Sustainability At The Ranch

Harvest Farm

Harvest Farm is our ½ acre, bio-dynamic farm that provides produce for Harvest Restaurant, and acts as a beautiful spot to host small group gatherings, receptions and events. The garden is overseen with love by Farmer Leo who welcomes guests for farm tours.

The Result: 

Provides a large percentage of produce for our restaurant’s seasonal menus, greatly reducing transportation-based produce delivery.

On-Site Composting

Harvest Farm utilizes all of the wet-food waste (except proteins) and paper waste from our property in a 4-6 month composting process.

The Result: 

20,000 pounds of food waste is eliminated yearly from entering landfills, while also reducing harmful methane emissions. This labor of love results in nutrient-rich soil that produces healthy foods, cools our planet, cleans our air and supports plants, animals and the earth’s atmosphere. Additionally, non-compostable food waste from our kitchen is used in livestock food, eliminating the process for growing, packaging and delivering processed chicken feed.

Room Keys

The only thing that lasts longer than plastic is memories! That’s why we’ve swapped out plastic room keys for wooden and bamboo keys that can be returned after your stay OR kept as a souvenir. And if a key is lost in the trash (it happens), it’s biodegradable. 

The Result: 

An estimated 25,000 LESS plastic keys will make their way into a landfill.

OC Tree Collective

We offer our guests the opportunity to add a ‘tree fee’ to their room charge that will pay for a tree to be planted here at The Ranch, or with our partner at The Ecology Center. Each tree planted equals about a ton of carbon that will be eliminated from the atmosphere over the tree’s lifetime. The impact and legacy of simply planting a tree is the definition of leaving a place better than you found it!

The Result: 

Starting in 2022, we anticipate this program will result in thousands of pounds of carbon being eliminated from our atmosphere.

Reclaimed Water Project

87 acres of land, all 100% irrigated with reclaimed water through our partnership with the local water district. We’re keeping the golf course green in the greenest way possible!

The Result: 

20 million gallons of potable water saved each year.

Aluminum Cups

The Ranch at Laguna Beach has recently phased out compostable cups for a more environmentally-friendly aluminum cup. Not only are these cups reusable, they are also infinitely recyclable!

The Result: 

We estimate that these reusable and recyclable aluminum cups will replace over 100,000 compostable cups every year.

Bottles to Bunkers

Are you finished with your glass bottle? We’ll take care of it. And by that, we mean we’ll take it to our on-site glass bottle crusher and turn it into sand. Then, we’ll take that sand and use it to fill bunkers on the golf course, repair our pavement and filter the pool. It’s a win for us and a win for the planet!

The Result: 

70 U.S. tons of sand is created each year, reducing our waste volume by 90% and cutting our carbon footprint by getting rid of the need to transport and process glass waste.

LED Fixtures

Every light fixture at The Ranch is LED, which reduces heat that would be generated by traditional incandescent lights.

The Result: 

Lower heat generated = Lower need for HVAC and heat leakage issues with surrounding areas.

Ocean Friendly Restaurant

Harvest is Laguna Beach’s first ‘Ocean Friendly Restaurant’, certified by Surfrider Foundation. This means we make sustainable choices for the good of the ocean, such as eliminating the use of Styrofoam and plastic, providing only reusable tableware, and following proper recycling practices daily.

The Result: 

Continued progress toward having a truly ‘zero-waste’ restaurant cycle.

Hook To Harvest

Harvest takes pride in using local and sustainable sources to create their seasonal menus. Each partner shares our passion, values and concern for high-quality, responsible foods. When it comes to seafood, we partner with local fishermen from Dana Point and Newport Beach to serve the freshest seafood caught in local waters. We also do not serve salmon caught out of season or raised on fish farms. All seafood on our menu is on the James Beard Sustainable Seafood Standards list— So it’s delicious and responsibly-sourced!

The Result: 

We help reduce the impact on our local fisheries, while also supporting local fishermen and their families.

Adopt A Channel

The Ranch at Laguna Beach works with volunteers to maintain a 0.75-mile stretch of the Aliso Creek Channel in Mission Viejo. Since December 2015, we have removed over 2,500 pounds of trash and natural debris from the channel. Thanks to these continued efforts, we’re preventing this material from making its way to the Pacific Ocean.

