Buffalo,
NY – July 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / 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.”
Niagara
Falls Completes Restoration Project
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.
The
Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake Installs Tesla Charging Station
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 Greenhouse
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 delicious
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 Sustainability Conference for Environmental Managers
Delaware
North will host its first-ever conference dedicated to environmental management
and asset protection on Aug. 4-5 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®,
please visit GreenPathNews.com.
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About
Delaware North’s Parks and Resorts Business
Delaware
North Parks and Resorts is a global leader in the hospitality industry,
operating lodging, food and beverage and retail services, recreational
activities, and educational programming at destinations throughout North
America and Australia. Delaware North operates in many of the United States’
iconic national and state parks, including Yosemite National Park and Niagara
Falls State Park, as well as at cultural attractions such as Kennedy Space
Center Visitors Complex. Its portfolio also includes five luxury resorts
in Australia. To learn more about Delaware North’s hospitality management
expertise, visit www.DelawareNorth.com/parks-and-resorts-home.aspx.
About
Delaware North
Delaware
North is one of the largest privately held hospitality and food service
companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family
for 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places
such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination
resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 60,000 employee
associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a
time in serving more than a half-billion guests annually. Delaware North
operates in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, parks,
resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries and has annual revenue
of approximately $3 billion. “Delaware North” is a reference to Delaware
North Companies Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries, including location-specific
operating entities. Learn more about Delaware North, a global leader in
hospitality and food service, at www.DelawareNorth.com.
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Media Contact:
Dana
Marciniak
Director-Corporate Communications
Phone: 716-858-5763 |