Resource

Ski Area Environmental Scorecard 2008/2009 (USA)

The Ski Area Environmental Scorecard is the only non-industry, independent mechanism that gives skiers and boarders a way to assess the environmental performance of their favorite resorts. By choosing environmentally friendly ski areas, you can encourage all resorts to improve their policies. “Compare Ski Areas by Ownership” feature, allowing skiers to research the overall environmental performance of the industry’s biggest players. The 2008/2009 Scorecard includes the latest information on resorts that are:
* Impacting Roadless Areas
* Logging Old Growth Forests
* Purchasing clean, renewable wind energy
* Using cleaner burning, biodegradable biodiesel.
* Performing energy efficiency upgrades
* and much more

The Ski Area Environmental Scorecard strives to differentiate between ski areas that are engaging in environmentally sound practices on the ground versus those that merely claim to do so. While there will always be environmental impacts from creating and operating a ski resort, the intent of the Scorecard is to rate resorts on the environmental performance of their current management, not on the impacts from the time of the creation of the resort. Criteria are clearly defined so that ski resorts can choose to improve their environmental performance, and thus their grade. The ski industry obviously needs to be a good land steward; the Scorecard will hold them accountable to preserve the mountain environments that draw skiers in the first place. Ski areas concentrate recreational use, permitting tremendous numbers of people to enjoy and learn about delicate mountain environments in a safe manner. When undertaken in an environmentally sensitive manner, ski resorts can minimize their impacts on the land and provide memorable experiences for all their guests.