Green Development

In This Section:

• Towards Sustainability
• Climate Protection
• Green Development
• Cirque Lift
• Golf Club
• Holiday House
• Sam's Smokehouse
• The Little Nell
• Green Purchasing
• Habitat Protection
• On-Mountain Education
• Sundeck Construction
• Sustainability Reports

Click HERE to link to Auden Schendler's article on greenwashing in buildings from Colorado Construction Magazine.

At left, a diagram of the water source lake loops that will heat and cool the Snowmass Golf Clubhouse, helping to make it 65% more energy efficient that required by local energy codes. For details on the building, and some more cool pictures, visit the Snowmass club link below.

Photo courtesy of http://www.commandaire.com/

• Sundeck Construction
• Snowmass Club
• Snowmass Base Village

Aspen Skiing Company is committed to environmentally responsible development. With one LEED building and a second almost done, we have become  leaders in this field, in our industry and beyond. In years to come will continue to push the envelope even further.

What is Green Development?
Green building is an approach to construction, management, and planning that aims to reduce the impact of buildings and developments on the environment.

Rocky Mountain Institute's Primer on Sustainable Building lists important considerations in green building: 

• Making appropriate use of land
• Using water, energy, lumber, and other resources efficiently
• Enhancement of human health
• Strengthening local economy and community
• Conserving flora, fauna, and habitat
• Protecting agricultural, cultural, and archeological resources
• Designing buildings that are economical to build and operate.

With the Sundeck Restaurant we helped pioneer the development of the U.S. Green Building Council's "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" (LEED) program. Aspen Skiing Company was among the first companies in the ski industry and the country to develop a fully certified "green" building. We also recycled and deconstructed both the Sundeck and the Snowmass Lodge and Club Hotel. That project kept 86% of the two structures out of the landfill (that's 8000 cubic yards) and as a result extened the lift of the landfill by three months.

Why Build Green?
Advantages of Green Building:

• Increased comfort for guests
• Increased employee retention
• Increased sales value of the property
• Increased health and productivity of workers
• Expedited government approval processes
• Green buildings can also mean decreased operational, landscaping, and liability costs
• Decreased pollution
• Decreased energy and water consumption
• Decreased waste disposal costs
• The creation of a more durable and longer lasting building

Put simply, green building is the right thing to do for our company and the environment. In 1999, Aspen Skiing Company  adopted Green Building Guidelines as company policy to implement environmentally sensitive development in the future.Green building principles are a perfect expression of Aspen Skiing Company's dedication to the environment.