[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1589-E1590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE ASPEN SKIING COMPANY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the 
important environmental achievements of the Aspen Skiing Company.
  As most people know, Aspen is one of the nation's premier ski 
resorts. It is nestled at the head of the Roaring Fork Valley in 
Colorado, and is surrounded by dramatic, rugged peaks which draw people 
from around the world to ski its slopes. The officials and employees of 
the Aspen Skiing Company know first-hand the value of the environment 
to their operations. If they do not preserve the beauty that surrounds 
this resort, then they know that they will lose skiers and ultimately 
profits. They know that a healthy, quality environment equals a 
healthy, profitable ski operation.
  As a result, the company has taken a number of steps and adopted a 
number of practices that, in the long run, will help preserve the 
environmental quality of the valley. Their environmental and energy 
efficiency initiatives have won them many awards over the years. But as 
a recognition of their belief that environmental actions are not just 
transient and short-term policies, the company was awarded the Golden 
Eagle Award for Overall Ski Area Operation at the National Ski Area 
Association's annual convention. This award, established in 1993 by 
Mountain Sports Media, recognizes the positive environmental efforts of 
ski areas across the county. A panel of judges evaluates ski areas for 
their environmental efforts and grants these awards to deserving areas 
that employ environmental practices at their areas.
  Aspen Skiing Company received this special award for its long-term 
environmental excellence and in setting high standards for other 
resorts to follow. It was also recognized for the fact that its 
environmental stewardship is evident in every facet of its operation--
its purchasing of wind power, recycling demolished building material, 
water saving, energy efficient lighting, environmental scholarship 
program and its design of ski runs to reduce erosion and limit tree 
cutting. It also has established partnerships with the Environmental 
Protection Agency and the state of Colorado on pollution prevention 
practices.
  All of these actions and more demonstrate that Aspen Skiing Company 
takes its environmental obligations seriously. Skiing is by its very 
nature an environmental sport. Skiers are exposed to the elements and 
the majesty of the mountainous environment. That experience is 
diminished when the resorts do not respect the landscape and take steps 
to preserve the very asset that draws people to the sport in the first 
place.
  I congratulate Aspen Skiing Company for its great work and the model 
it is providing to resorts across the country. As the following story 
indicates, other ski areas, such as Vail, are also incorporating 
environmental values and practices at their operations. Let's hope that 
Aspen's example can be replicated at all resorts in Colorado and 
throughout the nation.

                         [From the Vail Daily]

               Eco-challengers: Resort Companies Go Green

                            (By Maia Chavez)

       Has the time come for ski resorts to flex some real muscle 
     in the eco-arena? Resort company decision-makers are betting 
     a portion of their revenue that it has, and while that 
     portion may still be little more than a token, the very 
     existence of increasing structured environmental programs 
     within resort companies is telling.
       ``I've seen a few significant industry trends since I've 
     had an environmental position at the resort,'' said John 
     Gitchell, environmental manager for Vail Resorts. ``One major 
     trend that has impacted us is the investigation of impact at 
     ski resorts. When I started my job that trend was just 
     beginning. But the impact of ski resorts is highly visible, 
     and sooner or later, it was going to attract attention.''
       Gitchell also cited increasing strictness by regulators, 
     scrutinization of both of development and resort operations, 
     and ecoterrorism as having given a boost to the development 
     of environmental programs within resort companies.
       Recent episodes of eco-terrorism directed at ski resorts 
     might be a harsh--and extreme--indicator, but as a cultural 
     barometer they have served to force the issue onto the 
     media's consciousness. Once in the spotlight, resort 
     companies feel the pressure to take action, and to make their 
     presence known as activists for the cause of 
     environmentalism.
       As part of the Partnership for Environmental Education 
     Programs speaker series, Gitchell recently shared the podium 
     with Aspen Skiing Company director of environmental affairs 
     Auden Schendler for a presentation on the ``greening the 
     resort culture.'' As spearheads for environmental programs at 
     their respective resort companies, Gitchell and Schendler 
     represented an interesting counterpoint as they outlined 
     recent developments at each resort.


                             Big Mac world

       In a humorous attempt to highlight the problem with a ski 
     company trying to represent itself as an environmental 
     activist, Schendler compared Aspen Skiing Company to the 
     MacDonalds franchise.
       ``We're an investing company, too,'' he said. ``We're 
     trying to make money. The one difference from our perspective 
     is that Aspen is privately owned. We're not beholden to 
     shareholders. We can't actually be sued if we don't make 
     enough money, though our owners don't like it much.''
       As a private company, Aspen has, in the past three years, 
     developed one of the most extensive and award-winning 
     environmental programs in the ski industry. According to 
     Colorado Ski Country USA, Aspen is recognized as one of the 
     country's most environmentally responsible ski areas, 
     striving to ``redefine corporate environmentalism.''


