Ski areas' environmental scores get a lift
DENVER • A group that grades the environmental friendliness of ski areas in the West says 53 of the 83 resorts reviewed boosted their scores, but seven received failing grades.
The resorts with the highest and lowest scores were both in Colorado. Aspen Mountain got an A with a top score of 85.7, while Copper Mountain ranked lowest at 31.9 for an F, the Ski Areas Citizens' Coalition said.
Copper's score was almost entirely due to an expansion of terrain and real estate development, coalition research director Hunter Sykes said. Aspen was credited for trying to minimize impacts of development, Sykes said.
"The scorecard is weighted heavily against ski area and village development and doesn't credit resorts' sustainability initiatives or community involvement," Copper spokeswoman Lauren Pelletreau said.
She said Copper's "green" efforts include buying renewable energy credits, matching employee donations to an environmental fund, and installing a 4.2-kilowatt solar system on a transportation building.
The coalition said Sundance in Utah, Squaw Valley in California, Mount Bachelor in Oregon and Bogus Basin in Idaho were among a record 18 resorts who got As this year, up from 12 last year.
