The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina, is a finalist for Green Plus North American Sustainable Medium-Sized Business of 2011 and is also eligible to win the Green Plus People’s Choice Award. The first Five Diamond hotel to be Green Plus Certified, the Umstead demonstrates that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand in a hotel that’s been named one of the top 500 in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine.
The Umstead grounds include a 3-acre pond and living wetland with riparian buffers and a walking trail pointing out environmental features. The spa offers organic spa products and Herons Restaurant (a Four Diamond restaurant) sources local, seasonal food, including some sourced from its own garden. Waste is reduced through recycling and composting, and water and energy use is reduced through features such as reflective roofing and low-flow water closets. A key feature of the hotel and its support for the local community is its prominent use of North Carolina art.
The Umstead was also recently featured the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants national sustainability case competition.
