About Us
Environmental Awareness
Sun Valley Resort has long been a responsible steward of its spectacular natural setting. The majority of Sun Valley’s lodging facilities were developed in the 1930’s and have been curated with a keen eye toward quality and sustainability. The resort continues to steward both its significant private lands and, in conjunction with the BLM and USFS, the federal lands under lease. After an extensive sustainability assessment in recent years, the resort is systematically incorporating environmental concerns into its operation.
The most recent demonstration of this pledge is the construction of a new high performance, Green design Laundry. This new, high efficiency, state-of-the-art 21,500 sq. ft. facility was sited to minimize transportation to resort facilities and lessen the resort’s carbon footprint.
The laundry equipment installed throughout the facility includes a large capacity “tunnel washer” that recycles water five times through five cycles, saving 75 percent of the amount of water compared to standard commercial water systems. Previously, it took three gallons of water for every pound of linens washed, now only one-half gallon of water is required for one lb. of linen. The system also has the ability to wash three times the laundry capacity that the resort now handles. This water recycling and savings also has a significant soap and chemical savings with substantially less effluent discharge.
On a broader scale, Sun Valley Resort has received an “A” for its environmental stewardship by the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition. The resort was rated in nearly 40 environmental criteria including habitat protection, preserving environmentally sensitive areas, protecting watersheds, water conservation, addressing global climate change, renewable energy, transportation, environmental policies and policy positions, waste stream management, purchasing and environmental reporting and accountability.
Some highlights include:
*Partnering with the USFS, Ketchum Ranger District, to protect Bald Mountain trees from Douglas Fir bark beetle attacks by application of MCH (pheromone) flakes and pouches.
*Expansion of our recycling program resulting in over 31% of all waste recycled in the past year, up from 27% the previous year. This program diverted 480 tons of waste from the landfill.
*In room recycling is now in its third year, recycling customer use products by donating these goods, shampoos, lotions, and bath gels to low income and homeless people of Idaho through the Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho; 1,200 pounds of sundries have been donated.
*Adoption of a composting program resulted in 125.6 tons of kitchen and lawn waste composted.
*91,182 kWh are being saved annually through lighting retrofits in four of our largest maintenance facilities. An additional 691,003 kWh in annual savings are close behind.
*Partnering with the National Forest Foundation in the Ski Conservation Fund, a program designed to raise money for the care of surrounding national forest lands.
Sun Valley Resort continues to commit to the intelligent integration of sustainability concepts and practices into the organizational culture and operating practices of the resort.
