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ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS AT STOWE
Stowe Mountain Resort, Spruce Peak at Stowe, Stowe Mountain Club and Stowe Mountain Lodge

As the crown jewel of historic Stowe, Vermont, Stowe Mountain Resort has undertaken a responsibility for maintaining the environmental protection of the area, to ensure that this legendary destination maintains its natural wonders and stays true to the Vermont tradition of respect for natural resources.

In the early 1990's, Mt. Mansfield Company, the operator for Stowe’s ski resort, sought to create a plan for snowmaking improvements, and eventually the addition of a new alpine neighborhood at the base of Spruce Peak mountain, that would help to bring Stowe back into the forefront of luxury travel and provide visitors with new activities and accommodations for all four seasons of the year. While creating a vision for new on-mountain improvements, the new Spruce Peak at Stowe alpine neighborhood, the new Stowe Mountain Club golf course, and the centerpiece of this new development, Stowe Mountain Lodge, executives from Stowe Mountain Resort vowed to move forward with these new changes only if they could utilize “green development” practices.

Resort officials collaborated with 20 different organizations, including state government agencies, numerous environmental advocacy groups and the local community, to create an environmental charter that would incorporate design, construction and maintenance techniques to enhance quality of life, maximize energy efficiency, and further connect the community with the environment. In addition, they committed to using state-of-the-art "best management practices" to limit the impact of all construction, earth moving, and water withdrawal activities when building the new and improved Stowe Mountain Resort.

A summary and sample of combined environmental efforts include:

Stowe Mountain Resort

• Fish and Wildlife Habitat Protection - Stowe's Ski Trail Reforestation Program has been ongoing since 1998. The program seeks to preserve and protect habitat for ecologically sensitive and rare, threatened, and/or endangered plants and animals; improve hydrologic conditions throughout the resort; and improve water quality in the watershed.
• Wildlife Conservation Land - Over 2,000 acres surrounding the resort have been permanently protected through state ownership and the use of conservation easements.
• Energy Conservation & Clean Energy - over 50% of the power purchased by the resort is from renewable resources.
• Environmental Education – Started in 2005, environmental training for employees has resulted in timely and comprehensive responses to potential releases of hazardous material or fuel oil.
• Hazardous Waste Reduction – Hazardous waste generated at the resort was reduced from a peak of over 2,200 lbs/month to less than 220 lbs/month.
• Solid Waste Reduction - Recycling programs are in place at all resort facilities. In the first phase of the Spruce deconstruction activity, 52% of materials were reused or recycled, 6 tons of scrap metal and wood was recycled, and 17.3 tons of building materials were salvaged for re-use.
• Waste Reduction and Recycling - SMR has a Solid Waste Management Plan that established goals to reduce solid and hazardous waste generation from operations and new construction. These efforts include:
• State-of-the-art storage tanks - The replacement of older underground storage tanks with double walled tanks, and leak prevention and detection devices.
• New fueling facilities - In 2005 the installation and operation of a new state-of-the-art vehicle and equipment-fueling facility began.
• Water Conservation - Snowmaking water conservation programs began in 2001, resulting in decreased reliance on stream withdrawals during low flows, and improved health of the stream’s aquatic community that relies on a clean consistent source of water to sustain it.
• Stream Restoration - SMR invested over a million dollars this summer in restoring a stream that flows from Spruce Peak, east of the Sensation Quad. With the stream restored to a state that existed long before skiers came to Spruce, a better environment now exists for flora, fauna, insects, birds and animals.

Spruce Peak at Stowe (Alpine Neighborhood)

• Water Conservation - Water efficient fixtures are installed in all buildings, native plant species requiring limited irrigation are used for most landscaping, and, whenever possible, existing mature vegetation is maintained throughout the project site.
• Energy Conservation and Green Building Design - All lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are designed to achieve maximum, economically reasonable, energy efficiency.
• Waste Management – Waste production is controlled through recycling of both construction and demolition materials, in turn minimizing contribution to growing landfills.
• Public Transportation – To improve air quality, decrease dependence on petroleum fuels, and help maintain a level of traffic consistent with the expectations that people have for rural Vermont, Spruce Peak at Stowe will soon be served by the Stowe Trolley system, allowing residents and visitors to leave their cars parked while staying at the resort and still visit Stowe Village and the Mountain Road. Pedestrian paths will connect all activities and a heated plaza will serve the central area. The Over Easy Transfer Gondola now connects the Spruce and Mansfield base areas, eliminating the need for visitors to drive between the two parking lots.
• Stormwater Management - New snowmaking ponds will allow the resort to take less water from the river at critical times, maintaining stream flows during the winter snowmaking season. Innovative storm water collection systems have been engineered, and a comprehensive water quality management plan will guide all future activities.
• Natural Habitat - Over 2,000 acres surrounding Spruce Peak at Stowe have been permanently protected, and naturalized native vegetation is used for all landscaping. The summit of Spruce Peak will be allowed to naturally re-vegetate after the Big Spruce Lift's top terminal has been relocated, increasing the habitat of the Bicknell's Thrush, an important high altitude bird species.
• Landscape Aesthetics - Thoughtful development considers whether man-made structures are in conflict or harmony with their surroundings, and the natural use of materials and forms combined with rustic mountain architecture allow the blending of man-made structures into nature.
• Environmental Education - In cooperation with the University of Vermont and other environmental organizations, Spruce Peak is pursuing the establishment of an environmental education center to promote research and educational opportunities.

