Xanterra turning food scraps to flowers in Glacier
Peter Pham of New Jersey photographs the flowers at Lake McDonald Lodge. The flowers are planted in compost, some of which came from scraps from the lodge.
Picture this: You’re eating dinner at the Lake McDonald Lodge. You leave a slice of lettuce on your plate, maybe a bit of tomato, or carrot, all of which were grown by local farmers.
The waiter whisks your plate away, but the lettuce and tomato doesn’t go into the garbage, it goes into a compost pile. The compost is hauled out to a Columbia Falls composting firm, DIRT Rich, for composting.
Xanterra can’t compost inside the Park because of bear concerns.
The next year the composting returns to the lodge, but this time it’s in the potted plants, feeding the immaculate flowers that adorn the lodge.
That sort of innovative thinking and several others, garnered Xanterrra Parks and Resorts a National Park Service Environmental Achievement Award.
All told, Xanterra composted a whopping 36 tons of food waste last year and expects to be over 50 tons this year, said Matt Volz, director of risk and sustainability for the company. Xanterra operates all the major lodges under contract with the Park Service in Glacier National Park.
The company has realized other efficiencies in its second year running the lodges. As it continues to invest the infrastructure of the buildings, it’s seeing savings in energy and water usage.
For example, it’s seen a 12 percent reduction in electrical usage and a 10 percent reduction in water. The Park Service provides sewer and water to the lodges and it’s a significant expense, Volz noted. As part of its Park Service contract, the company has invested millions in the properties since it took over the concession contract. Last year it invested $3 million in the Lake McDonald Lodge properties alone.
Simple things like efficient LED lights and better room heaters have all made a difference. The company has even bought a solar panel from Flathead Electric Co-op.
The company has also made a concerted effort to support local businesses and retailers, spending $675,000 in food and beverage locally. In one example, it partnered with Flathead Lake Brewery to create a signature beer, Lone Walker Ale, which became its third-highest selling beer in the Park, Volz noted.
It also supports the local distilleries.
Sales of local whiskey were 2.5 times greater than sales of imported whiskey.
The company has also started a community recycle center at its Columbia Falls office, generating over 90,000 pounds of recycled glass. In turn, it partnered with New World Recycling and used over 120,000 pounds of recycled glass for the foundation and plant beds of the new Red Bus garage on Highway 206.
As it went through remodels at its properties, it donated the old furniture to Habitat for Humanity. And those plants that adorn the lodges? They were bought from Kalispell vendor Plant Land, for $15,000.
The award recognized the company for “exceptional achievements in the good neighbor category.”
“Stewardship is not just about the place,” Volz noted. “But also the people that call this valley home and I am proud of what we as a team achieved in our second season at Glacier.”