Distinctly Montana Magazine

ism operations," says Beth "But what we really want is for the visitors to bring a piece of our initiative home with them and prac- tice conservation in their own daily lives." "Sustainable" is a term that has become rather ambiguous in today's popular media, often abused by the ignorant, then branded and sold by the sancti- monious. As is usually the case with any good cause, those who are really making a significant dif- ference are too busy in action to be flaunting their contributions. It became evident to me that Xanterra is not a pretender when I saw the backroom undertakings beyond the scope of the public's eye. We arrived at the boiler room and Beth had to shout over the machines to explain the innovation that rattled around me. Distilled grease collected from all the kitchens around the park is being used to fuel the boilers. The maintenance technicians (who are not employees of Xanterra) were in- spired enough to build the system from scratch. They first developed a mobile containment vessel to collect the grease safely in a truck, and then arranged to transport it to a holding tank without a mess. Through a series of pipes the grease is extracted from the tank and run through the burner, automatically regulated. This provides enough hot water for the entire lodge at Mammoth. The park's dining menu is held to an honest code, as food is where Xanterra got its sustain- able start, first with beef, then seafood and beyond. Among the various regula- tions, cuisine served in the park must be locally produced within a 500-mile radius by a farming system that prevents harm to the environ- ment. This ensures that although Xanterra is a national company, the locals can benefit, and perhaps some energy saved. All the food is organic, and the menu offers several vegetarian options in the interest of promot- ing animal welfare. The one innovation that gives Xanterra its legitimacy above all else is its own ecometrix tracking system, which measures everything from electricity consumption to green- house gas emission. From this comes diligent evaluation of their conservation effort, not only in-house, but also through third-party audits by private firms and by the EPA. According to the Web site, the accuracy of their system has been verified on all accounts. In a short decade, in national parks ranging from Grand Canyon to the Ev- erglades, Xanterra has reduced green- house gas emissions by 20 percent and currently diverts more than half its waste away from local landfills. The folks at Xanterra are doing their part, now what about you? Will Muhlenfeld is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado. He enjoys long, lone hikes, is an enthusiast and composer of electronic world music, makes his own special brand of salsa and, apparently, has a dominant entrepreneurial gene. www.distinctlymontana.com 27

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