In its recently released Environmental and Community Report, Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows expressed its agreement with “99 percent of the scientific community and publicly recognized that climate change is both human caused…and utterly irrefutable.” The resort has taken many steps to reduce its carbon footprint and continues to do so. Some of those changes include:
• Upgrade the boiler and circulation pump of the Olympic Village Lodge resulting in CO2 reductions of 39 tons per year.
• Replace old heating units with new boilers at The Village at Squaw Valley resulting in CO2 reductions of 1,058 tons per year.
• Install automated controls to reduce temperature fluctuations at High Camp in order to reduce electricity and propane use resulting in annual CO2 reductions of 447 tons.
• Replace over 1,500 T12 and incandescent bulbs with more efficient bulbs resulting in annual CO2 reductions of 111 tons.
• Replace 1,300 additional bulbs at The Village at Squaw Valley for annual CO2 reductions of 82 tons.
• In order to reduce vehicle emissions in the valley, Squaw Valley was the first resort to install electric charging stations.
• Since the amalgamation of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, the resort has run a free shuttle between the resorts.
Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows has plans to continue this gradual upgrade and modernization of its facilities to produce additional reductions in its carbon footprint. It also offers its assurance that all future development will be constructed in compliance with LEED standards. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design is a green building certification program. Building projects must satisfy certain requirements to attain different levels of certification.
For more information click on the following links:
• Environmental and Community Report – a good, quick read
• U S Green Building Council
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