MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL (KEYSTONE), SOUTH DAKOTA – September 14, 2020 – Mount Rushmore National Memorial is known for colossal stone carvings of four American presidents, Thomas Jefferson vanilla ice cream, and now environmental sustainability. The park concessioner, Xanterra Travel Collection, recently earned LEED® Platinum certification for the entire concession building and 4-star Certified Green Restaurant® status for Carver’s Café. These prestigious certifications validate the strength of Xanterra’s sustainability programs, exceptional maintenance practices, focus on environmental protection, sustainable sourcing, and commitment to the health of visitors and employees.
The mission statement of Xanterra, a Colorado-based national park concessioner and adventure travel company, is “Legendary Hospitality with a Softer Footprint.” This focus on environmental sustainability is also evident in Xanterra’s ambitious 2025 sustainability goals, which include 5% reduction in water and electricity consumption annually, 70% sustainable cuisine sourcing, 80% waste diversion, and 50% reduction in CO2 emissions. Jeff Miller, Xanterra’s Senior Director of Environmental Affairs, explained that Xanterra’s strategy is organized under four pillars: “use resources efficiently and effectively, strive for zero waste, build and operate sustainably, and provide guests with sustainable choices.”
Some of the initiatives that contributed to these certifications at Mount Rushmore include installing all new LED lighting that minimizes energy use and light pollution, upgrading heating and cooling systems, generating over 50% of concession building electricity with a new solar array, diverting over 50% of waste from the landfill, replacing cleaners with green alternatives, and installing a rooftop vegetable greenhouse. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council® (USGBC), is the most widely used green building rating system in the world with over 50,000 certified buildings in 181 countries. LEED has become an international symbol of excellence by transforming the global building industry toward more efficient, healthy, and comfortable buildings. LEED for Operations and Maintenance (O+M) evaluates plans, procedures, and performance and the way that existing buildings are used, maintained, and renovated. Performance is scored in categories including location and transportation, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation. Only 45 projects in the United States have achieved LEED O+M Platinum, the highest possible certification, under version 4.
This is the first building to achieve LEED O+M Platinum in South Dakota or in a US National Park unit. Xanterra collaborated with the National Park Service (NPS) and was supported by consultants Kath Williams + Associates (KW+A) and Quest Energy Group on this project. “This was a challenging project that showed leadership efforts at all levels,” said Kath Williams of KW+A. “I’ve been involved in hundreds of LEED certifications and know it takes a team, but Xanterra stands out because of the commitment to make every area of operations and maintenance the best they can be. This is an existing building with millions of visitors to serve and the Platinum award is a proud achievement for all.”
Even before earning LEED Platinum, Xanterra’s Cavers’ Café at Mount Rushmore was considered an industry leader in sustainable dining. In 2019 it became a 4-Star Certified Green Restaurant. This is the highest level of recognition from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) for achievements in categories such as sourcing sustainable food, conserving water and energy, minimizing chemical pollution, and reducing waste through recycling. Of over one thousand restaurants that have achieved Certified Green Restaurant certification, Carvers’ Cafe has the second highest GreenPoints™ score, making it the second Greenest Restaurant® in North America. “Xanterra is proud to offer great food, quality service, and green piece-of mind to our customers,” said Lloyd Shelton, Director of Food and Beverage for Xanterra. “By dining with us, you can reduce your own environmental impact!”
These certifications are a product of Xanterra’s well-established focus on sustainability organized around an ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System (EMS). Xanterra’s EMS drives environmental achievement through corporate environmental policy and a focus on continual improvement. Xanterra’s General Manager, Keith Cook, demonstrated that focus recently, “Our team is extremely proud of the progress we have made in reducing our environmental footprint and earning these certifications, but we continue to look for ways to improve. We are also pursuing Parksmart certification to guide and verify the sustainability of our parking facility at Mount Rushmore.”
Xanterra’s Sustainability Manager, Kevin Crosby, had this take on the certifications: “Before Theodore Roosevelt was enshrined at Mount Rushmore, he said that ‘nothing compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us.’ We are working with our partners every day to meet the needs of our visitors while conserving resources and reducing our environmental footprint so that future generations will be able to enjoy the Memorial in the same way.”
Visitors to Mount Rushmore can participate in these efforts by using sustainable modes of transportation, selecting local or sustainable and food and gifts, recycling, and reducing their electricity use at home. The public can learn more about these certifications and some of the initiatives that contributed to them through displays at the memorial, on Xanterra’s website (www.mtrushmorenationalmemorial.com/environment/awards), or on the NPS website (www.nps.gov/moru).
Innovation Credits were awarded for:
