Primary Environmental
Concerns
|
The pollutants of
concern are essentially all of the pollutants identified throughout this
topic hub, as well as pollutants from the manufacture, transport, and
disposal of all products
Ski areas purchase numerous products from a variety of commercial and
industrial sources. Virtually all items purchased have environmental aspects
that contribute to a ski area's environmental impact or "footprint."
Ski area purchasing operations focus primarily on purchasing and distributing
items for ski areas and developing purchasing arrangements with vendors.
The term purchasing applies to all types of purchases from cleaning supplies
to uniforms to energy from power companies. Therefore, environmental purchasing
policies and guidelines present an opportunity for ski areas to make significant
environmental performance improvements.
Vehicle
and Equipment Maintenance |
Primary Environmental
Concerns
- Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) - parts cleaning mineral spirits and some chemicals
used in the shop
- Hazardous waste
generation - parts cleaning mineral spirits, non-empty aerosol cans,
oil filters, paint waste, and miscellaneous sludges
- Toxic and hazardous
chemical use - brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, engine degreasers,
and lubricants
- Solid waste generation
- aerosol cans, paper rags, and miscellaneous items
- Spills - hydraulic
line breaks in shop and on mountain, chemicals, and fuels
- Use of non-renewable
resources - oil, gasoline, and diesel
- Air emissions
- snowcats, groomers, snowmobiles, trucks, off-road vehicles, and other
small engine equipment
Ski area vehicle maintenance shops maintain vehicles and equipment including
snowcats, groomers, snowmobiles, pick up trucks, off-road vehicles, and
other small equipment. Ski area vehicle maintenance shops generate a variety
of solid wastes, hazardous wastes, and air emissions and have many opportunities
to reduce these environmental hazards. For example, a typical vehicle
maintenance shop that implements the environmental strategies discussed
in the "Greening Your Ski Area" handbook can generate little
or no hazardous waste. Environmental issues associated with vehicle maintenance
shops arise from:
- Parts cleaning
- Chemical use (brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, engine degreasers,
and lubricants
- Chemical application
- Shop heating
|
- Gasoline and oil use
- Oil bottle and filter waste generation
- Snowmobile use
- On-mountain hydraulic line break
|
Primary Environmental
Concerns
- Energy use - electric
and diesel
- Solid waste generation
- sheave liners and aerosol cans
- Hazardous waste
generation - spent solvents from parts clenaers, oil-based paint, and
paint thinner
- Natural resource
consumption - diesel and oil
Operating lifts involves
lift maintenance, monitoring peak demand with local utilities, changing
energy source (from electric to diesel) depending on electricity demand,
heating and lighting lift houses, painting lift towers, and occasionally,
purchasing new lifts.
Food
and Beverage Service |
Primary Environmental
Concerns
- Known and suspected human carcinogens - in polystyrene foam, some
cleaning, landscaping, and pest management products
- Not recycling or using recycled content products - polystyrene foam,
paper, metal, glass, plastic, and printer cartridges
- Plastic product use and disposal - cups, utensils, garbage bags, and
straws
- Chlorine-bleached paper products
- Harmful chemicals - cleaners, landscaping, and pest management chemicals
- Inefficient energy and water use
- Use of electricity from non-renewable energy sources
Restaurants at ski areas range from coffee shops and bars to cafeterias
to full service restaurants. Some restaurant operations include cooking,
cleaning, serving, general management, purchasing, solid and hazardous
waste generation and disposal, and regulatory compliance.
Buildings
(including lodging) |
Primary Environmental
Concerns
- Energy use - lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
- Toxic and hazardous chemicals use - cleaning products, and paint
- VOCs use - paint, paint cleaning chemicals, carpet adhesives, and
carpet backing
- Hazardous waste use - paint cleaning chemicals
- Solid waste use - paper, glass, plastic, metal, newspaper, cardboard,
and carpet
- Obsolete electronic equipment disposal
- Water use
- Waste water
- Known and suspected human carcinogens use - cleaning, landscaping,
and pest management products
- Harmful chemicals use - cleaners, landscaping, pest management chemicals,
and pool and hot tub disinfection
- Chlorine - bleached paper products
- Use of electricity from non-renewable energy sources
Ski area buildings such as lodges, rental shops, administrative buildings,
restaurants, ticket sales, and retail shops consume significant energy
for illumination, heating, and ventilation. Although energy consumption
in ski area buildings may vary according to function, the same general
operations are the same in most buildings. Other than energy use, building
maintenance operations generally include cleaning, painting, removing
and installing carpet, and waste disposal.
Operations at lodging facilities are similar to general building operations.
They include:
- Room and common area cleaning
- Laundry operations
- Pools and hot tubs heating and maintenance
|
- Office operations
- Landscaping
- Restaurant operation (see Restaurant section)
|
Primary Environmental
Concerns
- Energy use (pumps, fans, water coolers and air compressors)
- Water use
Many ski areas make snow to create and maintain quality skiing conditions
on slopes during times of inadequate snowfall. Making snow involves selecting
the appropriate snowmaking equipment, understanding meteorological concepts,
knowing where snow needs to be made, maintaining appropriate line pressure
and outlet pressure, modifying snowmaking set up as meteorological conditions
shift, and identifying and fixing line air and water leaks.
Primary Environmental
Concerns
- Water use
- Pesticide use and application
- Water quality
- Erosion control
- Vegetation selection
- Soil compaction
Ski areas maintain on-mountain grounds and landscaping around lodges
and common areas. Many ski areas also have golf courses that operate in
the summer months and require grounds maintenance. Operations include
landscaping design, plant selection, planting, and maintenance (watering,
pest control, erosion control etc..)
Sustainable
Design and Construction |
Primary Environmental
Concerns
- Planning sustainable site
- Maximizing energy efficiency
- Minimizing material and resource consumption
- Enhancing indoor environmental quality
- Safeguarding and conserving water
Sustainable refers to meeting needs of the present without jeopardizing
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable
design is the systematic consideration of project's life-cycle impact
on environmental and energy resources. The basic theory of sustainable
design is relatively simple. Implementation, however, is complex. Ten
key elements of a sustainable building are:
- Sustainable Site Planning and Landscape Design
- Use of Renewable Energy Resources
- High-Quality and Energy Efficient Lighting
- Energy Efficient Building Shell
- Energy Efficient HVAC System
|
- Environmentally Preferable Building Materials
- Water Conservation
- Recycling and Waste Management
- Construction Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Commissioning
|
Incorporating these elements into the design and building of construction
projects can significantly reduce building, maintenance, and operating
costs during the life of the building. Building
Life Cycle Cost Software provides an economic analysis of proposed
capital investments that are expected to reduce long-term operating costs
of buildings or building systems compared to conventional projects.
|