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Perisher, Australia’s Largest and Favourite Ski and Snowboard Resort, recognised by local community for Excellence in Sustainability
At the recent Snowy Monaro Business Awards, Perisher, part of the Vail Resorts’ network of 20 mountains, won the Excellence in Sustainability category. This award, given by the council area in which the towns around Perisher are located, recognises businesses that are working to reduce the impact of their operations on the environment and/or provide products and services that have positive environmental outcomes.
In 2017, Vail Resorts announced Commitment to Zero – a bold pledge to reach a zero net operating footprint by 2030. This includes (1) zero net emissions by 2030 with 50 percent progress toward this goal by 2025 (2) zero waste to landfill by 2030 and an increase of waste diversion to 50 percent by the end of 2020 and (3) a zero net operating impact to forests and habitat.
Earlier this year Vail Resorts announced the acquisition of Falls Creek Alpine Resort and Hotham Alpine Resort in Victoria. These resorts will join Perisher in Commitment to Zero.
Over the past two years the Perisher team has:
- Improved waste diversion systems across all operational areas (e.g. the Kids Adventure Centre, where waste diverted from landfill reached up to 90% in 2018).
- Increased the availability of a composting/food organics stream across all operational areas.
- Expanded a smart straw initiative where only compostable straws will be available, by request
- Continued to remove single-use sauce, sugar, salt and pepper items across Perisher premises.
- Increased the number of water stations (bottle refill and drinking fountains) across Perisher.
- Expanded a domestic battery collection service.
- Removed desk bins across Perisher to encourage staff to better utilise centralised sorting stations.
- Tested and implemented reusable crockery and cutlery across various operational areas.
- Continued to incorporate habitat connectivity features in development proposals, with three new fauna crossings installed in the last two years.
- Continued to use innovative construction techniques to minimise or avoid disturbance to biodiversity, including oversnow rock reduction and bog transplant.
- Continued campaigns to prevent litter, including the annual Perisher Clean Up Day, introduction of a “Leave Nothing but Tracks” litter message for resort signs, and inclusion of litter pickup in the Perisher EpicPromise Day in Jindabyne.
- Retrofit thousands of lights to energy-saving LED globes across all resort areas.
Quotes:
“It’s an honour to be recognised for the effort the entire Perisher team makes across all areas of the business as we work together, as a team, towards our Commitment to Zero goals.” - Tanya Bishop, Perisher Environment Manager about the Excellence in Sustainability award
“The environment is our business, and we have a special obligation to protect it. As a growing global company so deeply connected to the outdoors, we are making a commitment to address our most pressing global environmental challenge and protect our local communities and natural resources.”- Rob Katz, CEO, Vail Resorts about Commitment to Zero
More information:
To learn more about Vail Resorts’ industry-leading sustainability initiatives and to find the company’s 2018 EpicPromise Progress Report, visit www.epicpromise.com.
