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Program Highlights

In This Section:

A summary list of the company's environmental accomplishments — Aspen Skiing Company:

  • Invested $5.5 million to develop the first large coal mine methane-to-electricity project in the U.S.;
  • Developed the ski industry's first climate policy and committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 10% by 2012 and 25% by 2020 from 2000 levels;
  • Built the largest solar photovoltaic system in ski industry, a 147kW solar electric system on ranch land owned by Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS), a private high school in Carbondale.  Annually, it produces more than 200,000 kWh (enough power for 20 average American homes) and keeps 400,000 lbs of carbon dioxide out of the air;  
  • Became the first ski resort in the United States to be certified to the ISO 14001 standard;
  • Established the first ski-resort supported Environment Foundation (almost $2 million given to local environmental causes);
  • Developed corporate volunteer policy providing all full-time year-round employees with two paid volunteer days annually;
  • Built one of the first 11 LEED certified buildings in the world and now have 3 more LEED certified buildings, one silver, one gold and one platinum. We hope to secure LEED Gold certification for The Restaurant at Elk Camp (recently completed).
  • Launched the first climate change education campaign in the ski industry;
  • One of three companies and the only ski resort operator to file an Amicus Brief on behalf of the landmark Supreme Court case, MA v. EPA;
  • Built a small hydro-electric plant to power a portion of its operations; and
  • Received numerous awards recognizing its environmental commitment.  

A bit of detail on each of these accomplishments:

  Coal Mine Methane: Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) recently partnered with the Elk Creek coal mine, Holy Cross Energy, and Vessels Coal Gas on a $5.5 million investment to capture waste methane vented from a coal mine in neighboring Somerset, Colorado to generate carbon negative electricity. The three megawatts of power generated from this project will produce as much energy as ASC uses annually -- approximately 24 million kilowatt hours. In addition, by destroying methane, a potent greenhouse gas, this project eliminates three times the carbon pollution created by the resort each year as well as garnering carbon offset benefits. Waste methane, and therefore electricity, will continue to be produced for at least 15 years, and possibly much longer, even after the mine has closed, estimated in 2014. This project is the only one of its scale in the United States.

Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions: ASC developed a comprehensive energy plan to reduce energy use, cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money.  We seek to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10% by 2012 and 25% by 2020 from 2000 levels and use legitimate offsetting approaches in order to ensure that all electricity, natural gas and fuel consumed will be carbon neutral by 2020. To accomplish these goals we will:
  • Distribute graphs detailing energy use in specific facilities over time to allow managers to understand the energy impacts of their actions.
  • Develop an incentive program to reduce consumption.
  • Undertake extensive efforts to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings, a key area we can influence.
  • Develop a companywide focus on energy reduction.
  • Identify opportunities to invest in large scale renewable energy to reduce the carbon intensity of our electricity use.
  • Implement operational changes in snowmaking and grooming that reduce energy use.
  

  Supporting Renewable Energy:  Starting in 1997, Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) pioneered ski industry purchases of wind power, when we ran the Cirque lift on 100% wind power. From 2006 to 2008 ASC purchased renewable energy credits equivalent to our electricity use. When we initiated this purchase we were the largest purchaser of these credits in the ski industry. We discontinued these purchases to focus our efforts on conservation and the development of local and regional renewable energy projects. 

We teamed up with the Forest Service and Leitner-Poma to install a wind speed testing tower in Snowmass to explore the potential for wind energy development.  This tower contains four anemometers and is installed at the top of the Cirque. After analyzing wind patterns and returns on investment versus construction impacts on the alpine tundra we've decided not to pursue this project.

Solar Power:   On July 1, 2008, ASC celebrated the installation of a 147 kW solar array at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS) in Carbondale, Colo. The 147kW system sits on one half acre of ranchland owned by the high school and is the largest solar electric installation in western Colorado. The array is currently powering the school's science building and feeds excess energy into the town of Carbondale's power grid. Annually, it will produce 200,000 kWh (enough power for 20 average American homes) and keep 400,000 lbs of carbon dioxide out of the air. 

