Skiing the deep at Aspen?

“Alpine skiing” and “living green” do not seem compatible. Flat land skiers jet across the country, rent SUVs, and drive a few more hours to mountain homes or condominiums. While they sleep, snow guns blast a fresh layer of snow and legions of snow cats prepare thousands of acres of groom slopes. That’s a lot of greenhouse gas just to escape New Jersey for a week.

So how can an individual skier reduce the carbon emissions of this sport? (more…)

Tags: behavior change, Ecotravel, Green Ski Transportation, hotels, How to Ski Green, resources, ski green, skiing, Travel

Never traveled by train in the United States? It’s a great break from overstuffed planes and airport waiting lines. RMA Travel and Tours offers Amtrak train packages to ski resorts in Colorado and Montana. Serving Colorado resorts including Winter Park, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, as well as Whitefish Resort in Montana.

Just Another Amtrak Line to Whitefish

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Tags: Colorado, Green Ski Transportation, Montana, resources, ski green, Ski Resorts, Ski Vacation

Keystone Resort announced last Wednesday a new carpool incentive program that encourages skiers and riders to drive together to the popular Colorado ski resort. Skiers and riders who arrive at Keystone Resort with four or more people in a car will be able to park in a premier parking section in Keystone’s Montezuma Parking Lot which is a short walk to the new River Run Gondola.

“As one of the closest major resorts to the Front Range, Keystone chose to develop a program that encourages carpooling among our guests to our Resort. This program will help alleviate congestion on I-70 and also help protect the environment,” said Pat Campbell, Chief Operating Office of Keystone Resort.

Demonstrating that sustainable alternatives can be more convenient than current solutions, the premier parking is available on a first-come, first served basis and will be open for guests everyday throughout the ski season. Keystone parking attendants will direct any car that meets these requirements to the close-in section. The carpool parking will be open during peak hours of the morning until 11 a.m. or the lot is full each day.

Tags: Green Ski Transportation, How to Ski Green, ski green, Ski Industry

Green Watch was a twitter project done by the La Marguerite, a blog focused on “behavioral solutions to global warming” as well as marketing its own consulting services. They make a couple of interesting points that seem relevant to skiing green:

1. We are addicted to convenience, even more than to things. Rather than fighting that addiction, we should focus on sustainable alternatives that are more convenient that current solutions.

Last year at Breckenridge, Colorado I used the Summit Stage bus system to get to the lift. If you’ve ever tried parking at Breck on a powder day at 8:30 am, you know that the bus is much faster and easier: hop on the bus, smile and nod at the other folks NOT scraping their windshields, and hop off at the lift. Better yet, the parking costs money but riding the bus is free. Green alternatives need to be both cleaner and more convenient than the technologies they replace. By the way, if you don’t want to pay for a condo in Breckenridge, check out CouchSurfing.com for a free place to stay (and it will probably be on the bus system too).

2. The switch from car to alternative low-energy modes of transportation requires that people experience first hand the superior benefits of those alternatives.

Over the last year I’ve tried to ride my bike for any trip less than five miles from my house. Once I got into the habit, I realized that biking took no more time than driving, avoided parking problems, got me talking with my neighbors more and cost me nothing. Best of all, the extra exercise will help me live longer. Benefits of bicycling—a small step in living green—need to be more than “understood,” they need to be experienced before they are real.

Tags: behavior change, How to Ski Green, resources, Ski Industry

Driving a SUV up a mountainside has a high cost in both gas money and carbon emissions. Here are some ski green transportation ideas for folks in New England, Colorado and Utah that help you save money and reduce your environmental impact. Better yet, you can relax, look out the window and enjoy the journey.

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Tags: Green Ski Transportation, How to Ski Green, skiing climate change

Grand Targhee Resort is the first in the US ski industry to voluntarily commit to measure, independently verify and publicly report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on an annual basis utilizing the Climate Registry General Reporting Protocol. The protocol is based on the internationally recognized GHG measurement standards of the World Resources Institute and World Business Council on Sustainability.

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Tags: How to Ski Green, Ski Resorts, skiing climate change

Consumers want to act green, but they expect businesses to lead the way. According a Stanford University  global survey, 61 percent of consumers say that corporations should take the lead in tackling the issue of climate change. To do this, businesses need to develop more and better Earth-friendly products. (more…)

Tags: Ski Industry

Make new friends and ski new lines

CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. Better yet, your consciousness can be raised in places like Jackson Hole, La Grave or Revelstoke.

Tags: budget skiing, Environmentally Friendly Hotels, save the ski bum

Seatguru.com has information on the most eco-friendly airlines and aircraft. The winners? Continental Airlines, EasyJet and Lufthansa. The least fuel efficient airplane was Boeing’s twin-engine MD-82. Top honors went to the Airbus A319, Boeing 787 as well as slower but much more fuel efficient turboprop planes.

Tags: Airlines, Ecotravel, How to Ski Green, skiing climate change, Travel

At Independentraveler.com’s green travel page you can find a number of Web sites that list environmentally friendly hotels, B&B’s and lodges around the world, including North American and European ski resorts.  Keep in mind that each site has its own guidelines for rating properties, so you’ll want to do your homework to make sure that the hotel meets the standards you’re looking for. And don’t forget to check out their 10 favorite ecolodges and green hotels.

Eco-Friendly Lodging
BedandBreakfast.com: Eco-friendly B&B’s
Best Green Hotels: Hotels worldwide, rated for eco-friendliness
BnBFinder.com: Eco-friendly B&B’s
EcoBusinessLinks: Wide variety of eco-friendly lodging worldwide
ECOCLUB: Ecolodges across the world
Green Globe: Worldwide hotels that meet benchmark or certification standards

Green Hotels Association: Eco-friendly hotels in the U.S. and worldwide
Green Lodge: Eco-friendly hotels in the U.S.
Greenstop.Net: Eco-friendly hotels and tour operators across the world
Green Travel Hub: Green hotels around the world
Green Vacation Hub: Green hotels and vacation rentals around the world
IndependentTraveler.com: 10 favorite ecolodges and green hotels
Responsibletravel.com: Green lodging worldwide
Ski Club of Great Britain: Green Resort Guide to green hotels in Europe

Tags: Environmentally Friendly Hotels, hotels, ski green, skiing, skiing climate change