Behind the Scenes, Greening Our U.S. Parks

When you visit U.S. national and state parks this summer, you’ll be happy to know they are managed by a company that thinks like you do.

Xanterra is the largest national and state park management company in the U.S. – serving over 17 million people a year who visit U.S. parks.

Its 8,000 employees operate 33 hotels and lodges with over 5,000 guest rooms, 50 retail stores, 64 restaurants and 1,800 campsites in national and state parks like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion.

Xanterra’s efforts cover the full range of sustainability concerns from energy and waste reduction to green procurement, from serving sustainable food to using renewable energy. In its first sustainability report, published this year, president Andrew Todd says, “Whether we provide comfortable rooms through efficient lighting and heating systems, operate a clean-burning transportation system or serve food that does not deplete ocean fisheries or harm ecosystems, I know that we can exceed guest expectations while maintaining environmental priorities.”

Some of its notable activities to protect our parks are:

* reduced fuel emissions at the Grand Canyon to almost zero by switching from fuel oil to propane fuel. The new boilers release literally 80 times less CO2 and run at 83.3% efficiency, while eliminating the hazards associated with fuel spills.

* replaced the entire rental fleet of snowmobiles and boats at Yellowstone and the Everglades with engines that are 65% more efficient and are much quieter.

* retrofitting old incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps, reducing energy use by 70% as well as air conditioning loads.

* a goal of providing 10% of total electricity from renewable energy. Currently, 15% of Crater Lake National Park’s operation and 10% of Zion’s is powered by geothermal energy.

* an Environmentally Preferable Procurement program guides staff purchases toward products that contain recycled materials, are biodegradable, have less packaging, use less energy, and consume fewer natural resources over their useful life.

* a sustainable fisheries policy that bans shark, Chilean sea bass and other threatened fish species from menus in favor of fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. Xanterra also serves free range beef and pork, and organic fair trade coffee.

And, in 2004, the company began constructing single-family employee houses certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program.

Great going, Xanterra!

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www.xanterra.com