The Zen Compound Vision
In 2004, Paul Hemming was tired of the traditionally wasteful nature of the hospitality industry. Owner and founder of the Zen Compound, he set his sights on creating the Greenest nightclub in the world.
The result: Hemming created the foundation for a living, breathing hub for education, culture and creative recreation that strictly adheres to the triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit. Housed inside the Zen Compound lies Temple Nightclub, which is a Green nightclub and Prana Restaurant, which is a sustainable restaurant.
Paul Hemming brings a vision to the Zen Compound that focuses on revolutionizing the nightclub and hospitality industry by “Greening” them—entities that were not related concepts in the past. The Zen Compound is an entertainment complex, with its finger on society's pulse, is designed to go well beyond a traditional nightclub and world-class restaurant. More than a place for people to unwind and stimulate their senses, Zen Compound is a hub of creative spirituality – exactly as the name suggests. Visitors to the Compound create and perform art, music and dance while they are enriching their Western experience with an Eastern education. The Zen Compound merges modern design with antiquities dating back to the 11th Century and ancient philosophy with cutting-edge technology. In addition, it houses a culinary, visual and audio spectacle while cultivating the first pioneering program for nightclub sustainability in the United States.
In this community space, the Zen Compound invests in technologies and business practices to drive the point home that this industry can be healthy and have a positive impact on the environment. Beyond keeping the compound itself as Green as possible, it strives to be a center for Green education, spirituality and sustainability – to educate the masses and adopt the concept in the entire hospitality industry.
The Zen Compound is a very progressive small business continuously investigating ways in which it can be as sustainable as possible and then spreading that knowledge to our competitors. We have had the benefit of being a part of a community of businesses (the BC3) sharing best practices and resources in a model that we to be followed in different business clusters around the world. This structure could be replicated around other parts of the country. That is how impact could happen.
Mike Zuckerman is the Director of Sustainability for the Zen Compound, working to reduce the entertainment empire's footprint through business practice innovations and cutting-edge technology solutions, as well as to create a community for driving industry change. Mike is in the process of greening the nightclub industry in SF and around the country.
Current Projects:
Zenter- Holistic Healing Center
Zen City Records- Vinyl record store
Vision Temple Gallery- Featuring works by Xavi, Andrew Jones, Carey Thompson, Android, Sam Flores, Micah LeBrun, Damon Soule and many more
Temple Treasures- Christian Armstrong’s non-profit, private gallery that showcases antiquities from Southeast Asia and India. For information about the pieces on display at Temple Nightclub, please email treasures@templesf.com for more details.
Urban Rooftop Garden- Rooftop vegetable gardens that sustain our restaurant, Prana
Energy Generating Dancefloor- Dancefloor that harnesses energy from dancing
In 2004, Paul Hemming was tired of the traditionally wasteful nature of the hospitality industry. Owner and founder of the Zen Compound, he set his sights on creating the Greenest nightclub in the world.
The result: Hemming created the foundation for a living, breathing hub for education, culture and creative recreation that strictly adheres to the triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit. Housed inside the Zen Compound lies Temple Nightclub, which is a Green nightclub and Prana Restaurant, which is a sustainable restaurant.
Paul Hemming brings a vision to the Zen Compound that focuses on revolutionizing the nightclub and hospitality industry by “Greening” them—entities that were not related concepts in the past. The Zen Compound is an entertainment complex, with its finger on society's pulse, is designed to go well beyond a traditional nightclub and world-class restaurant. More than a place for people to unwind and stimulate their senses, Zen Compound is a hub of creative spirituality – exactly as the name suggests. Visitors to the Compound create and perform art, music and dance while they are enriching their Western experience with an Eastern education. The Zen Compound merges modern design with antiquities dating back to the 11th Century and ancient philosophy with cutting-edge technology. In addition, it houses a culinary, visual and audio spectacle while cultivating the first pioneering program for nightclub sustainability in the United States.
In this community space, the Zen Compound invests in technologies and business practices to drive the point home that this industry can be healthy and have a positive impact on the environment. Beyond keeping the compound itself as Green as possible, it strives to be a center for Green education, spirituality and sustainability – to educate the masses and adopt the concept in the entire hospitality industry.
The Zen Compound is a very progressive small business continuously investigating ways in which it can be as sustainable as possible and then spreading that knowledge to our competitors. We have had the benefit of being a part of a community of businesses (the BC3) sharing best practices and resources in a model that we to be followed in different business clusters around the world. This structure could be replicated around other parts of the country. That is how impact could happen.
Mike Zuckerman is the Director of Sustainability for the Zen Compound, working to reduce the entertainment empire's footprint through business practice innovations and cutting-edge technology solutions, as well as to create a community for driving industry change. Mike is in the process of greening the nightclub industry in SF and around the country.
Current Projects:
Zenter- Holistic Healing Center
Zen City Records- Vinyl record store
Vision Temple Gallery- Featuring works by Xavi, Andrew Jones, Carey Thompson, Android, Sam Flores, Micah LeBrun, Damon Soule and many more
Temple Treasures- Christian Armstrong’s non-profit, private gallery that showcases antiquities from Southeast Asia and India. For information about the pieces on display at Temple Nightclub, please email treasures@templesf.com for more details.
Urban Rooftop Garden- Rooftop vegetable gardens that sustain our restaurant, Prana
Energy Generating Dancefloor- Dancefloor that harnesses energy from dancing