McLean, VA – The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) this month honored three ski resorts, including Wyoming’s Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole, and Park City, Utah, with the 2011 Golden Eagle Awards for Environmental Excellence. Established in 1993, the Golden Eagle Awards are the ski industry’s most prestigious award for recognizing resort environmental programs and projects. This year’s Golden Eagle Awards were awarded to ski areas of three size categories: Up to 200,000 skier and snowboarder visits; 200,000 to 500,000 visits; and 500,000 or more visits.
As part of its efforts, Grand Targhee, the winner in the small ski area category, not only met, but exceeded its goal set in 2010 to of reduce its energy use by 10 percent below the previous five year average. By season’s end, Targhee achieved an 18 percent reduction in electricity use, which marked the lowest electricity use at the resort in a decade. The ski area accomplished this reduction through equipment upgrades and retrofits, building weatherization, improved operating procedures and policies and most importantly, behavioral change.
“We attribute a huge portion of this energy savings to behavior changes by both our guests and employees,” said Director of Sustainable Operations Christina Thomure. “Our supervisors conducted audits within their areas of operation and corrected several smaller, but meaningful electricity drains, including lights that were left on and heaters that were unnecessarily turned up high.”
The resort also received the Golden Eagle award in 2009.
Jackson Hole took the top environmental honors in the medium sized ski area category for implementation of its ISO 14001 registered Environmental Management System (EMS) over the past five years. The EMS provides for integration of all departments to reach overall resort sustainability goals; promotes continuous annual improvement; and involves monitoring, reporting and external verification to international standards.
“We are honored to receive this recognition for our environmental work. We have invested strategically and labored intently to be the best possible stewards of our natural resources, and the Golden Eagle Award is welcome recognition of that work,” said Jackson Hole Mountain Resort President Jerry Blann. “Operating in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the most pristine natural environments in the world, is a privilege that comes with great responsibility. Measuring and minimizing our environmental impact is a duty that we owe to this spectacular region, as well as to our guests who come here to recreate in the midst of it. In collaboration with ISO 14001, the Brendle Group and the NSAA we have invested in the tools to significantly reduce our energy usage and greenhouse gas output, while we continue to grow our recycling initiatives, re-double our efforts to protect the threatened Whitebark Pines species, and underwrite public transportation in the region.”
Finally, Park City won the Golden Eagle Award in the large resort category for its efforts in reducing the ski area’s carbon footprint. In the 2010-11 winter season, Park City reduced its carbon footprint by a whopping 54.8 percent, equivalent to taking 7,112 cars off the road for one year or the electricity used by 4,514 homes in one year. This summer, Park City Mountain Resort is installing its own wind and solar power generation near the top of the ski area’s Silverlode chairlift.
Judges for this year’s Golden Eagle Awards include: Rod Judd, International Mountain Bicycling Association; Judy Dorsey, Brendle Group; Elysa Hammond, CLIF Bar & Company; Geraldine Link, NSAA; Loren Kroenke, USDA Forest Service; Greg Owsley, New Belgium Brewing Company; and Kirk Mills, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).