NSAA Awards Energy Efficient Snow-Making Machines

Greenwood, Maine’s Mount Abrams Ski Area and Colorado’s Crested Butte were each awarded 10 high-efficiency snowmaking machines designed by Massachusetts-based Snow Economics/HKD Snowmakers as part of a grant from the National Ski Area Association. Other mountains that won grants include Alta, Utah; Grand Targhee, Wyo.; and Stevens Pass, Wash. The grants were part of the association’s effort to promote strategies to make the ski industry use less energy and be more environmentally friendly.

“We’re taking a look at some of the areas where skiing can evolve and become a greener sport,” said Kevin Rosenberg, marketing and sales director for Mount Abram. “Snowmaking is big because we are creating our own weather, and that doesn’t happen without a significant amount of energy.”

Mount Abram runs 100 snowmaking guns, using about 200 gallons of water per second. The new machines, in ideal conditions, can make twice as much snow as typical snowmaking apparatus, for significant energy savings, Rosenberg said.”

www.nsaa.org

www.snowgun.com

Slopestyle On Track To Be Next Olympic Event?

Fresh on the heels of snowboarding’s record shattering viewership at the Vancouver Games, the international ski and snowboard community is coming together next week to push for the inclusion of Slopestyle and Team SBX on the 2014 Olympic billet in Sochi, Russia.

In order to be included in the Olympics, a sport must first be in two world championships overseen by an international governing body (in this case FIS) and representatives from the U.S. Ski And Snowboard Association (USASA), New Zealand, and Canada are all petitioning FIS at it’s biannual congress next week in Turkey to include slopestyle and team SBX in the 2011 World Championships.

“With the FIS meetings in Turkey next week, we are hoping that Slopestyle (and Team Snowboardcross) will be approved as new FIS World Championship events,” says USASA Snowboard Program Director Jeremy Forster.

“Adding slopestyle to the Olympics is a major initiative for us,” Forster told TW Biz last season. “Slopestyle needs to be established within the FIS World Cup, then World Championships before it can be considered for Olympic inclusion by the IOC.” The first step of this plan came together in January 2010 when slopestyle was included as part of a Canadian World Cup event.

If FIS approves the proposals from the three nations next week (check out the Congress book for more) to include the disciplines in the 2011 World Championships, then it will be up to the IOC to decide if they will be included in the Olympics, a decision it is expected to make sometime in 2011. With a chance to give Shaun White two nights of prime time coverage in 2014, it seems like a no brainer.

USASA released a new strategic plan last weekend to focus its attention on events that are most likely to make the 2014 Games and it is placing a major focus on slopestyle, while disbanding its Alpine Snowboard Team (did you or anyone you know watch the alpine race events?), leading to speculation that the race disciplines will be axed.

Stay tuned for news from the FIS Congress in Antalya, Turkey, May 30-June 5 and weigh in on TW SNOW’s poll HERE.

Story by Transworld Business

Photo: Nick Hamilton - Ulrik Badertscher at the US Open.

The Last Frontier’s First Big Resort?

Scoping the proposed Chugach Mountain Recreational Project. That's the Valdez airport in the background.

To the north lies the Promised Land. A virgin wilderness of mythic peaks with names that could fill a library of death metal albums like The Tusk, Blood Stain, and Python; this place is inhabited by beasts that have long vanished from the tame mountains of the continental U.S. - a mecca of snowboarding – the last frontier -Alaska.

It is the shear size of this frontier that keeps these peaks wild and unexplored. With 586,412 square miles and less than 5,000 miles of paved road, most everything in the state must be reached by helicopter, airplane, snow machine, or on foot - a daunting proposition for the faint of heart and weak of wallet. Another barrier to entry is skill. Any run here requires strong mountaineering knowledge. This is a land of severe consequences where riders, guides, and legends are claimed far too frequently chasing the dream. Alaska itself is also fairly hard to get to for most of the world with pricey flights at weird hours leaving travelers and their dollars heading to the Colorado’s and Utah’s of the world. But if Ryan “Rydor” McCune plans’ come together over 5,000 acres of the state’s epic peaks will be a lot more accessible.

