ECO-FRIENDLY BUSINESS AS USUAL

BY MARCIE TAYLOR

The City of Huntington Beach is blessed with so many gifts from mother nature including the ocean, fertile soil for our green parks, and the constant Mediterranean climate. Protecting the environment is a priority for those who live and do business here. As climate change continues to a ect our lives, it’s important to support sustainability. Here are a few local businesses that have successfully incorporated ecofriendly practices into their daily operations, including an organic soapmaker, a seafood restaurant, a salon, and even a hotel.

MELEESA THE SALON

IN THEIR ELEMENT

Founded in 1993 by Scott and Faith Freeman, Primal Elements (18062 Redondo Circle, Huntington Beach, primalelements.com) is a family-owned and -operated business that manufactures handmade soap, body care, and home fragrance products. “[Being eco-friendly] has been an important mission for us,” says its current president Mitchell Freeman. “Our industry is focused on sustainable products, so when the question came to us about creating a sustainable work environment, we felt this would be best for the company, our employees, and our customers.” Primal Elements’ products are not tested on animals, contain no animal ingredients, and use recyclable packaging. When asked why his family decided to open a business in HB, he says: “[It has] been my home since the 1970s. It is a fabulous place to live and a great place to work. We get our inspiration from the Huntington Beach lifestyle.”

With a tagline of “Sustainable Beauty Vibes,” Meleesa the Salon (21501 Brookhurst St., Ste. E, Huntington Beach, meleesathesalon. com) was founded in 2005 by industry professional Meleesa Luna with a mission to “incorporate radiant health, sustainable practices, and a holistic approach to on-trend styling.” Some of its green practices include donating hair clippings for oil spill cleanups; recycling/repurposing hair foils, color tubes, paper, plastic, glass, and spa waste; diverting hair dyes from going down the drain; and using clean, vegan, and cruelty-free products.

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

Slapfish (19696 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, slapfishrestaurant. com) started out as a food truck in the mid-aughts and grew into a seafood restaurant chain with 26 locations all over the world, serving only sustainable seafood. “We buy our seafood as close to the source as possible in order to both cut out the middleman and ensure we are procuring the most well-managed, sustainable seafood,” says Andrew Gruel, chef and founder of the modern seafood shack, whose flagship store is at Huntington Beach’s Newland Center. “Our goal is to get people to eat more of the right types of seafood by keeping our food ridiculously fresh and refreshingly responsible.” And what makes Surf City USA so perfect for his restaurant’s mission? “No one is better at stewarding our ocean than ocean lovers—surfers especially,” says Gruel. “People in HB understand what it means to move a sustainable life in harmony with the ocean and the marine ecosystem.”

BREATHTAKING AND ECO-FRIENDLY

The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa (21500 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, hyatt.com) is not only a gorgeous home away from home for many Surf City USA visitors, but it also has high marks from California’s Green Lodging Program. At the “Leadership Level,” the second highest level of the program, the hotel scores well in recycling, energy e iciency, freshwater resource management, and hazardous materials management. Its eco-friendly practices include minimizing energy outputs by using electricity only as needed in rooms and meeting spaces, as well as recycling materials such as cooking oil, batteries, light bulbs, glass, aluminum, and even the crayons used by kids in the restaurants. To encourage water conservation, towels and linens are changed every three days, and low-flow showerheads, sink aerators, and toilet tank diverters are also in place.

BRING YOUR OWN

Started in nearby Long Beach in 2017, BYO Huntington Beach (714 Adams Ave., Ste. 106, byolongbeach.com) is a local resource for refilling non-toxic household cleaning products and personal care products. Sharing a space with Plants by Yours on Adams Avenue, BYO Huntington Beach encourages customers to bring their own container to help reduce the number of single-use plastics that enter the city’s waste stream. “[We’re] here to help make small steps that have a big impact on our community and our planet,” says owner Julie Darrell. “Our goal is to help keep our oceans and beaches clean by o ering alternatives like beeswax food wraps, reusable utensils, to-go containers…and so much more.”

SLAPFISH

BYO HUNTINGTON BEACH

BY JOE KATCHKA