4. Sugar Bowl, Colfax Summit, CA
Right off I-80 near Donner Lake is Sugar Bowl the 4th greenest resort in the US with a grade of 90%. The resort is powered by 100% green energy and offers visitors the chance to offset their carbon emissions. They are also dedicated to green building with the help of energy efficiency and community education.
5. Deer Valley Resort, Park City, UT
Rated as the #1 Resort in the US by Ski Magazine, Deer Valley Resort in Park City is the #5 resort in terms of sustainability with a score of 89.6%. As stewards of the land, the resort has an overall sustainability plan that they work from. They’re still a bit behind when it comes to addressing climate change, the resort is on their way.
6. Aspen Highlands Ski Resort, Aspen, CO
Aspen Highlands, which is part of Aspen/Snowmass in Colorado has the 6th best score with 88.3% (Aspen Mountain Ski Resort is #7). Aspen Skiing Company has a number of LEEd certified buildings and has their own environmental foundation. The environmental protection program is stellar and hopefully they’ll be ramping up their climate change programs soon.
If your favorite resort isn’t in the top 6, check out Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition and find out how they score. Also check out the Sustainable Slopes Initiative, guidelines for the ski resort industry led by the National Ski Areas Association.
Images courtesy of each resort
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