We’ve learned that small, energy-efficient changes make a big difference for our environment and our bottom line. Considering the scope of our venues, that is key: The Wisconsin property contains a 125,000-square-foot indoor waterpark; 77,000-square-foot outdoor waterpark; 100,000-square-foot convention center; and 752 hotel rooms and suites. Our Ohio property houses a 173,000-square-foot indoor waterpark; 77,000-square-foot outdoor waterpark; 95,000-square-foot convention center; and 884 hotel rooms and suites.

But, as with our waterparks, small is not the way Kalahari Resorts operates. Our company mantra, “Go Big or Go Home,” has carried over to our green initiatives. We’re currently looking into LEED certification for all our properties.

Kalahari Resorts began exploring green initiatives at our Wisconsin property in early 2005, with the installation of massive fans. The fans are designed to push warm air generated by the air- and water-heating systems sitting at the ceiling level to a lower level to reduce energy costs. We saw immediate results and saved nearly $100,000 in energy costs in the first year.

The installation of the fans inspired us to implement a wide range of energy-saving measures at the Wisconsin property, which began with replacing older halogen lights in the waterpark with fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs as well as compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) throughout the resort. Exit signs also were illuminated with LEDs.

We worked with the local True Value home-improvement store to receive cash-back rewards through participation in the Wisconsin Focus on Energy program. All told, estimated savings are $60,000 to $70,000 annually thanks to these measures. It is estimated that the CFLs also prevent the emissions of 704,633 pounds of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to removing 47 cars from the road. All of these measures also were implemented at the Ohio property when it was built in 2005.

In the guest rooms, low-flow showerheads were installed at both properties, saving an estimated 1.2 million gallons of water at each resort. Additionally, Entergize Energy Control Systems were installed in Wisconsin property guest rooms to control energy use based on guest presence. For example, when a key card is removed from a wall-mounted slot, lights turn off and HVAC goes into standby mode.

In recognition of our energy-saving efforts, Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin was named Winner of the 2006 Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air Recognition Award. We continue to work closely with the Wisconsin Focus on Energy program, and in late 2007 put in 103 rooftop solar panels, the largest such installation in Wisconsin, which heats more than 60 percent of the resort’s hot water. The newly installed solar hot-water system, completed with the help of a $50,000 Implementation Grant from Focus on Energy’s Renewable Energy Program, produces an estimated 11,807 therms per year. That’s enough hot water for the resort’s laundry facility, which operates 24 hours a day and uses 1,850 gallons of water per hour. Annually, the panels offset 400 tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

By the time we finished construction on the Ohio property in May 2005, we had already implemented a range of ground-level green initiatives, eliminating the need to retrofit as we did in Wisconsin. But green technology is evolving quickly and Kalahari Resorts has kept up by adding a Texlon transparent roof as part of a recently completed 93,000-square-foot expansion to the indoor waterpark. The new roof allows in natural light, helping heat the indoor waterpark.

Additionally, we recently partnered with a local nursery to implement a food waste composting system and installed an ozone laundry system at the Ohio property, allowing faster washing and drying with fewer chemicals and less energy expenditure.

In June 2008, the AquaRecycle system was installed at both properties. This laundry water recycling and filtration system enables each property to reuse 70 percent of laundry water, conserving 26 million gallons of drinking water per year and preventing 26 million gallons of waste from returning to the environment. The system also prevents more than 8,400 pounds of total organic carbon from being released to a waste water treatment plant each year and more than 400 tons of green house gases from entering the atmosphere in the form of CO2. It is expected to reduce water and sewer costs by 70 percent and energy costs by up to 50 percent.

Looking forward, managers at both properties will encourage employees to think green by turning on kitchen grills only when needed; recycling whenever possible; filling kitchen coolers to capacity before turning on additional coolers; and reducing oven pre-heating. Kalahari also is currently in the process of installing high-efficiency boilers in the indoor waterparks at the properties; exploring geothermal heat recovery; and the use of wind turbines.

Kalahari Resorts is planning a third property in Fredericksburg, Va., scheduled to open in 2010. It is envisioned as the company’s greenest project yet, featuring a plethora of state-of-the-art, energy-saving initiatives. Stay tuned for more specifics on that property as they develop.