Herbfest is hosted by Friends of theRio GrandeNatureCenter. They are a nonprofit organization with the goal of protecting theRio Grandearea. They educate the public about the ecosystems as well as show people how to interact with them in a positive manner. From classes to guided walks to educational activities, they do everything possible to inform people about the importance of the area.

Herbfest is an excellent way to get people out to theRio Grandearea and see the different herbs that they may or may not be familiar with. You can purchase herbs to use in your own kitchen if you like, or you can peruse the crafts and various arts to see if there are any handmade goodies you’d like to take home with you. Bring the whole family for guided walks and garden tours where you can learn about both the flora and fauna of theRio Grande’s ecosystems. There will also be music, raffles, and crafts that kids can make and take home with them.

Over two days, Herbfest will also feature speakers such as New Mexico State Biologist Tess Grasswitz, George Miller and Tom Stewart of the New Mexico Native Plant Society, Landscape Designer Judith Philips, and Wes Brittenham of Plants of the Southwest. From creating a wildlife habitat to discoveringNew Mexico’s beneficial or native plants, there’s a little something for everyone.

If you are looking to attend Herbfest 2013 in Albuquerque, and are still looking for a place to stay this weekend, make sure to check out our “green” hotel rooms. Hotel Andaluz is the first historic hotel in the southwest to be Leed Gold Certified as well as being a AAA Four Diamond award winning hotel.

Did you know it’s National Recycling week?

It’s true, National Recycling Week is celebrated November 12^th through the 18^th. All of us at Hotel Andaluz are big on being as lean and green as possible. Did you know we are the only full-service LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) Certified hotel in the country? We do as much as we can to help make our little corner of the world as sustainable as possible. That warm water for your shower is heated by our rooftop solar thermal system. Live plants in the rooms and hotel are watered with captured rain water. And our amenities (shampoo & soap) are fixed in dispensable bottles throughout, so we aren’t tossing miniature plastic bottles everyday!

We enjoy being green so much, we thought it’d be fun to give a shout out to National Recycling Week and share quick tips on how you can join the fun.

We promise, it’s easy.
Water bottles, water bottles, plastic water bottles, we see them everywhere. And while the beverage companies are doing as much as they can to make sure these plastic bottles are friendlier to the planet, we can all do a little more to help out as well. First off, if you have to take a plastic water bottle, make sure and RECYCLE it, there are bins most everywhere. Easy… right?

Next… if you can, purchase an aluminum water bottle! Most fancy bottled water is just tap water from another city. You don’t need a brand new bottle every time you’re feeling parched, do you? If you do, refer to the above mentioned tip. But with a reusable water bottle you can fill it, refill it and refill it and hydrate! If after a while it needs a light cleaning, is it really that big a deal? You wash your wine glasses at home all the time… . And lastly, our favorite tip… when choosing travel accommodations in the Albuquerque area please choose Hotel Andaluz, we’ll do most of the green things for you.

We told you these tips were easy. You can reduce your waste, and save a little $$$ too. Until next week Andaluz fans… Happy National Recycling Week!

Our mezzanine has been transformed into a local artist’s gallery that has art from corner to corner. Be sure to save a little time next time you’re in to walk through and enjoy these pieces by an array of local artists.

In addition to our mezzanine being transformed, “Art in Action” allows the community to have a behind-the-scenes look at local artists creating their art in the lobby of Hotel Andaluz each month. Eliza Schmid will be featured on Nov. 13^th and J. Waid Griffin, also a painter, will be featured the following evening. Both shows will run from 5 – 8 p.m. Hotel Andaluz will donate a percentage of sales that occur during “Art in Action” to Harwood Art Center, a community outreach program of Escuela del Sol, an independent, non-profit Montessori school founded in 1968. harwoodartcenter.org

“Hotel Andaluz has always had a focus on local artists, which is evident in our mezzanine gallery,” said Howard Jacobs, General Manager of Hotel Andaluz. “This program takes it a step further and our ongoing partnerships with local organizations will give our guests a taste of Albuquerque’s thriving arts scene.” We are really excited about this new partnership and want to invite the community and guests to come experience this with us. Hope to see you on November 13 & 14!

One of the elements that makes our hotel so green is mostly hidden from view, unless you’re lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the hotel.  Although not visible from the street, we have a 73-panel solar thermal system tucked away on the roof. This system generates about 60% of our domestic hot water, which is used in guest rooms, laundry facilities and in the kitchens. In essence, the hotel developed a system whereby the heat from the solar panels is transferred to a 4,000-gallon tank, which is situated on the 10^th floor and is original to the old hotel.

How’s that for environmentally proactive? To learn about some of the other cool stuff happening in our green initiatives, check this out.