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Barona Resort & Casino Rolls Out Free Green Shuttles
Environmentally Friendly Buses Save Fuel, Lower Emissions and Reduce Congestion
| Source: Barona Resort & Casino
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - October 22, 2009) - Barona Resort &
Casino is rolling out a new line of "green" shuttle buses that offer
guests and staff a more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly way to
travel to the award-winning gaming, golf and entertainment destination in
the scenic Barona Valley just northeast of downtown San Diego.
Free shuttle service aboard the expanded fleet of low-emission eco-friendly
luxury motorcoach buses is available daily from early morning to late
evening from six locations throughout San Diego County, including El Cajon,
Lakeside, Kearny Mesa, Mira Mesa, Chula Vista and National City. In
addition, all of the buses are equipped with a handicap lift.
The new fleet of Barona buses are "good for the environment, save wear on
roads and reduce traffic congestion," explained Jay Bart, director of
safety, health and environment at Barona Resort & Casino.
In recent years, he said there's been a huge attitude shift away from
private vehicles and toward more eco-smart bus transportation. "With fuel
prices skyrocketing and concerns about traffic congestion and global
warming ever increasing, the demand from our guests and staff for greener
alternatives has been very strong."
Motorcoaches are the most fuel-efficient mode of transportation and
significantly reduce carbon emissions. Barona's new biodiesel-fueled
motorcoaches provides 206.6 passenger miles per gallon of fuel -- more than
double the second most fuel-efficient sector of commuter rail. They also
emit the least carbon dioxide per passenger mile when compared to other
vehicles and are on average seven times more energy and fuel efficient than
single occupancy automobiles.
"It is always encouraging to see that Barona -- an early adopter of green
technology continues to raise the bar for environmental performance," said
Gary Goodson, Executive Director of the United States Green Building Council - San Diego Chapter.
"Since biodiesel is a fuel made from plant crops like soybeans or recycled
fryer oil from restaurants, it burns cleaner and is more of a renewable
resource than diesel made from oil pulled from the ground."
"When you go by Barona bus, you go green," said Bart, noting that each
shuttle bus has the potential of removing 56 autos from the local roads and
busy highways. "That's millions of cars not driven, saving fuel, cutting
emissions and reducing congestion," he said. And that's not mentioning
lowered transportation costs and stress levels as well as other positive
health benefits for both staff and guests who instead of driving simply
"sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Barona Valley on
their way to work or to play," said Bart.
The green shuttle buses are just part of Barona's environmental sustainability program and wide reaching
eco-friendly mission.
With a proven track record for environmental stewardship, Barona has
received numerous honors and accolades for its green practices. It has
received SANDAG RideLink Diamond Awards for its transportation management
program that has provided shuttle and vanpool services to more than 500,000
riders in recent years.
In addition, Barona has been recognized with the 2007 United States
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act Recognition Award,
the 2006 San Diego Earthworks Earth Award for water resource management and
the 2009 U.S. EPA Energy Star Award for superior energy efficiency.
"We're proud of our environmental record and think our guests and employees
appreciate our eco-friendly efforts," said Bart. "We plan to continue to
expand the greening of Barona by adding additional shuttle buses and other
carbon footprint shrinking programs."
For casino shuttle service information and schedules, visit www.barona.com
and click on directions or call toll free 888-7-BARONA (722-7662).
For two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009, Barona Resort & Casino has won
the J.D. Power and Associates Award for the "Highest in Satisfaction in the
Southern California Indian Casino Gaming Experience" in the J.D. Power and
Associates Southern California Indian Gaming Casino Satisfaction Study.
Barona Resort & Casino blends the best of San Diego's most elegant resorts
with the gaming excitement of Las Vegas. Barona is San Diego's leading
destination resort featuring 400 luxury guest rooms and suites, 11
award-winning dining options, the AmBience Day Spa, a full-service events
center and the 18-hole championship Barona Creek Golf Club, rated the 3rd
best resort course in California by Golfweek magazine.
Barona Resort & Casino received the highest numerical score in the
proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2008-2009 Indian Gaming Casino
Studies(SM)-Southern California Region. The 2009 study, which only surveys
casinos with a minimum of 1,000 slot machines, is based on 4,452 responses
from gaming players who visited an Indian casino in Southern California
between December 2008 and May 2009. Proprietary study results are based on
experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in May 2009. Your
experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.
For Barona Resort & Casino reservations and information, visit
www.barona.com, or call toll free 888-7-BARONA (722-7662).
You can also join Barona Resort & Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace
at: www.barona.com/facebook, www.barona.com/twitter and
www.barona.com/myspace.