BUFFALO, N.Y.—Delaware North, a global leader in the hospitality and entertainment industry, announced a partnership with Sierra Nevada and Impossible Burger for its 2022 Earth Month campaign, “Seeds for Sustainability.”
The campaign, part of Delaware North’s award-winning GreenPath program, replaced traditional cardboard drink coasters and beverage napkins with eco-friendly, plantable seed coasters for guests to take home, plant and enjoy.
The Earth Day promotion, featuring Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing and plant-based Impossible Burgers, was available at 27 locations across Delaware North’s Parks, Travel, Gaming and Patina Restaurant Group divisions during the month of April, while supplies lasted.
In all, more than 32,000 disposable coasters were replaced with the eco-friendly seed coasters, resulting in up to 10 million wildflower seeds being planted.
Participating Destinations
Notable participating locations include Delaware North’s owned-and-operated Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite outside of Yosemite National Park; Patina Restaurant Group locations at Downtown Disney in Anaheim and Disney Springs in Orlando; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Stella 34 at Macy’s in New York City; The Ridgeline Hotel Estes Park; and Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in West Virginia.
Banners Kitchen & Tap and Hub Hall in Boston featured aluminum Ball cups, which are infinitely recyclable.
“Delaware North’s GreenPath program helps ensure the company carefully manages its environmental impact and positively contributes to the communities we serve,” Deb Friedel, Delaware North’s Director of Sustainability, said. “These coasters were specifically sourced with pollinator seeds to support the ecosystem: One out of every three bites of food exists because of the efforts of pollinators.”
The coasters, which are embedded with pollinator wildflowers, will attract bees and other insects that collect and distribute pollen necessary for many plants to grow—including fruits and vegetables.
Wildflowers Native to North America
The wildflowers in the coasters are native to North America and include Black-Eyed Susan, Corn Poppy, Spurred Snapdragon, Sweet Alyssum, English Daisy, and Catchfly seeds.
“As a company with a global footprint, it’s important that we take steps to minimize our impact on the environment,” said Friedel. “In addition to Earth Day on April 22, this sustainable effort also supported National Park Week, April 16 to 24, as well as Arbor Day on April 29.”
Any coasters left over were donated to local community organizations.
Through GreenPath, Delaware North ensures careful management of its environmental impact by setting strict guidelines for energy and water consumption, waste management and other standards at its more than 200 operating locations around world, including sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos.
Since its inception in the early 1990s, GreenPath has won dozens of awards from organizations across the United States including National Park Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Travel Association.
