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| Uncommon Sense Graduates - Grand Targhee |
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UnCommon Sense Program Graduates 2009
GRAND TARGHEE RESORT
Year-Round Mountain Resort, Alta, Wyoming
REASONS FOR PARTICIPATION
Christina Thomure, Director of Sustainable Operations at Grand Targhee
Resort, knew about YBP and found the expertise of the leaders in the
UnCommon Sense program impressive. She decided to participate because
Grand Targhee wanted to formalize its sustainability program:
“We
were doing some things, but not at the detailed level that UnCommon
Sense helped us to do. The program gave us a strategic process to
follow – A has to happen before B – which ensured
we
wouldn’t miss anything. I knew other ski resorts would be
involved, and I knew that the leadership, along with the peer support,
would help us become a leader in the region.” Her early
excitement hasn’t waned after two years; she continues to be
buoyed by what YBP and its members are doing to transform the Greater
Yellowstone region.
BENEFITS RECEIVED
For Thomure, all the UnCommon Sense modules helped build a solid
foundation for their sustainability program. To help facilitate a
seamless cultural change in the staff, she brought the appropriate
manager to participate in the module that related to their department.
For instance, for the purchasing module, she brought the food and
beverage director; for facilities she brought the facilities
maintenance manager. She found this inclusion to be more valuable than
anything she could have told them at a staff meeting. By participating,
they could learn the theory behind the practices and feel the energy
behind making the changes. “It is positive peer
pressure,”
Thomure says with a laugh, “This is happening all over and
the
program has helped us to realize that and find ways to go beyond the
status quo.”
For the waste management module, Grand Targhee focused on reducing
waste first, and then on purchasing less or purchasing more items with
recycled content. They started with a waste audit, which was
“really eye-opening.” They then tracked the waste
stream
via a spreadsheet and stepped up their recycling efforts. The results
showed that between 2007 and 2008 they reduced their overall waste by
fifteen percent. Forty-two percent of the reduction was attributed to
recycling, the rest through smarter purchasing practices that brought
less disposable “stuff” up the mountain.
Thomure was so impressed with the transportation presentation done by
UnCommon Sense facilitator Basil Barna she had him present directly to
their green team. As a result, Grand Targhee implemented an employee
carpooling program for last year’s ski season, paying drivers
five Targhee Bucks a trip for three or more people. Each car pool or
shuttle rider received one Targhee Buck. While the program has since
ended, the cultural change clearly stuck and employees continue to
carpool. A carpooling incentive program for patrons gives a $10.00
discount on day passes on Sundays for drivers with three or more people
in the car. Carpool riders get a free coffee or hot cocoa.
“The
goal with this program,” Thomure says, “is to get
people
carpooling more often. While we can’t hand out coupons every
day,
we hope that people realize how easy it is to carpool and that
it’s the “in” way to travel these
days.”
The social justice module helped the resort’s management team
think more about Targhee employees. The resort conducted a survey on
employee satisfaction that showed employees either didn’t
know
about or didn’t understand the benefits they are offered.
This
prompted management to create and distribute a list of all the
benefits, including fringe benefits such as discounts on gear and food,
free rafting and hang gliding trips, to raise awareness. The overall
positive response to the list suggests increased employee satisfaction
with what Grand Targhee offers its employees, something they
wouldn’t have gotten credit for if they hadn’t
asked for
feedback.
BOTTOM LINE RESULTS
- Seamless cultural change across several departments
- Reduced total waste stream by 15% between 2007 and 2008
- Achieved 42% recycling diversion rate
- Implemented employee and patron carpooling and shuttle
incentives
- Added value and greater purpose to employees’
roles
- Reduced use of disposables, saving the resort ~$12,000/year
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