Green Stay: Hotel Gaia, American Canyon, CA

Napa Valley is known globally as one of the world’s best areas for growing wine grapes. Soon, it may be renowned as home to one of the first hotels to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership on Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification.

Developer Wen Chang and architect Todd Jersey have collaborated on the $18.5 million Gaia Hotel. Residing in the gateway to Napa town of American Canyon on Highway 29, this 135-room resort will open in a few months. “Green” features include solar electric systems, recycled building materials, a living roof, a rain water lagoon, koi ponds and lush gardens where you can choose herbs for your meals. Other amenities will include a spa, convention rooms and a healthy kitchen.

“It’s not just an enviromental building,” says Mark Joseph, American Canyon City Manager, “it’s part of preserving our historical wetlands and setting standards for our city’s ‘smart growth.'”

[Read more from Bay Crossings.]