Vail Resorts today announced it had given $500,000 to help Denver host the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
The gift comes with the desire to promote Colorado while also promoting effective environmentally friendly ways to manage large events, Rob Katz, the company’s chief executive, said in a phone interview.
“It is the right way to showcase the state,” Katz said. “You have the opportunity to lead by example.”
In addition to the cash, the country’s largest ski resort operator also will contribute more than 15,000 lanyards with credential cases that are made completely from recycled materials.
In Colorado, Vail operates ski resorts in Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone. Last year the company invested in wind energy to offset 100 percent of its energy needs.
Using estimates based on Environmental Protection Agency data, Vail officials say the offset amounts to cutting 211 million pounds of the greenhouse-gas carbon dioxide from the air, the equivalent of removing 18,000 cars from roadways for a year.
Staff writer Chuck Plunkett can be reached at 303-954-1333 or cplunkett@denverpost.com.
