Vail Resorts revealed an ambitious sustainability plan this week, committing to achieving a zero net operating footprint by 2030.
The commitment, dubbed "Epic Promise for a Zero Footprint," will focus on three key areas: Emissions, waste and forests and habitat.
The Colorado-based resort company will seek zero net emissions by investing $25 million in energy-saving projects while reducing electricity and natural gas use. The company will also purchase 100 percent renewable energy and provide guests opportunities to reduce or offset their carbon footprint.
Vail Resorts also plans to ramp up recycling and composting programs as it targets zero waste to landfills by 2030.
What's more, the company will aim to minimize the impact of future resort development. One way it plans to do so is by planting or restoring an acre of forest for every one acre that's displaced as a result of resort operations.
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"The environment is our business, and we have a special obligation to protect it," said Vail Resorts chairman and CEO Rob Katz in a statement. "Through improved business practices, capital investment and continued innovation and environmental stewardship, we are setting a goal of achieving a zero net operating footprint by 2030."
Vail Resorts is currently operating at a 40 percent waste diversion rate across its entire operations. Although it's seeking to reach 100 percent by 2030, it has set an interim target of 50 percent by the end of the decade.
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Vail Resorts said the inspiration for the bold commitment came from a similar sustainability effort made by Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia. Vail Resorts purchased the popular resort for just over $1 billion last year.
In addition to Whistler Blackcomb, Vail Resorts operates a handful of other well-known ski resorts across North America, including Colorado's Breckenridge and Vermont's Stowe Mountain Resort, which it acquired this year.
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