Disneyland® Resort has been honored with the 2009 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), California’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor. The award program recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership for voluntary achievements in conserving California’s resources, protecting and enhancing the environment, and building public-private partnerships. Fifteen statewide GEELA recipients were named this year.
“I applaud the Disneyland® Resort for their wonderful commitment to our state’s commerce and environment. They are an inspiration to many and I thank them for their outstanding leadership,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.
“This honor recognizes Disneyland® Resort’s ongoing commitment to developing socially responsible and environmentally friendly practices that promote environmental protection and economic growth,” said Frank Dela Vara, director of environmental affairs and conservation at Disneyland® Resort. “We are proud of our commitment to exploring and implementing new technologies and practices that further the environmental legacy left by Walt Disney.”
Disneyland received the award for several sustainable practices implemented at the Resort. These include the way the environmentally conscientious way the Paradise Bay at Disney’s California Adventure is being refilled, the use of the Resort’s recycled cooking oil to fuel its steam train locomotives, and the water and energy conservation features incorporated in the Resort’s new central bakery.