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Eco-Hospitality

Greening our Gatherings

Hospitality guided by sustainability

From renewable energy and farm-to-table meals, to the cleaning products we choose – intentional sustainable decisions large and small embody our commitment to living our values.

Choosing to host a retreat or attend a program at Isabella Freedman or Pearlstone means living your values.

An immersive retreat is an important way that you and your attendees can experience living with sustainable intention. Our hope is that you bring back some of what you have learned to your homes, workplaces and communities.

Farm to Table

Farms at both Isabella Freedman and Pearlstone grow organic produce which is the staple of our culinary program and seasonal menus. Ingredients including dairy, fish, and meat are carefully sourced from sustainable, often local, partners.

In addition to reducing food miles, we complete the cycle by collecting food scraps from our kitchens to be composted on site – returning nutrients to the soil each year. Plus, we donate thousands of pounds of food to local food banks each year.

 

field with rows of young crops
roof top solar panels

Eco-Tourism

Both Retreat Centers are committed to sustainability. Both sites have utilized sustainable building techniques, from LEED certified buildings, to low-VOC paint.

We use green-certified cleaning products throughout both retreat centers and purchase recycled or compostable paper goods. At Isabella Freedman, nearly all disposables are composted on site.

Pearlstone has installed solar panels on the main lodge buildings, utilizes various energy reduction systems, and has various water stewardship systems across campus, including four beautiful bioretention rain gardens in front of our guest rooms.

 

Sustainable Celebrations

Let our Event Coordinators help you make sustainable choices for your event! There are so many decisions when planning a wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Anniversary party or family reunion – we can help you make eco-friendly choices.

From reducing water usage with linens and laundry, to opting for locally sourced welcome gifts, to carbon offsets, our Guest Services staff look forward to offering you many great ways to reduce/reuse/recycle/choose local. Basic suggestions offered for all gatherings, and consulting services can be contracted. The national Adamah team has experts in sustainable facilities, food and climate, and farming to assist you.

Sustainability on our Campuses

 Our Climate Action Plan

Adamah has pledged to achieve organizational net-zero emissions across our operations and retreat centers by 2040, 10 years ahead of the IPCC’s global goal for GHG emission reductions. We believe that as members of the Jewish community, and as leaders of the Jewish environmental movement, we have the resources, capacity, and obligation to demonstrate leadership in this work.

Adamah’s Climate Action Plan
roof top solar panels

Renewable Energy

Pearlstone is on its way towards 100% renewable energy! The retreat lodging rooftop holds 10,000 ft2 of solar panels, the conference center utilizes a geothermal HVAC system, and hot water in the kitchen is provided by a solar thermal heater.

Compost

Isabella Freedman composts 100% of food waste from the kitchen – including meat and bones. Our chickens live on the compost piles, returning our farm-to-table food back to the farm to start the cycle once again.

Adamah Farm

Stream Restoration

A commitment to the ecological health of our land led us to carefully develop a 1,300-foot stretch of stream on Pearlstone’s campus with a “riffle-pool” sequence, reducing erosion and downstream pollution. As a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, we are responsible for impact on a watershed that spans more than 64,000 square miles.

Prescribed Fire

How can fire heal and transform the land? Grasslands and fire have an ancient, natural and beneficial relationship. Controlled burns at Pearlstone have been a key ingredient in our strategy to convert 45 acres from lawn to meadow.