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Environmental

RESORTS, HERO OF SUSTAINABILITY

WIN GOLDEN EAGLE AWARDS

BY GERALDINE LINK, NSAA DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY

SKI MAGAZINE AND NSAA have honored three ski areas— BERKSHIRE EAST MOUNTAIN RESORT in Massachusetts won
Berkshire East Mountain Resort, Mass., Taos Ski Valley, the Golden Eagle Award in the small ski area category.
NM, and Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows, Calif.—with the Berkshire East produces more electricity than it uses on
2017 Golden Eagle Awards for Environmental Excellence. In an annual net basis. In 2012, the ski area was the first in
addition, SKI named Onno Wieringa of Alta Ski Area, Utah, the world to power 100 percent of its operation with a 900
as the “Hero of Sustainability” honoree for 2017. kWh wind turbine and a 500 kWh solar field. In the past
The announcement came during a special awards pre- year, it launched an energy efficiency program, includ-
sentation on May 5 during NSAA’s National Convention ing installation of 500 LED lights and snowmaking and
and Tradeshow in Scottsdale, Ariz. pumping upgrades, totaling $3 million in investment.
The Golden Eagle Awards, overseen in a partnership These renewable energy and energy efficiency measures
between SKI and NSAA, are the ski industry’s most presti- result in about 2.6 million pounds of CO reduced annu-
2
gious honor for recognizing resort environmental programs ally. In addition, the resort installed a wood burning
and projects. system that uses wood cut from the resort’s forest man-
“When SKI founded this program in 1993, our goal was agement and glading work, and a sawmill to produce fin-
to recognize resorts that were actively addressing environ- ished lumber from blow-down timber for construction or
mental issues, raising the bar, and encouraging other resorts replacement of buildings. The resort opened a Renewable
to follow suit by serving as models for similar projects across Energy Classroom in 2016 to host students, groups, and
the industry,” said Andy Hawk, managing director of Active organizations so they could learn about the basics of wind
Interest Media’s Mountain Group. “It’s amazing how far the energy generation, solar fields and energy efficiency mea-
ski industry has come in 24 years, particularly with today’s sures, storage, and the electric grid. For more information,
focus on addressing climate change.” visit www.berkshireeast.com.
The resort awards are divided into three categories:
small (fewer than 200,000 annual skier/boarder visits), TAOS SKI VALLEY in New Mexico took the top environmen-
medium (200,000 to 500,000 visits) and large (more tal honors in the medium-sized ski area category for its
than 500,000 visits). The Hero of Sustainability Award comprehensive and groundbreaking “Taos Verde” sustain-
is designed to honor an individual making a difference in ability program. This year Taos was the first ski resort in
resort environmental performance. the world to become a certified B Corporation. Certified
B Corps are required to meet the highest standards of ver-
ified economic, social, and environmental performance,
and public transparency. Taos earned this recognition
because the Taos Verde mission is not only to pursue envi-
ronmental business practices but also to promote a more
resilient and robust community. Taos has taken drastic
actions over the past two years to reduce its overall energy
consumption by 10.9 percent. The resort is a participant in
the NSAA Climate Challenge, and has committed to a 20
Jason Wise percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year
2020. Taos has discontinued the sale of disposable plas-
tic bottles at all facilities—offering reusable bottles as an
alternative—expecting to remove 10,000 plastic bottles
(From left) Dawn Boulware, Taos Ski Valley; Michael Gross, Squaw Valley;
John Schaefer, Berkshire East; and Otto Weiringa, Hero of Sustainability. from its waste stream annually. Additional watershed pro-
tection measures, waste reduction efforts, and engagement

66 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2017