Resort to Sustainable Meetings in Carlsbad

Destination Management

Recently Green Certified, Visit Carlsbad is helping planners craft sustainable meetings to reduce their carbon footprint and enhance groups’ visits here. The Visit Carlsbad team has compiled a list of Best Practices for Green Meetings & Events to assist planners in ensuring their gatherings incorporate sustainability initiatives. This way, you can go green by using wildlife-safe decorations at your venue or taking an eco-conscious transportation service — like Carlsbad Good Ride, which provides free rides for overnight hotel guests to key points of interest in our Southern California destination.

Our team of destination experts also uses this list to organize our own environmentally conscious events. In December 2023, Visit Carlsbad held a Green Week and completed Green Deeds, encouraging each other to make small but impactful changes to protect the environment — like starting a compost bin. We volunteered at a food bank to give back to the community while working together as a team. We also use the list for our Green Mixer events, which we started hosting in February 2024[1] to inspire our community’s hotels, restaurants and business owners to continue following suit with sustainability practices.

We want to encourage our partners and incoming groups to take on these practices as well. It’s not only sending digital invitations but also showcasing caterers and other vendors that are Green Certified in the community. We provided stainless steel, stackable cups for our Green Mixer so they can be reused and enjoyed again at the next.

Megan McGearyBusiness Development Associate/Visit Carlsbad

Visit Carlsbad’s Best Practices for Green Meetings & Events

• Send digital invitations
• Order from a Green Certified caterer or restaurant
• Use reusable tableware
• Request that the caterer not provide any additional single use items
• Offer vegetarian and/or vegan options
• Serve food items that do not require utensils (sandwiches, bite-sized foods, cupcakes)
• Avoid individually packaged items (chips, cookies); purchase these products in bulk and serve in reusable containers
• Avoid serving boxed lunches
• Serve food on platters that can be reused
• Use bulk pumps and shakers instead of individual condiment packets
• Use reusable water dispenser (no single-use water bottles)
• Take excess food home or donate it after the event (contact Food Finders for donations for prepared food)
• Use linens instead of paper napkins
• Encourage guests to bring their own mugs and water bottles
• Use reusable name tags/lanyards
• Encourage guests/employees to take green transportation or carpool
• Purchase reusable wildlife-safe decorations for outdoors (no balloons, avoid decorations with loops or closed circles or small, dangling, edible-looking parts)
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Environmental Preservation

Multiple organizations in Carlsbad are focused on protecting the environment and its native wildlife. Groups like the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation and Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation work tirelessly to preserve two of our destination’s lagoons — Agua Hedionda and Batiquitos — that feature trails, nature preserves and water recreation areas for visitors to explore. Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation provides educational programs and promotes responsible recreation, while the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation’s Nature Center is now powered by the sun, reducing its energy consumption to near zero

If you’re interested in partnering with either of these foundations or any of our nonprofits, volunteer opportunities are available. Check out Visit Carlsbad’s page on Community Engagement
to learn how your group can lend a hand in helping local environmental preservation efforts.

Outdoor Recreation

With 263 sunny days per year and a temperate climate, Carlsbad is the perfect place for your group to enjoy outdoor activities and connect with nature without leaving a mark on the environment. Whether it’s catching rays and waves at our sandy beaches, wildlife watching at Buena Vista Lagoon or exploring our hiking and biking trails, there is something for everyone to do in our West Coast destination.

Sustainable Golf Courses

Another great outdoor activity in Carlsbad: hitting the links. Our world-class resort town is home to some of the best golf courses
in the country, and environmental stewardship takes center stage at several fairways to minimize their impact on the world around us. The Crossings at Carlsbadsits among the natural habitat and wildlife on more than 400 acres of Carlsbad's coastal terrain and is named for the five bridges — or crossings — that were sculpted into the layout to meet environmental and topographic conditions.

Moreover, Aviara Golf at Park Hyatt Resort underwent a sustainability renovation as part of its $50 million transformation to reduce its environmental footprint. All 18 holes were re-grassed with Tiff Tuff — a warm-season Bermuda grass that doesn’t require overseeding and reduces chemicals and water usage for outstanding playing conditions.

Hotel Environmental Practices

When it comes to accommodations in Carlsbad, your attendees will be treated to sustainable hospitality that can’t be found elsewhere. Here, we offer premium hotels and resorts that provide comfortable stays with a green touch — such as the Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa, which prioritizes eco-conscious initiatives, like guest room recycling and electric car charging, to contribute to our town’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa strengthened its sustainability practices in 2022 with the property-wide initiative Aviara Cares, reducing energy, water risks, emissions and waste. Some of these practices include selecting native drought-resistant plants for landscaping, having Energy Star-labeled TVs and other electronics and appliances, using energy-efficient lighting, placing Guest Occupancy Sensing Thermostats that are only active when guests are present and installing low-flow showerheads and faucets in rooms.

Clean Eating

Carlsbad’s dining scene also caters to the eco-consciousness of your group without skimping on flavor — or unique experiences. Shoots Fish & Beer, located in The Cottages area of Carlsbad Village, prepares fish tacos and other dishes in a very sustainable way, using every piece of the shrimp or fish so no seafood is wasted.

Park Hyatt Aviara’s dining options — Ponto Lago, Ember & Rye, Pacific Point and Waters’ Edge — recycle all food waste (averaging six tons per month) through a local food waste management company and donate leftover banquet food when possible. In addition, 80 percent of food products are sourced within a 250-mile radius, minimizing travel and further reducing carbon emissions.

The City of Carlsbad put in place a single-use plastics ban, which has been a big initiative to minimize plastic waste, promote recycling and encourage the use of more sustainable alternatives.

Megan McGearyBusiness Development Associate/Visit Carlsbad

In Carlsbad, your group also has the opportunity to visit Southern California’s only oyster farm. Carlsbad Aquafarm offers a tour showcasing the techniques and equipment used to support the growth and harvesting of homegrown oysters and examples of how the farming process protects the natural ecosystem. At the end of the tour, attendees can take an oyster shucking class and do a tasting!

And we can’t forget to mention the weekly Carlsbad Village Farmers Market, carrying over 20 years of local vendors offering products from the area landscape that visitors can take pride in purchasing. This is a perfect opportunity for attendees to have an only-in-Carlsbad experience, meet the people who live and work in the destination where they’re meeting and participate in the work that goes into yielding healthy crops unique to the ecosystem.

Meet Green in Carlsbad

Reach out to Jed Arrogante, Business Development, or submit your RFP to plan your sustainable meeting, conference, corporate event or executive retreat in Carlsbad.