"GREEN" FUDGE SHOP OPENS ON GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN
When the doors opened on Grandfather Mountain’s new fudge shop in July, the cool breezes that blew in were all the fresher for the eco-friendly design choices made to minimize the concession stand’s impact on the environment.
“The new facility will be a great addition to Grandfather Mountain’s green initiative,” said Grandfather's Green Manager Luke Appling. “We plan to decorate the main room with illustrations that explain the building’s different planet-friendly features in an entertaining way.”
Of the green elements showcased in Grandfather’s fudge shop, the one most easily duplicated in American homes is energy-efficient lighting. Natural light pours through skylights, making the open room as bright and welcoming as the smiles of the fudge makers who scamper about there. However, when electric lights are needed to supplement the skylights, fudge makers switch on compact fluorescent light bulbs. The CFLs consume 75 percent less energy and last ten times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
Visitors to the shop can also learn about its solar water heating system. Solar thermal panels located on the roof of the building collect the energy of the sun to super-heat ethylene glycol. A heat exchanger transfers warmth from the solar-heated glycol to potable water that is used in the kitchen and bathroom. In addition, when cooler weather arrives the super-heated glycol will also be pumped through coils running beneath the building’s bamboo floors to warm the building with radiant heat.
Bamboo was selected for the flooring material because the strong, dimensionally-stable material is actually a readily-renewable grass rather than wood from a tree that takes years to grow. This hardwood substitute matures in three years, regenerates without need for replanting, and requires minimal fertilization and pesticides.
Another eco-friendly strategy in place at the Grandfather Mountain fudge shop that can be easily duplicated in American back yards is the use of a rain barrel to collect runoff from the roof. Staff naturalists then use that runoff to water plants in the butterfly garden located in front of the fudge shop, allowing potable well water to be reserved for human consumption.
In the future, photovoltaic cells (solar panels) will be installed on the roof of the structure to generate electricity and further reduce Grandfather Mountain’s carbon footprint.
Grandfather Mountain is a 3,000-acre scenic attraction and nature preserve located near Linville, NC on US Highway 221, one mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305. For more information phone 800-468-7325 or plan a trip at www.grandfather.com.
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