This Winter, Resorts are Skiing Green
If you’ve got copious cash, Aspen Snowmass is the destination for you. Not only does the resort offer great skiing and the chance to ride the lift with a Hollywood starlet, but it is also a leader in the area of environmentally responsible resort operation. They have a website dedicated specifically to publicizing their efforts in this regard.
According to the site, the snowcat machines used to groom the slopes there have been running on biodiesel for seven years. The resort is also an ISO certified “green company” – the first of two ski resorts in the country to achieve this designation. Employees even get in on the action with almost half of them donation $1 per week to local environmental efforts – a donation which is matched by the Aspen Community Foundation. Another industry first was Aspen Ski Company’s purchase of wind power – a commitment to renewable energy usage that is ongoing.
Park City Utah is a favorite among ski bums for its abundant, powdery snow as well as its convenient access to Salt Lake City. The Park City Mountain Resort has a comprehensive website detailing its efforts at environmental stewardship and sustainable ski resort operation. Among the initiatives in place, Park City has reduced its snowcat fleet, converted to biodiesel fuel, purchased more efficient snowmaking machines, and committed to the use of recycled paper products throughout.
Most impressively, this past June, the resort announced that it would offset 100% of its power needs from renewable sources. Their purchase of renewable energy credits for this purpose equates to 1,853 cars removed from the road or the power requirements of 1,100 homes for one year. Naturally, combating global warming in order to maintain natural snowfall for the future is of top concern for ski resorts. The resort’s parent company sponsored a comprehensive study of global warming’s impact on the resort and the ski industry in general. The resort has conducted additional, similar studies which you can learn about on their website.
The truth is that many ski resorts, large and small, are taking measures to make their operations greener. The Ski Area Citizens Coalition operates a website that claims to be an independent source with resort ratings across a variety of environmental criteria including: impacting roadless areas; logging old growth forests; purchasing clean, renewable wind energy; and the use of biodiesel. The have an interesting “Top 10” and the “Worst 10” resort list as well as a search tool to help with your own research.
The good news is that ski resort operators also tend to be skiing fanatics as well. And all skiers share a passion for the mountains, the snow, and the environment that brings them so much winter joy. Operating a 100% green ski resort is almost impossible, but that is the case for many industries, and people for that matter. We here at Green Gift Scene are all about making the effort, because it is all of us taking little steps that will bring about big change. So as you plan your winter getaway this season, we encourage you to support those resorts striving to keep winter white and the planet green.
