Through its partnership with Clean the World, the Oneida Indian Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino has sanitarily recycled 7,500 pounds of soap from nearly 800 hotel rooms in the last year to provide more than 53,000 bars of soap to communities around the world affected by humanitarian crisis, homelessness and poverty. Since the launch of the recycling program, the Oneida Indian Nation has provided nearly a quarter of a million bars of soap to people in vulnerable communities.

Additional environmentally-friendly initiatives include eliminating daily-use chemical cleaners, using recycled water to irrigate the golf courses at Turning Stone and recycling unused heat and steam at Turning Stone to provide clean power throughout the resort.

Oneida Indian Nation Homelands (April 22, 2023) – The Oneida Indian Nation’s historical commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability is represented throughout its enterprises. In the past year alone, the Oneida Indian Nation recycled more than 7,500 pounds of soap from all 790 hotel rooms at Turning Stone to provide 53,000 sanitarily recycled bars to vulnerable communities around the world affected by humanitarian crises, homelessness, poverty and more. Through this innovative recycling program with Clean the World, the Oneida Indian Nation is minimizing its environmental impact and also helping to prevent millions of hygiene-related illnesses and deaths every year. Since the beginning of its partnership with Clean the World, the Oneida Indian Nation has provided nearly a quarter of a million bars of soap to communities in need.

The Oneida Indian Nation also launched a program earlier this year that provides guests of The Lodge at Turning Stone and Skʌ:nʌ́: spa with unlimited access to more than 7,000 digital newspapers and magazines, significantly reducing the amount of paper being sent to landfills.

Water-Based Cleaning

The Oneida Indian Nation has eliminated nearly all of its daily-use chemical cleaning products at Turning Stone. It now uses natural water-based solutions to clean all public areas throughout the 3,400 acre resort.  Using the power of charged water, Orbio’s water power technologies enable cleaning devices and equipment to achieve the same effect, while eliminating the hazards and large environmental footprint of using traditional chemical cleaning products.

Eco-Friendly Golf Courses

The Oneida Indian Nation uses water from its drainage systems and reclaimed city water to irrigate Turning Stone’s award-winning grounds and golf courses.

Shenendoah, Kaluhyat and Atunyote golf courses are also officially certified Signature Sanctuaries by Audubon International for demonstrating continued commitment to the environment. These eco-friendly courses meet extensive standards for protecting water quality and conserving natural resources and were designed to safeguard existing wetlands, native plant life and animal habitats. The grounds are carefully maintained to respect the diverse population of wildlife, including deer, foxes and nearly 100 species of birds.

The Oneida Indian Nation’s Ongoing Green Initiatives:

  • Recycles an average of 310 pounds of shredded paper every day from Turning Stone, and more than 20,000 gallons a year of fat from restaurant fryer oil from our restaurants to produce biofuel.
  • Maintains a comprehensive recycling program that prevents nearly 25,000 pounds of linens, more than 900,000 plastic and glass bottles, and 57 tons of paper from ending up in landfills every year.
  • No longer distributes plastic straws, unless requested by guests, saving the plastic from landfills.
  • Recycles unused heat and steam at Turning Stone with a state-of-the-art turbine engine, providing clean power throughout the resort.
  • Utilizes LED lights and photo sensors that adjust to natural daylight to conserve electricity at Turning Stone.
  • Aligns with vendors who also implement environmentally-friendly programs and make an on-going effort to improve local communities.

 

About the Oneida Indian Nation

The Oneida Indian Nation is a federally recognized Indian nation in Central New York. A founding member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Six Nations or Iroquois Confederacy), the Oneida Indian Nation sided with the Americans in the Revolutionary War and was thanked by Congress and President George Washington for its loyalty and assistance. Today, the Oneida Indian Nation consists of about 1,000 enrolled Members, most of them living in Central New York. The Nation’s enterprises, which employ more than 4,500 people, include Turning Stone Resort Casino, YBR Casino & Sports Book, Point Place Casino, The Lake House at Sylvan Beach, The Cove at Sylvan Beach, Maple Leaf Markets, SāvOn Convenience stores, RV Park, and marinas. Proceeds from these enterprises are used to rebuild the Nation’s economic base and provide essential services, including housing, health care, and education incentives and programs, to its Members.

Media Contact:

Kelly Abdo, Director of Public Relations
315.366.9291
kabdo@oneida-nation.org