Sandpoint, ID (mtnpressworld.com) – You don’t eat the state’s potatoes when they’re green, but you’ll certainly want to ski its resorts that are. Idaho’s Schweitzer Mountain Resort recently announced several initiatives to reduce its impact on the environment, including hiring an environmental coordinator, signing the National Ski Area Association’s Sustainable Slopes Initiative, purchasing wind energy to operate chairlifts, enlisting an environmental committee to work on resort improvements, and hosting a contest to see how much energy the resort could save last summer.

“It’s important that we in the ski industry recognize the importance of supporting the environment that supports us,” says Tom Chasse, Schweitzer’s President and CEO. “I’m glad that we’ve found ways over the last year to take some significant steps to lighten our impact on the environment.”

By signing the Sustainable Slopes Initiative, Schweitzer committed to improving their environmental performance in all aspects of their operations. One step was to purchase 1000mwh of “Green Tags” which pay for energy to be purchased from regional wind energy producers through a partnership with Northern Lights, Inc. After an assessment of past energy use it was determined that the wind energy credits could be used to completely power Schweitzer’s Basin Express Quad, Great Escape Quad and Lakeview Triple chairlifts for the entire 08-09 winter season.

“Not only is Schweitzer able to reduce our energy consumption by buying the green tags, but also we reduced our energy consumption in August and September by 27 percent through a resort-wide energy challenge,” says Kerri Kuntz, Schweitzer’s new environmental coordinator. “It’s really cool to see people from every department on the mountain come together as an environmental committee and come up with great ideas to implement resort wide.”

The committee is working to improve recycling, reduce energy use, improve land use practices, provide transportation options, and increase guest awareness of ways they can contribute.

About Schweitzer: Schweitzer is nestled in the rugged Selkirk Mountains of the Idaho panhandle and the northwest Rocky Mountains. The resort is well known for its two massive bowls, breathtaking views and amazing gladed terrain. Schweitzer Mountain Resort offers 2900 acres of skiable in bounds terrain. Thousands of additional acres of cat skiing are available off the back of the mountain from the top of The Great Escape Quad. Schweitzer overlooks the town of Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille, which are sought out and recognized as destinations for diverse recreation opportunities year-round.