Okemo Mountain Resort

Okemo’s Environmental Initiatives

WATER
The waters of the Black River Valley are the lifeblood of Okemo Mountain Resort.  A certified water system operator is employed full time by the resort to insure the groundwater provided to guests is both safe and provided in a responsible manner.  The Black River and Jewel Brook provide water for snowmaking and our consultants make sure our withdrawals do not negatively affect the river’s ecosystems or our downstream neighbors.  Likewise, tens of thousands of dollars are invested annually to monitor the health of our mountain streams.

FORESTS AND WILDLIFE
Much of Okemo’s mountain terrain lies within the Okemo State Forest and is leased from the State of Vermont.  We are committed to being responsible tenants and weigh carefully the repercussions of our activities on the mountain environment.  Winter activities at Jackson Gore do not begin until a month after the resident black bear population should be contently in their dens.  Summer trail maintenance likewise considers our animal neighbors, with forest borders cut in a way that actually enhances habitat quality for the endangered Bicknell Thrush that inhabits the area.  Deer wintering areas that are encroached upon by our development activities are reimbursed by conserving double the acreage in an abutting area.

ENERGY
In an energy intensive industry, Okemo is aggressive in its pursuit of new technologies and conservation investments that have reduced many aspects of energy use even as the resort continues to grow.  Partnered with Vermont’s energy efficiency utility Efficiency Vermont, older resort buildings are rapidly being retrofitted with the newest technologies in lighting and electrical equipment.  A company mandate to eliminate the purchase and installation of incandescent light bulbs by our Building Maintenance department is now in effect.

efficient snowmaking at okemoSNOWMAKING
Our top ranked snowmaking team has been innovators and leaders in developing ways to efficiently cover our trails with snow.  While trail acreage covered by snowmaking has increased by over 60% in the last decade, we are using less energy to cover the mountain then we were ten years ago.  Working hand-in-hand with the manufactures Snow Economics, Inc, Okemo’s snowmaking team has helped develop the most efficient snow guns in the industry and by investing heavily in them has greatly reduced the need for compressed air generation.  Investment in water cooling systems and refining of operation schedules to make use of optimal weather conditions have made significant contributions to the reduction in energy demand.

AIR QUALITY
With 97 percent of its terrain equipped with snowmaking capabilities, the demand for compressed air is great. The resort recently spent $30,000 to upgrade its primary compressor with an SCR catalytic converter to reduce its nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 95 percent. These compounds play an important role in the atmospheric reactions that create harmful particulate matter, ground-level ozone and acid rain. Okemo's installation of a new SCR catalytic converter will improve air quality by removing NOx through a chemical reaction between the exhaust gases, a reductant additive, and a catalyst.

recycling programs at OkemoRECYCLING
The process has begun to implement a resort-wide recycling effort here at Okemo.  As you can imagine a facility as large and with as diverse of operations as ours presents some logistical challenges, but Okemo is committed to fulfilling the demands of our guests and our environmental responsibility.  The groundwork has been laid; with an ever expanding single-stream system collecting mixed paper, plastic, metal and glass.  New recycling stations were installed in both of our base lodges for the 2007-2008 season and the diversion of recyclables from our waste stream at those facilities has been a great success.  In the first year of recycling at Okemo, well over 20 tons of materials were collected for recycling.  Keep an eye out as more and more recycling collection locations come online around the resort.

EDUCATION
In order for Okemo’s environmental program to be a success, it is important to increase the awareness level among both our employees and guests.  The efforts to date include:

EMPLOYEE DEDICATION 
Okemo Mountain Resort employs an environmental scientist as Permits and Compliance Coordinator to insure the resort is meeting all of its environmental obligations.  He maintains communications with regulators, track compliance with all permits and environmental regulations, and coordinates consultants that address specific studies.  He is available to all departments to provide resources and guidance in areas such as energy conservation, recycling, and evaluation of alternative energy programs. 

Each May, Okemo encourages its employees to participate is spring clean-up.  Employees from all departments grab gloves and trash bags to scour the resort for litter and are rewarded with a barbeque for helping keep our mountain beautiful.

Visit okemo.com for more, or call 1-800-78-OKEMO.