TARA SPA THERAPY HONORED FOR PLASTIC REDUCTION

ED BEGLEY JR. ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF GREEN SPA NETWORK'S PLASTIC REDUCTION CHALLENGE DURING PLASTIC POLLUTION COALITION’S CONFERENCE

The winners of Green Spa Network’s first ever Plastic Reduction Challenge -- created in concert with the Plastic Pollution Coalition's (PPC) -- were announced by environmentalist and actor Ed Begley Jr. June 13 & 14, 2013 at PPC’s inaugural Think Beyond Plastic competition and conference held at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, CA.

After a year-long campaign, two GSN spa industry members tied to win for Alternative Product Packaging - Tara Spa Therapy and Coola Organic Skincare.

Tara Spa Therapy wellness focused body care line has reduced the amount of plastic sample containers that they use by 50%, and have a goal of reducing to 98% by the end of the year. They have also reduced the internal small bubble wrap usage by 71% for the entire company. They also implemented a Pregis air smart machine to reduce the volume of packaging used, which has completely eliminated large bubble wrap usage entirely. In March, the Tara Spa team spent 2 weeks reclaiming foam sheets from a local college construction project, and employees hand cut these large sheets to meet internal shipping requirement where applicable. Lastly, Tara Spa created a partnership with a local re-cycling center to become a recycling drop off center. They pull what they can to reuse for their own packaging.

GSN launched the challenge by sharing a resource guide for plastic alternatives for spas and spa product companies including sources for:

• Stainless steel or glass water bottles
• Water Filtration systems to eliminate single-use bottles - Stainless steel cups & straws
• Reusable utensils, dishes & cups
• Reusable bags – including dry cleaner & garbage bags
• Recycled post-consumer waste, paper or glass packaging

The six-year old non-profit spa network also developed a Plastic Reduction Calculator for its members to help them measure their progress during the year.

"Tara Spa Therapy is an inspiration to all our members that they too can take a proactive role in this crucial issue. “explains GSN President and Rancho La Puerta Spa Managing Director, Roberto Arjona. “The Plastic Pollution Coalition is leading the global charge to reduce toxic plastic waste on the planet and we are honored to have partnered with them on the competition and the awards ceremony in this year of firsts for both our organizations."

Click here to learn more about the Plastic Pollution Coalition: http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/