Kirkwood Environmental Mission Statement
To provide exceptional recreational opportunities for guests, homeowners and employees taking the utmost care and commitment to environmental protection and stewardship. To work in conjunction with our utility providers, homeowner associations and government officials to conserve, recycle, reuse and utilize renewable resources in our daily operations. Plan responsible future growth within our community to guarantee protection of our natural resources for future generations.
We are pleased to participate in the following programs for 2011/12...
Kirkwood Mountain Resort & The National Forest Foundation
Over the past four years, Kirkwood Mountain Resort has partnered with the National Forest Foundation to work to improve wildlife habitat, treat invasive weeds, restore watersheds, and enhance recreation opportunities on the Eldorado National Forest. With $1 from each paid night going towards this cause, guests at Kirkwood have contributed over $30,000, which the National Forest Foundation has leveraged with over $15,000. Working together, these investments have gone a long way to improve the Eldorado National Forest. Find out more about this initiative here.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort & Ski Green
Kirkwood is one of 4 Tahoe ski resorts, and 21 North American ski resorts that participate in the Bonneville Environmental Foundation Ski Green program and has been the top contributor for the last 4 seasons. To participate ski resorts must support some type of renewable energy, give their guests opportunity to offset their carbon emissions, or both. At Kirkwood, when a guest purchases a lift ticket, they are given the opportunity to purchase a $2 mini green tag, passholders can opt to make a $10 donation. The money raised from these ‘SkiGreen’ tags goes toward purchasing energy credits that go directly into the energy grid. Basically, guest have the opportunity to offset the fossil fuels they burn getting to the mountain. Find out more about the Ski Green program here.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort and Zimiride
Kirkwood has partnered with Zimride to make sharing rides for drivers and passengers even easier. Carpooling is a great way to save gas money, meet new people and ensure that we keep having winters like this one. Drivers and passengers can set up a profile on our Zimiride page and start connecting with others in the area, plus Zimiride offers incentives such as free gas.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort and the Plates for Powder Program.
The Plates for Powder Program is an initiative by The Tahoe Fund. License plate sales and renewals provide substantial dedicated funding for projects that protect and enhance Tahoe’s extraordinary natural resources, a mission supported by all winter sports enthusiasts. Plate purchasers, in return for their support, can choose 2 complimentary lift tickets from their choice of participating resorts. Find out more about The Tahoe Fund and the Plates for Powder Program here.
Kirkwood's environmental initiatives receive praise on a national level.
Kirkwood has been the focus of numerous national media stories these last years discussing the resort’s impressive track record in regards to environmental initiatives, sustainability measures and ecological stewardship. Of specific interest has been Kirkwood’s plans to install twenty wind turbines capable of generating more than 20% of the energy needs of the entire Kirkwood Valley. This goal to become the leading sustainable energy producer in the ski industry has been the focus of articles recently published in Ski Area Management Magazine, Outside Magazine, Skiing, Transworld Business and numerous other media outlets. This project is one portion of the resort’s overall push to pursue renewable energy resources including its solar net-metering program, waste energy generation and adoption of biodiesel use in company vehicle fleets.
In addition to these on-site improvements, the resort’s employees, passholders and guests were responsible for purchasing the second most Renewable Energy Credits in North America as part of the Bonneville Energy Foundation’s Green Tags program for ski areas. Kirkwood will be encouraging season passholders to participate in the program through the new Ski Green program. Kirkwood has also been recognized for its successful launch last season of the industry’s first online carpool forum responsible for taking more than 1,000 cars off the road. The forum enables like-minded skiers and snowboarders to coordinate with others in their area in order to save gas, reduce traffic and receive incentives from Kirkwood and its sponsors. This online technology was upgraded this offseason to be even more user-friendly and has been shared with other resorts around Lake Tahoe and Southern California. These efforts are all part of Kirkwood’s larger focus on energy and water conservation that have resulted in measurable success. The resort’s energy conservation efforts have resulted in a reduction of over 35% while its water conservation efforts have resulted in a savings of over 2,000,000 gallons.
The resort has also continued to make significant strides in regards to ecological stewardship in the Kirkwood Valley through wetlands protection, erosion control and revegetation projects. The resort’s commitment to protect the valley water quality and aquatic resources has continued to grow through programs to control erosion and sedimentation. Water sampling for pH, turbidity and conductivity is done at five different locations along Kirkwood Creek to effectively monitor water quality. Streets are swept twice annually, storm drain systems are vacuumed out, detention basins are maintained, miles of fiber rolls have been installed and acres of land have been covered with erosion control blankets and revegetated with native plant species.
Letter from William J. Possiel, President, National Forest Foundation
Kirkwood Receives "A" Rating in SACC Yearly Review
December 23rd, 2011…..The Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition (SACC) released earlier this week the yearly Ski Area Environmental scorecard for 2011 placing Kirkwood Mountain Resort among the top of class with an overall “A” rating and a score of 80.1%. Read full press release»
