The Environmental Focus

Giving students an edge by looking through the lens of the environment
All students in the Resort & Hospitality Management program take part in Green Mountain College's signature Environmental Liberal Arts (ELA) core curriculum, a nationally recognized program that takes the environment as the unifying theme underlying our liberal arts model for education. Taking the place of the "distribution requirements" of other colleges, the ELA curriculum gives students a unique edge in today's job market.

That's because managers today have to have an in-depth understanding of an operation's impact on the environment. From the skiers on our slopes to the snorkelers on our ocean reefs, the industry relies on the beauty and well-being of the natural world. We teach our students to know what it takes to mitigate environmental impacts while exceeding guest expectations and improving the bottom line.

There is no other hospitality management program in the country that has an environmental component in its curriculum or overall program. Yet, the hospitality industry is largely dependent on global environmental issues of food supply, energy usage and human resources. Restaurants and hotels are large consumers of energy. The average hospitality operation will spend some 15 - 20 percent of its revenues on energy and yet the industry is largely uneducated about environmental responsibility.