Alaska has many things, but among its bounty are not lifts. In a land of 14 mountain ranges and thousands of peaks, there are only 27 lifts at its four “resorts” with 2,160 rideable acres. Compare that to Vail’s 34 chairs and 5,300 acres and you get the point, these hills are not easily accessed. The other problem is Alaska’s maritime climate, which produces astounding amounts of snow, but also many down days. Since most of the terrain is above tree line, there are no visual references on even overcast days, and many a rider knows the woes of holing up in the hotel room, RV, or snow cave for days on end.

However, the towns of boom and bust Alaska, with an economic cycle typical of any frontier, are increasingly looking to snowboard tourism dollars. Valdez has been hosting big mountain contests for skiers and snowboarders for more than 20 years, a fact that has spawned five heli operations on nearby Thompson Pass, and brings money to local retailers, hotels, restaurants, and tour operators.

This year, Tailgate Alaska, an event put on by Mark Sullivan and Nick Perata, grew from just a handful of riders last year to more than 200 over its two weeks. These numbers included some of the world’s top riders, including Travis Rice, Scotty Lago, and Mark Landvik, for the return of the legendary King of the Hill Contest. With each rider spending on average three to four thousand dollars to get his/her Chugach fix, one local resident and entrepreneur is working to take things to the next level.

Ryan “Rydor” McCune grew up in Valdez where the Trans-Alaskan pipeline meets the sea. The pipeline and the 1989 Exxon spill has come to define the town, and outside of fishing and local government, it offers Valdez’s residents their main source of money and employment.

Rydor, who has spent his life exploring the backcountry, owns a large tract of land outside town, less than two miles from the Valdez airport, a landing strip capable of taking a 737, and is putting forward a plan to build a four-season resort that will include an 18,000 foot chair lift, servicing 4,700 vertical feet and 5,500 acres of terrain featured in That’s It, That’s All.

Rydor’s Alaska Chairlift Project/Chugach Mountain Recreational Project, which he recently changed to a non-profit called govaldez.com in an effort to give back to the community and raise money through government grants, would access three amazing bowls, as well as slopes below tree line that would keep shreds riding on down days and closer to town to spend their hard earned dollars there.

“We’re trying to get the community more involved,” says Rydor, who has had difficulty getting town backing from a community where most civic leaders do not ski or snowboard. “We’re not just taking on this project, but trying to make everything else work better here in town. Trail improvements, trying to build a park out at the Valdez Glacier.”

On a Monday night in April, the Valdez City Council convened for a presentation by Sullivan, Perata, and members of the snowboard community that had descended on the town. As the meeting began, the suit-and-tied board eyed the slightly disheveled and unwashed assemblage with questioning looks, but as Sullivan laid out his plan to help bring more people to this town as evidenced by the growth of Tailgate, the Council warmed quickly as the passion for the sport, the area’s environment, and the thoughts of new dollars coursing through its coffers lit up the council members.

By meetings end, all of the members seemed supportive of the objective of increasing accessibility to Valdez and asked for a specific list of initiatives to do so, such as launching new businesses, advertising , and partnering with airlines to offer more direct flights during the high-season of February through May.

One hurdle may have been lowered that night for Rydor but the main one still remains. Raising an estimated $100 million to build a road and bridge to the base of the proposed resort, purchase and install lifts, and build resort amenities. The dream is a big one, but Alaska is full of them.

Rydor knows that there’s a long road ahead, but he feels switching the model to a non-profit one will help move things along. “It’s hard to get the community involved on a private project. I think going the non-profit route and having something that actually provides economic development for the community will do a lot. It would diversify the economy around here. We’ve only got one thing going on and that’s oil.”

Alaska’s latest gold rush is a white one, and as freeriding and freeskiing capture the world’s imagination, Valdez is sitting on the other mother lode.

Given the current oil spill plaguing the gulf and the Valdez spill i bet this resort will implement alternative energy technolgies among other environmentally friendly strategies.

