Beaver Creek's on-mountain restaurant Spruce Saddle Lodge recently renewed its three year contract with the Green Restaurant Association for another three years.  Spruce Saddle Lodge was named a Certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association in 2004, making it the first restaurant located at a ski resort to receive this distinction. The Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a 501(c) 3 non-profit, is a national environmental organization dedicated to creating an environmentally sustainable restaurant industry.

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The following is a list of steps Beaver Creek completed after joining the GRA as part of our four steps a year commitment: (Environmental Information in italics provided by the GRA)
 
1) Paper Recycling
Beaver Creek Resort: Spruce Saddle Lodge began recycling paper on 1/30/2004. Recycling bins were placed throughout the offices.

Environmental Information:
Recycling not only diverts waste from landfills and incinerators, but also supplies material for post-consumer recycled products. These products reduce the demand for extracting natural resources from the environment.  Every ton of 100% post-consumer recycled paper saves: 12 trees, 1,087 pounds of solid waste, 1,560 kilowatts of energy, 1,196 gallons of water, 1,976 pounds of greenhouse gases, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 390 gallons of oil.
 
2) Recycled and Fire-Retardant Roof
Beaver Creek Resort: Spruce Saddle Lodge installed recycled & fire-retardant roofing on 8/14/2004. The environmental roofing, called Eco-Shake, was purchased from American Roofing Supply Inc. Eco-Shake is an innovative roofing material comprised of 100% recycled materials; reinforced vinyl and cellulose fiber. The Eco-Shake shingle is designed to resemble and replace wood shake shingles. Eco-Shake has a Class A fire rating and a Class 4 impact rating. Eco-Shake performs admirably even in extreme weather conditions with no cracking, fading or curling. Eco-Shake is an excellent roofing product for all climates and is ideally suited for both residential and commercial use.

Environmental Information:
It has been estimated that 10% or more of landfill space is taken up by roofing waste, thus making the recycling of roofing necessary. By purchasing a product that is made from recycled content, the extraction of natural resources from the environment is reduced.

3) Organic & Shade Grown Coffee
Beaver Creek Resort: Spruce Saddle Lodge began purchasing organic & shade grown coffee from Starbuck’s on 8/29/2004. This coffee is made in the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico.

Environmental Information:
Shade grown coffee requires little or no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. The shade trees filter carbon dioxide which causes global warming, and aid in soil moisture retention which minimizes erosion. The tree canopy in shade coffee plantations protects the soil from erosion and provides a natural mulch for coffee plants. Sustainable coffee plantations often contain more tree species per acre than an acre of North American forest. Coffee flourishes under the canopy of diverse tree species. Hummingbirds, swallows, warblers, orioles, tanagers and other native and migratory birds find a safe haven in the remaining forests of shade coffee plantations. Migrating bird populations have been in rapid decline since the introduction of “sun” coffee and the consequent destruction of rainforest for more coffee plantations. As many as 150 species of birds have been identified on shade coffee farms.

4) Energy & Water Efficient Spray Valve
Beaver Creek Resort: Spruce Saddle Lodge purchased an installed an energy & water efficient low-flow Fisher Ultra Spray Valve on 11/30/2004.

Environmental Information:
Restaurants are the #1 consumer of electricity in the retail business sector. Ninety-eight percent of electricity produced in the U.S. comes from polluting non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels (coal, gas, petroleum) and nuclear power. These non-renewable sources of electricity are the number one cause of industrial air pollution in the U.S. The average food service facility uses 300,000 gallons of water per year. The water (and energy) usage of a single appliance can be greater than that of a residential home. The U.S. withdraws 339 billion gallons of ground and surface water a day.

5) Environmental Education: Staff Training & GRA Handbook
 
On March 5, 2005, Beaver Creek Resort/Spruce Saddle Lodge conducted an environmental training course and handed out GRA books to all its staff members.

Environmental Information:
Environmental education is a learning process that increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take a responsible action.

6) Pollution Prevention: Idle Reduction
On December 7, 2005, Beaver Creek Resort/Spruce Saddle Lodge confirmed the implementation of an idle-reduction program for its entire vehicle fleet as well as outside delivery vehicles.

Environmental Information:
A single, standard heavy-duty diesel truck with a 425 horsepower, operated the standard 306 days a year, idling during legally required rest breaks and stopping for other reasons for 30 minutes per day produces 55,833 lbs. of emissions annually-solely from idling. These emissions include: 54,240 lbs. of carbon dioxide, 1,047 lbs. of nitrogen oxides, 396 lbs. of carbon monoxide, 110 lbs. of volatile organic compounds and 40 lbs. of particulate matter.

