Social Media Piece #2

To whom it may concern,   
    Hello, my name is Henry Schwartz and I am a freshman at Champlain College in the city of Burlington, Vermont.  I am an avid snowboarder, and have just always loved the peacefulness and beauty of the outdoors and nature while going out to snowboard on a nice winter day.  With out this aspect of snowboarding, I do not think I would even bother going  out of my way to ride anymore.  I have noticed that a number of ski resorts here in Vermont are making various efforts in order to keep their environmental impact to a minimum, some much more than others, though.  I do believe that there is much more that some of these resorts could be putting effort into doing that would greatly reduce the environmental impact of the various operations.
    In my research I learned about many different things ski resorts have been doing that have done wonders for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, conserving energy, conserving water, and protecting wildlife.  Some of these things include using a blend of biodiesel and fossil fuel diesel in order to power their vehicles.  Biodiesel is an alternate source of fuel that is made from vegetable oil or animal fat, this reduces the amount of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere by an astonishing amount, not to mention it is very sustainable, considering it comes from vegetables you can grow i your own garden, and actually will allow your engine to last much longer than with using just fossil fuel diesel.  Some ski resorts have installed a no idling policy for cars, and, for example Smuggler's Notch uses all utility vehicles instead of cars and trucks in the summer.  Some ski resorts have electric powered snow guns instead of fossil fuel run ones, all this together allows for an enormous reduction to a resort's environmental footprint, although most resorts are only practicing a set one or two of the many possibilities.  On top of what I have mentioned, there are many more possibilities for reducing the impact on the surroundings that we all love and need, many mentioned right here at www.nsaa.org/nsaa/environment/sustainable_slopes/Charter.pdf.
    The reason why I think this is such an important subject for ski resorts, is the climate and surroundings is literally how they make all of their money to stay in operation.  With out the snowy winters, beautiful forests and views for people to enjoy, these resorts serve no purpose anymore.  If so many resorts continue to use huge amounts of fossil fuels and cutting down forest land for their new developments and trails global warming will take effect, with out cold weather, there cannot be snow.  It is quite difficult to run a ski resort when you cannot physically ski.  If they continue to use all of this water there will not be enough for the marine habitat and in the rivers and lakes, or even for their guests to drink etc.  If they continue to use this much energy they will not be able to sustain their villages, lodges, restaurants, chairlifts, and many other things that allow these resorts to be possible. 
    By not acting upon these matters right now ski resorts are hurting themselves without even really knowing it, not to mention hurting the entire natural world which we love.  I send you this letter not to ridicule your efforts, which are greatly appreciated and supported, just to hopefully open you up to new ideas and further your interest in this attempt to keep our world green, and snowy. I hope to these efforts continued and built upon in the future.

Thank you for your time,
Henry Schwartz