Like many ski towns, Aspen has been slowly going green--a necessary action in saving the environment and the snow that we all love. As an example,
Aspen Skiing Company has made strides towards sustainability with green development, green purchasing, on-mountain education, sustainability reports, habitat protection, and more.
Aspen itself has also become a forum for environmental discussions through events such as Aspen Ideas Festival which last year fostered conversations about the scale of our CO2 emissions and what it really means (hype aside) to be green. Other upcoming events such as The Aspen Institute's
Aspen Environment Forum (March 26-30) invite economists, scientists, citizens, and decision-makers to offer solutions and engage in discussions about the
state of our environment.
And with so much "going green" discussion it is no wonder that some Roaring Fork Valley homeowners have turned to
geothermal heating and cooling systems,
alternative building materials and techniques, and good ol' fashion
solar power.
With all of our efforts though, we are not nearly as green as we hope to be. In the words of best-selling author and
New York Times columnist
Tom Friedman, “The good news is that green has gone mainstream…Green has gone mainstream, but it hasn’t gone down the main street.”
For example, a heated debate about the town's fire pit on the corner of Galena and Cooper (a gathering place that emits 9 1/2 pounds of carbon per year) has been ongoing for months. For some visitors and locals, the fire pit is viewed as an Aspen attraction--a place to warm your hands, gather with friends, and soak in the mountain town scenery. While the fire pit may be very "Aspen" is it hypocritical to have in a town that is Going, Going, Green?
Let us know how you feel about Aspen's initiatives by making a comment or answering the poll below.
