| | 8 HOSPITALITY BUSINESS REVIEWNOVEMBER 2024IN MY OPINIONDelaware North this year is celebrating the 25th anniversary of GreenPathTM, its award-winning environmental stewardship and sustainability program, with programming and events to recall its historic and recent achievements. The celebration begins during Earth month in April, with dozens of Delaware North locations hosting volunteering events to mark the occasion throughout the year.GreenPath has helped the global hospitality and entertainment company divert thousands of tons of waste from the solid waste stream, save millions of gallons of water, reduce energy consumption, and implement more efficient processes­for everything from food service operations to constructing hotels, restaurants and casinos.The program's seeds were planted when Delaware North was selected by the National Park Service for the Yosemite National Park concessions contract in 1993. The company agreed to take on a legacy environmental remediation project, in addition to operating hospitality and visitor services, and subsequently began implementing environmental management practices in its Yosemite operations. After then launching its parks and resorts division and winning other national parks contracts, Delaware North formally launched GreenPath in 1999 and soon thereafter became the first hospitality company to have its environmental management system registered to the standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Since then, Delaware North has expanded GreenPath across the company's diverse global operations at high-profile locations such as professional sports venues, airports, national and state parks, destination restaurants, hotels, resorts and casinos. Today, Delaware North implements GreenPath at more than 200 locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand."GreenPath is Delaware North's longstanding commitment to reducing our environmental impact ­ from the food we serve to the venues we operate to the special places we steward," said Debbie Friedel, director of sustainability for Delaware North. "We work closely with our clients and business partners to strengthen, support and advance sustainability. GreenPath's 25th anniversary would not be possible without team members in the field who Debbie FriedelBy Debbie Friedel, Corporate Director of Sustainability, Delaware North25 YEARS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE: CELEBRATING DELAWARE NORTH'S GREENPATH PROGRAM
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