Lakewood, CO – The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has announced that eight member ski areas have stepped up to take on the 2011 Climate Challenge. Those ski areas include Utah’s Alta, Canyons and Park City Mountain Resort, Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin and Telluride Ski and Golf Resort, Jackson Hole, Wyo., Jiminy Peak, Mass., and Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore.nThis newly created competition is designed to give recognition to ski areas that are developing carbon inventories, setting goals for carbon reduction, and measuring success in reducing their overall carbon footprint. With guidance, resorts will set quantitative greenhouse gas reduction targets and timelines, and develop plans for reaching these targets.
“The Climate Challenge is intended to provide a venue for a friendly competition among ski areas that will inspire action and elevate the visibility of the entire industry in its efforts to fight climate change,” says NSAA President Michael Berry. “The efforts will fetch robust and measurable results and ultimately take the industry and Sustainable Slopes to the next level in sustainability performance.”
The Challenge provides an opportunity for resorts looking to complete a carbon inventory to leverage the technical expertise of the program partners as well as offset the costs associated with such efforts through the modest grants funded by the program sponsors. The program’s partners and sponsors include Brendle Group, Renewable Choice Energy, LeitWind, CLIF Bar and NRDC.
As part of the Climate Challenge, resorts will also commit to implementing at least one meaningful and measureable action each year toward their end targets. Results of the Climate Challenge will be highlighted in the NSAA Journal as well as the Sustainable Slopes Annual Report.
Ban out of state residents from resorts. Just think of all the carbon that is spent to get to the ski resorts. If only locals used the resorts the carbon footprint would be vastly reduced. I call it the locals only rule.