Universal Orlando exec vows to go more eco-friendly
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
November 6, 2007
Universal Orlando jumped into the green theme-park movement Monday, a little behind Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando, though Universal officials vowed to quickly become an industry leader.
As part of a larger initiative begun Sunday by corporate parents NBC Universal and General Electric Co., Universal Orlando pledged to leave what President Bill Davis called the "smallest environmental-impact footprint possible."
First up in the new "green is Universal" campaign: The resort has converted all mobile engines to run on either ethanol or biodeisel fuel.
Company officials also promised the resort will increase its recycling and energy-conservation efforts, move toward lower-toxicity cleaners and solvents, and explore the use of solar energy and almost any other environmentally friendly option that appears viable.
"We will focus on becoming the greenest resort possible," Davis said.
Many of the programs Universal highlighted Monday are not new to the company. For example, Universal has been recycling for years. But Davis said the urgency of the commitment is new.
The resort's pledge should not surprise many in the industry, because the green movement is catching on in tourism and among tourists. SeaWorld Orlando and its parent company, Busch Entertainment Corp., which also owns Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, have long declared that conservation is one of the basic themes of its parks. So has Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, at least for Disney's Animal Kingdom. And in recent months, Disney has accelerated its environmental efforts for everything from its hotels to its bus fleet, and it recently promoted two influential executives to newly created environmental jobs.
"Consumers want green tourism," said Ady Milman, theme-park business professor for the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management.
Milman cited a recent online survey by the travel Web site Orbitz, which used MarketTools' Zoomerang panel of 320 adults who are regular travelers, to measure environmental interests.
"Over two-thirds of those polled placed importance on the eco-friendliness of a destination," Milman said.
Universal Orlando, which includes two theme parks, the CityWalk night-life and shopping district, and three major resort hotels, is recycling everything from restaurant cooking oils to cardboard. The resort also is replacing or updating items from chillers and hydraulic motors to lightbulbs with higher-efficiency alternatives. Like Disney and Busch, Universal also has given environmental and conservation programs a place in the corporate hierarchy, putting David Winslow, an engineering director, in charge of a new office of environmental sustainability.
Davis and Winslow said they intend to explore doing much more in the parks and with CityWalk businesses and the resort's affiliated hotels. Some things, they acknowledged, are bigger challenges. Theme parks are by nature high-energy operations, full of bright lights, fast and powerful rides, and tens of thousands of people who daily consume products and services and create waste.
"We're going to get as far as we can as fast as we can," Davis said. "Some things we're going to make great progress [with], and it's going to come very quickly -- low hanging fruit. Other things will take a little longer."
Other theme-park companies are not standing still. SeaWorld, for example, is about to introduce biodegradable food-service plates, containers, cups and flatware in its employee-dining areas -- then, if it works, in its restaurants. Disney is rapidly addressing waste, energy use and toxic-chemical use throughout its hotels and parks. On Monday, the giant resort announced that the state has designated two more Disney destinations, Disney's Wilderness Lodge and the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, as part of Florida's "Green Lodging" program. That puts at least 11 of Disney's 22 hotels and lodges in the program.
Winslow said many of the programs make sense financially. Higher-efficiency lights and motors have higher capital costs but bring quick returns in the form of lower operating costs. That's not necessarily true with alternative fuels yet, he said, but the cost is close enough that the environmental benefits make their use a "no contest" decision.
Consultant Dennis Speigel, president of Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services, also noted that choosing the environmentally sound alternative "is not only good practice, it's good publicity."
Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
November 6, 2007
Universal Orlando jumped into the green theme-park movement Monday, a little behind Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando, though Universal officials vowed to quickly become an industry leader.
As part of a larger initiative begun Sunday by corporate parents NBC Universal and General Electric Co., Universal Orlando pledged to leave what President Bill Davis called the "smallest environmental-impact footprint possible."
First up in the new "green is Universal" campaign: The resort has converted all mobile engines to run on either ethanol or biodeisel fuel.
Company officials also promised the resort will increase its recycling and energy-conservation efforts, move toward lower-toxicity cleaners and solvents, and explore the use of solar energy and almost any other environmentally friendly option that appears viable.
"We will focus on becoming the greenest resort possible," Davis said.
Many of the programs Universal highlighted Monday are not new to the company. For example, Universal has been recycling for years. But Davis said the urgency of the commitment is new.
The resort's pledge should not surprise many in the industry, because the green movement is catching on in tourism and among tourists. SeaWorld Orlando and its parent company, Busch Entertainment Corp., which also owns Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, have long declared that conservation is one of the basic themes of its parks. So has Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, at least for Disney's Animal Kingdom. And in recent months, Disney has accelerated its environmental efforts for everything from its hotels to its bus fleet, and it recently promoted two influential executives to newly created environmental jobs.
"Consumers want green tourism," said Ady Milman, theme-park business professor for the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management.
Milman cited a recent online survey by the travel Web site Orbitz, which used MarketTools' Zoomerang panel of 320 adults who are regular travelers, to measure environmental interests.
"Over two-thirds of those polled placed importance on the eco-friendliness of a destination," Milman said.
Universal Orlando, which includes two theme parks, the CityWalk night-life and shopping district, and three major resort hotels, is recycling everything from restaurant cooking oils to cardboard. The resort also is replacing or updating items from chillers and hydraulic motors to lightbulbs with higher-efficiency alternatives. Like Disney and Busch, Universal also has given environmental and conservation programs a place in the corporate hierarchy, putting David Winslow, an engineering director, in charge of a new office of environmental sustainability.
Davis and Winslow said they intend to explore doing much more in the parks and with CityWalk businesses and the resort's affiliated hotels. Some things, they acknowledged, are bigger challenges. Theme parks are by nature high-energy operations, full of bright lights, fast and powerful rides, and tens of thousands of people who daily consume products and services and create waste.
"We're going to get as far as we can as fast as we can," Davis said. "Some things we're going to make great progress [with], and it's going to come very quickly -- low hanging fruit. Other things will take a little longer."
Other theme-park companies are not standing still. SeaWorld, for example, is about to introduce biodegradable food-service plates, containers, cups and flatware in its employee-dining areas -- then, if it works, in its restaurants. Disney is rapidly addressing waste, energy use and toxic-chemical use throughout its hotels and parks. On Monday, the giant resort announced that the state has designated two more Disney destinations, Disney's Wilderness Lodge and the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, as part of Florida's "Green Lodging" program. That puts at least 11 of Disney's 22 hotels and lodges in the program.
Winslow said many of the programs make sense financially. Higher-efficiency lights and motors have higher capital costs but bring quick returns in the form of lower operating costs. That's not necessarily true with alternative fuels yet, he said, but the cost is close enough that the environmental benefits make their use a "no contest" decision.
Consultant Dennis Speigel, president of Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services, also noted that choosing the environmentally sound alternative "is not only good practice, it's good publicity."
Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.
