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The Frozen Music in Process
By Wen I Chang March, 2008
Just by driving cars, we produce more than 300,000,000 tons CO2 to the air each year. , The earth is warming up, the glacier is melting. Together with many other environmental problems and complications, for the first time in the history of earth evolution, there is one species, and one species alone, control its own fate as well as control the fate of all other species. We are at the cross road. Are we going to do “business as usual”? Or are we going to have the courage to make a shift from the mind set of separateness to the mind set of oneness with the nature? Aristotle’s either/or logic – tertium-non-dartur dominated the Western thinking for the last 2300 years. Good/evil; heaven/hell; profit and the earth never come together. However, just simply looking back the ancient Eastern wisdom, the middle way, the blind spot of the West, according to Carl Jong, will harmonize the duality of opposite force. Through the middle way, it also teaches us who is in the environmental crisis (危機 WEI CHI), it embraces two opposite forces into one – (1) danger (WEI), (2) opportunity (CHI). Adapting this concept, we can have a business while taking care of the environment and social responsibility while enjoying profit – a carryout execution we call it triple bottom line.
At first, it is difficult for me. As one of the fore-front green hotel developers, I was navigating through the uncharted water, while seeing many of the green consultants having their own trial and error learning curve. The uninformed banker said they wanted to finance only the franchise hotel. For the good of the earth and for the next generation I have to march on despite all the uncertainty.
LEED offers a performance orientated rating system. It is a stringent and fair for those people who really like to pursue for green, the certificate is like the college diploma – a final recognition on achievement. Yet, in my naive heart I always thought whatever it is good for the earth should be included in my hotel. For example, the swan lake that creates the emotional connection as well as for the migration birds; the mural showing the wetland scene representing our respect for the local pride; the vineyard in post-impressionistic pointillist approach that shows one of the ten greatest thinking points of the late 20th century – non linearity of the nature; the message package, including biological names for each room rather than just numbers, and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth inside the room; the kiosk system that shows how we created 10+% of energy, saving energy 14% through smart design, using wind power for the rest of 76%, saving 50% CO2 from going to the air and of course 75 additional green items can be learned from the touch screen kiosk. All and all, they are either received no points or just indirectly enhance the chance in the LEED point or receive no LEED points. In listening to my heart, I thought it will be a good idea to have them all. In GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa in Shasta County, the listening – to-the-heart part go even further. I totally redesigned the site plan, resulted in the loss of twenty-three parking spaces after finding out one ugly elderberry tree habitat with some near extinct bugs; keeping 2/3 of the big trees for the oxygen production and cooling the buildings; a reconnection circle for people to spend evening together young and old; performers or audience; local residents or travelers from afar. David Reisman’s “the lonely crowd” prompted me to have such design.
In 21st century, travelers are hunger for the new experience. My green hotels’ offering new experience can be typified by one instant. A senior lady from New York blamed the front desk of GAIA Napa Valley Hotel “You are a green hotel, why in the world you wasted so much energy by lighting up the lobby so bright”. After I explained to her that “The light was from the solar tube defusing into even light that is free from the sun”. She responded with kind of apologized and satisfied tone “Oh! You have reduced my guilt!” Whatever either reducing the guilt or immersing travelers’ into other green learning experience, they would dare to dream journeying back to our human brothers’ collective true nature – oneness with nature.
Being a true green hotel developer, beyond LEED, is a dualistic harmony of left brain (reason) and right brain (rhyme). American travelers would like to see a hotel with heart (green) and hotel with lifestyle elements (beauty). A beautiful architecture described by Goethe as frozen music.
When we fulfill travelers’ need of such harmony, our hotel will be no longer just a place to stay/to sleep, it will become a place, a journey, a dream™.
In developing GAIA Napa Valley Hotel, the additional cost for the green was 12-15%. In developing GAIA Anderson Hotel, the additional cost for the green was 5-6%. In developing GAIA Merced Hotel, the additional cost for the green will be 2-3%.
I attribute that positive evolution to two factors – 1) The variety of green products has increased and some of price has become more reasonable. 2) Having navigated through the uncharted water, we can execute a little bit smarter.
The modern physicist has enlightened us that the phenomena of universe is included in two words – event and process. We have been away from our true nature too far too long. First step back has been hard. To receive the LEED gold or been recognized as LEED & beyond initiator both were just events, yet event itself is a process. Having above in mind and having include the spirit for both, I might just happen to step on the path of frozen music in process.
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GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa Opened, Anderson, CA |
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¨ Planned $14 million ‘green’ river hotel could get building permit coming week
Valley Post, Front Page July 13, 2005
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