The Greenest Ski Resorts
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.07
We have noted previously that skiing or boarding is not the greenest of sports, but it is one most concerned about global warming. Fast Company magazine has compiled a list of the 10 greenest ski resorts including usual suspects like Aspen but also others like Kaprun, Austria (renewable energy powers its cableways, free bus service to the hills) and Park City (wind power, the second largest public transit system in the State) Most of the ten are converting to green power or buying offsets, but we love the transit idea. Now if they will only bring back the ski trains that used to bring people from the city right to the slopes.::Fast Company
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Perhaps you should also do an item on human powered resorts, where the skiing is good but there are no lifts, and instead people rely on telemark/touring/cross country equipment to climb up the hill themselves.
I would like to know, has anyone else ever seen a ski hill or resort use pure, undiluted windshield washer fluid on thier carpet lifts?
Calabogie ski resort just an hour west of ottawa recently installed a carpet lift on the bunny hill. On -5 degree celcius and up days they regularly go through many(ive seen as many as 4) 4litre jugs of windshield washer fluid dumped straight on to the carpet lift with a flower watering can. (there are usually 6-7 4litre jugs in plain site that are clearly labeled poisonous, and windshield washer fluid.)
There is a small creek that runs from the base of the bunny hill straight into a lake which is very close to the hill.
I have called the health board and they said they would look into it. Seeings as how you must report 5 litres of chemicals of this nature as a spill.
Is this common for carpet lifts?
Windshield washer fluid is absolutely deadly for small animals, who like the sweetness of the ethylene glycol and are immediately poisoned.
I cannot believe that this safe at all, particularly around children rolling in, and often eating, snow- methanol slushies!
If you live in the New York area , Killington VT is served by a train.
Amtrak's Ethan Allen drops you in Rutland, which is about twenty minutes from killington and has a private company running a bus between the hotels and the station.
About the same time as driving, but greener, and you don't have to do anything other than sit in a seat or go get something from the cafe car.
http://www.amtrak.com/
Found a link to the package deal. Of course you can make your own "package"
http://www.killington.com/packages.html?pacid=28
http://www.killington.com/press_kit.html?idpr=337&nobar=1
Windshield washer fluid doesn't contain glycol. That would leave one hell of a mess on your windshield! Not to mention the fact that a jug of washer fluid would cost $20 if it were made with glycol -- never mind that it wouldn't actually clean your windshield.
Where did you imagine windshield washer fluid goes, after you spray it on your windshield?
LA: In Canada they have been talking about it as a problem in windshield washer fluid for years; from Purdue University on Windshield wiper fluid ingredients:
methanol: Damages the nervous system, liver, kidneys, inhalation can lead to lung disease, ingestion can cause blindness
ethylene glycol: Poisons animals who are attracted to the sweet smell; can cause damage to internal organs through skin absorption; inhalation can cause dizziness
Lloyd,
the exact same thing went through my mind as i would see little kids falling on the carpet, some with their mitts in their mouths. It is very shocking.
I even asked the people if it was windshield washer fluid and they said yes. I stopped there as i figured the concern needed to go higher than the workers.
Given that it is march the warm weather is around the corner so the jugs will be coming back out. Ill have to get on them about it.
Lloyd,
I'm in Canada and I've never heard of windshield washer fluid being talked about as a problem. Has there been an epidemic of people using the washer fluid nozzles on the hood of their cars for drinking fountains?
As far as kids being exposed to toxic amounts of methanol dispensed onto a carpet from a watering can, those few drops of washer fluid would tend to evaporate very quickly in cold, dry air. I think you guys are being a bit hysterical.
Still not sure how glycol got into the discussion? There's no glycol in washer fluid.
LA I will dig up some information and do a post on it.
If you live in Colorado or the Rockies, Winter Park Ski Resort has a ski train from Denver.
Fast company gives information of top ten greenest resorts, most of the ten are converting into green power or buying offset. Visit the following site for more information.
Global resorts