Pure Snow: The Fear of Being Green
Friday, June 29th, 2007So as a skier…what do you think about this whole global weirding thing? Is it real? Are you concerned about your sport? Does it matter?
It seems that the ski industry generally doesn’t believe that global weirding is a threat to snowsports at all. The leadership in the ski companies, boot companies, apparel manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, media, etc etc. don’t seem to feel any real threat or perhaps, they feel helpless. Unable to figure out a course of action that they feel would have any impact. Or maybe they are in denial. Maybe they don’t feel they can afford to make a sacrifice that none of their customers will care about or notice. Maybe even they don’t think they can make a difference?
All they have to do is look at their customers…we the skiers, and see that we don’t seem to be making too many changes to adapt to the concerns. We are still driving big SUV’s, jumping on those sleds to burn a few extra dinosaurs on the way to our favorite stash of snow. No question we are ALL guilty and we are ALL hypocrites.
Perhaps we are all in denial and just want to party until they tell us to go home.
Facts are…if you look around the industry to see what media, company, manufacturers. etc., are doing regarding their position/efforts to minimize their carbon footprint and attempt to be a solution rather than the problem, you will find pretty much nothing. Given that we are the ones with perhaps the most to lose from global warming - with the exception of the Dutch, Samoans, Inuit, Polar bears, etc., - you would assume we would be the most vocal/active about doing something about it.
Apparently we are a very wealthy group on average compared to the rest of society, we are highly educated, we have means…but, for some reason as consumers and as an industry, we aren’t really doing bugger all about it.
The ski resorts are very aware of their footprints and take some rather big steps to mitigate their impact as they know they are under the magnifying glass in their local communities. There are a couple of organizations that are on top of this and working very hard to do their part in a bigger way. The National Ski Areas Association (www.keepwintercool.org) has had a program in place since 2004 urging their member ski areas and skiers/snowboarders to do more, burn less, and so on. Hell, they even take the bold step of suggesting you buy a smaller vehicle instead of the giant SUV!
Now if the ski areas are so very, very worried about their future…our future, why isn’t the rest of the industry acting concerned? One of the reasons Whistler is building the giant gondola is to hedge against no snow by building a bigger summer, year round attraction at a cost of over $50 million!
If you ride a sled…then buy some carbon credits with the $1000’s you blow out your butt each year, etc etc.? Better yet, get some skins and walk uphill every now and then, it will make your ass look better. Carpool, change your lightbulbs to fluorescent, turn down the heat in the condo when you head out in the morning, buy a smaller car (Reality check – people managed to drive to their favorite ski area thru poorly plowed roads with way bigger snowfalls for 50 years using only two wheeled drive vehicles. Get some skills!), take the bus (it’s a good place to meet people), turn down the heat and sleep with a friend! Perhaps we could start a movement (pardon the pun) where we as skiers could demand that $1 from each of our lift tickets or ski purchases be put to enviro/carbon credit companies/activities! Maybe a challenge to the industry to do more, to take a good look at itself?
Some ski companies have taken some action like certified sustainably harvested wood cores or using only bamboo, some companies have “green design” offices…all of these are good things. But there is so much more that we can do as skiers. Reward those companies that give a damn… don’t reward those that couldn’t care less. They are the enemy…they are the threat.
The Outdoor business is VERY active on these issues and the whole industry has more or less mobilized to be part of the solution. Retailers, manufacturers, consumers are all very aware and making choices every day about minimizing their footprint. It is woven into the outdoor industry culture.
The ski industry is way, way off the back on this/these issues and it seems just plain wrong that this is the case. I can’t imagine my life without skiing. I want my grandchildren to be able to enjoy it as I have, to have the option of enjoying it as a cornerstone of my existence. If you are reading this website right now, chances are, you do too.
Pure Snow: Snow. It’s the one thing we count on. Whether we’re skiers or snowboarders; Americans, Austrians or Australians; riders, retailers or resort operators, snow is the source of our freedom. For many, it’s the source of our financial freedom as well. And snowy mountains are where we play with family and friends.
Now — right now — that snow is in real danger of disappearing. Global forecasts for the next 20 years consistently predict that increased CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and a rapidly warming planet beneath our feet will result in warmer weather — especially in winter. They predict that, as a result, we will see a systematic loss of snowpack at lower elevations.
In that melting snow, we can also see our snow community disappearing. If we skiers fail to address the environmental impacts of how we do business – the resources we use, how we reach our markets, how much we recycle – then we are actively contributing to the demise of skiing. Pure Snow honors the people, organizations and industries who are helping ensure the future of our pure, white snow.
Tell your own story on the online forum at yoursnowspace.com. There, you can post links to other stories and other websites for the snow community to use as resources… to start making a difference of their own.
By Jayson Faulkner, VP Sales & Marketing Movement Skis, ROI Recreation Outfitters
