Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

Going Green at Grandfather Mountain

Story by Katrina Benton

Grandfather Mountain’s new month-old fudge shop provides entertainment and a lesson on alternative energy and sustainable materials to its visitors. Photos by Katrina Benton At Grandfather Mountain, practically the entire park—including the Nature Museum restaurant, the Fudge Shop, and even the gravel parking lot—is becoming more eco-friendly.

Appalachian State University professors Dennis Scanlin, Dennis Grady and Jeff Tiller received a $25,000 grant and worked for about a year on a study of how Grandfather Mountain could become more energy efficient. At the end of the study, the professors compiled a thick manual of results, including building-by-building energy levels and opportunities for saving energy at the park.

Crae Morton, president of Grandfather Mountain since summer 2005, didn’t put that report on a shelf. Morton is following his grandfather Hugh Morton’s stewardship example by continuing the preservation of the park and improving its energy efficiency.

“If you want your organization to become responsible with its energy usage, you need to add new questions to the decision-making process,” Morton said. At Grandfather, those questions must include four key factors, Morton said: the mountain, the visitors, the employees and the environment.

By keeping these factors in mind and making adjustments big and small, Grandfather Mountain is successfully going green.

The Nature Museum Restaurant

The Nature Museum restaurant now features energy-efficient light bulbs and motion sensors for lighting. In addition, a destratifier installed on a ceiling corner in the restaurant will move warmth from the ceiling to the floor in the winter so the building will require less heating. Outside on the patio is a recycling center for aluminum cans and plastics.

“[Gadgetry] is but a manifestation of being environmentally responsible,” Morton said.

The Fudge Shop

The fudge shop began in 1999 as a very small shop, but its popularity necessitated expansion. The new fudge shop, complete with sheltered porch, is only one month old.

“Fudge is fun,” Morton said. Formerly, Fudge Maker Anita Wilson made fudge in the Mildred’s Grill kitchen. Now, at the new shop, Wilson works in front of the customers and has the opportunity to talk to them.

Along with the entertainment value of watching fudge being made, the fudge shop offers a lesson on sustainable materials and alternative energy use.

Inside, Morton decided to install bamboo flooring, a renewable source, and skylights to conserve natural lighting, thus preventing wasteful artificial lighting.
Morton also chose to install solar panels on the roof facing perfectly south for maximum sunlight. The panels heat water in the kitchen and also heat small pipes under the bamboo flooring during the colder months.

Outside, a rain barrel collects rainwater used to water the butterfly garden located on the front lawn.

In the future, photovoltaic cells—solar panels—will be installed on the roof of the building to generate electricity and further reduce the carbon footprint.

The Solar Panel Field

The seven-kilowatt solar panels, located in a remote field on Grandfather Mountain, could power the average household. Crae Morton hopes to expand the installation to supply 50 kilowatts worth of solar energy to the park in the future. In a field sectioned off from park traffic, Morton decided to construct a seven-kilowatt solar panel system, producing the power equivalent of that used in an average household. Grandfather Mountain’s power usage far exceeds that of a common home, so Morton recognizes the capability of expansion. The 7-kilowatt system could easily expand to more than 50 kilowatts at its current location.
Since February, Grandfather Mountain has saved 6,519 pounds of carbon. “It’s a start,” Morton said. “We’re leaving less of a carbon footprint by not using fossil fuels to produce energy.”

The Gravel Parking Lot

Although Morton describes the gravel parking lot as representative of the quintessential “spirit” of Grandfather Mountain, its significance isn’t immediately obvious. But the lot was an ongoing discussion for 15 years as the folks on the mountain weighed the negatives of cutting trees against the positives of creating more parking spaces.

Morton chose to construct a gravel parking lot because it could be easily restored to a natural state while accommodating the desperate need for more parking slots.

“[The gravel parking lot] is a classic example of how serious we take our decision-making,” Morton said.

The Top Shop

Grandfather Mountain’s Top Shop was demolished earlier this year, and construction of a new structure has begun. The architects’ goal for the building is to meet LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—green building standards and to make the building as sustainable as possible.

Environmental factors considered in the design process included siting the building, supplying it with water, handling wastewater, running power lines, selecting materials, designing a roof and windows that can withstand 100 mile per hour winds and having zero impact on the rare plant communities on the mountain.

Wind Energy

With hurricane-like wind gusts, Grandfather Mountain would seem to be the ideal spot for wind turbines. But, according to Morton, it is critical for Grandfather Mountain to maintain the natural viewshed both on and off the mountain.

However, wind technology is advancing rapidly, and less-obtrusive wind turbines may offer an option in the future.

“Yes, we are looking at wind energy, but we do not want to ruin the beauty of the mountain,” Morton said.