The Morris Inn was recently honored as Sustainability Champion at the 2019 Historic Hotels of America Awards of Excellence reception at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Morris Inn Senior Director Joe Kurth accepted the award on the hotel’s behalf.
The Morris Inn, which is LEED Gold certified by the United States Green Building Council, includes many sustainable technologies. It was the first building on campus to feature a green roof, which increases the building’s energy efficiency, improves air quality, reduces noise and provides stormwater management. The roof is planted with a mix of drought-tolerant native plantings called “School Spirit,” which provide a carpet-like effect on the roof’s surface 12 months of the year. Notre Dame now has green roofs on Duncan Student Center and Corbett Family Hall, as well as the Joyce Center.
The AAA Four Diamond hotel also features a heat recovery system on the roof, as well as occupancy sensors, water-efficient fixtures, energy-saving LED lighting and high-efficiency irrigation systems outside of the building to help minimize water needs.