ZION NATIONAL PARK — The Sentinel and the Watchman hotel buildings at the park’s lodge have received a LEED Silver Certification, becoming the first holding in a national park to earn the environmental distinction.
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees the certification, LEED — or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — is the most widely used sustainable building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building, community, and home project types, LEED provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving buildings
Xanterra Parks & Resorts Inc., which holds the contract to operate the lodge, has long put an emphasis on reducing environmental impact though sustainable business practices.
“Achieving LEED Silver is an example of the environmental commitment that the Zion National Park Lodge, and Xanterra as a whole, has put forth. We believe in doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do,” Alex Rogers, sustainability manager for the lodge, said in a statement.
Some of the sustainability measures undertaken by the lodge to earn the certification include providing electric vehicle charging stations; installing water-conserving plumbing fixtures; completing energy audits and carrying out efficiency measures as needed; and creating an extensive “green” purchasing policy. The lodge earned the certification in September following months of work and propertywide improvements.