Story by Transworld Business

Announcing the World Championships of Snowboarding

TTR Pro Snowboarding yesterday announced the creation of the World Snowboarding Championships. A new world-class snowboarding event, the World Snowboarding Championships will be held every four years and will feature men’s and women’s halfpipe and slopestyle disciplines. The first event is planned for the 2011/2012 season and will create an environment for the best freestyle riders to compete for world snowboard champion titles in both halfpipe and slopestyle formats.



“The creation of the Snowboarding World Championships is a great step forward for the TTR and the world of snowboarding as a whole,” says Reto Lamm, President of the TTR World Tour. “We look forward to putting on a world-class event to push the progression of the sport and provide a global platform to showcase the best riders in the world.” 



The concept for the World Snowboarding Championships was developed by a group of international representatives of the sport at the 2009 TTR General Assembly in Austria and is a joint project of the TTR World Tour and the World Snowboard Federation (WSF). With a unanimous vote at the General Assembly 2010, the application for the Norwegian capital, Oslo, has been accepted to hold the inaugural event in 2012. The proposal was put forward by a consortium of the Norwegian Snowboard Federation, the Arctic Challenge organizers and the hosting resort Tryvann.



The municipality of Oslo will back the project with $4.3-million USD for the event and another $1.3-million USD for preparations. The final decision whether the event will take place is pending approval by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment for the expansion plans of the event arena at Tryvann Vinterpark.



After the 2011/2012 event, the World Snowboarding Championships will continually change locations every four years and will take applications from cities around the world to host future events. Other details surrounding the event, such as qualifications, prize money and event schedules will be determined over the next six months and will be released as they are finalized.

No Information has been posted yet on the sustainable initiatives the World Snowboarding Championships will implement.

ttrworldtour.com

worldsnowboardfederation.org

How To Green Your Next Event

Recycling is a small effort with a huge payoff.

The snow community has a vested interest in protecting the environment, especially in the control of carbon emissions that contribute to global warming - a term that strikes fear in the hearts of anyone who has ridden a glacier or enjoyed a good powder day. However, an integral aspect of our industry is the events, festivals and competitions whose environmental impact may be just as harsh as their marketing effects are beneficial.

Protect Our Winters, an organization that works towards rallying the snow community to take on environmental initiatives, focuses on ways to reduce carbon footprints while still enjoying the sport. “If helis and snow machines need to be used,” says POW Executive Director Chris Steinkamp, “then it’s critical to look in other areas closely to see where other cuts in carbon can be made.” From the snowmobiles used to tow riders to the top of the pipe to the lights illuminating late-night competitions, snow events can seem like an endless drain on resources.

A recent example of efforts made to balance environmental responsibility with cost effectiveness within the snow industry could be found at the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival held at Whistler Blackcomb. Watermark Communications, Inc., the company that runs the festival, minimizes their environmental impact whenever possible, but doesn’t claim to be running a “green” event. “I don’t believe there are many ‘green’ events,” says Sue Eckersley, President of Watermark, citing the necessary airplane and car travel required to reach the mountain and the small, over-packaged product samples handed out by sponsors. “We talk to some of the companies and suggest alternatives,” says Eckersley. “But we live in a reality that we’re competing with other events for limited resources and don’t have the luxury of demanding a higher standard.”

While not advertising it, Watermark does manage to balance economic reality with environmental choices. They actively recycle, a practice that is made easier through Whistler’s extensive recycling program and mandate. They also print materials on recycled paper with vegetable ink, an initiative that increases costs. However, they save substantial amounts of money by re-using signage year after year, replacing logos and dates instead of entire banners.

In addition to social networking for carpooling, on-site recycling, and event clean-up, POW supports minimizing an event’s carbon footprint by purchasing renewable energy. Watermark takes this approach through their work with Bullfrog Power, a Canadian-based ‘green-electricity’ provider. For every volt of power used by the Blackcomb mountain ski lifts and stage areas of the WSSF, Bullfrog injected clean, emissions-free electricity onto the British Columbia electricity grid.

