In 2017, Vail Resorts announced its “Commitment to Zero,” a goal to reach a net zero operating footprint by 2030. Since then, Vail has made large strides in achieving that goal. 2023 was the second consecutive year Vail had 100% renewable electricity across its North American operations. Vail also reached its 15% energy efficiency goal, which was driven by $10 million in energy-saving investments.
Alex Malmborg is the senior director of mountain dining at Park City Mountain. He said Park City Mountain has made efforts to conserve water, cut back on food waste and encourage employees to carpool.
“We've really had to analyze every facet of our business to find ways to conserve in all areas,” Malmborg said.
In 2023, he said the resort installed water-saving fixtures everywhere including toilets and faucets.
The resort has also made efforts to reduce car emissions with an employee Utah Transit Authority vanpool program and subsidizing bus passes for staff.
“We have gotten some vans from UTA, and a department would apply for that if they have staff living in the Salt Lake Valley," Malmborg said. "They're given a van and then they will carpool up together.”
The resort also diverted over 1.1 million pounds of material from landfills through recycling and composting in 2023. Vail as a whole reduced landfill waste by 6.1 million pounds. These efforts helped Park City Mountain earn the 2023 Green Business Award.
Vail has also made efforts to support social causes. It donated more than $29 million to support affordable child care, housing mental health care and disaster relief. In Park City, it partnered with 32 local nonprofits through grants and in-kind mountain access to support things like affordable housing, food security and accessible child care. One nonprofit it partnered with was the Park City Education Foundation, providing a $250,000 grant to help fund full-day preschool.
