Clif Bar Jeremy Jones Video

Check out this video from Clif Bar with Jeremy Jones on why he started POW and why it's important to take time and show up at our nation's capital.

Clif Bar Opens Sustainable Headquarters

Clif Bar & Company, the leading maker of all-natural and organic sports nutrition food and healthy snacks, unveiled today its new 115,000 square foot energy-efficient headquarters, located in Emeryville, California.

The latest in solar technology, a new on-site childcare center, repurposed materials — from shipping container wood to blue jeans — and a 40-foot bouldering wall are some of the features that support the company’s sustainability mission and unique company culture.

Located at 1451 66th Street, the newly designed space is housed in a former valve manufacturing plant with distinctive Bauhaus architectural details that hearken back to the city’s past.

“We recycled an old building into a new space that’s very open and communal as the next step on our journey toward sustainability,” said Kit Crawford, Clif Bar & Company’s co-CEO. “The space reflects who we are while limiting our footprint on the planet.”

“If you would have told me this was possible 20 years ago when I had the epiphany to create CLIF BAR during a 175 mile bike ride, I would have stopped in my tracks,” added Gary Erickson, founder and co-CEO of Clif Bar & Company. “This space is what Clif people have built – it’s more than a headquarters, it’s a home to their inspiration and passion to do business in a better way.”

Sustainability from Rooftop Solar to Recycled Denim

Clif Bar & Company is installing the largest “smart” solar array in North America on its headquarters roof and parking structure, which it anticipates will provide nearly 100 percent of the office electricity needs. “Smart” solar array represents an emerging trend in solar technology aimed at optimizing output and reducing costs by integrating monitors onto individual solar panels. Additional solar thermal panels on the headquarters roof provide 70 percent of the heat needed for hot water.

The solar power, in addition to energy conservation efforts in its R & D kitchen and energy-efficient office equipment, makes Clif Bar & Company’s new headquarters one of the first buildings in the state to comply with the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The company will be pursuing a LEED Platinum certification — the highest ‘green’ building rating available from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

To further soak up the California sun, the building’s “biophilic” interior design brings the outside world into the work space. Four atrium gardens integrated into the interior of the office space bring sunlight and rain to the plants and greenery in the gardens. The glass garden walls, plus extensive exterior and clerestory windows, flood the open floor plan with natural light.

Reused materials can be found throughout the new headquarters. Much of the wood was reclaimed from sources such as container crates, railroad ties and barns, while recycled denim was used to make 380 sound-absorbing panels. Repurposed bikes, kayaks, snowboards and surfboards serve as artwork suspended from the ceiling.

Clif Bar & Company’s new headquarters was built by San Francisco-based DPR Construction and designed by ZGF Architects, based in Portland, Ore. Earlier this year, Architect Magazine named ZGF Architects one of the nation’s top 10 green architect firms.

New and Expanded Work Perks

The building houses a new 6,700 square foot childcare center. The center consists of specially designed inside and outside areas for five distinct age groups, from infants to five year olds. A music room, fitness toys (“pint-sized” treadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary bike and bench press) and outdoor playground help to provide kids with a balance of structured- and free-time.

An expanded wellness center features a weight room with a 40-foot bouldering wall, a yoga room, dance studio, shower/locker facilities, access to five on-site fitness trainers and two massage rooms. On-site bike parking, two massage rooms and a hair salon are also back by popular demand.

The athletes and foodies who make the company’s sport nutrition food and healthy snacks are now sharing organic breakfast and lunch meals with their co-workers in Kali’s Kitchen. Named after founder Gary Erickson’s grandmother who inspired him to bake, Kali’s Kitchen is employee-operated and sources organic ingredients from regional farms.

Adding to the community feel of the space is a theater which houses an elevated stage, customizable lighting, professional sound board and seating for 350 people. It’s connected to a reception room and staging area by a wall that opens by rising into the building architecture.

Clif Bar’s snowboarders include Jeremy Jones, Forrest Shearer, Kimmy Fasani, and Brent Meyer.

www.clifbar.com

Story by esolarenergynews.com

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/

Clif Bar's Sustainable Initiative "Save Our Snow"

Clif Bar is deeply engaged in sustainability initiatives throughout their company while taking the lead in climate change solutions for the entire sports community.

As we all know, transportation is one of the biggest contributors to global warming - nearly 30%, according to the EPA. But did you know that by making small changes to how we get to and from the mountains can make a big difference?

Hop on over to the CLIF Bar's Save Our Snow website: clifbarsos.com Get all sorts of tips and tricks to cool your drive. Join an SOS carpool, hop on the SOS Greasebus or find a ski shuttle in your area - three ways to get you to the mountain while helping protect the planet. While you're at it, take a virtual road trip with the pros, like Jeremy Jones, as they show off the eco-friendly changes they make to their own winter adventures. It's all about putting you and your friends one step closer to protecting our winter playgrounds.

Watch the SOS video here.

And don't forget about the SOS iPhone app. It's free and can help you make an informed choice about where to ski or snowboard (and where to find the best pow). DOWNLOAD IT HERE.