Green hotels are nothing new in San Francisco. Green Travel Hub lists over 30 hotels that offer various green practices ranging from recycling, reusing, and conserving to providing organic food and discounts for travellers driving hybrid cars. But now there's a new hotel in town aiming to out green them all. Although, to be honest, it's not all that new.

In its previous life, it was known as the Hotel Britton. But since its transformation by the Joie de Vivre boutique hotel chain from something old and rundown into something new, vibrant, and very, very green, it goes by a new name - Good Hotel. Good by name and good by nature. So good, in fact, that it's being promoted as the first hotel with a conscience, complete with a "philanthropy concierge" to help guest help others.

Interested guests, with time to spare, are hooked up with One Brick, a nonprofit group that needs volunteers to help restore wetlands or assist at food banks or other charity events. Plus, there's opportunity to participate in a carbon offset program to minimize the environmental impact of your stay.

The philanthropy theme continues in the hotel's business center with One Laptop Per Child computers (for each computer purchased by the hotel, a companion computer is directly shipped to needy children in developing countries).

From top to ...Read More

Lace abounds for fall and winter, and while I want to embrace the fabric, I find that too often designers just don’t get it right. While veteran houses such as Dolce & Gabbana (shown above - sadly, not green) frequently hit the mark, the up-and-comers frequently fall short. I prefer lace as an accent in subtle detail versus overt sex ...Read More

A designer named Chris Lindland has just sent me a press pitch for his clothing line. Chris would like you to know that it is Pants Awareness Month. O rly?

"Every autumn, millions of American men tragically go pantless while their fellow citizens turn a blind eye. This is the terrible affliction known as Pantlessteria -- more ...Read More

It’s early Sunday morning in late November and I don’t want to leave the cuddly warmth of my down duvet. If I had special powers I would wiggle my nose and a handsome prince would appear with a cup of hot coffee and the New YorkTimes. But since my nose doesn’t wiggle that way, I crawl out from under the covers and head toward the ...Read More

         

As usual, there’s a lot of chatter in the fashion world, and this week, we’ve got a lot going on. From the Hayden-Harnett Collection for Target to a glamorous vacation at the site of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, our ...Read More

Once upon a time, cows lived in pastures and grazed on grass, living a life that was as quiet and peaceful as their bovine nature. But then, somebody discovered that feeding cattle cheap, subsidized corn would fatten them up two to three times as fast as grass and that you could raise hundreds of cattle in the same pastoral space that would only ...Read More

My name is Luanne and I'm a webaholic. Okay, now you say "Hi, Luanne" cause you should probably be in a meeting, too.

If you're like me, you'd wear a cyber patch if there was one on the market. For instance, right now the old cat is howling cause she's starving and craving her morning salmon, but I'm busy writing this blog so she'll ...Read More

For those of you who are culinary artists (and I’m quick to admit that I’m not one of them), feast your eyes on this: the G Living Network's entire section devoted to the “Organic Gourmet Food Lifestyle” including featured chefs, videos, recipes and articles.

Maybe ...Read More

As global warming delivers temperatures in the high 80s around much of the lower U.S., you may not want to pack up the picnic basket and hunker down for cabin living just yet.

I'd rather embrace the butterflies, since there are so many lovely patterns and accents to keep us connected to the prettiest garden bug we know. Inside or out, ...Read More

As green and lean as my diet may be, I have one bad habit that I simply can't kick: soda. But, to tell you the truth, I don't go to any lengths to hide my sugary beverage obsession. In fact, it's more the opposite. I carry it in my hand for all to see, wear it on my sleeve (with my cozy Pepsi t-shirt) and now I can hang it on my tree, too.
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