Hotel Felix Celebrates LEED Silver Status

Hotel Felix is extremely proud to be the first hotel in Chicago to earn the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™ (LEED) Silver certification for commercial interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

To celebrate this monumental achievement and simultaneously kick off Earth Month on Friday, April 1, Hotel Felix welcomed NBC’s Environmental Reporter Ginger Zee and First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment Josh Milberg to unveil the LEED Silver certification with Hotel Felix General Manager George Jordan. The evening buzzed with excitement as members of Chicago’s green community gathered to mingle and sip on organic cocktails in celebration of Hotel Felix’ environmental achievements.

Pictured left to right: George Jordan, Hotel Felix General Manager, Ginger Zee, NBC 5 Environmental Reporter and Josh Milberg, First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment.

Pictured left to right: Josh Milberg, First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment, Ginger Zee, NBC 5 Environmental Reporter and George Jordan, Hotel Felix General Manager.

NBC 5's Ginger Zee addresses the crowd

Pictured left to right: George Jordan, Hotel Felix General Manager, Ginger Zee, NBC 5 Environmental Reporter and Josh Milberg, First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment.

Pictured left to right: Josh Milberg, First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment, Ginger Zee, NBC 5 Environmental Reporter and George Jordan, Hotel Felix General Manager.

Happy Earth Month from Hotel Felix and Happy Naturally!

Sustainable Shopping

One delicious way to go green is to support your local farmers and buy your groceries from them. This Saturday, grab some reusable grocery bags and head down to the Green City Market for fresh, in-season fruits, veggies, and more. Chicago’s only year round farmer’s market, the Green City Market, is located in the South Gallery of The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and is open from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Image credit: Green City Market

To up the green ante, opt for public transportation. You can take the following CTA bus routes to Green City market: 22 Clark, 36 Broadway, 76 Diversey, 151 Sheridan, 156 LaSalle. The closest train stop is the Fullerton Brown, Purple, and Red line (walk east on Fullerton to the Museum). Alternately, free parking is available at the Diversey Harbor Parking lot across from the Museum on North Cannon Drive.

Image credit: Green City Market

Spring Blooms at Navy Pier

Image credit: Chicago Flower & Garden Show

The Chicago Flower & Garden Show (Navy Pier, March 5-13, Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.) kicks off tomorrow and serves as a welcome reminder that spring is indeed on it’s way. Splashes of color and beauty will abound as the top landscape designers in the Midwest interpret their variations of this year’s theme, “The Sport of Gardening”.

Image credit: Chicago Flower & Garden Show

Although flowers are certainly the main focus, the show will also include cooking demonstrations, free daily educational seminars (including one on organic gardening), and activities geared towards kids like bug exhibits and a lesson on the science of worm composting. There will even be a Marketplace on site where guests can peruse and purchase everything from organic furniture and solar technology to organic wine and natural herbs.

Image credit: Chicago Flower & Garden Show

Tickets for adult weekday are $17, weekend $15, children $5 (age 4-12) for weekday/weekend and can be purchased here. If you’re as ready for spring as we are, we’ll see you there. Don’t forget to share your beautiful photos on our Facebook page!

Hotel Felix’s Green Efforts

Hotel Felix strives to offer a relaxing, fun boutique hotel experience while still being mindful of the environment.  Some of this was inherent in the hotel’s design, for example, Hotel Felix is a preserved building structure (the ultimate recycle!), and has a natural northern exposure that reduces energy usage.

Here are a few other things we do and are working on to ensure the eco-friendliness of the hotel:

Our Lobby

• Hotel Felix is a 100% smoke free building.
• The front desk is paperless to reduce waste.
• We offer organic, local Metropolis coffee and tea for our visitors.
• Newspapers offered in lobby daily with limited supply to reduce waste.
• Trash cans pending that contain a place for recyclables.

Our Rooms

• The carpets in each guest room are made of recycled material.
• Motion-sensored heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems cut down on waste.
• Water waste reduction valves in the guest bathrooms save about 1 million gallons of water/year.
• Our linen reuse program is slightly different than other hotels in that we only change linens by guest request, which saves about 45K gallons of water and 325 gallons detergent a year.
• All of the chemicals used for cleaning rooms and linens are eco-friendly; there is no bleach used.

Our Spa/Fitness Center

• Eco-friendly products are used for spa services.
• The spa features decorative walls made of recycled material and bamboo flooring.
• Our fitness room has recycled flooring.
• The cups and wipes of the fitness room are recyclable.

Other Stuff

• The hotel utilizes low energy-use lighting throughout the building.
• The meeting rooms and business center have eco-friendly cork floors.

The overall cost of maintaining the hotel about 3-4% higher because of these environmentally-friendly initiatives, but it is well worth making sure we are doing what we can to help our planet stay good and healthy for a long, long time!

Green link roundup

photo credit : dirk gently : flickr

As a Silver LEED certified hotel, Hotel Felix knows you can have a relaxing, fun hotel experience while still being mindful of the environment.  Here are a few other cool websites and blogs that discuss how to maintain an eco-friendly lifestyle:

Traveling greener (http://www.travelinggreener.com)

Blog about green travel news, trends and information.

