What if you could visit a resort where...

the snowcats, the staff, the business, some of the energy you use, even the buildings...

are helping to protect the planet and save snow?

• Aspen/Snowmass is considered the ski industry’s leader in sustainable practices. In the summer of 2008, Aspen Skiing Company spent over $1 million on the ski industry’s and Western Colorado’s largest solar array which produces enough energy annually to power 20 average American homes and keep 400,000 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air each year.
• Several additional new projects include increased water storage on-mountain, which saves energy and water during snowmaking and energy monitoring systems, which are being installed in three ASC buildings with a goal to reduce energy use. Systems will be installed at company headquarters in the Aspen Airport Business Center, Bumps restaurant at the base of Buttermilk and the Two Creeks ticketing office in Snowmass.
• For seven years, we have used clean, renewable Biodiesel in our snowcats because archaic federal diesel standards meant nasty particulate emissions. Finally, diesel standards have caught up, and we'll begin to phase out use of the biofuel later in 2008.
• Almost half of Aspen/Snowmass employees contribute a dollar a week to the Environment Foundation. Their contributions are matched by the Aspen Community Foundation and again by the Aspen Skiing Company Family Fund, and donations--$1.1 million to date--go to local environmental causes like clean air and water, trail maintenance and energy efficiency.
  Aspen/Snowmass is third party ISO certified as a "green" company, the first of only two ski resorts in the country to achieve this recognition. ISO 14001 certification is the most widely known and respected environmental stamp of approval, which demonstrates responsible management of our environmental impacts.
• ASC made the first wind power purchase in the U.S. ski industry from Holy Cross Energy, (we still spend $25k annually on this direct wind power) then became the first large ski resort to buy renewable wind power credits from 2006 to 2008, and is now actively developing new renewable energy projects, like the 150kW CRMS solar array.
• Aspen/Snowmass has the only green building policy in the snowsports industry. It has resulted in projects like the Snowmass Golf Clubhouse, which is LEED Silver Level certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, is heated and cooled using the pond on the 18th hole, and is one of the most energy efficient commercial buildings in the state. Other green, highly energy efficient buildings include the Highlands Patrol Headquarters, the Sanctuary Condos, the Sundeck, and every new building in the pipeline...