes in offices to lower heating and cooling loads.
- We provide recycling baskets for newspaper, white paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard, and plastic in guest rooms.
- We provide recycling bins both in public areas, kitchen, and in the back office to make recycling as easy as possible.
- We buy office and guest amenity products that contain recycled material.
- We buy organic, fair trade, cruelty-free guest amenity products whenever possible, such as bedding, hair and body products, coffee and tea, etc.
- We use recycled paper products (with high post-consumer recycled content) that are either unbleached or bleached using a chlorine-free process.
- We use non-toxic or least toxic cleaners, sanitizers, paints, pesticides, etc. throughout the hotel. We make sure all chemicals are stored safely in a well-ventilated area.
- We purchase “Energy Star” appliances when replacing old washing machines, with both water and energy conserving models.
- We provide our guests with bicycle rentals, walking maps, and information on public transportation.
- We use daylight for as much of the day as possible in our lobby, restaurants, and offices.
- We buy locally grown food to provide fresh produce for our guests (in addition to our Firefly Garden).
- We monitor energy and water use to make repairs or replace equipment when a problem is indicated.
- We will be switching all the small plastic amenities (shampoo/conditioner, etc.) to dispensers in the showers soon.
- We are completely paperless in both our Sales Department and Human Resources Department.
- We send all of our Firefly Eatery & Bar menus and collateral digitally and have reduced our printing by 75%.