Populus, Denver’s newest sustainable hotel, has launched its ‘One Night, One Tree’ initiative. Having opened earlier this month, the hotel has partnered with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to plant a tree for every night a guest stays, aiming to plant 20,000 trees in the year 2024 alone. This effort is a part of Populus’s wider commitment to sustainability, which also includes neutralizing the hotel’s carbon footprint through local farm partnerships, using 100 percent renewable electricity, and converting all food waste into compost for local agriculture.
Conceived by Urban Villages, a pioneer in environmentally conscious real estate, and operated by Aparium Hotel Group, Populus boasts 265 rooms, architecture inspired by aspen trees designed by AD100 Studio Gang, a lounge and coffee bar, versatile event spaces, and two unique dining experiences: Pasque, an all-day eatery with nature-inspired cuisine, and Stellar Jay, a rooftop dining venue offering live-fire cooking and sweeping views of the mountains and cityscape.
The ‘One Night, One Tree’ initiative invites guests to contribute to eco-friendly travel by staying at Populus. Through a partnership with the National Forest Foundation (NFF), a congressionally chartered partner of the U.S. Forest Service, Populus commits to offsetting its carbon footprint via forest management and regenerative agriculture. This ensures the removal of more carbon than emitted during the building’s construction and operation. Initiatives include reforestation efforts, such as planting 70,000 trees over 172 acres in Gunnison County, Colorado, to recover from beetle infestation damage.
“Our goal is to make it easy for guests to travel sustainably,” says George Prine, General Manager of Populus. “With each stay, guests contribute directly to local reforestation efforts, knowing that their travel positively impacts the environment.”
Populus: Supporting Sustainable Agriculture and Local Farmers
Populus’s dedication includes regenerative agriculture initiatives, collaborating with Grassroots Carbon, OneTreePlanted, and Terrapass to secure carbon credits from U.S. projects that preserve habitats and promote forest health and biodiversity. Partnering with the U.S. Forest Service, Populus’s reforestation projects aim to rehabilitate Colorado’s forests impacted by natural events, planting native species such as Engelmann spruce, Lodgepole pine, and Douglas fir to bolster ecosystem resilience.
Furthermore, Populus is contributing to the greening of downtown Denver with a rooftop garden on their property, conceived by Superbloom. This garden showcases seasonal flora to foster biodiversity, mitigate urban heat, and enhance air quality. Complementing the hotel’s green rooftop, Populus is establishing a tree canopy encircling the building, enabled by funding from The Nature Conservancy’s Healthy Cities Programme and the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Urban Forest Initiative.
Elevated Eco-Conscious Dining and Guest Experiences
At Populus’s dining establishments, Pasque and Stellar Jay, zero-waste is the norm. These restaurants convert all of their food waste into compost, aiding local agriculture through BioGreen360’s advanced technology, which prevents waste from reaching landfills. In collaboration with Zero Foodprint, Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment, and the USDA, Populus is financing grants that bolster regenerative farming methods, enhancing soil quality, carbon sequestration and climate adaptability.
Transparency and Ongoing Sustainability Efforts
In the spirit of transparency, Populus has collaborated with Lotus Engineering & Sustainability to monitor and disclose the hotel’s sustainability metrics. The information will be accessible through a public dashboard that tracks embodied carbon, operational emissions, waste management, and continuous offset initiatives, affirming the hotel’s dedication to its carbon-positive objectives.
To reserve a room at Populus, 240 14th Street, Denver, Colorado starting from £230 per night, visit www.populusdenver.com.
Main image: Populus (c) Studio Gang
