Contact: Troy Hawks
NSAA Communications
(720) 963-4215
thawks@nsaa.org

Revised Sustainable Slopes Environmental Charter Released
Environmental Training to be Offered to Ski Resorts During Annual Winter Shows

LAKEWOOD, Colo.–January 3, 2006–In an effort to renew the ski industry’s commitment to environmental stewardship a five-year revision to the Environmental Charter has been released by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). The Charter, part of the industry’s Sustainable Slopes program, is a comprehensive list of environmental principles created to provide ski resorts a framework for sustainable operations. This marks the five-year anniversary of Sustainable Slopes and the first revision to the Charter.

“The Environmental Charter is meant to provide overall guidance to all ski areas to achieve good environmental stewardship,” says Geraldine Link, NSAA director of public policy. “Principles found in the Charter are meant to go ‘beyond compliance’ whenever feasible, and our vision is to have all resorts endorse these principles and make a commitment to implementing them.”

The principles, which resorts follow voluntarily, address a range of topics pertinent to ski area operations, including planning and design, water use, energy conservation, fish and wildlife, riparian areas, transportation and forest management. The Charter revision ensures that these principles are current and reflect the latest technology and best management practices to foster continued improvement. It also acknowledges and incorporates emerging resources available from partnering organizations and specific new “options for getting there” so resorts can achieve each principle. The Charter also includes a Climate Change Policy adopted by the ski industry in 2002 in an attempt to raise awareness of the potential impacts of global warming. The policy encourages action in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To complement the update, ski area staff will have the opportunity to participate in an environmental training by Sustainable Slopes expert Judy Dorsey of the Brendle Group at the 2006 NSAA Eastern and Western Winter Conferences in Killington, Vt., and Squaw Valley, Calif. Participants will focus on taking ski area environmental programs to the next level, as well as creating methods of environmental reporting for individual resorts. NSAA is the facilitator for Sustainable Slopes and the Environmental Charter, which is currently endorsed by more than 175 U.S. ski areas, 14 partnering organizations and 54 participating organizations. For more information on Sustainable Slopes or NSAA’s Winter Conferences access www.nsaa.org.

 THE NATIONAL SKI AREAS ASSOCIATION, LOCATED IN LAKEWOOD, COLO., IS A TRADE ASSOCIATION FORMED IN 1962 FOR SKI AREA OWNERS AND OPERATORS NATIONWIDE.

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