People move to the mountains for many different reasons but one common element sees to be the fresh clean mountain air. With all the talk of the greenhouse effect and the destruction of natural resources, Vail Colorado wants to take the lead to become an eco-conscious resort by trying to cut back on energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
The town has hired Dan Richardson, a top planner to draft “green” plans. One of the elements contained in the proposed plan is a requirement for developers and builders to use environmentally friendly building techniques. There are members of the town council who would like Vail to surpass all other resort towns on how environmentally conscious they will be. They have contemplated ideas such as rewarding builders for green techniques including building near a mass transportation area, using recycled materials, using as little or no irrigation as possible, energy efficient boilers, energy efficient lighting, solar power or other forms of renewable energy. Aspen Colorado has already begun using some of these plans which were also developed by Richardson and he is trying to show Vail how to implement these and then some.
Vail Resorts is completely on board with this plan, having come up with a $1billion project known as Ever Vail. The project is seeking certification in LEED (leadership, Energy and Environment Design). What are some of the things that will comprise Ever Vail? Snowmelt in toilets and small rotors in Gore Creek for power are a couple. There are members of the town council who would like Vail to surpass all other resort towns on how environmentally conscious they will be.
Phase two of the plan will look at the problem of greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce these. With a growing number of people buying and renting homes and condominiums in Vail, the amount of cars is becoming a problem for the environment. Of course one of the easiest changes would be for town employees to carpool, but Americans love their cars and public transportation while better than in some parts of the country, still is lacking. An easy solution that would be a small help, is new light bulbs.
Whatever the solution, the residents of Vail have let it be known at the last town council meeting that the environment is one of their top priorities. Vail’s residents know that this is a special place and that one of the reasons they moved here is that clean mountain air feeling, they want everyone to do what it takes to keep it that way.
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