NOC Gatlinburg

Environmental Stewardship at NOC Gatlinburg

Environmental Stewardship at NOC's Great Outpost

Beyond LEED-Certification: A Legacy of Leadership

In keeping with NOC's nearly 40 years of heritage as being a leader in promoting environmental stewardship, and given its common border with the National Park, NOC Gatlinburg has received LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a third-party national certification program for green design, construction, and energy efficiency. It is the first LEED-certified retail store in Sevier County.

The attraction's LEED certification centered on recycling the Open Hearth Restaurant, a 30-year-old existing structure occupying an anchor position in Gatlinburg's downtown strip. As one of the most heavily visited destinations in the Southeast, Gatlinburg hosts an estimated 14 million visitors annually. Among other enhancement measures, the building required retrofitting of the HVAC and water systems, and the existing concrete and finished wood were repurposed, converting the former restaurant into an 18,000-square-foot family-friendly adventure destination.

LEED is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building or community performs across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
*Information Provided by USGBC

NOC's Great Outpost LEED Certification

Working With Area Conservation Groups

NOC incorporates the outdoor stewardship principles of Leave No Trace in all that we offer. We are also a major contributor to conservation organizations such as Friends of the Smokies and American Whitewater. While visitng NOC Gatlinburg, guests will have the opportunity to connect with local groups, as well as participate in free workshops and volunteer opportunities with these organizations.

NOC is also a gold-level member of Gatlinburg Goes Green.