DENVER, July 9, 2007 - Beyond the obvious global benefit of natural resource preservation, people who choose to follow a sustainable path when they travel reap a variety of personal and health benefits, according national park and resort operator Xanterra Parks & Resorts. 

"It really is healthier when you stay in a green room," said Chris Lane, vice president of environmental affairs for Xanterra. "Though travelers who specifically choose to stay in environmentally friendly hotels are still in the minority, we are beginning to see a steady increase in their ranks."

Lane listed these top benefits to green travelers:

• Low exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to the use of environmentally preferable paints, adhesives, sealants, carpets and cleaners.

• Less eye strain due to better lighting from efficient compact fluorescent lamps.

• Choice of healthier foods. Xanterra offers a variety of sustainable food selections, including wild Alaska salmon and shade-grown fair trade coffee.

• Respiratory benefits from breathing better air around hotels that use cleaner burning boilers and cleaner burning transportation systems. Many Xanterra properties have switched from fuel-oil fired furnaces to propane-fired boilers. 

• Skincare benefits from the use of non-toxic soaps.

• Increased comfort in hotels that have switched from older bed linens to higher thread count bamboo linens.

• Environmental education benefits from signage and interpretation of environmental benefits in rooms and public areas.

Lane suggests travelers look for indicators such as third-party certifications verifying the accomplishments of the operation. Examples include ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification, verification of sustainability reports, use of Fair Trade products, memberships in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Performance Track memberships and other EPA partnerships. 

Xanterra's environmental management program, called Ecologix, has earned recognition from a variety of industry and environmental organizations for its depth and success. The company uses its own highly refined performance metrics model - called Ecometrix - to define resource consumption on annual per-room night and per-dollar revenue bases. Ecometrix is the tourism industry's first environmental performance metrics. The model defines annual totals of resource consumption and divides that total by annual rooms occupied and company-wide revenue, allowing Xanterra to focus on environmental goals that are measurable to a high level of accuracy.

Xanterra Parks & ResortsR (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country's largest park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Xanterra owns and operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts
6312 S. Fiddlers Green Circle
Suite 600 North
Greenwood Village, Co 80111
www.xanterra.com

Mona Mesereau
(1) 720-842-5271
[email protected]