Timberline Lodge

June 28, 2010 (Boulder, CO / Timberline Lodge, OR) Sustainable Travel International announced today that Timberline Lodge and Ski Area in Oregon’s Mount Hood National Forest, has become the first ski resort in the world to receive third-party certification through its Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program™ (STEP). RLK and Company, operators of Timberline Lodge are being recognized for their strengths in the areas of environmental conservation, cultural heritage, historic preservation, and economic development.

STEP is the world’s first comprehensive, global sustainable tourism eco-certification program offered by a non-profit organization, which is aligned with the minimum baseline Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC). STEP addresses the major environmental, socio-cultural and economic issues facing the tourism industry and the planet at large, including global climate change, biodiversity preservation, water and waste management, economic development, and social issues.

“STEP is becoming ‘the gold standard’ in sustainable tourism certification in the travel and tourism industry because of its regimented and thorough criteria,” explained Brian T. Mullis, CEO of Sustainable Travel International. “As more industry leaders like Timberline Lodge embrace sustainability, we are hoping that it has a multiplier effect, raising the bar for other hoteliers and ski resorts who also aspire to engage in best practices.”

“Timberline Lodge has a historical commitment to the environment and the community,” said Jeff Kohnstamm, President of RLK and Company. We particularly recognize that we are operating within a cherished natural landscape that is valued for its scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, and economic characteristics. This eco-certification is a real achievement, and it is a rallying point for us. The Sustainable Travel International’s STEP program has provided us with a framework for sustainability that’s aligned with our existing values and business operations, but it has also prompted us to drive our commitments toward these things even deeper. It is helping us with decision making that is rooted in our concern for environmental and social responsibility. It is a work in progress, and it involves a process of continual improvement geared towards a very comprehensive view of sustainability.”

Some of the best practices instituted at Timberline Lodge that paved the way for the company to achieve certification include:

* an active Timberline employee-led “Green Team.”
* a dynamic partnership with the US Forest Service and the Friends of Timberline in collaborative stewardship of the facility and interpretation of its history to the general public.
* a thorough health and safety program for employees and guests.
* a comprehensive company-wide recycling program including in-room recycling for overnight guests.
* an action-oriented energy reduction plan and recent energy efficiency upgrades new thermo pane windows in all of its guest rooms.
* a robust charitable giving program dedicated to benefiting children throughout the State of Oregon.
* opportunities for guest philanthropy. An overnight guest donation program is in place to benefit the National Forest Foundation and the Friends of Timberline.
* Long-term planning that focuses on the authenticity of the Timberline experience, and purposely does not overshadow Timberline Lodge as the central focus of the site.

RLK and Company, now in its 55th year of operating Timberline Lodge, is dedicated to providing quality recreation within the capabilities of the ecosystem. In addition to providing genuine quality and hospitality, their overall operational goal is to provide for future generations a continued preservation and enhancement of the National Historic Landmark lodge, as well as the year around recreational offerings at Timberline. RLK and Company believes that ultimately it is the American people who will benefit most by an economically and environmentally sustainable Timberline Lodge.

For more information on STEP, please visit www.ecocertification.org.

Media Contacts:
Jon Tullis – Timberline Lodge (503)272-3134, jtullis@timberlinelodge.com
Brian Mullis – Sustainable Travel International (720)273-2975, brianm@sustainabletravel.com