Snow Making & "Greenness"

[Angus]

just stumbled upon this...

http://www.wbur.org/2009/12/30/green-skiing

According to a recent report from the group, Clean Air-Cool Planet, though, the Northeast has seen warmer temperatures, fewer days with snow cover and decreased snowfall in recent decades. Ski resorts can make snow if it’s cold enough. But it takes lots of water and plenty of energy to power snowmaking equipment and chairlifts to carry skiers up the mountain. All this comes with a price, both environmental and economic.

 

[millerm277]

The water use is irrevelant, it all goes back to nature in the same rivers and streams it's drawn from, assuming you're not drawing too much water for the stream ecosystem to handle, there is no problem there. The energy use is the environmental problem....and snowmaking is becoming more and more efficient and using less energy. Killington used to use a million gallons of diesel a year, they've cut that significantly....it is improving, but it's nowhere near what anyone would call "green", and likely never will be.