45 Ski Resorts in 14 States Currently Buying Green Energy

First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine

Lakewood, CO - Ski resorts across the U.S. are purchasing green power to offset their electrical energy use. As part of the industry’s Keep Winter Cool program to combat global warming, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has encouraged all of its members to buy green power. Green power is generated from renewable and nonpolluting energy sources including wind power, geothermal power, small scale hydro-power, solar power or bio-mass power. The use of green power can help in the fight against global warming, help clean up the air and help decrease dependency on foreign energy sources.

To date, 45 ski and snowboard resorts in 14 states are buying green energy for their operations. Of these, 16 are powered 100 percent by green energy including California’s Sugar Bowl, Colorado’s Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Buttermilk, Crested Butte, Keystone, Snowmass, Vail Mountain and Wolf Creek as well as Maine’s Shawnee Peak, Mount Sunapee, N.H., Heavenly, Nev., Mt. Ashland, Ore., and Okemo Mountain Resort, Vt.

“These renewable energy investments speak volumes about industry’s commitment to environmental stewardship” said Michael Berry, NSAA president. “Greener energy means cleaner air and better views of the mountain landscapes that our guests come to enjoy.”

In total, these 16 resorts are purchasing 208,548,832 kWh of green energy and their purchases result in the avoidance of 299,767,044 pounds of CO2. This is the equivalent of planting nearly 12 million trees or avoiding over 115,000 round-trip flights between New York and San Francisco.

Ski resorts are not the only ones in the ski industry buying green power. NSAA, the National Ski Patrol (NSP), the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI) are also offsetting 100 percent of their electricity use for their headquarters and warehouse building located in Lakewood, Colorado. Also, NSAA supplier member BEWI Productions Inc., Waltham, Mass., producer of consumer ski shows, recently announced that it is offsetting 100 percent of its in-office electrical energy use as well.

In addition to buying green energy for their operations, ski areas have also lobbied Congress to put solutions in place now to fight global warming. Last year, 71 resorts in 21 states have endorsed the McCain/Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act in Congress.

Also, NSAA recently released its sixth Sustainable Slopes Annual Report detailing the ski industry’s progress in implementing the principles of its Environmental Charter during the 2005/06 season. Together with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and energy bar maker Clif Bar & Co., this season the Sustainable Slopes program focused on furthering the Keep Winter Cool campaign to fight global warming.