stateside | SAN FRANCISCO
Green Riches San Francisco builds a smarter, more sustainable city. BY RINA NEHDAR
PEDAL POWER: Cyclist in front of the Golden Gate Bridge
PHOTO: © RAFAEL BEN ARI - DREAMSTIME.COM
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SAN FRANCISCO NEVER FORGOT its big break came when a lumber miller found gold in the banks of the American River near Sutter’s Mill. Its natural harbor provided access to prospectors and traders to find riches there. Today San Francisco makes every effort to thank the Earth for its natural blessings by striving to become the most environmentally friendly city in the world. The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network gave San Francisco this top honor in its 2019 Leadership Report. Other organizations also recognized the city’s accomplishments. Boxed into 47 square miles, surrounded on three sides by water, San Francisco is a walking town. Visitors can stay in a hotel close to where they expect to spend most of their time. Those drawn to Pier 39 would do well to lodge at Hotel Zephyr, just a block from Fisherman’s Wharf. Hotel Zephyr worked hard to take care of its little piece of the planet by saving 398 trees during the four years of its operation. It’s
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APRIL 2020
also prevented and/or saved 9,648 pounds of air pollution; 114,252 gallons of water; 50.25 cubic yards of landfill; 6,246 gallons of gasoline; and 66,994 kilowatt-hours of energy. The décor around the hotel looks like a group of modern art students raided a recycling bin and unleashed their imagination with funky but utilitarian creations. Guests lounge around a firepit constructed from a tower of metal crates, play at a full-sized Ping Pong table set inside a concrete pipe, or lean against an actual shipping container inside the lobby. Bay View rooms offer balconies with clear sightlines to either Alcatraz Prison or Pier 39. Steps away, Pier 39 offers families, couples and friends an abundance of entertainment options. Grab a bite at the first restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf to serve 100 percent sustainable seafood, Fog Harbor Fish House, voted best clam chowder in the 2018 Wharf Fest Awards. Visit the Aquarium of the Bay, the only Smithsonianaffiliated aquarium in California, before it relocates and transforms into Bay Ecotarium, striving for LEED Platinum certification when it opens around 2024. The aquarium also helped found San Francisco Bay Area Sustainable Seafood Alliance and oversees the Sea Lion Center, which looks after the hundreds of sea lions hanging out at K-Dock. Take a walk to Pier 15 and marvel at more than 650 interactive exhibits at the LEED Platinum-certified Exploratorium, named one of the 10 coolest museums in the world by The New York Times.
