What Park City Mountain Resort Is Doing

Park City Mountain Resort understands the importance of a sustainable environment and has become an environmental leader in the community. This was accomplished through the Resort’s initiatives to decrease its environmental impact and slow the process of global climate changes. These environmental initiatives are focused in several areas: climate and environment protection, renewable energy purchasing, energy reduction and outreach and education.

NEW - Park City Mountain Resort is offsetting 100% of power used from renewable energy sources starting in June of 2008 - read the press release here.

View our Park City Mountain Resort Green Initiative Summary (PDF), compiled by our "Green Team" of employee volunteers.

Climate Protection and Renewable Energy Purchasing:
The Resort has completed a thorough energy audit on its entire operation to determine where and how it can save energy. From this audit the Resort set the goal to save 3,000 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere for the 2006-07 season; in actuality the Resort reduced its CO2 output by 3739. This will keep 196 cars off the road or power 116 households for one year. The Resort will accomplish these savings in the following ways:

• Since 2004 the Resort has used renewable energy to power its chairlifts. For the 2006-2007 season the Resort will purchase 15 percent of its power from Renewable Choice Energy. This purchase of wind-generated power is enough to operate all four of the Resort’s six-passenger chairlifts. This commitment will keep 3.64 million pounds of Greenhouse Gas Emissions out of the atmosphere which is equal to not driving 4.04 million miles, planting 491 acres of trees or 218 households each year.
  
  
• We have decreased our snowmobile fleet by 30 percent. This action alone avoids the release of 31 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually which is equivalent to not driving 66,371 miles or the carbon sequestered by 721 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
  
  
• The Resort’s entire snowcat fleet is fueled by B20 biodiesel. This initiative avoided 264 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere during the 2006/2007 ski season which is equivalent to not driving 520,500 miles annually or the carbon sequestered by 6,141 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
  
  
• The Resort printed mountain guides on recycled paper and decreased the use of paper products in its lodges by using washable dishes.
  
  
• Beginning in the 2005-2006 season the Resort began purchasing more efficient snowmaking equipment. The Resort now has a total of 26 energy efficient fan guns. The Resort has also retrofitted all of the nozzles and chambers on its ground snowmaking guns and installed variable frequency drives at all snowmaking facilities. These three initiatives avoid the release of 1,904 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere which is equivalent to not driving 3.74 million miles or enough power to supply 229 households for a year.
  

• The Resort is investigating potential sites to place wind turbines and solar arrays for power generation.
  
  
• The Resort is also looking to retrofit the lighting used for night skiing on PayDay run with more energy efficient lighting.
  
  
• The Resort completed HVAC and lighting retrofits during the summer of 2007.  These projects have an estimated power savings of approximately 250,000 kWh.  This avoided the release of 253 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere which is equivalent to taking 42 cars off the road for one year.