Health/Wellness, including Healthy Foods and Green Management
Chris R. Lane/Facilitator
Chris Lane is vice president of sustainability for Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the country’s largest national park and resort management company, operating lodges, restaurants and other concessions at Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Petrified Forest, Mount Rushmore, Rocky Mountain, and Death Valley National Parks, eight Ohio State Parks and several private resorts. Lane is responsible for developing company-wide environmental management systems and managing all aspects of company environmental affairs including sustainable design, energy and water efficiency, carbon emission reduction, pollution prevention, environmental education, strategic partnerships, and federal and state regulatory compliance.
Under Lane’s leadership, Xanterra has won more than 67 national and international environmental awards and received 21 third-party environmental certifications including ISO 14001, Clean Marina, Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System, Green Restaurant Association, and the US Green Building Council’s LEED green building rating system. Additionally, Lane led the development of numerous renewable energy systems throughout Xanterra, including the tourism industry’s largest solar installation, a one-megawatt photovoltaic system at Death Valley National Park. Working with its partner, the National Park Service, Lane has led the charge in meeting nearly all of the sustainability goals delineated under President Obama’s Executive Order 13514 Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. He is a founding and active board member of the Sustainable Travel International Leadership Network and sits on the southwest regional council of the National Parks Conservation Association.
Prior to joining Xanterra, Lane was the first director of environmental affairs in the ski industry at Aspen Skiing Company. Before that, he was project director for a regional land conservation project, program director for the Sierra Club, and an environmental consultant at IRT Environment Inc., a spinoff of Rocky Mountain Institute. He also served as executive director of the Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization providing assistance to initiatives that protect and enhance environmental quality in Colorado. Lane also served as an elected official and on the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Board.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida and is a LEED Accredited Professional and Certified Environmental Systems Manager.
