When Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound, Washington asked me to host 10 moms at their resort with an eco-friendly theme I knew there was a lot to be learned. I have been to the lodge twice before and I’d seen hints of Project Green Wolf but nothing like I saw on this trip.The Pacific Northwest as a whole is a very eco-friendly centered culture, and the perfect location for the Great Wolf Lodge Eco-Friendly Mom Bloggers Summit.
We were given an exclusive tour and briefing on how Great Wolf Lodge came to be Green Seal Certified – Silver. And really, who really knows how much energy it takes to run a waterpark? It never really crossed my mind, until I saw the recycling bins on our room on our first stay over a year ago. But that’s not all. The kids, pumps, sprays, and thrill slides (not rides, get it? ha!) all take a considerable amount of energy to run but somehow Great Wolf Lodge has designed a way to make little changes that are so worth while.
The lights are a fun feature for the slides at night and the Tornado’s lights only costs 50 cents a day to operate!
It’s a waterpark you’d almost expect it to be more pouted, but at Great Wolf it’s not. 1 MILLION gallons of water every hour is recycled, filtered and sent back to the waterpark. That’s amazing!!
Ways GreatWolf Lodge Saves the Plant:
- COMPOST! Yep, all that old food you don’t eat gets composted!
- Humidity and evaporation of water is strictly controlled in the waterpark. The less evaporation, the less of a loss of water.
- Recyclable containers for all take out food in the restaurants.
- Recycling containers located around the hotel and waterpark.
- Recirculation of water. Using the best filtration systems available to clean and recirculate water throughout the park.
- Energy Star systems that not only save waste but also cut costs.
- Waterless urinals, just because it’s a cool little fact.
- Education, around the lodge and park are pieces of education for the kids. While waiting in line for the slides, you’ll see signs that give tips and fun facts.
- Even storytime has a earth friendly song!
- All those waterpark towels are laundered using recycled water. Even the detergent is biodegradable.
- Chemical reduction, because even though you can’t get away with not using chlorine by using Ultra Violet Lights to clean the water you reduce the amount of chemicals needed.
- The daily “Wolf Walk which we’ve done. It includes a tour and a eco-freindly centered message.
- Know all those bottles of shampoo that are no longer used but still have enough in them? They get donated to local shelters for use.
Just take a look at these pumps, can you believe they power whole water slides?
I have to applaud Great Wolf Lodge for not only inviting myself and the other moms but for actually following through to try and make our world a better place. Visitors can feel good about where they are staying, and Great Wolf Lodge is the only resort to actually have this Green Star certification and they take it very seriously.
Oh my I wish we had a place like that around here! What an amazing place.
WOW just WOW! We finally got to go to the Grapevine GWL in October for only one night- not long enough! I would have never guessed all of this. Thank you for sharing and I really do appreciate it even more. I wish they would have went into this a little more when they did the episode of UnderCover Boss. It also amazes me how much the facilities are alike, I mean practically identical from what I can tell from your pictures. I can’t wait to go back now- especially for that Bubble Gum body wash, who said it was just for kids, mom’s like it too! LOL
You are awesome! I hate that I missed the best part, but I’m really glad I did get to be there for the tour. Sometimes, men can be crabby babies. I wish someone had recorded you speaking!
Del recorded me, I cried, and I got nervous so I stopped saying what I wanted to say.
It was pretty derned incredible. Thank you so much for everything that you did. I’m so glad to have been a part of the whole thing.
I must have missed the part about the colored lights only costing .50 a day. THAT is impressive!! I will be posting soon too – so much to tell!
Wow! That’s really cool that you were able to go. I am impressed by the amount of planning and effort that has gone into creating the lodge. I think it is especially thoughtful that they compost the leftover food. So much waste usually occurs at restaurants. Very thought provoking. Thanks for sharing!
I would have never guessed that Great Wolf did so much to be eco-friendly!! Very neat!!! Looks/sounds like you had a great time too! 🙂