Other Environmental Initiatives

Clean-a-Park

Since 2009, Guest Services employees have volunteered on Earth Day to clean trash from various national parks in Washington, D.C.

In 2022, Guest Services had 28 employees and their families in and around the DC area come together for our annual cleanup. The group picked up 17 bags totalling 86 pounds of trash at Haines Point in Alexandria.

The program has quickly spread to other Guest Services divisions. In 2022, at Willow Beach Marina, 13 employees hauled away over 300 pounds of trash of which almost 50% was then able to be recycled..

Our team at Weeki Wachi Springs State Park hosts a monthly river cleanup every third Wednesday of the month. It is a wonderful community engagement project that gets our guests involved in a cleanup then a kayak ride after they participate.

St. Andrews State Park completed four cleanups throughout 2022. Volunteers gathered in total over 500 pounds of trash from beaches and surrounding areas.

Other properties including The Lodge at Wakulla Springs State Park, National Ballpark Boathouse, Cottonwood Cove Marina and Callville Bay Marina all hosted cleanups in 2022.

From paddleboarding to kayaking to rowing to sailing, Guest Services is deeply familiar with all facets of water sports. We take our stewardship of bodies of water seriously, implementing measures that ensure they remain clean and habitats enabled to nurture the wildlife they support. Below are some examples of environmental initiatives at our recreation units.

Guest Services’ Boat House Accomplishments

• Earth Day Event that featured a reduced rate two-hour paddle rental for a river clean up

• The revenue driven from the event was donated back to riverkeeper groups

• Monthly clean-ups were hosted in Anacostia during the first hour of the third Friday of each month

• We minimized paper usage by switching to an electronic waiver saving over 100,000 pieces of paper a year (approximately 5 to 10 trees a year saved)

• Switched staff water from bottled water to 5-gallon jug bubblers saving over 10,000 plastic water bottles a year

The Lodge at Breckenridge Renovations

We recently completed a full-scale guest room renovation at The Lodge at Breckenridge, Colorado. The following sustainable initiatives were put into place during this renovation with a keen focus on helping to reduce our carbon footprint.

• Implemented boiler updates to decrease usage during temperature reset and nighttime setback

• Eliminated single-use bath products by implementing bulk amenities

• Replaced all lighting with LED lighting

• Implemented energy-saving HVAC units for new rooms

• Added solar shades in guest rooms and ballrooms

All lighting throughout the property has been replaced with LED lighting which will ensure energy efficiency and a longer lifespan.

Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir, was created by the construction of the Hoover Dam. With more than 750 miles of shoreline, you can enjoy a day at the beach, take a boat out and disappear for hours or nestle into a cove to try to catch a big one.

Our team continues to commit itself to to various environmental initiatives at this beloved property.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

• Underwent ISO 14001 Audit Across All Guest Services Locations

• Executed property clean-ups with employees and the community

• Installed Mobility Access Mats (Boat Ramps) (Callville and Temple Bar)

• Installed Tankless water heaters (Temple)

• Replaced outdated appliances with Energy Star appliances

• Switched to LED lamps

• Campground showerheads were replaced with a more water-efficient showerhead

• Willow, Temple, Callville, and Cottonwood properties are at 95% 4-stroke boat motors, which greatly reduces oil use and reduces the amount of oil stored at the properties

• Callville and Temple removed debris - couches, deck chairs, dock boxes, old tanks - from the lake, which have been exposed due to low lake levels

• Switched to paper straws instead of plastic

• Callville and Temple sold old motors to be recycled/resold, reducing the amount of trash going into landfills