Resorts Nationwide Energize Green Power Program

November 15, 2006–Maine’s Sugarloaf/USA and Sunday River resorts recently reported they are jointly purchasing 30 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of their operations’ electricity usage. Currently 21 ski areas nationwide are offsetting 100 percent of their energy use by purchasing renewable energy.

In October, Alpine Meadows, Calif., Grand Targhee, Wyo., and Middlebury College Snow Bowl, Vt., joined the list. All tolled, these 21 resorts are purchasing 288,574,498 kWh of green energy and their purchases result in the avoidance of 350,383,234 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2). This is the equivalent of planting nearly 14 million trees or avoiding more than 138,000 round-trip flights between New York and San Francisco.

Also in Utah, Alta recently joined Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program to purchase 900,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of clean, renewable wind power for one year. The environmental impact is equivalent to avoiding 900 tons of CO2 emissions per year. In all, 34 percent of Alta's power consumption is offset by renewable wind power.

All tolled, 49 resorts in 14 states are buying renewable energy for their operations. In addition, the National Ski Areas Association (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, as is NSAA supplier members BEWI Productions Inc., Waltham, Mass., and Ski Area Management, Woodbury, Ct.

NSAA launched its Green Power Program in September as part of the industry’s Keep Winter Cool program (www.keepwintercool.org) to combat global warming. For more information visit The Green Room in the Environment section of nsaa.org.

Source: http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/home/
Contact: Troy Hawks
NSAA Communications
(720) 963-4215
thawks@nsaa.org
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/11/08/ski.power.ap/index.html

LINK :
National Ski Areas Association