Sustainability

Solar Array Development

In 2016, Sugarbush entered into a long-term partnership with Green Lantern Capital of Waterbury, Vermont, to support the development of 2.5 megawatts of clean, renewable solar energy. As of early 2017, four 500 kilowatt arrays—in Poultney, Brandon, New Haven, and Guilford--are fully operational and plugged into Green Mountain Power’s electrical grid. A fifth project, in Wells River, is scheduled to come online by the end of 2017.

Sugarbush’s purchase of discounted net-metering credits generated by these solar arrays provides an economic incentive for clean solar power generation in the state of Vermont, and allows Green Mountain Power to avoid importing electricity from outside the state, the majority of which is produced using fossil fuels (coal and gas).

The Green Lantern Group has partnered with Middlebury-based “Bee the Change” to install three acres of pollinator-friendly flowers and plantings among the solar panels in their New Haven solar array. This will promote and preserve Vermont’s endangered bee, butterfly, and bird populations.

Energy-Efficient Snowmaking

Sugarbush completed a five-year, $5 million upgrade to its snowmaking system in 2014. The project replaced the majority of our traditional snowmaking technology with low-energy snowmaking guns. The new guns require approximately 2% of the power used to run traditional guns, allowing the resort to double snowmaking production during warmer early-season temperatures and run more snowguns simultaneously at both Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen. The resort has seen a reduction in energy consumption supporting ski area operations of approximately 24% without compromising either the quality or quantity of snow.

In 2007, we discontinued use of supplemental diesel generators supporting early-season snowmaking, significantly reducing diesel fuel consumption and the associated air emissions.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Tesla charging is available in the underground parking garage of the Clay Brook Hotel and Residences. Charging is free to hotel guests and owners; resort guests may utilize the Clay Brook parking garage Tesla charging stations for $25. In addition to the Tesla chargers located in the Clay Brook parking garage, 4 EV and 9 Tesla charging stations are available at Lincoln Peak in Parking Lot C. These charger are first come first serve and available at no cost to guests. Plans for additional charging stations in Rice Brook and Gadd Brook residences and Mt Ellen are underway.

Public Transportation

Green Mountain Transit provides free winter public transportation between Sugarbush’s two mountains and throughout the Mad River Valley. Sugarbush contributes 30% of the GMT-MRV budget to assist guests and employees with local public transportation options and encourages them to reduce CO2 emissions by leaving their cars at home.

LED Lighting

Sugarbush has begun to phase in LED (light-emitting diodes) lighting at the resort in buildings and site lighting. As this technology grows in availability, and costs for LED lighting come down, we will continue to replace existing Fluorescent and HID lamps with LED lamps. Benefits to LEDs include long lifespan relative to other lighting technology (including fluorescent lights); extreme energy efficiency relative to other commercially available lighting technology, which helps to reduce energy use; high light quality; and low maintenance costs.

Biodiesel Program

Traditionally, our off-road diesel fleet (groomers, excavators, and heavy equipment) relied on 100% petroleum diesel (conventional diesel). Since 2004, Sugarbush has implemented the use of biodiesel in off-road diesel machinery, including their entire grooming fleet, to offset conventional diesel usage. In comparison to conventional diesel fuel, biodiesel fuel has lower emissions, is biodegradable, renewable, and non-toxic. Biodiesel availability in the northeast can be variable. Our goal is to run a 20% biodiesel blend in their off-road fleet.

Waste Disposal

We have provided recycling bins in all public places and in lodging guest rooms for many years. Composting (organics separation) began in 2010 and now occurs in all of resort kitchens (back of the house) including The Schoolhouse and table-service dining locations. Limited guest (front of house) composting was introduced in 2014, with a goal to bring guest composting to all of the cafeterias within the next few years. Public liquid dumping stations were added in Gate House Lodge in 2015-2016.

In 2016, we introduced its first four-stream public waste receptacles in Gate House Lodge. These receptacles allow consumers to separate food scraps, liquids, recyclables and trash. The goal over the next few years is to bring more lodges online with four-stream waste receptacles. Recycling occurs in all staff areas, and composting has begun.

Since 2013, we have increased our diversion rate from 30% to 35%, which represents the amount of material kept out of the landfill. Since 2013, compost tonnage has increased by more than 200%.

Green Housekeeping

Our housekeeping team introduced all non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning supplies in 2005. Resort-supplied shampoo, soap, conditioner, and lotion is biodegradable, and packaged in biodegradable and/or recyclable material. Our linen program offers an optional reuse program for guests, to eliminate unnecessary laundering. Housekeeping staff is trained to turn down thermostats, and turn off lights and televisions, in unoccupied rooms.

Vermont Open-Space Preservation

Sugarbush’s former owner, Win Smith, and his family foundation have donated generously to assist the Vermont Land Trust in purchasing and preserving important land parcels for Vermont’s agricultural and recreational use. Those properties include Camel’s Hump State Park, Blueberry Lake National Forest, Scrag Town Forest, and the Bragg Barn. The Foundation supports numerous other environmental initiatives.

Forest and Vegetation Management Plans

Portions of Sugarbush Resort are located on leased National Forest System lands and are operated under a Special Use Permit issued by the Green Mountain National Forest and portions of the resort are privately held by Sugarbush Mountain Resort and operated under State of Vermont land use and environmental permits.

We have both Vegetation and Forest Management Plans. The VMP applies to Forest Service land while the FMPs apply to private lands. The National Forest oversees the VMP while the VT Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation oversees the FMPs. Both plan types work to balance forest and plant health, wildlife diversity and habitat, water and air quality and ski area operations.

The VMP encompasses 1,745 acres, the FMPs encompass 1,942 acres of which 484 acres are ski trails leaving 3,203 forested acres.

Clean Water

We operate under several stormwater discharge permits which govern the management of stormwater generated from resort-related development and land use. Stormwater is precipitation (snow melt and rain water) that runs off impervious surfaces rather than infiltrating into the soil. Impacts of stormwater runoff can lead to destabilization of downstream stream channels and increased pollution entering our waterways. Stormwater management techniques are employed throughout the resort to remove pollutants, and slow, spread and sink stormwater back into the ground before it enters the brooks and streams around us.

Drinking Water

Our Mountain Water Company is committed to providing safe, clean drinking water to resort guests. Resort drinking water comes from the Clay Brook and thirteen bedrock wells, where water is pumped from depths of up to 800 feet. MWC uses energy-efficient pumping technology and lighting in producing water. MWC is operated in strict conformance with US Environmental Protection Agency and VT Agency of Natural Resources domestic water supply rules and complies with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Wastewater

Wastewater (sewer) from the resort is separated and cleaned through a carefully controlled and monitored process that involves collection, filtration, aeration, and disinfection. Lincoln Peak Wastewater Treatment and Mountain Wastewater Treatment are our two large facilities that oversee the careful handling of used water. Read our Sugarbush Magazine article on the resort’s wastewater systems.

Stream and Brook Repair

In the late 1990’s, we initiated a multi-year water-quality remediation plan in partnership with Burlington-based Vanasse Hangen Brustlin. This plan has resulted in the clean-up of several important high-elevation brooks and streams at the resort. In 2012, Sugarbush accepted the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence at the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility spring conference, which recognized the removal of Rice Brook from the state’s “impaired waters” list. This project was subsequently lauded by the Environmental Protection Agency.