Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Virginia Green
Hotels & Lodging Facilities

Virginia Green
Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park
Luray, VA

Virginia Green is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s campaign to promote environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of Virginia’s tourism industry. Virginia Green has established "core activities" specific to each sector of tourism, and these practices are considered the required minimum for participation in the program. However, Virginia Green encourages its participants to reduce their environmental impacts in all aspects of their operations, and this profile provides a full list of all their “green” activities. These are the activities that guests / customers can expect to find when they visit this facility.

Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park

Big Meadows Lodge, located at mile 51.2 on Skyline Drive, is named for a large grassy meadow near the lodge where deer often graze. The main lodge was built with stones cut from the Massanutten Mountain in 1939 by the Conservation Civilian Corps and mountain laborers. The main lodge has 29 cozy, little rooms and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1997. The Spottswood Dining Room, New Market Taproom and Craft Shop are located in the main lodge building. Big Meadows offers a variety of rooms and cabins to suit the preferences of our guests. The Main Lodge, along with five cabins and six multi-unit buildings, are located within a short walking distance of the lodge and sits on approximately 10 acres of park land.

Big Meadows Lodge is participating in the Virginia Green challenge to honor the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway and looks forward to celebrating 75 years of Shenandoah National Park in 2011.

Virginia Green Activities

This facility pledges that they:
Offer optional linen service
- Have signage in each guest room explaining the linen reuse procedures 
- Change linens only upon request 
- Train housekeeping staff on our process for optional linen service  
- Purchase water- and energy-efficient washers and dryers 
- Use non-phosphate, non-toxic and biodegradable laundry detergents 
- Minimize the use of bleach and chlorinated chemicals 

Recycle
- Have in place clearly marked recycling bins or provide convenient drop-off locations for guests to recycle: 
- Glass Bottles 
- Plastic Bottles 
- Aluminum cans 
- Steel cans 
- Newspaper 
- Office paper
Other items recycled by the facility: 
- Printer/ copy machine toner cartridges 
- Cardboard 
- Fluorescent lamps 
- Batteries 
- Electronics equipment such as computers, etc. 

Reduce solid waste
- Track overall solid waste costs 
- Use bulk soap dispensers instead of individual soaps/shampoos in guest rooms 
- Instruct housekeeping staff to save and reuse unopened items 
- Recycle fryer grease 
- Have an effective food inventory control system to minimize waste 
- Use disposable foodservice items that are made from recycled content 
- Use cloth napkins 
- Use reusable coffee filters 
- Use non-bleached napkins and coffee filters 
- Provide condiments, cream and sugar, etc. in bulk 
- Use water pitchers to minimize the use of single-use bottles 
- Use bulk soap dispensers in public restrooms 
- Purchase recycled-content paper-towels and toilet paper 
- Reuse scrap paper for notes 
- Purchase recycled paper with a high-percentage recycled content 
- Make double-sided photocopies and avoid making extra photocopies 
- Use electronic correspondence and forms when possible 
- Use green cleaning products that are dispensed in bulk 
- Use reused building materials or those from sustainable sources 
- Use latex, low or no-VOC paints 
- Re-use paint thinners 
- Properly recycle and/or dispose of thinners and solvents 
- Perform preventative maintenance on all appliances, HVAC systems, plumbing, and vehicles 
- Use integrated pest management (IPM) 
- Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides in landscaping 

Use water efficiently
- Track overall water usage and wastewater costs 
- Perform preventative maintenance to stop drips and leaks 
- Have installed high efficiency dishwashers 
- Have installed low flow faucets and showerheads (use less than 2.5 gallons per minute) 
- Have installed low flow toilets (use 1.6 gallons per flush or less) 
- Have installed automatic faucets or toilets in public restrooms 
- Have landscaping that utilizes native species 
- Have minimized our lawn area 
- Have minimized impervious areas (paving, concrete, etc.) 
- Have installed rain barrels 

Conserve energy
- Track overall energy bills 
- Have established a numeric goal to reduce energy usage over time 
- Calculate the environmental impacts of the facilitys energy usage by using a pollution calculator 
- Have individual thermostats for each room; ensure they are correctly adjusted 
- Have installed ceiling fans 
- Regularly perform preventative maintenance on HVAC system 
- Keep office doors and windows closed if HVAC system is on 
- Use natural lighting (i.e., open draperies and raise shades whenever adequate light from windows is available) 
- Use lighting sensors to turn on/off lights 
- Have adopted a policy/practice to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms 
- Have installed compact fluorescent light bulbs in all rooms and canned lighting 
- Have installed LED Exit Signs 
- Have installed directional (downward-facing) lighting in parking areas and other outdoor areas 
- Use ENERGY STAR qualified appliances (commercial kitchens, heating and cooling, consumer electronics) 
- Use ENERGY STAR qualified office equipment (computers, monitors, copiers, printers, etc.) 
- Have adopted a policy/practice to turn off fans, computers, monitors and other devices in unoccupied rooms at the end of the workday or when otherwise not being used 

Offer a green events package
- Include the availability of "green meetings/conferences" in marketing packages (see the factsheet on Environmentally-Responsible Conferences & Events) 

Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park    Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park

For more information on Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park, see http://www.visitshenandoah.com/accommodations/big-meadows-lodge.aspx or contact Wayne Soard at soard-wayne@aramark.com or 540-843-2101.

For more information on the Virginia Green program, see www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/PollutionPrevention/VirginiaGreen.aspx.

Virginia GreenVirginia Green is a partnership supported by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Hospitality & Tourism Association, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

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