Stowe Mountain Club (Golf Course)

• Chemical Use Management – The vision for the Stowe Mountain Club golf course was to achieve beauty with natural materials. The altitude of the site, combined with sophisticated drainage systems and disease resistant grass types, has helped to achieve that goal. A least-toxic management plan has been prepared with the assistance of environmental organizations and significantly limits the use of pesticides on the course. Stowe Mountain Club is currently the most environmentally-sensitive golf course within Vermont, and is the only Audubon International Signature Sanctuary certified course in the state.
• Snowmaking pond - In 2005, Stowe Mountain Resort began operation of a new 110 million-gallon manmade snowmaking water storage pond, a spectacular centerpiece in the center of the Stowe Mountain Club golf course. Storm water is collected in this pond, and reused for snowmaking water and golf course irrigation. This implementation of domestic water conservation has already reduced both water use and the amount of wastewater.

Stowe Mountain Lodge (Resort Hotel)

• Energy Efficiency - Stowe Mountain Lodge has been recognized by Efficiency Vermont for our energy-efficient equipment, lighting and approaches to construction and renovation. Our environmentally efficient operations save approximately 800,000 kWh of electricity and 42,000 gallons of propane per year.
• Energy Management System – The Trane Summit energy management system allows the lodge to control where and when energy is used throughout public areas based on occupancy.
• Motion Sensors – A system called INNCOM is installed in each guestroom, incorporating occupancy and motion sensors to prevent guests from leaving heat and air conditioning on in the room when they are out and about.
• Guestroom Fixtures - CFL bulbs, low-flow showerheads, and low-flow toilets are installed in all guestrooms. In addition, one light switch next to the guest room door controls all overhead lights and lamps to make it easy for guests to turn off all lights at once and prevent them from accidentally leaving on a single lamp when exiting the room.
• In-Room Luxuries - All guest room beds are adorned with eco-friendly bamboo sheets. Towels are purchased locally from Anichini, a Vermont-based producer of luxury linens, rather than importing sheets.
• Printed Materials - All in-room materials and marketing collateral pieces are printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink.
• Cleaning Products – The lodge's housekeeping staff uses eco-friendly cleaning products for guest rooms and public spaces.
• Strategic Green Partners - When choosing strategic partners for Stowe Mountain Lodge, we look for companies that share our commitment to the environment. These partners include:
• Private jet partner Arise Air is the world's first carbon neutral jet card provider.
• The Orvis Company, the lodge's outdoor adventure partner, donates 5% of pre-tax profits to conservation efforts nationwide.
• Eco-Friendly Artisans - Artisans who use organic materials and environmentally-friendly practices have been commissioned to build furniture and design features for the lodge. These artisans include:
• Artistic woodworker Parker Nichols has salvaged trees that have succumbed to time from local forests near his Marshfield studio to create a host stand and tables for the lodge's restaurant, and select pieces for the spa.
• Woodworker Charles Shackleton works with sustainable forests to obtain the wood he uses to create all of his furniture, including tables for the lodge. All of his sawdust is recycled and used as bedding for cattle.
• Master potter Miranda Thomas uses organic materials and non-toxic glazes to create the vases, trays and other accent pieces that are displayed around the hotel.
• In-room lamps have been custom-designed by glassblower/pottery maker Simon Pearce who uses a waterfall to generate electricity and to operate a glassblowing furnace and potter;s wheel.
• Iron works around the hotel have been hand-created by blacksmiths Hubbardton Forge in Castleton, Vermont, a three-time recipient of the State of Vermont's Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence.
• Green Education for Clients - For those guests who wish to learn more about the lodge's surrounding conservation land, an in-house naturalist leads guests on nature walks, snowshoeing tours and moose, deer, bear and bird "safari" hikes around Spruce Peak.

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