                             Taking a stand

       Aspen Skiing Company was the first in the industry to 
     create an Environmental Affairs Department, and to make it an 
     integral part of their senior management.
       What does that mean in practical-speak?
       ``We have a set of guiding principles, and the main 
     principle is that we provide the opportunity for `the renewal 
     of the human spirit','' explained Schendler. ``That may sound

[[Page E1590]]

     cheesy, but the truth is that, as director of environmental 
     affairs it allows me to do whatever I think best in order to 
     uphold that principle. For instance, if I want to sell 
     consulting services and help other ski areas become more 
     environmentally responsible, I'm still conforming to our 
     `guiding principles'.''
       This year, the company produced its first published 
     ``sustainability report'', a detailed catalog of the 
     company's environmental programs and policies, statistics on 
     its natural resource consumption and pollution, resource 
     efficiency, hazardous waste management and compliance, 
     community and environmental education programs, habitat, 
     wildlife and open space protection.


                          Sustainable slopes?

       ``Ski companies don't have to be rape-and-pillage 
     organizations,'' said Schendler. ``We don't have to clearcut 
     slopes. We can have a more harmonious relationship with the 
     community and the environment.''
       To that end, Aspen has implemented such initiatives as s-
     curved, bio-diverse and un-bulldozed slopes to minimize 
     erosion and protect wildlife, wind-powered ski lifts, 
     employee and community initiatives and a pollution prevention 
     partnership with the EPA and the Colorado Department of 
     Public Health and Environment.
       Recent developments in Aspen Skiing Company's program have 
     included the deconstruction of the mountain's popular Sundeck 
     Restaurant and the Snowmass Lodge and Club, two buildings 
     which were scheduled to be razed and rebuilt. Materials from 
     both structures were harvested and recycled, with 
     unsalvageable materials composted. According to Schendler, 94 
     percent of the structures were diverted from the Pitkin 
     County landfill. That comes to 8,000 cubic yards of space, or 
     an addition of three months to the projected life of the 
     landfill.
       The Sundeck Restaurant was rebuilt to conform with 
     guidelines established by the U.S. Green Building Council's 
     Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. 
     LEED is the nation's first national certification process for 
     environmentally friendly building. The 3,700-square-foot deck 
     was built from recycled materials, ozone-depleting CFCs in 
     refrigeration systems, insulation and carpet pads were 
     eliminated, landscaping was designed with native vegetation 
     to reduce water use, low toxicity paints glues and sealants 
     were used, and the list goes on.


                          A drop in the bucket

       As Schendler pointed out, however, many of these 
     adjustments are a mere drop in the bucket when factored into 
     total resort operations.
       ``Thirty percent of the Sundeck Restaurant is wind-
     powered,'' he said. ``But you have to ask, what percentage of 
     our total energy purchase does that represent? The answer is 
     half of one percent, Barely anything.''
       Does it have a major influence on pollution? Not really, 
     said Schendler, who calculated the total impact as the 
     equivalent of not driving your car for 97,000 miles, or 
     planting 40 acres of trees. So, is this an example of 
     ``greenwashing''--a mere pretence on the part of a resort 
     company?
       ``We couldn't power the whole operation with wind,'' 
     explained Schendler, ``It's too expensive. We'd go bankrupt. 
     But what we can do is buy some wind power, make that 
     statement, popularize it among our employees and guests, and 
     encourage other ski areas to follow suit.''


                       Vail develops its policies

       Vail Resorts' environmental program began to take shape in 
     1998, although Gitchell stressed that the arduous process of 
     adopting a company policy is very much still in the formative 
     stages.
       Last season, Vail Resorts developed a computer-generated 
     assessment tool allowing the four resorts to measure their 
     environmental practices against an outline of pre-set 
     standards. The tool was subsequently adopted by the National 
     Ski Areas association who, after some modification, passed it 
     on to resorts throughout the country.
       The Skiing Company awarded Vail with the Silver Eagle award 
     for environmental achievement in ``visual impacts'' for the 
     Blue Sky Basin project, touted by Colorado Ski Country USA as 
     the most environmentally sensitive ski area expansion 
     undertaken in North America.
       Among recent environmental initiatives are the prototype 
     composting operation introduced last season at the Game Creek 
     Club on mountain restaurant, third-party audits by an 
     environmental consulting firm (initiated this summer), the 
     replacement of 25 fleet vehicles with ``townie'' bicycles, 
     and the purchase of 475 blocks of clean, wind-generated 
     electricity per month.
       ``To emphasize Mr. Schendler's point, our wind energy 
     purchases also come out to less than one percent of our total 
     energy purchase,'' said Gitchell. ``But the stage has to be 
     set for continuing policies.''
       Gitchell said that Vail Resorts' goals for the coming year 
     are to improve education and communication, improve 
     regulatory systems, reduce green house gas emissions, and 
     implement a sustainable building program. He said that likes 
     the idea of Aspen Skiing Company's community environmental 
     advisory committee, which integrates local environmental 
     activists into the resort's management process.
       ``The bottom line is that we don't know for sure that we 
     can achieve sustainability in this world,'' said Schendler. 
     ``By doing what we are doing, we are making the assumption 
     that we can. And it's a vital leap of faith.''

     

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