Bullfrog has noticed a growing trend toward environmental awareness and sustainability throughout event organizers in B.C, especially in the snow industry. In February, they powered the Alberta World Cup cross-country ski race. “Event organizers in B.C. are taking a stand for low-impact renewable electricity,” says Theresa Howland, Vice President of the Bullfrog’s Western Region. “Their events will have a reduced impact on the environment and help to raise awareness of the choice people have to support green power for their own homes and businesses.”

The responsibility of snow events doesn’t just fall on event organizers. Their hosts, the ski resorts and the communities that run on outdoor tourism play a large role in keeping snow activities viable, both environmentally and economically. “Whistler Blackcomb has a long term vision,” says Arthur DeJong, Environmental Resource Manager at Whistler Blackcomb. “Our livelihood is based on the natural environment. The issues are fundamental to the outcome of humanity, but we’re the canary in the coalmine. We depend on snow. It’s in our best interest to take a leadership role.”

DeJong believes Whistler’s conservations systems benefit any mountain visitor, including event organizers. Whistler attributes their biggest reductions in carbon emissions and waste to recent initiatives. The Fitzsimmons Creek micro hydro renewable energy project completed this past season is expected to produce an amount of renewable energy equal to that consumed by the ski resort. A focus on re-usable materials, recycling and composting has reduced waste 60% in the past ten years. “Any event here has to recycle,” says DeJong, “simply because it is integrated into our waste management system.”

Steinkamp believes events also have a responsibility of reaching out to an audience who is focused on enjoying snow sports. “There’s an incredible opportunity to engage and influence a large number of people over a week’s time,” says Steinkamp. He believes this attitude should be extended to all sponsors involved in any given event. Bullfrog took the opportunity of the WSSF to promote their renewable energy practices with an informational tent on Whistler’s Village Stroll.

Eckersley admits to giving a preference to environmentally conscious sponsors at Watermark events. “We would support some sponsors because of their environmental practices through lesser sponsorship fees if the cost of sponsorship provide a barrier for them to participating,” says Eckersley. She believes that each sponsor’s actions impact the perception of the Festival.

Events like the Ride Shakedown have a huge footprint.

“I think we have the responsibility to be as environmental as is feasible, but I believe that is everyone’s responsibility irrespective of where their ‘industry’ exists,” says Eckersley. “We try to suggest things to partners and we try to challenge ourselves to be better, but it has to be genuine – hypocrisy doesn’t wash with our demographic or our philosophy.”

Her view resonates with the mission that POW has undertaken. “We’re one winter sports community,” says Steinkamp. “While events do have a large footprint there are many things that can be done to mitigate the impact, while leveraging the event to galvanize the community to take better care of our mountains.”

protectourwinters.org

wssf.com

whistlerblackcomb.com

Story by Transworld Business

Setting the Clean Energy Example

Here are a few resorts who utilized clean energy this season:

California’s Mammoth Mountain is using solar power to generate electricity and forced air heating in its lift shacks. Mammoth has installed solar heating panels on the lift shack at the top of Thunder Bound Express and in other small, outlying buildings as well.

Northstar-at-Tahoe (Northstar) is offsetting approximately 215,600 pounds of global warming emissions associated with the ski area’s electrical energy use through a substantial purchase of Green Tags (also known as Tradable Renewable Energy Credits) from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Northstar’s Green Tags purchase represents over 150 megawatt-hours of renewable energy produced from non-polluting wind resources located in the Pacific Northwest, equivalent to the annual electricity used by about 180 homes.

Hunter Mountain in New York is purchasing enough Wind Energy Credits to power Hunter's Learning Center for the entire ski season. Purchased through Community Energy, Hunter's new 33,000 square-foot beginners and family Learning Center will be completely wind-powered during the winter ski season.

In Oregon, Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort will purchase enough clean, renewable wind energy to run its Shooting Star Express chairlift this season. Each tag purchased by Meadows supports generation of 1,000 kilowatt-hours of green wind power, and represents prevention of 1,400 pounds of carbon pollution. Mount Hood Meadows' purchase equals 6.7 percent of the company’s average annual power consumption, and will prevent production of 234 tons of carbon pollution.

