Resource Conservation

Natural resource conservation comes pretty naturally to nearly every aspect of Vail Resorts.  Beginning with our snowmaking operations on the mountain and continuing through our facilities and guest rooms, we continuously look for ways to conserve energy, reduce waste and make more efficient the way we use fuel, water, and other resources.

Also central to our natural resource conservation efforts are recycling and reuse.  Most Vail Resorts facilities incorporate recycling into their daily operations by way of programs created by employees who work there.  This kind of ‘grassroots’ development and implementation of conservation programs is one of the keys to making them successful.

Conservation practices currently in use include:

• Recycling over 6,000 tons of material company-wide, the weight equivalent of 1,200 adult hippos.
• Efficiency upgrades to snow making equipment that use water efficiently and qualify for energy incentive rebates.
• Replacing faucet aerators and installing low-flow plumbing fixtures and toilets.
• Installing waterless urinals at skier services buildings at Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail, saving an estimated 15,000 gallons of water per year.
• Composting food waste at Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail with plans to expand into other mountain operations in the near future.  Keystone resort alone composted 93.93 tons of food waste in 2010.

Mom use to say “waste not, want not.”  We think mom was pretty smart and we strive to heed her advice when it comes to conserving natural resources.