Ski areas around the state of Vermont are currently taking action to combat their carbon footprint and those of their customers as well. Some ski areas have a stronger grasp on programming and efficiency than others, but as consumer knowledge rises about global climate change high demand for change and education is rising steadily everyday. To combat their energy use in simple ways, some ski areas are doing things such as changing light fixtures and installing low flow water systems. However, contributing editor of Ski Magazine and Backcountry Magazine, David Goodman says that this is simply not enough. “We have to go well beyond recycled toilet water and compact fluorescent light bulb,” he says, citing that the biggest issue for ski areas in the state of Vermont is the energy consumption that transportation to the areas produces4.
In addition, Goodman says that the main way ski areas can decrease their carbon footprints is to inform the public about their green initiatives. “I think that if the ski industry has been speaking out about global warming, it must be that they’re speaking in a whisper, because nobody’s ever heard them speak up,” Goodman says. “Skiers and the ski industry ought to be canaries in the coal min for global warming. The ski industry should be at the forefront of political organizing and rallying4.”
To combat your carbon footprint as a skier or boarder, Goodman suggests looking into backcountry skiing which is less harsh on the environment. “I think ultimately the best way that you can have the least carbon footprint and still enjoy skiing now and into the future, is get into backcountry skiing and snowboarding,” he says. “[In backcountry skiing and snowboarding] you don’t have to use a chairlift and you just