Timberline is a purchaser of Clean Wind™ from PGE, the local power provider. Timberline pays a premium for PGE to purchase a large percentage of its annual kilowatt usage from the Stateline Wind Farm in Oregon. Timberline is consequently part of the "renewable energy community" locally, and has even been included in coupon books to some 30,000 Portland renewable power customers.

In Utah, The Canyons is using solar powered lighting. The Canyons, Deer Valley and Park City are all participating in Utah Power's Blue Sky Program and are purchasing green wind power for their operations. The resorts will also audit energy use and improve energy efficiency.

In Wyoming, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort powers two of its chairlifts, Moose Creek and Union Pass, with wind power.

Keystone Resort purchases 16,500 kilowatt-hours of renewable wind power per month, the maximum amount available from the local utility. The resort's River Run Information Center is powered by a solar energy system and relies heavily on natural light rather than electric lights during the day.

Vail Mountain buys 300,000 kilowatt-hours per year of wind energy to power the Wildwood Express Lift, eliminating 300 tons of global warming pollution.

In June of 2006 Aspen Skiing Company began purchasing renewable energy certificates from wind farms to offset its electricity use. Combining this new purchase with pre-existing commitments to buy Colorado-created wind power, ASC offsets 100% of its electricity use. Starting in 1997, ASC pioneered ski industry purchases of wind power, when it ran the Cirque lift on 100% wind power. Since 1997, ASC has continually increased renewable energy purchases, which reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 22,000 tons and lead industry efforts to reduce greenhouse has emissions.

Sundance Resort in Utah has committed to replace 10 percent of its conventional power with wind power, placing the resort at Utah Wind Power's Champion Level. In addition to powering almost all of its lifts with green power, Sundance will be providing free public transportation to pass holders, offering a discount to carpooling guests, and using energy-efficient lighting throughout the resort.

keepwintercool.org

Atomic's Snowboard Slides in Another ISPO Award for Their Renu Initiative

Austrian ski/snowboard company Atomic picked up an ISPO Eco Responsibility Award for the way they designed and produced their Poacher Renu split snowboard, with its wood core, jute layering, and water-based top-coat lacquer.

The Jury found that "Atomic shows that modern, highly functional sports equipment can be manufactured sustainably without compromising on function or design. The well-thought-out overall concept from logistics to CSR is a role model not only for the sporting goods industry."

This is not Atomic's first foray in eco-design or manufacturing. Last year they won an inaugural ISPO Eco Responsibility Award for their Renu ski boot, which was formed with an 80% Pebax bio-plastic, derived from castor oil plants. This materials selection resulted in 50% fossil fuel use, 13% less in embodied carbon emissions in production, and a 58% reduction in what they termed eco-toxicity. The natural colored Renu also scored recognition as the world's first Planet Positive ski boot.

They even produce a modern ski stock which uses bamboo in the shaft, the Uni Carbon Bambus. (At one time nearly all ski sticks were made from bamboo, but if you remember correctly, it was a certain war in the one of the key source countries, Vietnam, that helped turn the industry towards aluminum.)

The Nomad ski with its recycled and renewable materials is another in the Atomic Renu collection.

The 2010 ISPO Eco Responsibility Award awards now also consider the complete production cycle of the product, not just their materials. It becomes apparent why Atomic scored well here because their Altenmarkt plant, for instance, uses of a wood chip heating system that cuts their annual fuel oil consumption by 950,000 liters and slashes carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by an estimated 4 million kilograms per year.

Atomicsnowboarding.com

TGR Offsets 2009’s RE:SESSION With Protect Our Winters

Jackson Hole based Teton Gravity Research provided funds to Protect Our Winters (POW) to offset 200 tons of CO2 accumulated during the production of this year’s award-winning film, “Re:Session.” Teton Gravity Research is setting the bar by being the first action sports production company to offset its total carbon emissions from a film production.

The film crew and athletes generated carbon emissions through time on airplanes, helicopters, snow machines and automobiles during the 09/10 filming season. The funds will be redirected towards permanently protecting forest in California’s Humboldt County and the credits are verified by the Climate Action Reserve Conservation-Based Forest Management Protocol 2.1.

