In partnership with Tenaya Lodge’s parent company, Delaware North, Tenaya’s revolutionary GreenPath program is a formal, documented, and comprehensive environmental management system that is organically woven throughout the resort’s operations. GreenPath evolved out of a commitment by Delaware North to responsible stewardship of some of the world’s most treasured places by minimizing environmental impact and making positive contributions to their home communities.
An ISO 14001-registered environmental management system, GreenPath defines steps to ensure operations are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. GreenPath also ensures environmental considerations are incorporated into business decisions and facilitates continuous improvement of Tenaya’s environmental performance.
GreenPath is an important topic during new associate orientation and established standards are monitored and reviewed by the in-house GreenPath team. In collaboration with Tenaya management, the team is also responsible for measuring and documenting progress towards Tenaya Lodge’s zero waste goal. Guests are informed of sustainability initiatives and ways to contribute through newsletters, the lobby TV and in the in-room digital guest directories.
Zero Waste Goal
Tenaya Lodge has set an aggressive target to be one of the first locations in the area to generate zero waste or minimum waste and become certified by the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council. This proactive effort began in July 2016 and will be completed by 2018.
Efforts to date have included:
- Composting all organic material—an on-site compost container captures organic waste that is later used in landscaping.
- Incorporating reusable materials wherever possible and sourcing compostable disposables (cups, plates, etc.) where this is not feasible.
- Partnering with “Clean the World,” to recycle leftover soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, which is distributed to people in need around the world.
- Recycling programs for batteries, lamps, cardboard, printer cartridges, paper, cans, bottles and plastics.
Sustainability Initiatives
Tenaya Lodge participates in Clean Energy Network California from Comverge’s Demand Response Program to put energy back on the grid for PG&E during peak energy usage times. Other sustainability initiatives at Tenaya Lodge have tackled energy efficiency, water use and food sourcing and include:
Guest Room Lighting
Guest rooms are equipped with an occupancy sensor switch that shuts off lighting when the room is vacant. By replacing light bulbs with energy efficient LEDs, Tenaya has cut electricity consumption by 17%.
Guest Room Thermostats
Tenaya’s guest rooms use Verdant energy management thermostats, which automatically reduce energy consumption when the room is vacant by eliminating unnecessary heating and air-conditioning.
Electrical Vehicle Charging Station
Tenaya Lodge has a new standard, high voltage 240V Level 2: SAE Dual Head J1772 electric vehicle charging station and eight Tesla supercharging stations.
Water and Wastewater Treatment
In February 2016, Tenaya Lodge opened its own on-site water and wastewater treatment plant. Tenaya relies on its own well for the resort’s water needs, which cover everything from drinking water to the water used in its pools and laundry facilities. Capable of processing up to 120,000 gallons of wastewater per hour, the wastewater treatment is chlorine-free and produces recycled water for landscaping irrigation.
Reclaimed Water Irrigation
In 2017, Tenaya’s landscaping irrigation system will be upgraded to take advantage of the treatment plant’s ability to recycle water.
Laundry Room Water Recycling
Tenaya Lodge uses AquaRecycle's state of the art technology to reclaim 100% of the wastewater from its laundry operations. This saves around 340,000 gallons of water per month and led to a “Saving Millions Award” with over 18 million water gallons recycled in a year.
Avoiding the need to draw fresh well water also saves propane during the water heating process because the recycled water emerges from the system about 30 degrees warmer than new water drawn from Tenaya’s well.
Water Bottle Filling Station
Helping to reduce plastic water bottle waste, Tenaya Lodge has a water bottle filling station in its lobby. Popular with hikers filling their own canisters, the station has filled the equivalent of 55,000 plastic water bottles as of September 2016.
Sustainable Food Sourcing
Chefs at Tenaya Lodge have pledged to purchase and use only sustainably grown produce and seafood. The Tenaya culinary team has studied with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to ensure that all seafood served in the restaurants is farmed in ways that do not hurt the ocean.
Awards and Accolades
Tenaya’s green efforts have led to dual LEED Silver certification of the resort and Ascent Spa and have garnered a 3 out of 3 (Environmentalist level) rating with the state’s California Green Lodging Program and a 4 rating with Green Key. Tenaya has also achieved Gold Level in the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders Program.