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March 13, 2006
National Park Consessioner Green Certification
National Park lodging is some of the greenest in the country. The hotels in the Grand Tetons National Park are among the first in the U.S. to attain ISO 14001 certification and have an active program in place to continually improve on their green program. They recycle, conserve water and energy, buy sustainable building materials, participate in renewable energy by purchasing wind-generated energy, and sell green items in their gift shops. Enjoy the natural beauty of the Wyoming's Tetons Range and make a minimal impact on the environment by staying at the Grand Teton Lodging Company's hotels.
What do you get when you make your environmental program the foundation of your hospitality operations? You get Grand Teton Lodge Company. It is the only National Park concessioner to partner with Leave Not Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and one of the first lodging companies in the U.S. to achieve ISO 14001 certification.
The Grand Teton Lodge Company promotes responsible outdoor use through a diverse education program and have made significant progress in other areas like energy and water conservation, green retailing, a green procurement program, recycling, waste reduction and sustainable cuisine.
Their energy program includes purchasing wind-generated electricity, of which today about 6 percent is clean and renewable (and that number will increase annually). Buying clean energy dropped coal usage by 80 tons and kept 191 tons of CO2 pollution from the air. New Energy Star appliances has reduced energy consumption. They also use for their fleet of vehicles and sell to visitors biodiesel and E10 (10 percent ethanol) fuels. Additionally, they use synthetic fuels in their fleet.
Other environmental measures include water conservation, recycling, utilization of sustainable construction materials, and selling green items in the gift shop. By retrofitting their plumbing fixtures, they have not only conserved over one million gallons of water in a year, but also reduced energy consumption by 13%. Recycling and precycling have reduced their waste disposal volume and thus costs. They are also phasing out individual guestroom amenities and going toward bulk amenities, reducing the waste stream. And the gift shops carry green items like natural and organic apparel, natural personal care products, gift items made from natural and/or regional materials, organic food products, and recycled-content paper products.
Best Green Hotels has the Grant Teton Lodge Company lodging properties -- Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge, and Colter Bay Village, and Snake River Lodge and Spa -- listed for your quick perusal.
Posted by Kit Cassingham
