San Luis Obispo County, also called “SLO CAL,” is positioned alongside the coast of California, roughly equidistant from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Not solely does this location make for straightforward entry from main cities and an incredible choice for weekend or day journeys, however it’s a excellent year-round vacation spot that averages 315 days of sunshine yearly. Between the attractive seashores, rolling countryside, and small-town appeal, SLO CAL has one thing for everybody. Listed here are 5 methods to discover the realm sustainably.
The highest beer producer in SLO CAL is “brewing for the longer term.” Firestone-Walker has been a pacesetter in clear craft brewing because it opened again in 1996. For the five hundred,000+ barrels of beer it brews yearly, Firestone-Walker makes use of renewable vitality by way of a 10-acre photo voltaic array that strikes with the solar. This alone offsets 3,000 metric tons of carbon emissions yearly. They order practically all of their grains in bulk to remove packaging waste, and repurpose or recuperate 10,000 tons of spent grains every year, primarily by feeding native livestock. And whereas it is true that brewing beer requires numerous water, Firestone-Walker does in order sustainably and responsibly as attainable. The corporate invests in native reservoir sourcing, recycles water by way of a customized water reuse system, and treats water onsite to return to the native aquifer — conserving greater than 40 million gallons every year.
Guests to the Firestone-Walker campus in Paso Robles can style a big selection of the corporate’s pioneering brews within the Taproom, together with a satisfying menu of elevated pub grub. Guide a tour to see the interior workings of the operation, together with loads of behind-the-scenes areas that spotlight Firestone-Walker’s dedication to sustainability.
Whereas MICHELIN awarded The Restaurant at JUSTIN Winery a coveted star in 2022, it additionally awarded a MICHELIN Inexperienced Star, which honors eating places that meet the best requirements of sustainability. That makes JUSTIN the one vineyard in america to obtain each stars — and a bucket-list expertise for anybody taken with eating nicely and eating responsibly.
Chef Rachel Haggstrom and her group supply an amazing 95 p.c of substances for the restaurant from their very own property and from native purveyors. They pull from a 26-acre property backyard that features 150 fruit bushes, edible flower fields, greens, herbs, and an apiary. Doing so retains the problem recent for Haggstrom, who crafts her multi-course menu based mostly virtually solely on what’s obtainable. Every dish will be paired with JUSTIN’s legendary Bordeaux-style wines, constituted of grapes grown completely in SLO CAL.
Sit again and benefit from the best in solar-powered leisure. The three-screen Palm Theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo has been a beacon of arthouse and different cinema in SLO CAL for the reason that Nineteen Seventies, along with movie festivals and particular occasions. In 2004, house owners Jim and Patty Dee harnessed the solar’s vitality by putting in 98 photo voltaic panels on the roof of the theater, making it the primary cinema in america to function absolutely on solar energy. Within the projection room, the Palm has transformed absolutely to digital media to reduce losing vitality and different sources. Audiophiles love that the Palm has 5.1 Dolby sound in all three screens. (Earth-lovers additionally respect that they companion with Dolby, an organization that intends to make use of 100% renewable vitality by 2025.) The Dees have additionally added white roofing to reduce vitality consumption, which passively stabilizes its temperature and retains the theater cool and cozy, even on scorching days. Do not forget the popcorn! The Palm gives one of the best deal on popcorn anyplace in SLO CAL. It tastes even higher realizing it is made with free vitality.
Of the 250 wineries that make up SLO CAL wine nation, 50 properties are certified sustainable. Whether or not the vineyard has a Regenerative Natural certification, Biodynamic certification, is licensed natural or LEED-certified, these 50 companies prioritize their dedication to sustainability. Contemplate selecting your wine-tasting locations based mostly on eco-friendliness. Good spots to hit embrace Tablas Creek Vineyard & Winery in Paso Robles, a pioneer within the regenerative farming motion who make use of goats to graze down their cowl crops, chickens to fertilize, and biodynamic options for protecting the winery wholesome. Within the SLO Coast Wine area, Chamisal Winery in San Luis Obispo has made big strides to cut back its carbon footprint and play to the strengths of its pure sources. In 2020, the vineyard planted a rapid-growth Miyawaki forest to sequester carbon emissions; Chamisal additionally maintains a wholesome inhabitants of predatory birds to handle undesirable pests, and has fully ended its use of herbicides in favor of utilizing cowl crops and biodynamic measures. And at Laetitia Vineyard & Winery in Arroyo Grande, a powerful ecosystem consists of water reclamation, compost re-use, and offering owl bins for pure predators of pests. The corporate additionally ensures that every one workers obtain complete advantages packages (that are, sadly, not the norm for a lot of agricultural employees) to steward their human sources in addition to their pure ones.
In the event you actually wish to help green-minded leaders in SLO CAL, store small. Each greenback you spend locally of SLO CAL Crafted companies goes proper again into the native economic system. Likelihood is, these artisans care about defending pure sources, too! Take a look at Life Elements in Atascadero, a bath and body shop whose merchandise are wrapped in mushroom-based packaging. At Maven Leather in Cayucos, founder Emma Thieme fashions purses, wallets, belts, guitar straps and journals from scraps known as “rescued hides,” which might in any other case go unused. WildHouse Paper based mostly in San Luis Obispo sources paper that meets a wide range of excessive sustainability requirements, and crops a tree for each order made. And at Morro Bay Oyster Company, combating local weather change is a necessity for the way forward for the enterprise; the company combats each haste and waste by harvesting solely after 12 months, and by hand sorting each oyster earlier than it reaches the shopper.