Steamboat Springs Ski Resort in Colorado is#1 Resort for Environmental Responsibility
Recently we spent two wonderful weeks in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and inevitably fell in love with it for many reasons – beautiful weather and fantastic living conditions at the Christy Club right at the foot of the Mt. Werner with great biking trails along the Yampa River. However, the main reason I was impressed was their Zero Waste Initiative at the Ski Resort.
The National Ski Areas Association awarded Steamboat Ski Resort as the best resort in Reduction and Recycling Program in North America. They’ve put a huge effort over the last year and reduced their land fill by 63%. They also reduced their recycling by 73%. They have moved from 374 garbage loads two years ago to 79 this year. They have been able to achieve it by creating a composting facility and switching to compostable items. This page caught my attention at their local coffee shop that won award for environmental responsibility. It has some items that I would never thought as compostables.
Turns out it’s better then recyclable and even better the biodegradable! But what is a compostable item?
“Compostable’ products are biodegradable, but with an added benefit: when they break down, they release valuable nutrients into the soil, aiding the growth of trees and plants. These products degrade within several months in an industrial composting facility and produce no toxic residues. Compostability is a desirable feature in traditionally-disposable products such as plates, bowls, cups and cutlery. These products are commonly made out of PLA (Polylactic acid), bagasse (sugarcane fiber) or vegetable starch. It is environmentally-preferable to use disposable products that are labeled ‘compostable’ rather than just ‘biodegradable’.
Products that are labeled ‘compostable’ must enter an industrial composting facility in order for it to fully degrade into organic matter. If your city has a composting facility, place these products in your compost bins to be picked up. Compostable products will typically degrade in 30-120 days in an industrial composter, depending on the product size and material used. If your city doesn’t provide industrial composting, you can dispose of compostable products in your backyard or home composter, but they will take longer to biodegrade. If you do not have access to a compost facility or a home composter, dispose of the compostables in the garbage. This option should be your last resort as waste does not easily biodegrade in landfills. Remember: do not put compostables into your recycling! They are not recyclable and will contaminate the recycling process.” - The Green Office
Zero Waste Initiative in Steamboat Springs Ski Resort Area republished with permission from the Becoming Raw blog.
Marina
After spending months researching what different foods do to a human body, Marina decided to become at least 70% raw/vegan. It was an overwhelming transformation and she started to write a blog about it. Now every time she learns something related to healthy eating, she records it in her blog, Becoming Raw to give others information on habits to have better nutrition. Additionally, she offers EIRO nutraceutical drinks through her website, www.eiro.marinasommers.com to help improve people’s health.
It would be awesome if ALL of Colorado's resorts became Zero Waste! Thank you Steamboat for leading the charge!
Cool post, I've just got a labrador puppy to train.
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