Sustainability the Two Bunch Palms Way

Two Bunch Palms (Desert Hot Springs, CA) continues to provide a shining example of sustainable spa operations. The property is stepping it up yet another notch with an extensive renovation to be completed next year, so we asked general manager John Trudeau to share what he’s learned about going green and what sustainable initiatives make the most impact. Here are his tips:

  • Reduce Water Use. We discovered within the past few years that while the property is blessed with natural hot springs that literally bubble to the surface, we have a sincere obligation to capture as much as possible and ensure we are not wasting public supply.  During our recent round of property improvements, we replaced grassy areas with a substantial amount of drought-resistant and tolerant flora and fauna, requiring significantly less irrigation.  This investment of sustainable landscaping is part of a long term (30-year) propagation plan.
  • Carbon-Neutral Electricity. In being carbon neutral for electricity, we have a net-metering agreement requiring all the electricity generated by our four-acre solar field be sent directly to the grid. Then, we take electricity directly from the grid to satisfy our demand.  The amount of electricity we produce exceeds our need, making us carbon neutral and making a big difference for the environment.
  • Build Green. A sizable quantity of natural and eco-friendly building materials were appointed in guest room refurbishments for both the Soulstice Room upgrade of 2014 and Springside Room upgrade of 2016, another example of an exceptional efforts towards maintaining sustainability.
  • Eat Local. With our farm-to-table restaurant food-sourcing-philosophy, several foods we use are locally grown right in Coachella Valley, obtained and served in the restaurant.  These include several types of citrus, several varieties of herbs and greens, Medjool dates, all types of tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes, garlic, almonds, olives & avocadoes.
  • Commit. While it is becoming increasingly trendy to practice sustainability, Two Bunch Palms has been committed to this cause for years and is ahead of the curve. Our commitment makes the difference. What we have learned is our guests appreciate this beyond measure, are vocal about issues and ideas and are passionate about living life with the same sustainable commitment.