Winner of the Salon Interior Design category for the 2018 Contessa Awards, Verde Salon in the heart of Bridgewater in Winnipeg, Canada is all about paving the way for other salons. Verde owner Roberto Sinopoli grew up in Winnipeg after his parents moved to Canada. He was exposed to the hair industry from an early age by his mother who owned a salon. As an adult, Roberto's love for hair continued to shape his career; he opened two of his own salons and was a significant player in bringing the Aveda Institute to Winnipeg.
Today, Sinopoli is a partner at the Aveda Institute where he’s continuing his work in elevating the hair industry in Winnipeg with the creation of Verde Salon. His passion project, Verde is a salon that brings something new and different to the Winnipeg hair scene. Sinopoli knew Verde would be connected to Aveda because of the nature of the brand. Aveda’s mission matches his own – to give back to the community, maintain relationships with suppliers around the world, and remain committed to ethical product testing without the use of animals.
Aveda’s mission is to care for the world we live in and to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the word of beauty, but around the world. There are many ways Verde Salon is following this mission and making a difference in how they treat the environment. First, Verde is Green Circle Salon certified, which strives to divert salon and spa waste from landfill and waterways. Most city recycling programs are not equipped to recycle the type of waste that are by-products of hair salons. These items that typically become harmful waste in a landfill are now being re-purposed, recycled and disposed of in an environmentally safe way thanks to the Green Circle Salon Program.
Most of Verde's flooring is from Torlys, a company committed to creating appealing yet practical flooring, but not at the expense of the environment. Torlys follows a reduced footprint mandate that adheres to environmental principles of reduce, reuse, and renew. Their products meet or exceed the strict indoor air quality standards, are VOC free and contribute to LEED certification.
All appliances at Verde are Energy Star certified and all lights are LED, which use up to 95 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs at less than 3 watts per bulb. Verde’s tank-less hot water system is also Energy Star certified and produces hot water on-demand, negating the use of excess energy needed to heat stored water. In addition to low-flow toilets, Verde’s shampoo basins have been modified to reduce the flow of water from 19 gallons per minute to 1.8 gallons per minute without sacrificing performance.
The cleaning supplies for the salon are from Norwex, which reduces the use of chemicals in the workplace. Verde Salon also makes every effort to minimize the use of paper, including the use of iPad magazine subscriptions. Also, most employee business cards are printed on 100% recycled paper that was produced entirely with wind power.
“It was imperative that when I built the salon, I considered our environment every step of the way. All building materials, appliances, and fixtures needed to exceed the benchmark for an environmentally sustainable business, and I believe we were able to accomplish that. At the completion of our renovation, our salon exceeded Manitoba Hydro’s efficiency benchmark by almost double,” Sinopoli remarked.
He continued, “I hope that we will set an example and standard that future generations can uphold and strive to surpass.”
Verde Salon, Winnipeg • 2018 Contessa Awards Salon Interior Design Winner • Photography by Brian Buettner
