Reducing Waste
From replacing the single-use water bottle with a water glass for our Amphitheater Lecturers, to recycling materials for reuse, our goal is to reduce waste and increase reuse.
- Our Food and Beverage division has replaced plastic items with those made of fiber materials including straws, to-go containers and stir sticks.
- The employee lunchroom renovation in the Colonnade replaced the need for paper plates and plasticware by providing reusable supplies.
- We purchase SFI (sustainable forestry initiative) paper and by default, most printers are set to print double sided. We even make scratch pads from our recycled paper.
- We save paper by offering a “no-receipt” option at many of our food and services sales registers.
- We follow “recycle and reuse” as much as possible, including performing arts stage sets, shipping packaging material and removed trees.
Click here for information about our waste management program.
Utility Conservation
Focusing on reducing our carbon footprint, conserving electricity and reducing water use.
- We participate in purchasing renewable electricity from a low impact hydro-electric facility. We’ve installed solar panels to augment our electricity needs and have also begun using more efficient equipment, like LED lighting and motion sensor light switches.
- Chautauqua Golf Club’s course maintenance plan includes practices that require less water, less fertilizer and fewer pesticides while still providing outstanding playing conditions.
- We offer charging stations for electric vehicles and electric mobility scooters. Contact the Ticket office at 716-357-6250 or ticketoffice@chq.org for details.
- The Institution has two farmers markets on-grounds where vendors offer local fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, and baked goods. Hours for the Chautauqua Farmers Market and the Bestor Fresh Market are listed here: On-grounds Dining & Activities. Locally sourced food products can be found at the Plaza Market and the Chautauqua Bookstore.
Natural Environment Conservation
Our Campus Planning and Operations department is always focused on measures to ensure the health of our grounds, both now and in the future.
- As a member of the broader Chautauqua Lake Watershed community, we are committed to alleviating the stressors that are impacting Chautauqua Lake. Learn more at Chautauqua Lake Conservation.
- We have a robust Tree Management Plan. Removed trees are recycled into wood chips which are then used on paths through our wooded areas. Wood from removed trees is also used to make benches and playground equipment (visit Timothy’s Playground at Miller Park).
- Our landscaping practices focus on reducing the use of pesticides and herbicides.
- We use native perennials and use seed collection to generate new plants.
- The Institution has Certified Monarch Butterfly Way Stations and an Arb.net certified Arboretum.
- Through the use of porous sidewalks, rain gardens, green roofs and bioswales to collect and filter rainwater runoff, our Drainage Management System processes surface water flow and reduces the volume of pollutants that reach Chautauqua Lake.
- The Sustainable Shoreline Action Plan assessed issues facing Chautauqua Lake and outlined changes and improvements to create shoreline habitat in support of healthy aquatic life and stabilizes our Chautauqua Lake shoreline.
- The community-wide Compost Collection Program generates rich compost for our Gardens and Landscaping team to use throughout the grounds. Join our food services department in composting your kitchen scraps like fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds and eggshells. Click here for information about our waste management program.
- Our Campus Planning and Operations leadership team participates in staff and community education programs, does speaking engagements, provides resources to homeowners and landscaping contractors, and leads educational tours of the grounds.