Sustainability Efforts Take Centre Stage at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole is nestled amid a verdant mountain valley, surrounded by some of America’s most rugged peaks, celebrated ski runs and an inspiring array of wildlife in nearby Grand Teton National Park. Set against this majestic backdrop, the Resort takes seriously its commitment to help support and sustain the local environment. Efforts include reducing food waste; offering eco-friendly solutions to disposable products; featuring sustainable beauty products in The Spa; forging culinary partnerships with local food purveyors; and contributions to key local landmarks, including the Jenny Lake trail restoration.

Reduce

Pigs in Thayne, Wyoming, are getting a taste of Five-Star culinary excellence with the Resort’s composting program. Since 2018, the Resort has partnered with Haderlie Farms, a diversified family farm located in Thayne, to participate in their compost collection program. Green bins have been placed in the employee cafeteria and kitchen areas for the disposal of food scraps and waste. Each week, the bins are collected and sent to the farm where the contents are either fed to the pigs or used for compost. Since its inception, the program has diverted more than 99 tons (99,000 kilograms) of food waste from landfills.

“In our throw-away culture, it’s nice to know you have an option: to take food scraps that would add to our overflowing landfills and recycle them to a local farm. There, the scraps can be turned into beneficial compost,” says Curtis Haderlie, owner of Haderlie Farms.

Recycle

The Resort rolled out an eco-initiative to exclusively provide its guests with sustainable water boxes for in-room use and beyond. In addition to the water boxes, the Resort converted all straws, to-go cutlery and cups to biodegradable options.

“In Jackson Hole, we are fortunate to have some of the purest drinking water in the world, fresh from the Tetons to our taps. The recyclable water boxes help keep our guests hydrated during their stay with us and cut down on the use of plastic water bottles,” says General Manager Jane Kim.

New for the property are filling stations for both guests and employees, where they can refill their bottles throughout their visit or shift.

Wellness

The Spa offers a variety of locally sourced and sustainable product lines, including Rawceuticals and Alpyn Beauty.

Rawceuticals is an industry leader in green initiatives, featuring sustainably and ethically sourced ingredients, bio-degradable packaging and a “buy one, plant one” tree program. The products are available for sale in The Spa and also are used in the Organic Mountain Facial.

Locally-sourced skincare line Alpyn Beauty uses sustainably harvested, wildcrafted ingredients straight from the mountains of Jackson Hole. In partnership with Grand Teton National Park Foundation, Alpyn Beauty also is helping to re-wild majestic landscapes, allowing indigenous flora and fauna to thrive in their native lands after more than a century of man-made impact. The Spa offers Alpyn Beauty products for sale and they also are used in the Wildcrafted Facial.

“My mission is to seek out organic, sustainable and ethically sourced products that not only give back in some way and support our local community, but also are effective,” says Spa Director Kimberly Jenkins. “Rawceuticals and Alpyn Beauty are great examples of companies leading the way in sustainability by creating products that work as well as lab-created beauty treatments.”

Culinary

The Wyoming tradition of vast ranches and farms inspires the culinary team at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole to utilize locally sourced produce and meats throughout their dishes when available, including Carter Country Meats and Vertical Harvest.

“If we can keep it local, we will,” says Executive Chef Michael Goralski. “The short growing season makes it challenging at times but our partnership with Vertical Harvest has been great in allowing us to source local products grown right downtown.”

Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole sells locally grown, fresh vegetables year-round to members of the Jackson community and surrounding area along with various local culinary partners, including Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole. Vertical Harvest replaces 100,000 pounds (45,000 kilograms) of produce that is trucked into the community each year. This 13,500 square foot (1,250 square metre) greenhouse grows an annual amount of produce equivalent to 10 acres (4 hectares) of traditional farming. Their microgreens can be found in all three of the Resort’s outlets, along with other seasonal items.  

Carter Ranch is nestled in the western slope of the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. The ranch, including roughly 40,000 wild acres (16,000 hectares), is fed by 27 natural springs and looks over a mosaic of juniper, sagebrush, red dirt and limestone cliffs. With its grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free promise, The Handle Bar sources its burger meat exclusively from Carter Country Meats.

Giving Back

Summer 2018 was the last of major construction for the Jenny Lake Renewal Project, a USD 19 million renewal effort at Jenny Lake by Grand Teton National Park Foundation. The multi-year project was to temper the impact of countless visitors who have come to enjoy the Tetons and Jenny Lake. The work involved rebuilding trails to help endure summer visitors and Rocky Mountain winters. Efforts include realigning paths away from sensitive areas, reclaiming overrun and worn-out areas, adding accessible areas, strengthening bridges and retaining walls, and providing interpretive information and improved front-country services intended to educate and orient visitors to the landscape before them.  Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson contributed USD 25,000 to the project.

“We were excited to help with this the restoration project of this amazing part of the park. We look forward to future opportunities to continue to support our beautiful mountain home,” says Robert Chinman, Director of Marketing.