“TGR uses offsets as just one part of our commitment to the environment and we continue to look at other areas to make our business more sustainable. We hope all the influential film companies in the industry will consider the environment when planning and making their films”, said Steve Jones, Founder, TGR

“POW is proud of our continuing partnership with TGR. They understand that offsets are just part of a responsible corporate environmental strategy and have recognized efficiencies throughout their company to address their overall carbon footprint”, said Chris Steinkamp, Executive Director of POW.

Hopefully other ski and snowboard films will offset their future productions.

tetongravity.com

protectourwinters.org

Send a Letter Now!

During our meetings on Capitol Hill over two months ago, the message was clear: the transition to a clean energy economy hinges on a number of undecided Senators, and the efforts of the winter sports community could make a difference in tipping the scales.

The numerous Senators and Congressmen we met with asked us to help them by rallying the snow sports community to urge those undecided Senators to support the legislation when it's brought to the Senate. It was clear how close this vote could be and that our actions could play a big role.

So immediately afterwards, we launched the "Sixty Days" campaign to give everyone the ability see where their Senator stands on climate change legislation and a direct line of communication to them.

Today, there are still undecided Senators from states such as Maine, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire and Minnesota, just to name a few. Ironically, these mountain states stand to lose the most if climate change continues unimpeded through the loss of millions of jobs and annual tourism revenue.

The big oil/gas lobby has millions of dollars to throw around Capitol Hill to influence our law makers, but we have something more powerful: our collective voice and a deep passion to protect the mountains and the communities we call home.

In the last fifty-eight days, thousands of letters have been sent, but this is our last push. Apparently, a bill will be presented to the Senate tomorrow so we literally have twenty-four hours to get our Senators focused on supporting clean energy.

If you haven't sent a letter yet, the time is now. This is our moment to be be heard, and an opportunity to influence policy to protect something close to us for today, and for generations behind us.

Please click here to see where your Senators stands on the issue and to easily send a letter: www.60DAYSTO.org

Thanks,
Protect Our Winters

Patagonia’s “The Footprint Chronicles”

Patagonia's “The Footprint Chronicles” is a website and short video series centered on the idea that Patagonia customers want to know the details of where their products come from. In other words, Patagonia is inviting the public to come with them as they assess and improve their own supply chain in China and all countries where they operate, demonstrating a level of transparency that few companies have ever approached. As such, it presents an opportunity not only to improve Patagonia’s own operations by opening them up to public scrutiny, but it can inform a more nuanced public discourse that will encourage greater transparency among other global corporations.

Patagonia’s initiative is particularly impressive because it endeavours to be transparent about both the social/labor and environmental impacts of the work the company does. While many companies are, of course, implementing transparency initiatives, Patagonia’s project is more or less unprecedented, because of the size of the company as well as the fact that it originated from customer demand. Customers of Patagonia, which produces high-end sports and outdoor apparel, were concerned about where their sweaters and wetsuits were coming from, and “what was being done in our name?” Patagonia’s approach is innovative and quite encouraging, and they have the ambitious goal of becoming the first notable company to be “regenerative”, to essentially give back more than it takes in terms of natural capital. Overconsumption is the problem, the people at Patagonia say, and by making their supply chain – their fabric materials, factories, transportation, and retail outlets – fully transparent, they are pioneering a new way of doing business. Let’s hope that more companies see the benefits of the “Footprint Chronicles” and follow suit.

The Footprint Chronicles Website

CLIF BAR Recognizes Seven Ski Resorts for Eco-Efforts with Annual Golden Eagle Awards

Seven ski resorts were recognized by Cliff Bar for their environmental efforts at the Annual Golden Eagle Awards, including six resorts from the U.S.

Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbi, received the award for Overall Environmental Excellence by a ski resort, making it their third win of the highest honor in environmentalism for the ski resort industry.

