LEAVENWORTH, WASH.—Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat, long known to visitors for its sustainable and ecologically-minded practices, is now pursuing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance certification. Guestrooms and the Kingfisher Dining Lodge will also receive soft-goods upgrades throughout 2008, including fresh paint, works of art and more luxurious furniture.
“This certification will truly underscore the commitment Sleeping Lady has had to the environment since opening in 1995,” said CEO and owner Harriet Bullitt. “Everything we do here, from our sustainable cuisine, to using paints that do not off-gas, to the very buildings themselves which are original to the property, reflects the pride we take in sharing this space with the natural environment.”
The LEED Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides standards for environmentally sustainable building and maintenance. LEED certification is awarded after a rigorous application process which addresses building cleaning and maintenance, recycling, exterior maintenance and systems upgrades.
Sleeping Lady will also upgrade guestrooms and the Kingfisher Dining Lodge throughout 2008. Josephine Wong of Callison, who was involved with Sleeping Lady’s initial renovation 12 years ago, will oversee the design. Rooms will receive fresh paint in warmer tones; luxurious modern furniture, including new desk chairs; new artwork; improved lighting; upgraded bathroom amenities and recycling baskets.
Organic Menu Items Emphasized
The Kingfisher Dining Lodge will also enhance service offerings, including preset linens and cutlery, served beverages and select menu items (rather than self-serve) and the addition of action stations, including an omelet bar and carving station. Organic and locally sourced ingredients, many from Sleeping Lady’s own garden, will continue to be the focus of the menu.
Situated just outside the town of Leavenworth in Washington State’s Cascade Mountains and nestled peacefully into the evergreen forest on the banks of Icicle Creek, Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat has a long history of sustainable practices. The site was originally the location of the Civilian Conservation Corps, also known as Camp Icicle, in the 1930s and 1940s. When Bullitt purchased the land in 1991, 18 buildings which had been a part of the camp were saved and remodeled to meet or exceed current building and energy codes. New buildings were constructed to blend with the original style and the land replanted with native vegetation.
Additional sustainable features include:
• 28,000 linear feet of Trex decking made from recycled plastic bags and wood scraps;
• Geo-exchange system supplies heating and cooling through underground tubes insulated in the earth;
• Reclaimed wood sourced on site;
• An organic garden that provides ingredients for the kitchen and composting of organic kitchen waste;
• Energy saving compact fluorescent lights and occupancy sensors control lighting where appropriate;
• Electric vehicles used by maintenance staff;
• Water-conserving fixtures in bathrooms, including tap aerators and low-flow shower heads and toilets; and
• Water-based paints and stains used throughout the property.
Conference and guestrooms also make the best use of natural lighting and use natural materials in furniture, bedding, and construction materials.
“The LEED certification will be a wonderful recognition of our ongoing efforts to advance Sleeping Lady as a leader in the community for environmental practices,” Bullitt added. “We are excited to be a part of such an important statement about conservation and sustainability.”
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