Our second annual EpicPromise Progress Report highlights our Company’s key achievements towards our Commitment to Zero objectives and our Employee and Community support goals. We have made great strides in this past year.
In 2017, we made a sustainability pledge, a Commitment to Zero, to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030. We are on track to achieve our bold goal. There are three pillars to our commitment: zero net emissions, zero waste to landfill, and zero net operating impact on forests and habitat. Highlights from this year include:
- Energy efficiency: During the 2018/19 season, we invested $2.4 million in energy efficiency upgrades that included snowmaking operations and switching to LED lighting. Collectively the impact of these upgrades means we have achieved 25 percent of our energy-efficiency goal.
- Waste diversion: We diverted more than eleven million pounds of waste from landfill over the last season through recycling and composting, allowing us to achieve 44 percent waste diversion – exceeding our target of 42 percent for the year.
- Reforesting habitat: By reforesting 10 acres on the Western slope of Colorado that had been impacted by the bark beetle, we 100% met our commitment to plant or restore an acre of forest for every acre displaced by our operations.
Of course, none of this progress would be possible without a strong team and strong communities. Which is why we are also pleased to share that through EpicPromise, we gave more than $14.5 million in grants to our communities and employees and contributed over 24,000 volunteer hours. The Foundation also achieved its annual goal of giving $1 million to employees, of which $500,000 was donated by employees and fundraising, and was able to grant 119 educational scholarships and 240 emergency relief grants during the 2018/19 season.
As our company is growing – so is our commitment to where we live, work and play. Our growth allows us to have a bigger impact: on our mountain communities; in supporting employees; and in preserving the environment. It’s a big commitment, we have work to do, and it’s going to require dedication and resolve from every one of us.
Thank you to everyone who works so tirelessly on our sustainability efforts, or who volunteers at community events, or donates to the EpicPromise Employee Foundation, you are all making a difference.