LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Soul Community Planet (SCP), the Holistic Hospitality company founded on the values of wellness, social good and sustainability, today announced that it has reached several milestones in its efforts to make restorative travel a reality. These include achieving its company-wide Net Zero Waste goal for 2022, achieving a new EarthCheck standard and launching the new Pristine Playa program on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.
SCP exceeds 2022 net zero waste target
In 2022, SCP achieved higher waste efficiency, with about one pound of landfill waste generated per occupied room—less than half the estimated industry average. During the same time period, SCP’s regenerative programs have resulted in approximately 2.5 pounds of waste recovery and carbon sequestration per occupied room. As a result, SCP estimates it has achieved net negative waste of approximately 1.5 pounds per occupied room companywide by 2022.
“We have made solid progress towards our goal of making regenerative travel a reality for our guests. After a lot of detailed, difficult and unpleasant work – for example, sorting and weighing our compost production – we learned a lot about how to improve waste efficiency. Thanks to the focus and hard work of the SCP team, all of our hotels have implemented prudent reduce, reuse, recycle programs. Accounting for offsets, such as the carbon sequestered by the trees and kelp we plant, and the ocean waste we recover through programs like Pristine Makai in Hawaii—and now Pristine Playa in Costa Rica—we’re currently exceeding our Net Zero Waste goal ,” said Soul. Community Planet Founder and CEO Ken Cruse. “That said, our ultimate goal is to achieve virtually zero solid waste per guest stay, regardless of carbon offsets and waste recovery. That’s a lofty goal , but accessible, as most of the solid waste generated by hotels is unnecessary food waste and packaging.”
SCP Redmond Achieves EarthCheck Recognition
SCP also announced today that SCP Redmond Hotel has achieved Bronze reference recognition through EarthCheck, the world’s leading business advisory group specializing in sustainability and destination management for the travel and tourism industry. SCP Redmond is the first property in Oregon to be rated by EarthCheck and the second SCP hotel to receive this recognition.
EarthCheck has identified SCP Redmond and SCP Hilo as regional leaders in energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and community contributions.
“Travelers want to have a positive impact on the places they visit. EarthCheck helps ensure that we are implementing proven sustainability, efficiency and social programs with a high degree of accountability. We are proud of our relationship with EarthCheck as they hold us to a very high standard. This relationship reflects our solid commitment to being a leader in regenerative travel,” said Cruse.
SCP Hotels’ EarthCheck certification is done in two stages including Benchmarking – the quantitative assessment of a property’s environmental and social performance, and then Certification – the verification of these standards by an independent third-party approved EarthCheck Auditor. While the full process can often take many months, SCP Redmond and SCP Hilo are expected to achieve Certified Silver status in 2023.
In addition to SCP Redmond and Hilo, all other SCP properties undergoing the process to be certified by EarthCheck include Salishan Coast Lodge in Gleneden Beach, Ore.; and newly acquired properties in Laguna Beach (SCP Laguna Beach and SCP Seven4One), SCP Mendocino Inn and Farm, and the company’s first international property, SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge in Costa Rica.
SCP launches Pristine Playa Program
SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge’s new Pristine Playa program, in partnership with Fundación Corcovado and modeled after SCP Hilo’s successful Pristine Makai program on the Big Island of Hawaii, will help keep the adjacent Corcovado National Park natural, nice and free of ocean debris. The Pristine Playa program, which will be part of SCP’s Every Stay Does Good program, is expected to recover more ocean waste from the shores of Corcovado National Park than will be generated by the already waste-efficient SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge. Additionally, the program will provide income for economically challenged residents of the Osa community.
“The first time we visited Corcovado National Park, we were amazed by the intensity of its flora and fauna and its spectacular natural coastline. Sadly, we were also struck by the amount of ocean debris (mainly from foreign fishing vessels) that had washed up on its shores,” Cruse said. “Unfortunately, Corcovado National Park – which is home to 3% of the world’s biodiversity and which the National Geographic Society designated as the most biologically intensive place in the world—it simply lacks the resources to conduct regular cleanups.Through the Pristine Playa program, every guest visit to SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge will help fund our efforts to simultaneously addressing two critical issues by providing much-needed income to economically challenged Osa Peninsula residents and helping to keep Corcovado National Park free of ocean debris. As a result, the new Pristine Playa program will be a very solid step forward to make the trip to SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge truly restorative.”
SCP announced its commitment to achieving Net Zero Waste in 2022 and has since continuously added sustainability and regenerative travel programs to help travelers leave the places they visit better than they were before.
About Soul Community Planet
Based in Laguna Beach, California, Soul Community Planet (SCP) was born out of a vision to make the world a better place by serving those who value wellness, kindness and sustainability. As the first and only Holistic Hospitality company, SCP’s handcrafted venues offer clean, fresh, energy-efficient, low-waste accommodations, plant-based food choices, places to socialize, collaborate, and work, along with experiences superior welfare. SCP’s nine hotels include SCP Colorado Springs, SCP Redmond (Ore.), SCP Depoe Bay (Ore.), SCP Hilo, SCP Seven4One, Laguna Riviera Resort, SCP Mendocino Inn and Farm, Salishan Coastal Lodge by SCP Hotels and SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge. SCP supports a variety of causes that share its vision through its Every Stay Does Good program and by donating five percent of its profits to causes that align with its core values. For more information, visit scphotels.com.