The Result: 

Continuing to remove thousands of pounds of trash to create a healthier streamline ecosystem and keep our oceans clean.

In Room Coffee

Our in-room coffee program provides a cup of exceptional, fair-trade coffee for guests in 100% compostable packaging (which goes straight to our farm!). From locally owned Long Weekend Coffee, it’s the best way to start your day and do your part to help the environment and support the Laguna Beach Community.

The Result: 

Elimination of over 10,000 non-home compostable coffee waste containers per year.

In Room Amenities

We have replaced all single-use guest bathroom amenities with luxurious, dispensable products from MALIN+GOETZ. This company uses trusted, natural ingredients and advanced technology to create simple, luxury skincare— never tested on animals and made in the USA. (And, it smells really good!)

The Result: 

Elimination of over 20,000 single-use plastic containers being sent to the landfill (where they were likely not recycled).

Eliminating Single-use Plastic

Plastic Bottles, Straws, Laundry, and More

Eliminating all single-use plastic took some creativity and support from our suppliers, but the impact to the earth is profound. Plastic water bottles have been replaced by aluminum or glass bottles. Plastic laundry bags have been removed from all rooms and guest dry cleaning is delivered without plastic covers. We’ve also eliminated plastic straws but provide eco-friendly straws upon request.

The Result: 

Elimination of hundreds of thousands of plastic beverage containers and straws from entering the waste stream. Elimination of thousands of plastic laundry bags per year.

Low Light - Dark Skies

Our property, while in a semi-urban location, strives to reduce our light pollution by using the bare minimum of exterior lighting with low lux fixtures.

The Result: 

While we’re in a semi-urban location, we strive to reduce our light pollution by using the bare minimum of exterior lighting with low lux fixtures. We call it ambiance. Less impact on night creatures who thrive in the dark, and a clearer view of our amazing night sky.

Plant Based Utensils

The Ranch at Laguna Beach has recently partnered with Alder-Tek to provide our beachside food and beverage outlets with bamboo utensils. This type of cutlery is easily biodegradable without the use of an industrial composting facility.

The Result: 

We estimate that every year, these bamboo cutlery items prevent nearly a hundred thousand plastic forks, knives, and spoons from entering the waste stream.

Clean The World

Housekeeping at The Ranch partners with Clean the World to collect and recycle soap and hygiene products discarded everyday by the hospitality industry. After each soap pump is used and emptied it is donated to this organization to go through a vigorous sanitation process to be redistributed to impoverished people and villages around the world.

The Result: 

These products legitimately can prevent millions of hygiene-related deaths each year and reduce morbidity rate for related illnesses, all while also reducing our carbon footprint.

Locally Produced Tea

The Ranch at Laguna Beach has recently partnered with a local tea producer, Jadetiger Tea. This tea is bagged with natural ingredients right here in Laguna Beach using compostable plant-based tea bags made from sugarcane.

The Result: 

By using this local tea producer, we are reducing our carbon footprint by eliminating thousands of food miles, as well as reducing single use plastic waste from entering the landfill.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

The Ranch at Laguna Beach is pushing sustainability forward with electric vehicle charging stations. Our resort features two Tesla and two universal charging stations, conveniently located for our resort guests, as well as guests dining with us or visiting the spa and golf course.

The Result: 

Offering these charging stations at no additional cost promotes sustainable travel. By facilitating eco-friendly transportation options, we're helping reduce carbon emissions and encouraging a shift towards more sustainable travel solutions.

Bamboo Toilet Paper

Continuing our commitment to sustainability, we’ve switched to using bamboo toilet paper from Cloud Paper. Unlike traditional rolls made from trees, our new toilet paper is made from bamboo, a highly sustainable grass.

The Result: 

We project to save about 25,000 traditional tree-based toilet paper rolls each year. By choosing bamboo, a renewable and fast-growing grass, we significantly reduce our reliance on precious forest resources.

Rivian

The Ranch continues to be a leader in sustainable hospitality with its Rivian partnership. We are enhancing guest adventures with earth-friendly shuttles to nearby experiences in the fully electric Rivian house car.

The Result: 

Through this partnership, we are promoting sustainable travel and nearing our goal to become carbon neutral. Each electric vehicle is estimated to prevent 4.6 tons of carbon emissions from being released into the atmosphere each year.