7) Energy Efficient Lighting: T8’s
On Janury 19, 2005, Beaver Creek Resort/Spruce Saddle Lodge verified the installation of
energy-efficient T8 fluorescent tube lighting to replace conventional T12 bulbs.

Environmental Information:
Fluorescents use 25% of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs. Each incandescent bulb that is replaced with a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) saves the energy of about 46 gallons of oil or 1/2 ton of carbon dioxide over the life of the bulb. In addition, CFL’s last about 9 times longer than incandescent and therefore reduce waste.

8) Renewable Energy: Carbon Offsets 
On Aug. 1, 2006, Vail Resorts Inc. announced that the Company will offset 100 percent of its energy use by purchasing nearly 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy for its five mountain resorts, its lodging properties including RockResorts and Grand Teton Lodge Company, all of its 125 retail locations (operated through Specialty Sports Venture) and its new corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colo. By purchasing renewable energy credits equal to the Company’s entire electricity use, Vail Resorts becomes the second largest purchaser of wind power of all corporations in the United States.

Environmental Information:
Vail Resorts’ commitment to clean and renewable wind power will avoid over 211 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every year, which is equivalent to taking 18,000 cars off the road or planting over 27,000 acres of trees, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

9) Energy Efficient Bathroom: Waterless Urinal
On August 21, 2006 Spruce Saddle Lodge confirmed that it had purchased a Sloan Valve Co. Water-free Waterless Urinal (Model 1000).

Environmental Information:
The average food service facility uses 300,000 gallons of water per year, and the water usage of one appliance can be greater than that of an entire residential home.  Yet, only 2.8% of the water on earth is available for human consumption, and many parts of the U.S. already experience seasonal water shortages that endanger human welfare.
 

10) Green Building: Recycled Floor
On October 26, 2006 Spruce Saddle Lodge confirmed that it had purchased Ecosurfaces EcoEarth recycled content commercial flooring (EcoEarth 716 – Hot Tamale) and E-Grip adhesive.

Environmental Information:
EcoEarth flooring contains 26.2% recycled content, of which 21.6% is post-industrial content, and 4.6% is post-consumer content.  E-grip adhesive is a low – VOC, one component urethane adhesive that emits 50% less volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) than the standard set by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD Rule) #1168, which is the strictest standard for VOCs in adhesives and sealants.

 11) Energy Efficient Lighting: CFL
On February 2, 2007 Spruce Saddle Lodge confirmed its purchase of twenty Revision 23 watt compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) (Model#2522W)

Environmental Information:
The restaurant industry is the #1 consumer of electricity in the US retail sector, and over 70% of this electricity comes from fossil fuels: coal, gas, and petroleum, which contribute to global warming and endanger human health.  On average, lighting accounts for about 13% of restaurants energy consumption.  The Revision 23 watt spiral uses 75% less energy than its 100 watt incandescent equivalent, and lasts 13 times longer.  By using energy efficient 23 watt CFLs, Spruce Saddle Lodge will significantly decrease its energy consumption, which will reduce its emissions of greenhouse gasses and harmful pollutants.

12) Energy Efficient Lighting: Occupancy Sensors
On February 2, 2007 Spruce Saddle Lodge confirmed its purchase of nineteen Home Depot Wall Mounted Occupancy Sensors (Model # 2522W).

Environmental Information:
Occupancy sensors are another great way to reduce the electricity your establishment consumes for lighting.  The Home Depot Wall Mounted Occupancy Sensor automatically detects changes in occupancy using infrared technology.  This switch is ideal for restrooms, closets, and other rarely occupied locations, that need not be lit all day.  By reducing unnecessary lighting, this wall switch will help you save energy and reduce your contribution to global warming.

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Spruce Saddle also takes part in Vail Resorts, Inc. Good Food on a Grand Scale, an initiative started in October, 2007, by serving natural, hormone-free meats and poultry from Coleman, and organic dairy products from Horizon Organics. Spruce Saddle Lodge will continually work on being environmentally sustainable while providing the best service and quality to its customers. For more information on the GRA and Certified Green Restaurants, visit www.dinegreen.com. 

Looking forward to future environmental initiatives at Spruce Saddle, we will continue to conserve our natural resources by finding ways to use water and electricity efficiently, use materials with recycled content, and reduce the impacts of our operations on the environment.

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