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Green Chautauqua


Chautauqua is committed to practicing responsible environmental stewardship and sustainability in the management of its property and as a member of the broader Chautauqua Lake Watershed community. The following is a partial listing of current stewardship practices at Chautauqua Institution:

  • Recycling
  • Composting
  • Tree management and planting
  • Planting of lakefront buffer zone vegetation
  • Use of phosphate-free dishwasher and laundry detergent
  • Lawn and grounds fertilizer reduction
  • Commitment to storm water management in new construction, renovations and road re-building
  • Use of re-cycled water (effluent) for irrigation at the golf course
  • Energy efficiency audit, and upgrades to Chautauqua Institution facilities including increased use of energy-efficient lighting
  • Purchase of electric trams, bio-diesel buses
  • Green Design standards and rewards
  • Wildlife habitat preservation
  • Substitution of e-publications for paper
  • Use of recycled and recyclable products

Taken from Chautauqua Strategic Plan, adopted by the Board of Trustees, Feb. 2010.

The Community

The lived place at Chautauqua is an important component of the Chautauqua experience. This generation of Chautauquans is the steward of a national treasure designated as both a National Historic District and a National Historic Landmark. We must continue the obligations of that stewardship through developing, designing, and recognizing that we are a changing community, one with intangible emotional assets. In do doing we are charged with seeking the highest expressions of design, functionality and environmental sustainability in a diverse and complex environment.

Strategic Goals 2010-2018

We will respond to our environmental responsibilities and provide exemplary leadership through the development and implementation of specific action plans in the areas of:

  • Storm water management
  • Support for the Chautauqua Lake Management Plan
  • Tree preservation and replacement
  • Preservation and maintenance of landscaped and wild open space
  • We will embrace future opportunities to achieve environmental excellence
  • We will continue to improve our conservation of energy and recycling of waste composting and the use of energy efficient and recyclable products