Mount Snow, Vt. (May 20, 2014) – Following the completion of numerous projects over the past year which were all aimed at improving efficiency and being more environmentally friendly, Mount Snow was recognized by the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s annual Green Mountain Awards for Environmental Excellence as the Most Improved Resort Overall and Most Improved Water Consumption. This recognition is a result of significant upgrades to the resort’s snowmaking system, a comprehensive lighting fixture upgrade and a variety of efficiency measures at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel.

On all of these projects Mount Snow worked in conjunction with Efficiency Vermont, which is part of a private, non-profit organization that provides technical assistance, rebates and other financial incentives to help Vermont households and businesses reduce their energy costs.

During the summer of 2013, Mount Snow’s mountain operations team replaced nearly four miles of aging snowmaking pipe, installed a new Andersen moisture separator and a state-of-the-art airflow meter. These upgrades dramatically improved the efficiency of the resort’s snowmaking operations during the 2013/2014-winter season.

A comprehensive upgrade of 2,500 lighting fixtures around the entire resort was also completed. Efficiency Vermont’s Chuck Clerici said, “To date, this is one of the most comprehensive lighting upgrades ever undertaken at a ski area in Vermont and once again shows us Mount Snow is very serious about managing energy use and cost at their resort.”

At the 197-room Grand Summit Resort Hotel, new equipment including an ENERGY STAR commercial dishwasher, an ozone laundry system and kitchen exhaust hood controls have contributed to saving 336,810 kWh, 35,630 gallons of propane and 1,237,190 gallons of water since their installation was completed less than a year ago.

In total, efficiency measures undertaken in 2013 will save 1,063,797 kWh annually or about 6.4% of Mount Snow’s 2012 electric use.

“It is an honor to have our environmental efforts recognized by the Vermont Ski Areas Association,” said Dave Moulton, Mount Snow’s mountain operations director. “We will continue to work very hard at improving our resort’s efficiency and reducing our overall carbon footprint.”