White Snow, Green Attitude in Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado

Ski area, lodging, events and tourism businesses embrace sustainable practices

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO (September 11, 2008) - With approximately 85 percent of Gunnison County being public land and many acres of additional open space protected from development, it is natural that the Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley is interested in keeping its slice of paradise pristine.  The tourism industry is expanding its green practices, and the local Office of Resource Efficiency (ORE) is working hand-in-hand with businesses, residents and events to help make it happen.

Approximately 70 businesses participate in the 1% for Open Space valleywide, which allows customers to donate an additional 1 percent of their purchases to preserving land in the area.  The program has raised more than $1 million to save in excess of 4,000 acres.  Signs are posted in participating businesses.  

"A Native American saying from the Ute Nation sums it up: ‘The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.' Native Americans were the first residents of this area, so it is fitting that we follow their philosophy," says Jane Chaney, executive director of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association.

Crested Butte Mountain Resort Ski Area

Since Tim and Diane Mueller purchased Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) in 2004, the ski area has worked hard to be a more energy-efficient business and good stewards of the land. http://www.skicb.com/.

• CBMR has offset nearly 100 percent of its energy consumption with wind power credits, with all lifts and offices and most of the company's lodges and restaurants participating.
• Ten percent of the cost of CBMR's energy use is donated to the Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation to fund development of green power in the state.
• CBMR's restaurants and retail operations participate in the 1% for Open Space program.
• A recycling program is offered throughout the resort, from cans and bottles that the public uses to office paper and cardboard recycled by mountain operations.
• CBMR has partnered with ORE to receive consultation about being a more energy-efficient resort. Director of Operations Ethan Mueller, the Mueller's son, serves on the ORE board of directors. Tim is a member of the Crested Butte Land Trust board.

Eco-Friendly Lodging

Crested Butte's Elk Mountain Lodge has achieved gold status through ORE's energy wise business program. The historic miners' lodge offsets 50 percent of all energy used by purchasing renewable energy credits, all toilets and shower heads are low flow and most light comes from compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).  Linens are changed on three-night stays or longer and recycling is a priority.  Elk Mountain Lodge participates in the 1% for Open Space program.  http://www.elkmountainlodge.com/.

The Ruby of Crested Butte, an in-town bed and breakfast, recently launched sustainability initiatives across the full spectrum of its operations, including offsetting 100 percent of its electricity use through wind power credits; replacing all light bulbs with CFLs; offering green meetings and events; using green cleaning products; and serving local and organic breakfasts.  Guest rooms feature in-room recycling, new Energy Star-rated TVs, towel and linen reuse options, sheets and towels made from organic cotton, natural and recyclable amenities, organic and natural mini bar items, and water-conserving fixtures. http://www.therubyofcrestedbutte.com/.

Island Acres Resort in Gunnison continues to preserve its historic structures instead of building new.  A recent office remodel and the addition of a porch on a 1920s building used nearly all recycled items.  The limbs and branches trimmed from the property's large trees are stacked for guest firewood, all appliances are being replaced with ENERGY STAR models, and recycling stations are available for visitors and staff.  Guests who make multiple trips to Gunnison for water recreation are encouraged to leave their boats at the property free of charge to save fuel. Call 970.641.1442 or visit http://www.islandacresesort.com/.

Attractions & Events

A great example of going green is Round Mountain Organics & Institute located 10 miles south of Crested Butte.  Tours during fair-weather months include the farm's straw bale house, greenhouse, shed, yurt, off-the-grid electrical system, solar thermal heating system and ecologically-sound gardens. To schedule a tour, call (970) 641-4742.  For more information, go to http://www.roundmountain.org/.

In the past year, three events have gone green: Elk Mountains Grand Traverse (backcountry ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen), Crested Butte Wildflower Festival and Gunnison Car Show. 

Gunnison Car Show is the first car show in the nation to be carbon free.  Organizers determined the event's carbon impact and purchased carbon-offset credits.  The club also is working to reduce solid waste.  For example, food vendors must recycle, use compostable paper products and provide a written plan about how they will reduce their solid waste impact.  http://www.gunnisoncarclub.com/  

Crested Butte Wildflower Festival is already all about Mother Nature but efforts to further "green" the event include recycling, reusing and composting all materials when possible.  Energy credits were purchased to offset electricity and transportation energy use.  http://www.crestedbuttewildflowerfestival.com/

Elk Mountains Grand Traverse will undergo a progressive greening over the next several years to pass on a sustainable legacy to the next generation of skiers.  Goals include educating and exciting volunteers, creating positive green marketing, promoting how to green an event and your life, offsetting carbon, and increasing awareness to help save the snow and planet. http://www.elkmountaintraverse.org/

Transportation

As one of the birthplaces of mountain biking, the Gunnison-Crested Butte Valley is a two-wheeling mecca.  Not only will you see numerous one-speed townies and fat-tire bikes parked in front of coffee houses, restaurants and bars, free public buses are equipped to carry both bikes and people. RTA (Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority) buses run regularly, year-round between Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Mountain Express operates colorfully painted buses between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, and the two towns are connected by a paved trail for walking and biking.  For bus schedules, go to http://www.gunnisonvalleyrta.org/ and http://www.mtexpress.com/.   

Shops, Restaurants & Services

Several other businesses in the area also are proud to offer green services and products of interest to visitors.  Yoga for the People! (http://www.yoga4thepeople.com/) and Oh Be Dogful Pet Ranch in Crested Butte have built green practices into their entire operations.  Yoga for the People! and Four Eighteen, a retail boutique also in Crested Butte, sell sustainable products such as bamboo clothing.  In Gunnison, Pat's Screen Printing offers organic shirts and generates a portion of its power from a photovoltaic solar system.

Timberline Restaurant in Crested Butte frequently updates its menu to use as many local and regional products that are in season as possible. Bread is baked daily and goat cheese is made in-house from fresh Paonia goat milk. Recycled-content paper products, biodegradable to-go boxes, recycling, kitchen composting and oil recycling, and renewable energy purchased from the area's electric cooperative are other green initiatives. 

Down the street and behind the scenes at Donita's Cantina uses environment-friendly processes to heat water, heat the restaurant and recirculate wastewater from the walk-in cooler, freezer and ice machine.  If you have any food left to bring home, compostable to-go boxes are used.   

Black Tie Ski Rentals not only makes it ultra-easy to rent skis and boards by bringing the equipment to you for fitting, the Crested Butte branch purchases wind power to offset electricity usage, participates in the TerraPass program to balance other energy used such as gasoline and natural gas, and takes part in 1% for Open Space and ORE's business accreditation program.  Also, Black Tie's employee reward program recognizes staff for biking, carpooling and walking to work. http://www.blacktieskis.com

Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages

To find out more about Gunnison County or to book personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's toll-free line, (800) 814-8893, or visit http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/.  The Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is served year-round by United Airlines with flights from Denver and during the winter season by American Airlines with direct flights from Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago and Delta Air Lines with direct flights from Salt Lake City and Atlanta.

About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado

Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado.  Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing. 

Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities.  In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding.  Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels. 

Recognized as the "Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.  Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the area's conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails. 

Gunnison, a real western town located 28 miles from Crested Butte, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, a four-year institution offering majors in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields.  Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities. 

In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country's newest national parks.  Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.

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Photo by Tom Stillo 

Contact:                        Beth Buehler                                        

Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association                 

(970) 349-1168 or bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net