NRTA, Visitor Services ride "sustainable tourism" wave
TOWN
BY PETER A. SUTTERS JR. INDEPENDENT WRITER
Nantucket Visitor Services and the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority are teaming up with the philanthropic Schmidt Family Foundation in the hopes of promoting "sustainable tourism" on the island this summer.

Going green at 10 Washington St. ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent

Visitor Services was granted approval by the Board of Selectmen last week to have a satellite office at the Greenhound bus stop at 10 Washington St., while the NRTA will have two busses at the renovated former Island spirits building for the summer season. The two busses stationed at the Washington Street location will run the Surfside and Airport routes.

"We are very pleased to be working with NRTA and Nantucket Visitor Services to help encourage the use of public transportation by island visitors and residents alike," said Wendy Schmidt in an email. "When we purchased the Island Spirits property and established Greenhound, our intention was to make the property available to the town and NRTAfor use as a bus stop - a low-risk opportunity for the town and NRTAto see if operations at this site help the flow of people on a couple of routes in and out of downtown."

Schmidt went on to say Greenhound - a not so subtle play on the famous Greyhound bus line name with the ecofriendly "green" prefix - would work to promote environmentally friendly methods of getting around the island for visitors.

"We want to help promote all the aspects of sustainable tourism that make so much sense for Nantucket," said Schmidt.

The Schmidt Family Foundation is putting their money where their "green" mouth is, by employing a variety of sustainable building methods and supplies in the renovation of the building. From energy-efficient LED lighting and low volatile organic compound paint to installing energy efficient windows and using poplar wood for trim and carpentry and cork board for wall covering, the project seeks to lead by example.

"In our quick renovation of the property, the Greenhound team applied the latest green building techniques to demonstrate how easy and cost-effective it is to make choices that save energy and make the best use of natural resources," said Schmidt.

Visitor Services will have employees manning a desk inside the building Wednesday to Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, offering the same information about the island as it does at its Federal Street and Straight Wharf locations.

"We are very pleased to expand our services to this location," said Kate Hamilton Pardee of Visitor Services. "This is a great opportunity to for us to extend our community reach and help even more people enjoy their

visit to Nantucket." I