On the one-year anniversary of the company’s Project Green Wolf™,
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.®
(NASDAQ: WOLF),
North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts,
continues
to celebrate its distinction as the first and only national hotel chain
to have all properties achieve the Green Seal™ Certification
– Silver for the lodging portion of its 10 Great Wolf Lodge®
brand resorts and its Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center™
in the United States. Additionally, Great Wolf Lodge – Niagara Falls
received a four leaf Green Leaf™ Eco-Rating from the Audubon
Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program in Canada.
In 2007, Great Wolf Resorts started reducing energy and water usage
across its properties as part of the Green Seal Certification process.
After implementing a variety of energy-saving business practices, the
company is proud to report a reduced electricity consumption of more
than 1.5 million kWH in 2009. Gas usage was also reduced by 234,806
Therms for the year. Lastly, reduced water usage resulted in an overall
savings of nearly 4.5 million gallons in 2009.
"The proof is in the numbers,” said Kim Schaefer, chief executive
officer of Great Wolf Resorts. "The changes we made to the lodging
portion of our business certainly had a positive impact on our bottom
line, but more importantly, we’re setting the bar for sustainability
within our industry. It’s our way of making every day Earth Day at Great
Wolf Lodge.”
Although the Green Seal Certification only applies to the lodging
portion of Great Wolf Resorts, the company is also dedicated to creating
"greener” waterparks through its Project Green Wolf, a program launched
in 2009 that includes guidelines for the waterpark and other resort
amenities. Key areas of the program include: management of fresh water
resources, waste minimization, energy efficiency, environmentally and
socially sensitive purchasing, and guest education. Two of the company’s
locations – Sandusky, Ohio and Grand Mound, Washington – participate in
on-site composting, which has kept thousands of tons of food waste out
of local landfills and is instead being used as fertilizer.
In celebration of the one-year anniversary of Project Green Wolf, Great
Wolf guests are invited to enjoy a variety of new Cub Club activities
centered around sustainable fun from now until May 27, 2010. Developed
in partnership with National Geographic Kids™, activities
include Energy Exploration, a series of touch and feel displays for
families to experience ways they can create and conserve energy, and
Green Scene, featuring earth-friendly projects for kids including
personalized recyclable flower pots.
"We’re always looking for ways to expand our edutainment programs,” said
Schaefer. "The goal of our new Cub Club activities is to make learning
about sustainability fun and easy for families. We want to show children
that it’s easy being green.”
For more information about Project Green Wolf and Great Wolf Resorts’
other environmental initiatives, visit www.ProjectGreenWolf.com.
About Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), Madison, Wis., is
North America’s largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through
its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns and operates its family resorts
under the Great Wolf Lodge® and Blue Harbor Resort™
brands. Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company with
Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio;
Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono
Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas;
Grand Mound, Wash.; and Charlotte, N.C.; and Blue Harbor Resort &
Conference Center in Sheboygan, Wis. Through Great Wolf Resorts’
environmental sustainability program, Project Green Wolf™,
the company is the first and only national hotel chain to have all US
properties Green Seal™ Certified – Silver.
The company’s resorts are family-oriented destination facilities that
generally feature 300–600 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area
measuring 40,000–100,000 square feet. The all-suite properties offer a
variety of room styles, arcade/game rooms, fitness rooms, themed
restaurants, spas, supervised children’s activities and other amenities.
Additional information may be found on the company’s Web site at www.greatwolf.com.
About Green Seal
Founded in 1989, Green Seal provides science-based environmental
certification standards that are credible, transparent, and essential in
an increasingly educated and competitive marketplace. Its industry
knowledge and standards help manufacturers, purchasers, and end-users
make responsible choices that positively impact business behavior and
improve quality of life.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Green Seal issued its first
environmental standards in 1991-2, and the first product certifications
were completed in 1992. Thousands of products and services from major
companies have now been certified to meet Green Seal standards, and the
number of major product categories covered by standards has increased to
more than 40. Green Seal may be found online at www.greenseal.org.
