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Parks Concessionaire Snares Sustainability Awards

Let’s hear it for Amfac Parks & Resorts, recent recipient of two awards recognizing its environmental initiatives. The folks at Amfac landed the Department of Interior’s Environmental Achievement Award and the Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) Odyssey Award in the Environment category.

Let’s hear it for Amfac Parks & Resorts, recent recipient of two awards recognizing its environmental initiatives. The folks at Amfac landed the Department of Interior’s Environmental Achievement Award and the Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) Odyssey Award in the Environment category.

Amfac Parks & Resorts operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national and state parks and resorts throughout the U.S.

According to an Amfac press release, the company was the only concessionaire -- and one of only 13 winners in three categories -- to receive the U.S. Department of Interior’s 2001 Environmental Achievement Award. The Department of Interior presents the Environmental Achievement Awards to recognize the achievements of its bureaus, employees and contractors in pollution prevention, recycling, sustainable design, environmentally preferable purchasing, environmental stewardship, auditing, environmental management systems and educational outreach.

Amfac said it had been selected for its efforts to minimize environmental impact while operating concessions at national parks with special recognition paid to Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Yellowstone, Zion and Grand Canyon (South Rim) National Parks.

Department of Interior judges singled out several park initiatives, including Ampac’s:
  • establishing a corporate-wide policy on purchasing seafood only from sustainable fisheries
  • reducing emissions at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim by installing clean-burning propane boilers to heat buildings, and hydrous alcohol injectors on tour buses
  • upgrading rental snowmobiles in Yellowstone with cleaner four-stroke engines
  • using environmentally preferable cleaning products
    developing energy-conservation projects
  • instituting aggressive recycling, waste reduction, and composting programs
In presenting its Odyssey award, the Travel Industry Association lauds excellence and exceptional achievements in travel and tourism. The TIA Odyssey Award cited Amfac’s “comprehensive environmental management program” which it said includes:
  • hiring onsite environmental managers
  • producing a company-wide environmental newsletter
  • using recycled paper and soy-based inks at an in-house print shop
  • developing a company-wide policy in support of sustainable fishing practices
  • developing strategic Environmental Management Systems that assist properties in meeting environmental goals
According to TIA, Amfac has “successfully balanced economic viability with ecological responsibility, weighing up-front costs against long-term savings and educating employees about the benefits of new technologies and conservation practices.”

Making it Happen

Andrew N. Todd, president and CEO of Amfac, credited Amfac’s employees for the awards, but singled out Chris Lane, director of environmental programs.

“With (Lane’s) leadership, Amfac has added many new environmental initiatives as well as enhanced long-standing programs and policies. The result is we are on our way toward achieving our goal of being recognized as the most environmentally responsible concessioner in the business,” Lane said.

The company’s environmental successes have been supported by a corporate approach that includes creating an environmental mission statement, hiring a director of environmental programs, developing a company-wide environmental strategic plan, forming “Green Teams” at the properties, assessing the environmental impact of planned capital expenditures and sharing environmental information among the properties.

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