{"id":4660,"date":"2009-08-01T18:11:05","date_gmt":"2009-08-02T00:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=4660"},"modified":"2009-08-01T18:11:05","modified_gmt":"2009-08-02T00:11:05","slug":"great-wolf-resorts-starts-project-green-wolf-to-extend-green-seal-certification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/great-wolf-resorts-starts-project-green-wolf-to-extend-green-seal-certification\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Wolf Resorts Starts Project Green Wolf to Extend Green Seal Certification"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., the largest chain of family-oriented indoor waterpark resorts is now the only national hotel chain to achieve\u00a0Green Seal Certification<\/a> for the lodging portion of its operations. Great Wolf Resorts, with 12 locations throughout the U.S., focuses on family vacation destinations the generally feature 300 \u2013 600 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area measuring 40,000 \u2013 100,000 square feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe green tourism is the most important travel trend of our lifetime, and we wanted to do the right thing by taking a leadership position on this,\u201d said Kim Schaefer, chief executive officer of Great Wolf Resorts. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be recognized as the first national hotel chain to achieve Green Seal Certification, yet more importantly, it\u2019s gratifying to know we\u2019re doing our part to create a sustainable tourism product for lots of families and generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Setting a standard<\/strong><\/p>\n

Green Seal, a 20-year-old independent non-profit with a mission of helping create a more sustainable world, created a rigorous, science-based environmental standard that includes nearly three dozen criteria for lodging operations to follow. Meeting these criteria qualifies for Green Seal certification and demonstrates a commitment<\/a> to environmental responsibility.<\/p>\n

In the process of making the necessary changes to achieve certification, Great Wolf realized the requirements addressed only the lodging portion of its business. With the Green Seal serving as a platform from which to grow its commitment, Great Wolf chose to examine its entire operation in an effort for even greater environmental accountability. By setting guidelines for greener waterparks, restaurants, and all amenities offered in its chain of resorts, Project Green Wolf<\/a> was born (when clicking this link, you may want to have your audio turned down or off)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The evolution of the Green Wolf<\/strong>
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The process of creating Project Green Wolf involved revising nearly every page of the company’s operational procedures and redefining its traditional approach to doing business. The result was not only a greener operation, but a leaner one as well. Says Mark Petruzzi, \u201cGoing green is not only achievable, as evidenced by Great Wolf Resorts, but it makes good business sense and can actually save lodging properties money while being more environmentally responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each property has its own specific expression of the Green Wolf, but common key areas are addressed company-wide, incorporating and enhancing Green Seal criteria to its entire operation:<\/p>\n