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Environmental

RESORTS, HERO OF SUSTAINABILITY INDUSTRY’S

WIN GOLDEN EAGLE AWARDS BEST
2 0 17– 2 0 18

BY GERALDINE LINK, NSAA DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY

guests in canvas tents overlooking the Mokelumne River
Canyon on National Forest lands. Each tent was equipped
with an off-grid Nature Power 1800 watt solar and wind
energy-generating system to power CFL lamps or recharge
cell phones, and portable restrooms in the “glampground”
had a solar-powered low-wattage LED light for nighttime.
Guests received rechargeable fluorescent lanterns for walk-
ing around, and access to free shuttles to the Village and
nearby Alpine Lake along with solar-powered rechargeable
“ecobikes” to tour the area. For more information visit www.
bearvalley.com.
Also new this year, the Climate Change Impact Award
went to Crystal Mountain for its leadership on climate change
advocacy and action. Crystal’s Jim and Chris MacInnes have
Sha Miklas, Hero of Sustainability, with Andrea Young, former GM worked with their utility to have 56 percent of the resort’s power
at Bear Valley, winner of the Innovation in Sustainability Award.
sourced from clean energy sources; installed public EV charging
stations; constructed a LEED-certified spa building; and most
recently constructed a closed loop geothermal heating and cool-
SKI MAGAZINE AND NSAA have honored three ski areas— ing project as part of an $11 million expansion of the Inn at the
Bear Valley Mountain, Calif.; Crystal Mountain, Mich., and Mountain. Their leadership on climate advocacy and mitiga-
Boreal Mountain, Calif.—with 2018 Golden Eagle Awards. tion is exemplary in the tourism industry and beyond. For more
In addition, SKI named Sha Miklas of Arapahoe Basin Ski information, visit www.crystalmountain.com.
Area, Colo., as the “Hero of Sustainability” honoree for 2018. Boreal Mountain earned the 2018 Golden Eagle
The announcement came during a special awards presen- Award for Environmental Excellence for its Tahoe Solar
tation on May 5 during NSAA’s National Convention and initiative and outreach and long-standing climate solutions
Tradeshow in Marco Island, Fla. work. Boreal has always set the bar high on environmental
The Golden Eagle Awards, overseen in a partnership performance, reducing 790 tons of carbon annually since
between SKI and NSAA, are the ski industry’s most pres- 2008. A founding member of the NSAA Climate Challenge,
tigious honor for recognizing resort environmental initia- Boreal offsets 100 percent of its energy use with RECs, and
tives. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Golden most recently installed 715 solar panels on its Woodward
Eagle Awards, “a momentous occasion to be celebrated by all Tahoe facility. This 235-kilowatt system is the largest roof-
of the award recipients over the past two-and-a-half decades top array in the California ski industry and the equivalent of
and the entire ski industry,” said Andy Hawk, managing removing 52 cars from the road. As Boreal and Woodward
director of Active Interest Media’s Mountain Group. Added Tahoe are youth-centric brands, the resort’s outreach and
Kelly Pawlak, NSAA president/CEO, “NSAA thanks SKI branding of this “Tahoe Solar” project is helping influence
Magazine for its longstanding commitment to these awards younger generations on their role in sustainability. For more
and for shining a spotlight on exemplary resort sustainabil- information, visit www.rideboreal.com.
ity efforts.” Sha Miklas is this year’s Hero of Sustainability for
New this year, the Innovation in Sustainability Award bringing sustainability practices and environmental respon-
went to Bear Valley Mountain for its renewable energy- sibility to the forefront at Arapahoe Basin, Colo. Miklas
powered “eco-glamping” experience for guests. Bear Valley has created a culture of sustainability that permeates from
created a unique and educational glamping experience for upper management all the way down to first-year, line-level

44 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2018