BUFFALO, N.Y.—Delaware North, one of the largest hospitality management companies serving national and state parks, recently announced a lineup of environmentally-friendly initiatives it is implementing across its parks and resorts properties this summer.
Among its efforts, Delaware North is expanding a partnership with Tesla, completing a restoration project at an iconic attraction at Niagara Falls State Park and planting the company’s greenhouse for its hospitality operations near Yellowstone National Park. In August, the company will for the first time host a sustainability conference for its environmental managers.
Delaware North began its environmental stewardship efforts in the early 1990s at Yosemite National Park and was the first hospitality company in the United States to register its environmental management system (EMS) to international ISO 14001 standards. GreenPath, Delaware North’s award-winning EMS, continues to grow the focus on sustainability initiatives that reduce the company’s environmental footprint and has become an integral part of its forward-looking business operations.
“Across our parks and resorts locations, we are committed to the care and protection of natural, cultural and historic resources,” said Deb Friedel, Director of Sustainability for Delaware North’s parks and resorts business. “We are excited to share with our guests, visitors and partners what we are doing to provide a more environmentally-conscious travel experience.”
Cave of the Winds Pavilion Restored
In partnership with the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Delaware North at Niagara Falls recently completed the restoration of the Cave of the Winds Pavilion, a popular state park attraction. Delaware North invested $1.3 million into the project, addressing structural issues while maintaining the historic integrity of the pavilion, which was built in 1910. Project highlights include repairing deteriorating structural columns; installing floor-to-ceiling glass panels behind the newly renovated cement columns to reinstate the historic view of the open-air pavilion; restoring historic decorative woodwork; and reducing the facility’s environmental footprint by integrating LED lights, low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and tile flooring.
Delaware North-operated The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, a relaxing resort located on the southern shore of Lake Erie near Geneva State Park, recently installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in partnership with Tesla, an American automotive and energy-storage company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars. The three EV charging stations installed at the property are part of Tesla’s Destination Program, which is focused on expanding the EV charging station network across the country as a way to incentivize thought leaders in the hospitality industry by providing free charging equipment and installation subsidies. The lodge offers two types of free EV charging stations to guests: two Tesla stations and one universal Cripple Creek station. In January, Delaware North partnered with Tesla to install more EV charging stations in Yosemite National Park.
West Yellowstone, Mont., might be one of the coldest places in the lower 48 states, but it hasn’t stopped Delaware North from being committed to growing its own food. For the second season, Executive Chef Jacob Tew and Environmental Manager Justin Cook planted the company’s greenhouse in West Yellowstone with herbs, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, carrots and beets. The greenhouse supports the company’s healthy and sustainable food initiative and produces ingredients for the Branch Restaurant located at the Delaware North-owned-and-operated Holiday Inn West Yellowstone during the busy season, which lasts about five months. Items from the local greenhouse are used to create locally grown dishes that include roasted root vegetables and fresh salads. “By growing our own ingredients for signature dishes, the Branch Restaurant now has the opportunity for seasonal creativity that so many guests are looking for these days,” Cook said. “You can’t get any fresher and more flavorful than items that come straight from the earth to the kitchen.”
Delaware North will host its first-ever conference dedicated to environmental management and asset protection on August 4 to 5 in Minneapolis, in conjunction with the National Association for Environmental Management’s (NAEM) Corporate Sustainability Management Conference. Following NAEM’s two-day conference, Delaware North’s environmental managers will meet to network, share best practices, report progress, review environmental data, establish goals, and plan for 2016.
For more information on Delaware North’s environmental management system, GreenPath, click here.
