An Eco-Chic Home Away From Home
By Ahmed Mori
Originally published in Z!NK Magazine
In the 1960s and ’70s, a gang of tie-dyed moralists cast enough stones to produce an eco-conscious ripple across American society, helping to catalyze the Environmental Protection Agency, the Green Party and other enduring green-friendly initiatives. Since then, the guise of green politics has evolved into the clean cut posterity of scruffy rebels, primped up in light of corporate standards to the point where the difference between Jerry and Andy Garcia became irrelevant. During the voyage from dashikis to eco-chic, the communes of Merry Prankster-lore have undergone an analogous makeover, turning over savvy efforts to make living accommodations as green as possible in response to contemporary economic and environmental conditions.
In 2006, renowned hotel chain Westin Hotels & Resorts unveiled the concept for Element, a large-scale green-friendly initiative aiming to transfigure the extended-stay market. Element is reportedly the first hotel brand in the country to require Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for all properties, which mandates buildings lower operating costs through efficient use of water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and trim down waste sent to landfills. As of 2010, LEED-certified Element locations have sprung up in cities like Las Vegas, Houston and Lexington, MA.
While skeptics have targeted similar green commercial endeavors in the past, the concept for Element delves beyond the lime green façade of corporate ‘greenspeak’. Westin’s new line of boutique hotels is Zen friendly and smartly designed, incorporating multi-purpose spaces to maximize space and minimize energy expenditure. However, Element’s naturally lit lobbies, complimentary Rise breakfast bar, fashionable happy hours, gargantuan Motion fitness centers and modular furniture don’t resemble the hemp-laden home décor found at a squatter-friendly green hostel tucked away in an East Berlin neighborhood.
Email me to read more, or purchase Z!NK Magazine’s November 2010 issue.
Ahmed Mori 