The biggest change involves Taos Ski Valley’s electricity, one hundred percent of which will now come from renewable sources. In a partnership with their local co-op, Kit Carson Electric, Taos Ski Valley will purchase approximately 3,000,000 kilowatt hours of wind power and will no longer rely on traditional coal-produced electricity.
“Taos Ski Valley is the biggest energy consumer in this region, and we are proud to be showing our commitment to sound environmental practices by making this move,” said Adriana Blake, Taos Ski Valley Marketing Director. “Hopefully, this will encourage other large energy consumers and ski resorts in New Mexico to consider using renewable energy in their operations.”
Taos Ski Valley has long practiced environmental conservation in cooperation with the National Forest Service. Every summer, grass is planted and water bars are built to keep soil from eroding on cut runs. Also, as the area grows, more and more runs are being gladed instead of clear-cut. Other “greening” practices include older two-stroke snowmobiles being replaced by new, cleaner-burning four-stroke snowmobiles. The ski valley will also save more energy with more efficient snow-making compressors. Additionally, recycling (which is difficult in the remote ski valley location) and using either biodegradable or recycled products is a priority for every department at Taos Ski Valley.
For guests and visitors of Taos Ski Valley who are invested in their own green lifestyles, Taos Ski Valley is continuing the SkiGreen program for the third season. The program offers guests the opportunity to offset 150 miles of the carbon produced from their travel. Guests can add the SkiGreen tag to a lift ticket for just $2 or to a season pass for $20. SkiGreen is a partnership between the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and other leaders in the winter sports industry.
Employees at Taos Ski Valley are also contributing to keeping the valley green: instead of each employee driving an average of 15 miles one-way to reach the base of the ski area every day for work, they will now park their cars and carpool in a company vehicle. By doing so, employees will eliminate more than 150 miles of driving each week and thus reduce carbon emissions in the ski valley.
“Everyone at Taos Ski Valley is committed to preserving our natural environment and making Taos the ‘greenest’ ski area in New Mexico,” said Blake.
