Our Sustainability Commitment
With a setting as spectacular as the Yosemite Sierra, Tenaya Lodge is committed to preserving resources and minimizing footprints on this natural treasure. We're constantly looking for new ways to reduce the impact of business on the environment and generate positive social impact.
At Tenaya Lodge, providing gracious hospitality in one of the most beautiful places on Earth is a privilege. It is our responsibility to be exemplary environmental stewards of the Sierra, and your support is critical. Tenaya Lodge is proud to have launched our "Housekeeping at Request" program. Housekeeping services are a large consumer of valuable resources and with your help, we can significantly reduce waste and shrink the carbon footprint of the resort. Your partnership will help to preserve and protect the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park and the Sierra National Forest for the next generation of visitors. Become a Proud Steward of the Sierra and join us in our effort to reduce waste and help to preserve our valuable resources.
Tenaya Lodge is a member of the Green Hotels Association and has earned a Five Key rating from Green Key Global. See below for more information on other Tenaya Lodge Sustainability Awards..
In partnership with our parent company, Delaware North, our revolutionary GreenPath program is a comprehensive environmental management system that is organically woven into everything we do. For more about current GreenPath efforts by Delaware North, please see the Green Path News website.
To reach the goals set by our GreenPath program, Tenaya Lodge implements a wide range of sustainability initiatives including:
- Zero Waste Plan. Our Zero Waste Plan is building toward diverting 90% trash from the landfill. We started in 2016 with a 16% diversion rate, growing this to 51% by 2018. We have done this by reducing usage where possible and shifting to compostable or recyclable products elsewhere. We offer paper straws, wooden stir sticks, compostable and recyclable food containers, compostable coffee cups and lids, compostable cups, compostable cutlery, and compostable paper plates.
- Conversion to Energy Efficient Fixtures and Equipment. Our goal is to replace all the lighting with more efficient options whenever we purchase. Every light bulb we replace gets replaced with an LED bulb. When piece of equipment is obsolete, we replace it with a certified Energy Star equipment where available.
- Water Recycling. Our state-of-the-art laundry water recycling system allows our laundry facility to save 1.5 million gallons of water per year. In addition, since this water is already heated, this also results in a huge energy savings.
- Electric Charging Stations. As part of our partnership with Tesla, Tenaya Lodge offers eight Tesla Superchargers to encourage our guests and associates to opt for clean-energy vehicles. We also have an overnight charging station for non-Tesla vehicles.
- Green Meetings. Tenaya Lodge offers environmentally-friendly conference services, including disposable-free meal services, a selection of organic, local and sustainable food, reusable meeting tools, and eco-friendly amenities and services.
- Housekeeping Service Opt Out. Tenaya Lodge gives encourages our guests to decline housekeeping service during their stay in return for a fun and delicious S'mores kit. This has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and up to one million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
- Solar Explorer Cabin. As a pilot program, Tenaya Lodge installed high-efficiency solar panels on Explorer Cabin #16. The panels can 16kWh per day, enough to sustain the electrical demand of the cabin.
- Reducing Plastic Water Bottle Use. In an effort to reduce plastic pollution and decrease our carbon footprint, Tenaya Lodge installed water bottle filling stations for associates and guests. We have stopped purchasing bottled water for associate offices and for internal meetings. Tenaya Lodge offers complimentary reusable water bottles in the rooms for guests.
- Tenaya Lodge GreenPath TV. A series of environmental videos for kids and the Lodge Environmental Practices are shared on a TV screen in the lobby to promote environmental awareness and education.
Sustainability Awards
Winner of the 5-Key Green Key Award
The Green Key Eco-Rating Program is recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). The graduated rating system is designed to recognize hotels, motels, and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental and fiscal performance. Tenaya Lodge's 5-Key Rating is the highest level offered by Green Key Global and shows that sustainability is a "key" factor in all our decisions!
Tenaya Lodge awarded the Environmentalist Level in the California Green Lodging Program
Tenaya Lodge awarded the Environmentalist level in the California Green Lodging Program. The California Green Lodging Program is an initiative of the California Department of General Services to promote pollution prevention practices in the tourism and hospitality industry. The program encourages operations to be aware of their impact on the environment and to takes steps to reduce this impacts. Visit the Green Lodging Program website for more information.
Double Silver LEED Certification
Calif. (April 20, 2012) - Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts has earned double Silver LEED certification at Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, an all-season resort located just outside of Yosemite National Park in Fish Camp, Calif. Both certifications follow a year long project that expanded Tenaya's banquet, event and meeting spaces and office area, plus added a destination spa. Delaware North, which owns and operates Tenaya, followed a process laid out by its environmental program, GreenPath, to ensure environmental stewardship and measurable green practices. The company worked with Layton Construction Company and architect Peter Grove of Collaborative Design Studio.
Tenaya Lodge proudly accepted into TripAdvisor® GreenLeaders Program, Gold Level
TripAdvisor GreenLeaders have met a set of environmental standards developed for TripAdvisor by a leading environmental consulting firm, with input from expert partners. The more green practices a hotel has in place, the higher its GreenLeader level, which is shown on the property's listing on the TripAdvisor site. Travelers can now search for accommodations that have a GreenLeaders status on the TripAdvisor site, and view a detailed list of environmentally-friendly practices that they can expect at each location. "TripAdvisor GreenLeaders are leading the hospitality industry in making efforts to improve their environmental footprint," said Jenny Rushmore, director of responsible travel at TripAdvisor. "We greatly applaud these accommodations and are pleased to share their eco-friendly practices with our online audience of more than 200 million travelers." The TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program was developed in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® program, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the United Nations Environment Programme. For more information, please visit www.tripadvisor.com/GreenLeaders.
Tenaya Lodge Zero Waste Plan
Tenaya Lodge developed a Zero Waste Plan in August 2016. This plan, one of the first locations in the area to generate zero waste or minimum waste, positions Tenaya Lodge as an environmentally friendly and responsible destination. The plan has five distinct phases and the final phase will be completed during the third quarter of 2018. Zero Waste is a philosophy that encourages the re-design of resource lifestyles so that all products are re-used. No trash is sent to landfills or incinerators and the process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are re-used in nature.
Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary. Zero Waste is a means to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.
Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.