Sustainable Investments

Looking to green your spa, but worried about the expenses?

Our upcoming Green Scene ("Mayan Marvel," August 2010) contains lots of information about cost-efficient ways to incorporate eco-friendly supplies into your spa.

HereÕs a taste to get you started:

Make investments that have a proven return.
John Vater, co-owner of Spa Adriana in Huntington, New York, says, "solar panels pay off, as long as you continue using them to save on energy costs."

Shop locally.
When Vater and his wife Adriana recently remodeled their spa, they wanted to enrich their Mayan theme by building a fa�ade with limestone from the Yuc‡tan Peninsula in Mexico. Instead, they found a local company that manufactures precut concrete. "That way our renovation doesn't have the environmental impact that would result from shipping and trucking materials all that distance," John says. "It saves a lot of money too."

What supplies, products and materials do you employ to increase your spa's sustainability? Send your ideas to Katie O'Reilly, associate editor, at koreilly@creativeage.com.

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