A group of nonprofit environmental groups once again criticized the environmental performance of Colorado’s ski industry in its eighth annual review.
Ten Colorado ski resorts – including Aspen, Vail, Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Wolf Creek Ski Area – have garnered lots of praise in recent months for purchasing enough wind-energy credits to offset 100 percent of their electricity use.
While the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition applauded those efforts, it warned that many of those same resorts are top offenders when it comes to environmentally damaging development.
“Certainly they are doing something positive for the environment, but at the same time, a lot of them have real ly aggressive development proposals on the table,” said Ben Doon, research director for the group. “Just because they’re purchasing wind power doesn’t necessarily make them an environmentally friendly resort.”
The Ski Area Environmental Scorecard grades resorts on environmental practices in nine areas, including preserving land from development, protecting water quality and minimizing traffic and energy use.
Of the 20 Colorado ski areas analyzed by the group, only four received A’s – Aspen, Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Wolf Creek.
The four Colorado ski areas that received F’s – Winter Park Resort, Crested Butte, Copper Mountain Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort – are either in the midst of constructing major new base villages or have expansion plans.
Many in the ski industry disregard the scorecard.
“Anybody that is expanding their terrain or upgrading their lifts is automatically given a bad grade,” said Crested Butte spokeswoman April Prout. “We take the environment seriously. We’re trying to do the right thing.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-954-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
