As current as the Green trend may be, Stratton’s environmental practices have been in full swing for over 15 years. Their philosophy? “The environment is our number one asset, and it is our responsibility to maintain it.” – says Jenna Pugliese Permit & Planning Manager for Stratton Mountain. Today, Stratton is actively engaged in their “Fresh Tracks” movement to Protect, Conserve & Enjoy. “’Fresh Tracks means continuously finding a balance between fun and accountability. While enjoying our mountain home, we maintain a deep respect for the power and diversity of this place and all that share it with us.” Most notably, in November of 2006, Stratton Mountain began using renewable energy, purchasing enough kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy credits to offset 100% of the electricity consumption of the entire operation for a year. Today, Stratton urges others to follow suit. In fact, the Mountain is so committed to the cause that they implemented “Ski for Free by Going Green,” offering free lift tickets to anyone who offsets their electricity consumption with renewable energy credits.

    In addition to their Renewable Energy program, Stratton’s “Green Team” meets bi-weekly to incorporate a number of additional conservation strategies into their Master Plan. You might notice, even on the snowiest of days, that the walkways in Stratton Village are snow-free. Ten years ago, Stratton installed heating pipes under these walkways to eliminate the need for salt and sand that run off into fresh rivers. Lift shacks that were once using energy-inefficient space heaters are now well- insulated and spot heated during business hours. In 1996 Stratton updated their snow guns to conserve excess water and energy, meeting a standard set by the National Ski Areas Association for 2010. Most notably, we thought, was Stratton’s continuous effort to engage their community. In fact, Stratton has turned conservation into a fun, yet competitive game. Each employee has the motivation to limit his or her printing as their paper usage is recorded and compared to the usage of fellow colleagues. Lunch has become a community activity as the dining hall has become waste free. If you want to take your lunch on the road, expect to pay an additional fee for to-go packaging!

    For a business that relies on nature to operate, the Stratton Community surely takes their imprint on the environment into account with their expansive conservation plan. Even the small changes, using fluorescent light bulbs, turning off the engine rather than idling, and switching corporate SUV’s to Hybrid Toyota Highlanders have helped Stratton see significant financial savings and, of course, turned those white snowy trails a bit greener…  Will we ever see a little green coloring added into the snow? "Not likely," Pugliese says – "The dye probably wouldn’t be healthy for the sediment and the runoff."

To help join the movement, Stratton gave us a few tips to share:
1)    Carpool- who wouldn’t want a ride to go skiing? Save gas and stay warm by taking a full car to the                 slopes, just take turns driving!
2)    While we love the skier pride, taking down ski racks and replacing snow tires during the summer months         saves on gas and emissions, making the air cleaner and your wallet a bit bigger!
3)    Staying in Stratton Village? Turn off your lights! Make sure to double check that all lights and appliances         are turned off before hitting the slopes
4)    Please, leave the Mountain how you found it- place bottles, wrappers and cigarette butts in the                         appropriate trash can or recycling bin.