Science Channel Showcases Killington Resort’s Environmental Initiatives January 14

By AlpineZone News |
Jan 11 2008 - 12:42 PM

KILLINGTON, Vermont — One of the many projects in Killington Resort’s ongoing environmental initiatives will be broadcast to a national television audience on the Discovery Network’s Science Channel on Tuesday, January 14 at 10 p.m. (EST)

This past summer, Killington Resort invested $50,000 into retrofitting 10 of the resort’s walk-in coolers with a Freeaire Refrigeration System, which taps into the greatest source of refrigeration ever created: winter. The Freeaire system, which was developed by Richard Travers of Warren, Vermont, uses cold outside air to chill walk-in coolers and new high-efficiency evaporator fan motors, saving the resort more than 86,389 kilowatt hours of electricity while eliminating an estimated 58 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Peace Point Entertainment sent a production crew to Killington in September to shoot a segment for the Science Channel’s Invention Nation series featuring the Freeaire installation at the Ramshead Lodge. The 11-person production crew spent an entire day shooting the segment and assisting Travers with the installation. Invention Nation, hosted by Nobu Adilman, Micah Donovan and Chris Martin, is based on three guys passionate about the green life, who take a veggie-fueled trip across America in search of amazing eco-inventions.

“The Freeaire system is really a simple and applicable solution, which is what made it stand out and attractive to us for inclusion in the show,” said Michael McNally, producer for Peace Point Entertainment. “It really is such a simple idea that works very well.”

The Freeaire installation is just one of the many innovative energy conservation measures and environmental management practices the resort is undertaking to reduce energy consumption and its overall carbon footprint. This season Killington also initiated a resort-wide co-mingled recycling program, which is forecasted to eliminate 113 tons of solid waste annually.

“We’re taking measures in our everyday business practices, including replacing light bulbs throughout the resort with energy-efficient CFL bulbs and installing motion-sensing on/off switches, to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Chris Nyberg, Killington’s president and general manager. “All of these projects align with our mission statement which is to exceed customer expectations, be innovative, profitable and environmentally responsible.”

In addition, Killington continues to improve snowmaking operations and lower its overall carbon footprint after increasing its Low Energy snow gun arsenal another 10 percent for the 2007-08 season. Additional electric outlets have also been installed on-mountain for increased use of energy-efficient fan guns throughout base and high-traffic areas. The increased use of Low Energy snow guns has reduced Killington’s diesel consumption by more than 30 percent and electricity by 25 percent over the past three years.

More information on Killington’s ongoing environmental initiatives is available at http://www.killington.com/winter/media/pressrelease.html?pressrelease=pressrelease30 .

About Killington Resort
– The largest ski and snowboard resort in eastern North America, Killington features diverse terrain, an expansive lift network, the most extensive snowmaking system in the world and numerous off-mountain activities, including apr??s, dining, shopping and lodging options. www.Killington.com

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