“Going green” means gaining knowledge and practices that lead to environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible choices and lifestyles that can help protect the environment and conserve natural resources for present and future generations. Every company has a mandate to adopt sustainable practices, whether it’s reducing paper waste, focusing on employee well-being or striving for LEED certification.
There are so many opportunities and initiatives – just like in nature, there are different shades of green, from lime green to emerald green, that it is essential to appoint a lead person to develop and implement programs that not only benefit local people, but also contribute to the long-term sustainability of the planet and its inhabitants.
This month we introduce Joanna Roche, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Green Spa Network, https://greenspanetwork.org/, which was founded in 2002 to promote the natural connections between personal well-being, economic sustainability and the health of our planet. Joanna Roche is the Executive Director of the Green Spa Network, a non-profit trade association that supports the spa and hospitality industry worldwide in taking action for a sustainable future. As a spa development consultant and passionate brand and wellness activist, she has more than twenty-five years of experience in the management, marketing and operations of spa and hospitality businesses around the world.
Her most recent project was the development of The Beach House Spa at Ocean Edge on Cape Cod, a spa specializing in unique services for brides. She was the Wellness Director at the Westmoor Club, an exclusive, private club on Nantucket. Prior to moving to Nantucket, Joanna & Company focused on business development and digital marketing projects for UK companies TribeSports and Celessence Technologies, as well as spa product companies with a focus on textiles: Studio Twist, Majestic International and Cypress.
As EVP of Pierce Mattie Public Relations in New York, she led a young team of talented publicists focused on beauty and lifestyle for several years and served as communications director on the Canyon Ranch leadership team for eight years. Joanna is a frequent speaker at industry events including Esthetic Spa International on retail strategies and client retention, CSFA conference on the future of wellness in private clubs and most recently at IECSC on creating a sustainable culture.
She hosts a weekly radio program BalancingACK on Nantucket’s NPR affiliate and writes for The Forum, Boardroom Magazine and Nantucket BLACKbook. She teaches classes and workshops on creating wellness and is certified in vibrational sound healing. Joanna currently serves on the Town of Nantucket’s Finance Committee and Theater Workshop’s Advisory Board.
Interview
How do you bring about positive change and what measures does GSN take to promote this?
This year, GSN launched the first “Plant Trees” campaign initiative in collaboration with WeForest. The initiative is based on the urgent need to regenerate the earth and harness the natural abilities of trees to halt climate change. The tree planting initiative is an effort to mobilize the spa, hospitality and wellness communities to plant 1 million trees by Earth Day 2019.
Unfortunately, the earth’s resources have been exploited to such an extent that it is now imperative that we regenerate ourselves, not only by halting climate change with sustainable measures, but by actively reversing it so that the planet remains healthy and habitable for all life. Regenerating forests is crucial to saving the planet.
What are some of your personal initiatives to be “green”?
This summer, my family has committed to saying “no to the straw” and eliminating single-use plastic. We live on a small island, Nantucket, where taking care of our beaches, recycling and adopting sustainable practices are critical to protecting our home. We are also avid free-cyclers, meaning we give away things we no longer need and pick up things we do need at our landfill’s store called “Take It Or Leave It” – a new concept. This way we don’t throw away usable items, but get things that are either slightly used or unwanted and prevent them from becoming trash.
What is your favorite spa treatment?
There is nothing better than a deep tissue massage from an experienced healer!
Fun fact about you:
I was on Jeopardy and worked as a magician’s assistant.
