Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch

A Commitment to Sustainability

Historically Green

The new buzz, “Going Green,” is not new at Sylvan Dale.

Since 1946, “green” practices have been in place on the Ranch. Our parents, being children of the Great Depression, knew what it meant to “recycle.” Nothing was ever thrown away! Mom recycled plastic bags, and tin foil. Dad put things in storage- “We’ll use that some day!” When aluminum became a commodity, we gathered cans to recycle. Some of you may remember the sign: “Pitch in for Tillie’s roses.” The “can money” went to Mom and she would buy flowers to beautify the Ranch grounds. In the 1990’s we made a big commitment to "green" by initiating conservation easements on our land. To date, we have preserved over 1700 acres of foothill views and wildlife habitat.

Going Green? You bet! We’ll continue to follow the example our parents set to save the planet. It is so gratifying that doing the right thing and upholding the sustainable values we have held for years have become popular and important in today's world.

Susan Jessup

2nd generation owner

Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch Sustainability Mission

To apply practices in our daily work routine that support

a sustainable operation in harmony with the natural

environment through the principles of

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.

Awards

2008 Environmental Business Award

In January 2009, Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch was selected to win the "2008 Environmental Business Award for Small Members" by the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, who made the choice from applications submitted by twelve businesses.  The award was based on Sylvan Dale's outstanding efforts to enhance the environmental performance of their organization.  Criteria included improvements in the areas of: Recycling and Solid-Waste Reductions, Education and Advocacy, Counter Global Warming, COnscientious Purchasing, Green Building, Conservation, Toxic Materials, Indoor Environmental Quality, Natural and Habitat Protection and Unique Efforts.

2008 Conservationist of the Year

The Big Thompson Conservation District has named Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch as the 2008 Conservationist of the Year for the Upper South Platte Watershed. The annual award acknowledges one Larimer County landowner who has utilized techniques that conserve land and water. 

Certifications

Green Hotel Association

In December of 2008, Sylvan Dale applied and was accepted as a member of the Green Hotel Association.  This membership certifies Sylvan Dale as a practicing green business committed to operating in ways that assure protection and conservation of our natural resources.  We will proudly be displaying the Green Hotel Association flag at our entry gate.

GenGreenLife

Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch in Loveland recently received the highest level of approval available from GenGreenLife, which owns the largest green directory in North America and partners with National Geographic, Eco Broker and 9News.com to share information about green and sustainable businesses and lifestyles. Sylvan Dale achieved Gold Level GenGreen Certification, which indicates that the ranch scored above 75 percent, a high score, on Gengreen's assessment tests. read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Sustainable Practices