Green Bride Guide (http://greenbrideguide.com)

A companion to The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth Friendly Wedding on Any Budget, the Green Bride Guide is a resource for eco-friendly wedding ideas, product and services. Especially check out the Green Bride Starter Kit.

Fig+Sage (http://figandsage.com)

Fig+Sage provides recommendations and reviews of eco-friendly products to help readers find “truly pure, stylish and low-impact goods.”

The Green Connoisseur (http://www.thegreenconnoisseur.com/blog)

The Green Connoisseur blogs about high-end goods and services that are green and sustainable.

GreenLuxury (http://greenluxury.com)

GreenLuxury is a social network created for green minded consumers.

Rockin’ in the Green World (http://www.rockin-green.org)

Rockin’ in the Green World is a green resource for music lovers. It features news on artists’ latest eco-ventures, recs for eco-friendly products and instruments, and more.

RecycleBox (http://www.officefrog.com/blog)

The RecycleBox was created as a social hub for workers to gather and share how to make the workplace more eco-friendly.

The Chic Ecologist (http://www.thechicecologist.com)

Started by an ecologist, the Chic Ecologist blog promotes green living by covering the latest in green design, eco-friendly products and environmental news.

Ecobunga! (http://www.ecobunga.com)

Ecobunga! is a comprehensive directory of giveaways and deals on green products and services, including sweepstakes, contests, coupons, rebates, sales, etc.

Amaze Magazine (http://amaze-magazine.com)

Amaze is a monthly online e-magazine that focuses on green living.

Mindful Metropolis (http://www.mindfulmetropolis.com)

This website/magazine is a great resource for eco-friendly activities and events around the Chicago area.

Have a rec for another great green website or blog?  Leave a comment and let us know!

One of a Kind Show (Dec 2-5)

December has arrived, which means it’s time to find the perfect gift for everyone on your shopping list.  If you are in Chicago this weekend and looking for gift-giving inspiration, try the 10th Annual One of a Kind Show and Sale at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart happening this Thursday, December 2 to Sunday, December 5.

Featuring the unique creations of over 600 artists, from furniture to fashion to gourmet gifts, the One of a Kind Show and Sale also includes handmade and eco-friendly products.  For example, Abbey Brown Soap Artisan uses fair trade ingredients and locally grown organic herbs in its products.  All of the packaging is also done in house by hand.  Here is photo of one of their signature soaps:

Abbey Brown Signature Soap (http://abbeybrown.com)

Another artist featured at the One of a Kind Show and Sale, David Stine, uses only native hardwoods harvested from Stine’s family’s forests in Dow, Illinois.

David Stine Woodworking (Stinewoodworking.com)

To view the show’s artist directory and for ticket information, visit the One of a Kind Show and Sale website at http://www.oneofakindshowchicago.com.

Mapplr reviews Hotel Felix

Check it out!  Mapplr, the travel website for luxury boutique hotels and travel guides, has recommended Hotel Felix as a fun, eco-friendly place to stay during your travels to Chicago.

Read the rec here:  Hotel Felix: intimate eco-friendly boutique hotel in Chicago

Hotel Felix in the news

As we previously mentioned on our blog, Hotel Felix has recently gained Silver LEED status for Green Design.

We are thrilled to report TerraCurve, the guide to responsible travel, has taken notice and written about our Silver LEED certification.  Read the article here: “Chicago hotel earns Silver for being Green”

Hotel Felix is also featured as a Green Hotel on the City of Chicago’s Official Tourism Site. Take a look.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction, and operation for green buildings. Read more about LEED certification at the U.S. Green Building Council website.

What’s your score?

Sure, you reduce, reuse, and recycle, but are you curious about how your other day-to-day activities are impacting the environment? LowImpactLiving.com has created a neat Environmental Impact Calculator to help you gauge your current environmental impact.

Photo Credit: Low Impact Living

Explains the site, the calculator “shows not only the carbon footprint but also energy, water, wastewater, trash, and stormwater runoff footprints of your home and lifestyle. In addition, it recommends projects based on your specific inputs that can save you money, reduce your environmental impact, or in many cases both at the same time.”

The calculator also gives a Low Impact Living Index™ score, which compares your home’s activities to the average environmental impacts of a home in your region.

Try it out here:  Environmental Impact and Carbon Footprint Calculator

Hotel Felix Gains Silver LEED Status for Green Design

We have some great (green) news to share. Hotel Felix has been recognized for its environmental efforts and received official notification of its certification as a Silver LEED Hotel, making it the first hotel in Chicago to earn this prestigious status. This high level of certification is earned when a building performs in several key areas, including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

Hotel Felix meets LEED standards for its adaptive reuse of an existing urban structure, convenient access to public transportation, and the use of green materials throughout, such as recycled content in the corridor and guestroom carpet, and bamboo and cork flooring in the public areas.

LEED certification was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in an effort to promote sustainable design and construction practices. LEED certification is world-renowned and is the most prestigious achievement in sustainable building. We are pleased to be recognized with Silver certification status for our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. This year alone, over one million gallons of water will be saved through our water reduction program.

We’d like to express a special thank you to our guests for helping us achieve this monumental goal. We remain committed to lessening our environmental impact, while also providing an upscale and intimate luxury hotel experience for our guests.

Come and see how we are making a Silver LEED Certified difference!