Kalahari Resorts Continues to Lead the Hotel Industry With Innovative 'Green' Operations (United States)
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Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands - United States - Industry economy
- Trends / Expert's advice
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on Friday 18 April 2008
New AquaRecycle System to conserve 26 million gallons of water each year
Kalahari Resorts'
long-standing commitment to energy efficient operations continues as it
adds the AquaRecycle system, a laundry water recycling and filtration
system which will allow Kalahari Resorts to reuse 70 percent of its laundry
water. The AquaRecycle system's chemical-free filtration and treatment
recycle process will provide clean, disinfected and pre-heated water to the
laundry systems at Kalahari Resort properties in Wisconsin Dells, WI and
Sandusky, OH and eventually a third resort in Fredericksburg, VA.
Home to a 740-room hotel in Wisconsin and an 884-room hotel in Ohio,
Kalahari Resorts estimates the AquaRecycle system, which is expected to be
operating by June 1, to:
-- Conserve 26 million gallons of drinking water per year.
-- Prevent 26 million gallons of waste from returning to the environment.
-- Prevent more than 8,400 pounds of total Organic Carbon from being
released to a waste water treatment plant each year.
-- Prevent more than 400 tons of Green House Gases from entering the
atmosphere in the form of CO2.
-- Reduce water and sewer costs by 70 percent and energy costs by up to
50 percent.
Winner of the 2006 Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air Recognition Award,
Kalahari Resorts began exploring options for energy efficiency for its
properties in 2005.
"The effectiveness of our energy efficient operations has been
impressive and we remain committed to adding measures that will save energy
and protect our environment," said Todd Nelson, president and owner of
Kalahari Resorts which are home to two of America's largest indoor
waterparks. "As we design our third property in Fredericksburg, VA, we are
researching a wide array of state-of-the-art green initiatives to
implement."
In addition to its new AquaRecycle system, Kalahari Resorts green
initiatives include:
WI
-- A recent installation of the 103-panel solar hot water system,
Wisconsin's largest solar hot water system, to provide approximately
11,800 therms per year of hot water which heats 60 percent of the hot
water utilized by the resort's laundry facility.
-- Installation of Entergize Energy Control Systems in guest rooms to
control energy use based on guest presence. For example, when a key
card is removed from wall-mounted slot, lights turn off and HVAC goes
into standby mode.
OH
-- Installation of Texlon transparent roof system which allows natural
light in to help heat America's largest indoor waterpark.
-- Installation of ozone laundry system which allows for faster washing
and drying using less chemicals and less energy.
-- Partnering with a local landscaping company to implement a food waste
composting system.
Both Properties have also installed:
-- Low-flow showerheads in guest rooms, reducing water consumption by
more than two million gallons per year in each resort.
-- Massive fans in the waterparks to lower heating costs by pushing warm
air near the ceiling to floor level.
-- HVAC energy management systems.
-- LED exit signs and fluorescent light fixtures in the indoor
waterparks.
-- Compact fluorescent bulbs in more than 5,500 fixtures, saving 294,000
kWh per year.
-- Motion-sensored lights in public areas of the resort.
-- Low-flow dishwasher sprayheads.
Kalahari Resort is also in the process of installing high-efficiency
boilers in its indoor waterparks and exploring geothermal heat recovery and
the use of wind turbans.
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