Park City Lodging, Inc. Announces Green Initiatives 2014
Park City Lodging, Inc.’s Sustainability Initiatives Continue to Grow PARK CITY, UTAH, June 2014 -- As Park City Lodging, Inc. celebrates its 30th anniversary, company founder and president, Rhonda Sideris, reflects back on the accomplishments and key milestones throughout the years. One of the achievements, of which she is most proud, is her company’s commitment to environmental initiatives. A “green advocate” in both her personal and professional life, Ms. Sideris takes pride in sustainability programs. “Participation in these programs has been well received by our employees, guests and property owners,” said Ms. Sideris. “We are continually looking for additional ways to be green.”
Park City Lodging, Inc.’s commitment to being an eco-friendly company includes initiatives and policies that straddle all departments and start with the very first guest touch-point. “When guests call to make a reservation, we encourage them to utilize transportation services from the airport and have created partnerships with transportation companies to facilitate this process,” says Ms. Sideris. Additionally, the reservation website provides information about the free bus service and encourages guests to use this transportation while in town, rather than renting a car.
Upon check-in, guests receive a reusable, cloth grocery bag to use throughout their stay and take home with them for continued use. Each week, Curbside Recycling picks up boxes, plastic, aluminum and waste paper to take to the recycling center for processing. Other items that cannot be recycled are hand carried to Recycle Utah. Recycling programs have been implemented for the Homeowner’s Associations under management as well.
Staff in the office are very conscientious about materials re-use and recycling. Most of the office paper products are made from recycled paper including post cards, brochures and office supplies. Staff run scratch paper through the printer a second time for in-house documents. Water filtration systems for staff drinking water have been installed, eliminating weekly water delivery, which saves on plastic containers and the fuel/carbon footprint required to haul containers each week.
Power consumption is offset by participation in Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Renewable Energy program, which reduces carbon emissions equivalent to not driving a car 15,000 miles. And, the housekeeping and maintenance staffs employ a “no idle” policy as they attend to properties throughout the workday.
In room, guest products are purchased from Xela Pack, Inc., an ecologically conscious packaging company that creates custom designed packages for shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and guest soaps using environmentally friendly disposable paper boxes. This alternative to plastic bottles provides a 92% reduction in waste after use. All cleaning products and laundry detergents used by the housekeeping staff are biodegradable, from Ecolab, Inc. Soap remnants are collected and processed for reuse by needy individuals.
Park City Lodging, Inc. also supports non-profit organizations that are committed to sustainability, including the 1% for Open Space program. Looking to the future, Park City Lodging, Inc. is in the process of securing approvals to build an eco-friendly building with energy efficient capabilities, partial solar power, and partial water reclamation. As the business grows, it continues to look for ways to incorporate green initiatives into its corporate policies and procedures.