Whistler

Whistler: green factor

• Introduction to green factor assessments
• Environmental overview of resorts
• Environmental initiatives

Major Initiatives

More Energy Efficient Buildings

Whistler Blackcomb has also carried out retrofits that reduce their annual electricity consumption by 4,575,000 kWh or enough power to run 450 Canadian homes for a year. This involved changing 11,000 light bulbs to more efficient and environmentally-friendly models.

Energy conservation initiatives completed result in annual savings of over 3,000,000 kilowatt-hours of energy or 11% of the overall consumption for the resort’s two mountains.

Renewable Power Generator

At Whistler-Blackcomb the resort has Installed a 1.0 megawatt run-of-river turbine in Flute Creek to power the lights and heat in the lift hut and washrooms at the bottom of the Symphony Express Chairlift.

Cutting Carbon Emmissions Through Travel

At Whistler-Blackcomb, many staff members live in the adjacent communities of Pemberton and Squamish and commute to Whistler to work. Several years ago, a group of Maintenance staff convinced their manager to let them use one of the fleet vehicles to carpool together from Squamish. They all chipped in for gas and used the vehicle outside of operational hours. In the past five years, this program has been formalized and expanded to include six vehicles and 53 riders from both Pemberton and Squamish. Commuters use fleet vehicles to travel the highway and pay for fuel and extra maintenance while Whistler Blackcomb covers the cost of the leases and insurance. This makes for a safe, economical and fun way to get to work. The program saves more than 617,000 kilograms of emissions annually.

In addition Whistler has reduced its fleet and vehicle size for higher efficiency as well as purchased 39 low-emission snowmobiles representing half of their fleet and continue to purchase low-emission replacement models. The resort has also piloted the use of GM hybrid technology pick up trucks.

Waste Reduction and Recycling

At the Roundhouse Lodge is a 50,000 square foot restaurant at the top of Whistler Mountain, the resort has been collecting organics from the kitchens for three years and composted 100 tonnes of organics in 2006. They have now expanded their composting program to include the collection of paper towels in all of our on-mountain restrooms.

In addition Whistler Blackcomb is worked to purchase less packaging and materials, reusing as much as possible and recycling and composting. They have switched to 30% post-consumer recycled content office paper and recycle more than 25 types of materials from beverage containers to light bulbs to ski poles.
In total Whistler Blackcomb reduced the waste they sent to the landfill by 59% between 2001 and 2005 (that percentage has grown further and passed the 60% mark since) and now recycle more than 80,000 beverage containers per year. They hold an annual Mountain Clean Up day where staff members get outside and pick up litter and staff are trained in reducing, reusing and recycling waste.

The resort recycles more than three million beverage containers per year.

A simple but innovative idea at Whistler Blackcomb is the ‘Mountain Materials Exchange’ where resort staff can send items they no longer use to the Exchange, like ski equipment, desks and office equipment, dishes, furniture and clothing, where they can be picked up by other staff members. Clothing, equipment, and office supplies are also donated to organisations in the ‘Sea to Sky Corridor’ between Whistler and Vancouver and overseas charities.

Higher Cost For Solid Waste Disposal

Whistler's municipal council has increased the cost of garbage disposal as a part of its strategy to eventually reduce solid waste to zero. The town wants people to recycle for free instead. There is also a major composting facility in place.

Garbage was being dumped in a landfill near Whistler, but it was located next to the site of the athletes' village for the 2010 Winter Olympics. So now it is hauled to Washington State where the most environmentally friendly disposal is available.

Increasing Public Awareness

Whistler Blackcomb employs two Environmental Coordinators who work to establish as many entry points as possible for resort staff to participate in making the company’s operations more sustainable.

These Environmental Coordinators attend approximately 50 staff training sessions per year as well as weekly meetings to outline the resort’s sustainability programs, reaching more than 2000 staff members.
In addition Whistler Blackcomb has established four internal working groups focused on sustainability planning in the areas of water, energy, transportation and procurement. They have also initiated an Intrawest Sustainability Network to provide a forum of exchanging information on sustainability programs with other Intrawest resorts.

More than 45 interpretive sites have been set up on Whistler Blackcomb’s mountains where participants learn about local issues with the Environmental Fund and Whistler Blackcomb Habitat Improvement Team. In addition more than 3000 guests have participated in bear and ecology tours.

Supporting Environmental Initiatives In the Wider Community

Increasingly ski resorts, having recognized the importance of preserving their own natural environment and of encouraging the rest of the world to do likewise, are offering support to other environmental initiatives.
The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation is dedicated to raising funds that support social capital projects for community non- profit organizations including environmental initiatives. Since 1992, $3.8 million dollars has been raised. In 2001 this project started the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Environmental Fund in to fund environmental projects in the Sea to Sky corridor between Whistler and the provincial capital Vancouver. Over $200,000 has been raised and 28 projects have been sponsored.

The bulk of its funding comes from Whistler Blackcomb staff members who sign up to donate funds from their pay cheques. In turn, these funds are matched by the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation.

Since resorts are continuously increasing and improving their environmental practices, we update the Green Resort Guide throughout the year. If you have any information about new resort environmental policies/practices or anything that you think we may have missed, please email greenresortguide@skiclub.co.uk.

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