Designed for Impact
Rush Creek Lodge is honored to join our sister property, the Evergreen Lodge, as a new type of company called a social enterprise, which has social and environmental goals in addition to its business goals.
While both lodges seek to offer the richest, most memorable all-around hospitality experience in Yosemite, it is our non-business goals – our desire for positive, long-term impact on our community and environment – that most set us apart.
You can quickly and easily get acquainted with the social and environmental elements of our program here:
We also invite you to enjoy these introductory videos and continue scrolling for more details.
Youth Program
Behind the scenes we operate and fully self-fund an employment program serving high-potential young adults from urban backgrounds who work in various departments at the lodge as paid seasonal interns.
The youth in our program leave the city and their normal lives behind and come to live and work in the mountains. Not only do they learn a specific trade, they are also able to live in a supportive community and enjoy outdoor experiences that challenge, motivate and inspire them. During their non-work hours, our interns receive assistance from our full time program staff in planning their next career and educational steps.
Our commitment to our youth program stems from two central beliefs:
- Supportive employment can help young people build momentum in their lives and realize their fullest potential.
- The outdoors in general, and places like Yosemite in particular, should be accessible to everyone.
Our Youth Program is central to what we do at both Rush Creek and the Evergreen, and we are proud to have operated the program since we acquired the Evergreen Lodge in 2002. Our work is more rewarding as a result of our Youth Program, and our guests can feel good knowing that, by staying with us, they are helping young people to gain experience they would not otherwise have access to.
Environmental Practices
We are proud to be stewards of this special property and of the Yosemite area, and we have established a variety of environmental goals that guide how we operate. Our priorities include:
- Local Sourcing – purchasing from local, organic farms, working with local artisans, hiring local staff and landscaping with native plants
- Energy Conservation – utilizing low flow water fixtures, gray water recycling, solar heating and high efficiency lighting
- Waste Reduction – implementing a grass roots recycling program and using eco-friendly cleaning products and compostable cups/packaging
- Environmental Education – educating guests, staff and the community about Yosemite environmental issues and conservation
We have made significant investments in support of our environmental goals, including developing Tuolumne County’s first commercial gray water system, which allows us to reuse over one million gallons of shower and laundry water each year for landscape irrigation.
B Corporation
As a result of our balanced priorities, Rush Creek joins the Evergreen Lodge as a certified B Corporation. B Corps are a new form of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corps are designed for long term sustainability, putting the health of our communities, environment and staff on the same level as the health of the bottom line.
B Corps are certified to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. B Corp certification is to sustainable business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee, or USDA Organic certification is to milk. Today, there is a growing community of more than 6,300 Certified B Corps in 89 countries and 150 industries working together toward one unifying goal: to redefine success in business. Other B Corps you may recognize include Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Method, Plum Organics and Revolution Foods.
You can learn more about B Corps by visiting www.bcorporation.net.
Rush Creek’s goals are to benefit not only our guests, but our environment, community and staff as well. We like to believe this holistic approach makes the lodge a special place and a unique Yosemite resort. We hope you have an amazing experience with us, and thank you for taking time to learn more about the lodge and our values.