Established in 1993, the Golden Eagle Awards for Environmental Excellence recognize the environmental achievements of ski areas. The awards honor members of the NSAA, which represents the majority of ski area owners and operators in North America. Clif Bar & Company, which employs wind energy, biodiesel, waste reduction and other initiatives to reduce its own footprint on the planet, is the administrator of the awards program.


This year’s award winners were recognized for excellence in the following areas:
Golden Eagle, Overall Environmental Excellence: Whistler Blackcomb (British Columbia) Energy conservation, waste management and renewable energy are central to Whistler Blackcomb’s environmental stewardship program. After seven years of hard work, the Fitzsimmons Creek Renewable Energy Project was completed and is up and running. The hydroelectric facility, located entirely within the resort’s operating area, will generate enough hydroelectricity (33 gigawatts) to match the ski area’s entire annual energy consumption. Furthermore, the project requires no power lines, and much of the development exists on previously disturbed areas. Whistler Blackcomb also made significant progress last year as it strives for zero waste, reducing its total waste in 2009 over 2008 by 59 percent through increased composting, garbage reduction and greater use of recycled materials. 
Finalists: Stevens Pass (Washington), Stowe (Vermont)


Silver Eagle, Excellence in Water Conservation / Water Quality: Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (California) Mammoth Mountain Ski Area successfully completed a new reclaimed water system in partnership with the Mammoth Community Water District. It is the first large-scale reclaimed water program in the Eastern Sierra region of California. The recycled water supply will provide Mammoth’s Sierra Star golf course with 100 percent of its annual maximum water needs-320 acre/feet of water . That’s equivalent to the water needed to serve approximately 1,000 American households annually. 
Finalists: Homewood (California), Northstar-at-Tahoe (California)


Silver Eagle, Excellence in Energy Conservation/Clean Energy: Bolton Valley (Vermont) Vermont’s Bolton Valley became only the nation’s 2nd ski area, and Vermont’s first, to install its own wind turbine. The 121-foot-tall Northwind 100 Wind Turbine is now producing 300,000 kilowatt hours of power annually-about 1/8th of Bolton Valley’s total energy needs and an amount equivalent to the electricity consumed by 40 to 45 Vermont households. 
Finalists: Killington (Vermont), Whistler Blackcomb (BC, Canada)


Silver Eagle, Excellence in Fish and Wildlife Habitat Protection: Durango Mountain Resort (Colorado) Durango Mountain Resort’s comprehensive efforts in planning and implementing an expansion project not only increased the resort’s total skiable acreage by 10 percent to 1,325 acres, but also improved the forest health and wildlife habitat. Durango used only chain saws and hand tools to remove just standing dead timber, hazard trees and non-merchantable timber 6 inches or less in length. The resort used the most environmentally friendly clearing technique, known as “lop and scatter,” which left the cut trees on the forest floor and eliminated the need for heavy machinery. 
Finalists: Mammoth (California), Vail Resorts (Colorado)

Silver Eagle, Excellence in Environmental Education: Sierra-at-Tahoe® Resort (California) Sierra-at-Tahoe created a three-part educational campaign aimed at raising awareness among youth about the amount of trash people generate and educating youth about how to reduce waste. The message: “You can make a difference, every day, every time, by choosing to responsibly dispose of the waste you create.” Locally, Sierra reached out to almost 3,000 students through bottle top collection and on-mountain trash clean-up efforts. The resort also partnered with TransWorld Snowboarding to create a short video titled “Environmental Awakening” that aired nationally to millions of viewers on MTV2. 
Finalists: Telluride (Colorado), Whistler Blackcomb (BC, Canada)

Silver Eagle, Excellence in Stakeholder Relations: Vail Resorts (Colorado) The Hayman Restoration Project is a first-of-its kind collaboration between private business, government and non-profits on this scale. Vail resorts committed $750,000 and 1,500 volunteer hours over the next three years to restore Colorado’s essential watersheds that were affected by the worst fire in the state’s history -the 2002 Hayman Fire. The project will focus on more than 115,000 thousand acres, including four watersheds that feed the Upper Platte River, the main water supply for Denver. The restoration project in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation will protect water quality for millions of Colorado residents. 
Finalists: Whistler Blackcomb (BC, Canada), Winter Park (Colorado)

