City of Gatlinburg Sustainable Initiatives and Programs
Gatlinburg is the Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its our responsibility to support the goals of the National Park and to have the desire to preserve the natural beauty and wildlife for future generations to enjoy.
Below are some of the community efforts that have taken place in our city.
Current Efforts
1979 - Sparkle Days program begins, dedicating one week each to spring cleaning collection of commercial and residential refuse
1979 - Gatlinburg earns initial Tree City USA designation
1981 - City establishes Trout Rearing Facility and Stocking Program in 1981
1991 - Sevier County, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville cooperatively build and operate composting plant, recovering compostable material and reducing waste stream by 65 percent
1991 - Gatlinburg launches flower and tree beautification program throughout town
1993 - City begins collecting waste oil and fluids for use in heating Service Center building, approximately 500 gallons per year
1998 - City embarks on downtown revitalization as initial phases of Undergrounding and Streetscape Project, including construction of two City parking garages to anchor the addition of Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
1999 - City partners with Chamber of Commerce, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation to form Gatlinburg Partnership Council
1999 - City passes ordinance to require animal resistant trash containers and dumpsters throughout town
2000 - City tests Hybrid Trolleys and Vehicles
2000 - City becomes Green Power Switch partner
2002 - City begins exclusive use of B20 Biodiesel fuel in entire trolley fleet, which carries nearly 800,000 passengers per year
2003 - City purchases three CNG police cruisers
2005 - City begins using biodiesel fuel in all diesel powered equipment engines
2006 - City launches three-year conversion of Gatlinburg Winter Magic lighting program to LED bulbs
2007 - City completes Phase V of Undergrounding and Streetscape Project, and has invested more than $15.5 million on funding
2008 - City completes conversion of Gatlinburg Winter Magic lights program to all LED bulbs, resulting in an 85 percent reduction in electricity cost for the four-month program
2008 - City joins ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), an international group of Local Governments for Sustainability
2008 - City appoints Larry Henderson to spearhead Gatlinburg's Green Initiatives Program
2008 - City establishes two public recycling centers for cardboard, aluminum and plastic
2008 - City adopts Architectural Guidelines document and poster to illustrate favored principles of responsible building design for the City. Builders and contractors interested in developing construction projects within the City of Gatlinburg can now review and study the Planning Department's Architectural Guidelines Matrix in
2008 - City implements improvements at Wastewater Treatment Plant, resulting in an increased efficiency in treatment operations and a 22% reduction in electrical consumption at the facility during FY 2007-08
2008 - City replaces metal halide fixtures and bulbs in both the Aquarium and McMahan parking garage complexes with T8 Fluorescent bulbs
2008 - City begins inventory to determine greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutant emissions for establishing baseline for ICLEI analysis
2008 - City established All Day Trolley Pass program, allowing unlimted use of mass transit system for $2 per day
2008 - City places containers for recyclables in all employee lunchrooms
2008 - Convention Center begins aggressive employee training program in energy management and converts public space lighting to compact fluorescent bulbs
2008 - City introduces Fuel Conservation Policy for all City vehicles and establishes Last One Out directive
2008 - City adopts Hillsides and Ridges regulations as well as Tree Protection Ordinance
2009 - Sevier County, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville open a new state-of-the-art composting facility which reduces waste stream by 75 percent
2009 - Convention Center reduces electricity usage for FY 2008-09 by 1.3 million kilowatts (30 percent) and demand by 10 percent using energy management program
2009 - City launched program to replace all incandescent lighting and less-efficient fluorescent lighting with T8 fluorescent bulbs and ballasts
2009 - City applies for Tennessee Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant
2010 - City institutes Fluorescent Bulb Recycling Program
2010 - Convention Center established experimental "green" chemicals mixing station
Future Prospects
City has funded conversion of Traffic Signal Lights to LED
Convention Center is developing Green Meetings program
Department of Tourism and Chamber of Commerce will attempt to convert all Special Events to ZERO waste events
Sevier Solid Waste, Inc. is evaluating bio-energy diversion technology which could further reduce biomass
City studies feasibility of construction of solar farm on Convention Center roof
City discusses establishment of Gatlinburg Farmers Market
Community Efforts
Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg Opens its Doors in Tennessee
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 2, 2009 -- Hilton Garden Inn, one of the fastest growing brands within the Hilton Family of Hotels, is pleased to announce the opening of the 112-room Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg in Gatlinburg, Tenn., representing another addition to the brand's growing collection of more than 450 Hilton Garden Inn locations across North America, Europe and Central America.
The Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg is operated by Charles Logan Coykendall, Shailesh Vasant Patel, and Robert Alex Davis under a license agreement with a subsidiary of Hilton Hotels Corporation. Hospitality Management Solutions Inc. manages the hotel.
The five-story Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg is seeking LEED certification based on the following hotel features from the time the property broke ground through the present: Construction Activity Pollution Prevention, Site Selection Based to Prevent Encroachment on Natural Habitats or Disturbance of Eco-Systems, Stormwater Design, Minimization of Heat Islands, Water Efficient Landscaping, Water Use Reduction, Green Power, Optimization of Energy Performance, Construction Waste Management, Use of Certified Wood, Use of Materials with Recycled Content, Low-Emitting Materials, Increased Ventilation, Thermal Comfort Design and Verification, Controllability of Systems, Sustainable Building Education and use of a LEED-Accredited Professional on the project team, among other features. Read More
PDF of Press Release