The course will support the expanding role of businesses in the spa industry to serve as incubators for environmentally-sensitive business practices. The two-day course will meet Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in the UC Irvine Learning Center located at 200 South Manchester Avenue in Orange, Calif.

“Recognized as resource and waste intensive, spas have an opportunity to implement sustainable business practices that can also improve their financial bottom line,” said Janice Gronvold, M.S., founder of Spectrec, course instructor and advisor to UC Irvine Extension’s Spa and Hospitality Management Certificate Program. “This can be accomplished by understanding the criteria and benefits for selecting building materials, furnishings, equipment, products, water/energy/waste management systems, and all aspects of operations and maintenance.”

Both the spa and hospitality industries are becoming more responsive to the environmental impact of their business operations. “Fundamentals for Green Spas” will support the needs of spa owners, managers and other industry professionals by teaching them how to conserve energy and resources, minimize their environmental footprint, and initiate operational practices that can optimize their business performance.

Students will analyze green business case studies of pioneering hospitality organizations such as Marriott’s “Green Marriott” initiatives, Kimpton Hotel’s “Earth Care” program, and Europe’s Scandic Hotels. In the day spa and spa resort arenas, early adaptors such as Washington D.C.-based Nusta Spa, Mexico’s Rancho La Puerta, Thailand’s Banyan Tree Resorts, and internationally-based Six Senses Resorts & Spas will be reviewed. Six Senses has established an alliance with Green Globe, a global benchmarking, certification and business improvement system for sustainable travel that is being used to create the first best practice benchmarking indicator system for spa operations.

The course will also provide an overview of international trends in the spa and hospitality industries for green building, green procurement and green business industry organizations.

Integrating information covered in the course, students will have an opportunity to develop their own signature green spa concept, demonstrating their knowledge of resource, waste, operational, and energy-efficient business systems for a real or hypothetical spa project.

UC Irvine Extension’s Spa and Hospitality Management Certificate Program features in-depth studies taught by esteemed industry professionals from throughout the United States, covering everything from business planning and processes to opening a spa, to managing day-to-day operations and positioning for managed future growth. For more information about the Spa and Hospitality Management Certificate Program at UC Irvine Extension, please visit http://www.unex.uci.edu/spa or call 949-824-5414.

About UC Irvine Extension: As the continuing education arm of UCI, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a university-level learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience, from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities.