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Snowboarding is, I’m sorry to say, a sport with a very high impact on the environment.  From the manufacturing of the snowboards themselves, using chemicals and epoxies and outputting non-recyclable boards, to the shipping of foreign-made clothing and gloves from overseas to our local shops, to the resorts themselves, where trees have to be cut down and huge amounts of energy each day are used to power the lifts and buildings high up on the mountain - tons of carbon is released.  And let’s not forget about us driving for hours to get there!

Many (most?) resorts recognize this and whether it is out of true concern for their impact to the effects of global warming, or simply them hopping on the “green marketing” bandwagon, have put more eco-friendly initiatives in place.  Some are no-brainers, such as putting bottle and can recycling bins next to trash cans,  and others are major undertakings, such as retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency.

Here’s what some of my favorite mountains are doing environmentally (well, at least what their websites say they’re doing…)

Committed to reduce 5% of its water consumption and10% greenhouse gas emissions by 2015

Established Environmental Programs department in 2000 to push sustainability programs; won awards for environmental achievement

Purchases wind credits to offset carbon use - making it “100% wind powered”

Almost all resorts have an “environment” link right from their home page.  Truth be told, many resorts, including those noted above, claim environmentalism but simply buy credits to offset their own carbon use. I really don’t know how much of an environmental impact wind and carbon credits have.  I still think they’re kind of a scam - true sustainability begins with changing your own behaviors, not just”de-guilting” yourself by buying credits.  This goes for the resorts too. Companies shouldn’t be calling themselves GREEN just because they buy thousands of carbon credits - when at the same time they are still using tons of gas, diesel, and electricity without a change to the infrastructure to be more efficient.

Shayboarder has an interesting commentary on this very topic (and I quote in part, “just cause I buy an eco friendly board … isn’t gonna change that you drive 2 hours to the mountain by yourself…”)

LibTech Snowboards is one board manufacturer that does put the environment first in its factories.

TaraMetBlog.com has 20 green tips you can use for yourself in everyday life.

So what are you or your favorite mountain doing to be a little “greener?”