In addition to this array ASC operates:

  • a 10.6 kW array at Thunder River Lodge, an employee housing complex;
  • a 5.0 kW array at The Little Nell providing electricity for the 2,500 square foot Paepke Suite;
  • a 4.3 kW array at the LEED-Silver certified Snowmass Golf Clubhouse;
  • a 2.03 kW array at the LEED certified Sundeck; and
  • a 2.3 kW array at Aspen Highlands Patrol Headquarters.

  

ISO 14001:  In 2004, ASC became the first ski resort in the United States to achieve ISO 14001 certification — the most widely known and respected third-party certification, which demonstrates responsible management of environmental effects. One requirement is that all employees be involved in a company's environmental management program. ASC calls its program Greentrack, for which every employee receives education. The Greentrack website provides employees with environmental information on every aspect of the company's operations.   

Environment Foundation:  Over half the company's employees are members of the Environment Foundation. Through the foundation, they donate a dollar (or more) per week from their paycheck, which is matched by ASC, the Aspen Community Foundation, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. All funds — alomst $2  million in fifteen years — support environmental projects in the communities in which employees live, well beyond Aspen. The board of directors of this independent nonprofit is entirely comprised of employees. Recently, other resorts, Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain and Steamboat, established similar foundations.  

Corporate Volunteer Policy: Effective January 1, 2012 Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) recently announced a new Employee Volunteer Program, encouraging full-time, year-round employees to take up to 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer in the community. This program has the potential to generate 15,500 hours of service and over $330,000 in wages donated to support the community.

LEED Certification: ASC developed the first set of green building guidelines in the ski industry. It participated in the creation of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program (LEED) (www.usgbc.org). It built one of the first 11 LEED certified buildings in the world—the Sundeck Restaurant on Aspen Mountain, then built a second, the Snowmass Golf Clubhouse, which received a ranking of LEED Silver. We've now added the LEED Gold certified Sam's Smokehouse and LEED Platinum certified Holiday House Employee Housing Project. Many other new buildings are now green as well: the patrol headquarters at Highlands features passive solar design, mostly recycled interior floors, cabinets, and furnishings, and the largest solar photovoltaic system in the ski industry.

 
            		Save Snow Campaign: Launched in the fall of 2006, the Save Snow campaign featured a series three full page ads that ran as part of Aspen Skiing Company's winter advertising campaign. In 2007 new ads were produced featuring local athletes. The campaign continues in 2008 with ads featuring ASC employees doing their jobs in sustainable ways.  They feature Isa Falardeau pushing snow on our dirt half pipe; Frank White maintaining our 115 kilowatt hydro plant; Lee Solomon at Milagro Ranch Beef; Tim Lacroix readying the Highlands solar electric system for another day of production; and Carson Gazley tuning up a board with some sustainable wax.  

These ads are an integral part of ASC's overall marketing strategy and reflect ten years of environmental commitment. These ads are designed to spur debate, discussion and ultimately action by anyone who sees them. ASC's goal with this campaign is to create heightened awareness of Global Climate Change, to provide information and to encourage people to act. To this end, ASC created a new information resource, www.savesnow.com.

Amicus Brief: In August of 2006, ASC filed an Amicus Brief on behalf of MA v. EPA arguing that the EPA needs to regulate carbon dioxide pollution and has the authority to do so under the Clean Air Act.  In April 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Massachusetts, whose position our brief supported. At the time of this ruling Auden Schendler, ASC's Executive Director for Community and Environmental Responsibility, also testified in Congress on the threats climate change poses to the ski industry.

Micro Hydro: To further reduce its CO2 emissions ASC developed a 115 KW micro-hydroelectric plant on Snowmass Mountain.  Using water from a snowmaking pond, it generates 150,000 kWh annually, preventing the emission of 300,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. We are currently exploring 2 – 3 additional opportunities to develop micro hydro on our mountains.

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