Lakewood, CO – The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) recently announced that to date, supplier companies and partners have contributed a total of $175,000 to the association’s Sustainable Slopes Grant Program. New this year, Brendle Group,  a Colorado-based engineering sustainability consultant firm and longtime environmental partner to the
association,  has provided a $10,000 in-kind contribution to complement HKD Turbo’s snowmaking grants for this grant cycle.

Launched in 2009, the grant program provides cash and in-kind funding to support sustainability projects at NSAA member ski areas.

“HKD is committed to sustainability and we are thrilled to contribute to the greening of ski area snowmaking and support the broader Sustainable Slopes program.  Each year we look forward to working closely with the winning ski areas toward realizing their  goal of creating  greater snowmaking efficiency,” says HKD President Charles Santry.

Since 2010, HKD Turbo, a snowmaking technology company and supplier to NSAA based in Massachusetts, has donated $120,000 worth of high-efficiency snow guns to deserving resorts as part of the program. HKD has committed an additional $40,000 this year, and through Brendle Group’s donation, 2012 winners will receive an additional $5,000 per resort in sustainability services including a utility analysis and customized on-site energy audit. Brendle Group’s support will help extend cost savings from the new HKD Turbo snowmaking equipment  to other identified energy efficiency and peak load management opportunities.

Four ski areas have been awarded HKD snowmaking grants to date, including Colorado’s Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Maine’s Mt. Abram ski area, New York’s Oak Mountain Ski Center, and Beaver Valley Ski Club in Ontario.

Companies that have supported the cash grant side of the grant program include California-based energy bar maker  CLIF Bar & Co.,  renewable energy and carbon measurement, management and offset firm  Renewable Choice Energy based in Colorado,  wind turbine manufacturer LeitWind, based in Colorado, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Resort projects receiving support through cash grants in 2011 include  a lighting retrofit project at Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin, the purchase and installation of solar compactors at Vermont’s Stratton Mountain Resort, water bottle refilling stations at Oregon’s Mt. Hood Meadows, and an electric vehicle integration program at Washington’s Stevens Pass.

The judges consider a number of criteria on the awards,  including the project or program’s innovation and likelihood for success, the involvement of supporting partners outside of the ski industry,  the ability to improve overall sustainability and heightened environmental awareness among consumers, and the  ability for other ski areas to replicate the program.