Ski resorts impact the environment in a number of different ways. The Sustainable Slopes charter provides ski resorts guidelines for balancing guests’ needs with the goal of being responsible environmental stewards.
Ski resorts and global climate change
The biggest environmental issue facing our world today is global climate change. Carbon dioxide emissions trapped in the atmosphere create a warming effect, causing global temperatures to rise and destroying many animal species and their habitats. The biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere comes from coal-fired power plants generating electricity.
Ski resorts use a lot of energy in their daily operations, from powering lifts to lighting lodges and much more. Sustainable Slopes helps resorts reduce their carbon footprint by targeting ways to improve their energy efficiency as well as encouraging the purchase of electricity from renewable resources such as wind power.
Development and open space
Many resort towns suffer from runaway sprawl as a result of a lack of cohesive planning in development. Hundreds of condominiums are often built without regard to the benefits of preserving open space.
The Sustainable Slopes program encourages smart planning to cluster development, preserving open space and fostering pedestrian-friendly communities. Setting aside open space has a variety of benefits, from being more visually pleasing to keeping animal habitats intact.
Forest and wildlife management
Unchecked development can have a detrimental impact on forests and wildlife populations. Sustainable Slopes outlines techniques to lessen that impact to maintain the health of local ecosystems.
Glading of ski areas should be approached from a sustainable forestry perspective, emphasizing the removal of diseased and dead trees before healthy ones. Also, interconnected tracts of ungladed terrain should be maintained to prevent the fragmentation of animal habitats.
Waste
The sheer number of annual visitors to ski resorts creates a large problem in terms of waste. Adopting a comprehensive recycling plan can help minimize the amount of waste at a resort, conserving resources and energy.
There are a number of measures employees and guests can take to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Deconstruction of old buildings can provide building materials for future construction projects. Resorts can encourage guests to reuse trail maps as well as make recycling widely available on the property.
Water use
Ski resorts use a lot of man-made snow to build the resort’s base and fill in areas of thin cover. Making this snow requires using large amounts of water which, if not taken responsibly, can have a negative impact on the environment.
Ponds and reservoirs created specifically for use in snowmaking should provide water for man-made snow. This reduces the need to take water from streams, maintaining the flow for downstream areas and protecting fish and wildlife populations as well.
The daily operation of a ski resort requires using an enormous amount of resources. Utilizing the principles of smart growth, energy efficiency, and wildlife protection helps minimize the negative impact ski resorts have on the environment.
For more information on the Sustainable Slopes charter, visit www.nsaa.org.
