San Francisco Apartment Living

Photo Credit: (iStockPhoto/dem10)

As one of the greenest cities in the country, San Francisco offers plenty of opportunities to do something good for the planet. Home to the Green Festival in April, the City That Knows How offers programs on proper tree pruning techniques, building strategies that save energy, water and money, how to reduce toxins, environmental justice and more. Plus, San Francisco is home to some of the world’s most innovative environmental legislation and initiatives. With all of the advances in green living in San Francisco, you’re sure to find several environmentally friendly restaurants, businesses and services throughout the city. Here are the top six green places in San Francisco.

GreenCitizen
What: GreenCitizen recycles electronics for a low fee or free of charge, depending on what the item is. GreenCitizen kiosks are located throughout the city for smaller recyclables such as batters, CDs, DVDs and printer cartridges, which can be dropped off for free. The company also destroys hard disks, erases cell phones and provides GreenCitizen collector boxes and recycling reward giftcards.
Where: 591 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105

Keetsa Mattress
What: Keetsa utilizes individually wrapped, recycled steel coil bases or pre-consumer recycled foam bases in its mattresses. The mattresses do not need box springs, which reduces mattress waste, and their compressed packaging means reduced shipping costs, a smaller carbon footprint and no delivery trucks.
Where: 271 9th St., San Francisco, CA 94103

Brilliant Earth
What: This jewelry store guarantees its diamonds are conflict-free, using Canadian diamonds, recycled gold, fair trade gold and ethical origin sapphires. Plus, Brilliant Earth donates 5 percent of its profits to communities impacted by the jewelry trade, in areas such as child labor prevention, gemology training, land restoration and medical aid.
Where: 12 Geary St., Ste. 605, San Francisco, CA 94108

The Green Arcade
What: A place with books, ideas and goods, The Green Arcade specializes in books on the environment, politics, sustainability, food, farming, select art and literature, urban planning, nature and children’s books. The shop also hosts awareness events, including book readings and lectures.
Where: 1680 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94102

Orchard Garden Hotel
What: The rooms at the Orchard Garden Hotel don’t just feel green; they are green. The LEED-certified hotel was built from eco-friendly construction materials such as wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as harvested in a sustainable manner. The hotel rooms feature California’s first guestroom key car energy control system that automatically turns off the lights to the room when guests exit. Plus, there are in-room recycling bins, recycled carpets, energy-efficient roofing, recycled linens and green bath products.
Where: 466 Bush St., San Francisco, CA 94101

Speesees
What: This children’s clothing store uses 100 percent skal-certified organic cotton and low-impact and herbal dyes. Speesees’ factory in India is certified SA8000, a social accountabililty standard for decent working conditions that includes workplace safety, renumeration, fair working hours and more. For every dollar you spend, Speesees donates part of the proceeds go back to the Indian village where they manufacture for projects such as building playgrounds and buying school supplies.
Where: 2475 3rd St., Ste. 252, San Francisco, CA 94107

Sugar Beat Sweets
What: Who knew vegan cupcakes could taste so good? The baked goods at Sugar Beat Sweets are free of animal products, aiming to appeal to vegans and those with food allergies. Plus, the bakery uses local, organic and seasonal ingredients whenever possible in its baked goods. Cupcake flavors include mocha almond fudge, citrus dreamsicle, classic chocolate topped with vanilla buttercream and more.
Where: Currently online-only at order@sugarbeatsweets.com, but a storefront is coming soon