Silver Eagle, Excellence in Waste Reduction and Recycling: Steamboat (Colorado) Steamboat implemented a zero waste program for its on-mountain facilities in 2009. The program focuses on a pilot composting program for all organic material and paper products; recycling across all Food & Beverage outlets; and reusable products such as silverware and non-disposable dishes and plates. The first year of this program resulted in a 62 percent landfill diversion rate and 73 percent diversion rate from recycling. The resort’s goal is to increase its numbers by 5 percent each year until zero waste is achieved. Finalists: Crested Butte (Colorado), Grand Targhee (Wyoming)

http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/home/

Volcom’s Sustainability Czars On Going Green V.Co-Logical Style

It’s one thing to tag a product green and shout about as your driving your lifted truck. It’s quite another to create a department of sustainability headed by a composting, solar paneled, true convert. As part of their State of Sustainability series Transworld Business caught up with Volcom’s Director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Derek Sabori and Merchandise Manager - Men’s Non Cut and Sew - Jeff Baillargeon on carrying a green, non petroleum based torch for their company with the V.Co-Logical Society.

What have been the biggest environmental developments in action sports over the last two years?

Derek Sabori: Awareness, communication and commitment. As far as I’m concerned it takes an army and right now there’s a community of concerned, passionate and dedicated people in action sports that are fueling the fire. This is the fire that will lead to continued strides in environmental awareness, technical achievements, reductions in environmental impacts and the like. As this community continues to transparently communicate, network, and then commit to change, it will be harder and harder to maintain the status quo - and that’s a good thing.

Jeff Baillargeon: That environmental developments are a consideration in the product development process. Designers and developers have the choice to utilize eco based materials. The options are expanding every season as materials get better and costs come down. Product teams have become more savvy at designing into eco-based materials and figuring out ways to maintain margin goals. It is part of the product development cycle now.

Do you think environmental ethics in manufacturing and business processes has moved forward or regressed during the recession?

JB: It’s hard to make a generalized statement about this, but companies that have based their business models on a premise of environmental awareness are continuing forward, often times with successful results. It’s important to recognize the achievements. Everyone has had to make corrections to their business. If eco-based initiatives have taken a backseat over the past year, and as ability allows, let’s remember to renew the focus.

From a business stand point, what are the biggest reasons for the industry to push for more environmentally friendly products/processes?


JB : Stewardship. If the larger companies can renew and increase their commitment to eco based products every season, it continues to pave the way for smaller companies that are making focused commitments to this type of product. The larger companies have the volume and consumer reach to make this go. Right now, it does not seem so much about eco-based product being the cornerstone of financial growth for the larger companies, but rather more about being the right thing to do. If we are able to strategically change out conventional cotton for organic cotton, then that is a change we will gladly make.

What messages have been the most effective for you in marketing environmental products and initiatives?

JB : “You are Volcom, do your part”

How do you leverage your business partners and customers (factories/retailers/manufacturers/consumers) to support the same message you’re working on?

JB: It seems like more of an invitation to try a new way as opposed to leveraging. Business partners and customers are really looking for the benefit/return on spending their time and money. If we can create a compelling product story then there is a reason for more eco-based materials to be engineered, for consumers to purchase these products and for retailers to see sell-through. It’s an amazing opportunity if done well.

What do you think is the single most important environmental issue facing the industry?

DS: Complacency, without a doubt. There are so many issues that need to be addressed that I find it very difficult to pin it down to the single most important one. Each one of them is a component in the puzzle and if none of us take ownership of any of these problems, we’ll never see progress. Luckily that’s not happening – there are plenty of people taking action, but I think there are just as many that are not. To quote Robert Swan: “The greatest threat to our planet is thinking someone else will save it.”

Do you think we can really succeed in making truly sustainable products?

JB : When you think of all the “firsts” that have gone down in history, this one seems somewhat manageable. I’m voting yes.

Volcom

Story by Mike Lewis for Transworld Business