While many snow sports companies like Burton and have recently started producing more environmentally friendly products, winter resorts are launching their own green initiatives as well.

Killington, the largest resort on the east coast located in Vermont, is “offsetting 100 percent of the resort’s electric usage through Renewable Energy Credits” and has recently cut a trail using a method that limits the impact on the environment.

Vail, one of the largest resorts in the world located in Colorado, has installed solar panels on its buildings and plans on reducing its energy consumption by 10% in the next two years.

Telluride, also a resort in Colorado, has been certified as a Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International for, among other things, eliminating the eight-mile drive from Mountain Village to Telluride for two million riders each year.

Given the amount of energy associated with skiing and snowboarding (long commutes to the mountain, creating artificial snow, replacing gear annually etc.), lets hope we see more ambitious projects from manufacturers and venues this year.

By Michael Morris, at The Element Agency in New York