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WB shares progress in ongoing battle against climate change

Company reduces carbon footprint by half, saving $1M per year
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The good news is that from a climate change perspective, Whistler Blackcomb will continue to get snow — and possibly more of it — for a long, long time. Climate data collected over three-and-a-half decades helps to confirm what climate scientists have long predicted for this part of the world, namely that the Pacific Coast of North America will see wetter winters — and slightly drier summers — at a time when other regions are generally getting hotter and drier.

But while snow in Whistler might be reliable, Whistler Blackcomb has other climate change concerns, including the impact of climate change on the ski industry as a whole. For example, if ski resorts around the world are forced to close due to the lack of snow then who's going to come to Whistler to ski? And the economic impacts of climate change, such as the cost of natural disasters and rising food prices, could also impact the ability of people to ski.

To help combat the problem and share their many successes with other resorts and operators in the tourism industry, Whistler Blackcomb's mountain planning and environmental resource manager, Arthur DeJong, has released a book that contains all of the data and results from their own in-house climate change initiatives called "Whistler Blackcomb's Climate Change and Resource Efficiency Strategy."

According to DeJong, the goal is to share that research with as many people as possible, underlining the business case for combatting climate change and for resorts to invest in things like summer grooming of slopes and snowmaking.

"The more people we can inspire, the more meaningful it is," he said of the report. "The door can't be wide enough. (The book) is pointed at the ski industry and the tourism sector because that's what we're in, that's who we influence, but that's still significant — somewhere between nine and 10 per cent of the global economy, depending on which report your read, is the tourism sector. It's a very important industry that employs a lot of people."

Changing temperatures

The data for the report was gathered over 35 years, from 1976 to 2011. That includes snowfall, snow depths, temper ature data and other measurable information that's collected by WB as part of day-to-day operations.

Winter temperatures are roughly 0.5 degrees warmer on average, says DeJong, although it's been wetter and the amount of snow falling on the high alpine has actually increased over the study period. In the valley, snowfall is increasing as well, although snow depths vary.

Summers have been more dramatic with an average two degree increase in temperatures, something DeJong says could contribute to the wildfire risk with drier forests and more fuel to burn.

"I was very surprised by this," said DeJong. "My experience, having been here for over three decades, is that our snowpack has been stable. I was surprised to see that it's actually increasing in the higher elevations, and even more surprised to see that it was increasing in the valley.

"Keep in mind that these are trend lines and it varies from year to year. That was as far as we could get reliable data, or we would have gone further back."

While Whistler's weather data is consistent with long-term climate modeling, there is a chance that the amount of snow at lower elevations will decrease. According to the International Panel on Climate Change, a one-degree Celsius increase in the average temperature results in an overall rise in the snow line of approximately 120 metres. If temperatures do increase over the long term by three or four degrees, as some climate scientists are predicting, then that could translate to a rise of 360 metres to 480 metres, which comes close to Whistler's village base of 675 metres.

DeJong says the resort's activities over the last decade reflect this reality, with Whistler Blackcomb investing in opening more of the alpine with initiatives like the Symphony Express chair and the current project to replace the Harmony Express with a six-seater chair and move the old Harmony Chair to the Crystal Chair area. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which allows skiers and snowboarders to move between the low alpine of Whistler and Blackcomb without skiing or downloading to the valley, also reflected climate change concerns.

As well as increasing lifts and terrain in the alpine, DeJong says the resort's investments in snowmaking — the fleet is now 270 snow guns strong — helps to fill in the lower mountain and ensure that people can ride to the bottom for most of the season. Furthermore, the resort has invested over the years in summer grooming — levelling off ski runs, removing rocks and small trees and planting grass — to allow them to open runs to skiers with less snow.

Whistler Blackcomb recommends both snowmaking and summer grooming to other resorts as part of efforts to reduce the impact of climate change.

"We do want (smaller resorts) to succeed because they ultimately feed the destination areas like ours," says DeJong. "How we've built resilience into our operations should be an industry focus. Some of the smaller, lower areas need to look at more snowmaking, and they need to look at summer grooming, so they can sustain the experience with less natural snow."

The report also looks at the potential for diversification. While skiing and snowboarding is Whistler Blackcomb's core business, they've also invested in off-season facilities like the bike park, summer hiking trails and attractions like Peak 2 Peak.

Setting a goal for "net zero"

The 125-page report includes the resort's progress to become more sustainable — an initiative that dates back to 1993 and a fuel spill on Blackcomb Mountain.

Post spill, Blackcomb Mountain (a separate entity from Whistler Mountain at the time) worked with Simon Fraser University School of Resource and Environmental Management to develop a sustainability plan that has been updated and improved in the years since.

The results have been dramatic, and DeJong says Whistler Blackcomb is close to halfway in reaching its "net zero" goal for carbon. While there have been some costs to that, the savings from energy efficiencies and other programs are now closing in on a million dollars every year — mainly by reducing hydro bills, but also by reducing fuel consumption. Waste has been reduced by 60 per cent.

DeJong says it was crucial to make a business case for sustainability, and to continue to reinvest savings from energy efficiencies into creating additional efficiencies.

"Our goal is to become a zero footprint company," he says. "When I say that to an audience, they look at me like I'm some middle-aged, hairless hippy who hasn't let go of his bong, because they'll say that it's not possible. But when I present the metrics I can show that we're almost halfway there, if you factor in what the Fitzsimmons Creek (electricity) project does. That's a significant metric. To take an idea that one day you'll become net zero for carbon — and show people that it conforms to the true business model — which is that we're saving money doing it — then there's no better way to compel the business industry to change."

Partnerships make it possible

DeJong says that one thing has become clear looking at the big picture, and that's the importance of partnerships, including a partnership with BC Hydro to overhaul the resort's electrical systems and a partnership with Ledcor Power and Innergex Renewable Energy to build a run-of-river hydroelectric project on Fitzsimmons Creek that produces as much electricity as Whistler Blackcomb uses each year.

"One core message of the entire document is that nothing that Whistler Blackcomb has succeeded with in terms of becoming more sustainable could have happened without an active partner... so this document is very much a call out for these kinds of permanent partnerships. And we, as a global society, need to unify on this quickly," DeJong says.

The Seventh Step

Whistler Blackcomb's framework for sustainability includes seven different steps. The first three are the assessment phase, which includes looking at the potential impacts of climate change, tracking emissions and setting commitments to reduce emissions. The current five-year plan, 2013-2018, calls for an additional 20 per cent reduction in the resort's operating footprint.

The next three steps are the Action Phase, all of which are ongoing. One step is mitigation, such as reducing carbon emissions and waste; another is adaptation, such as expanding lifts and trails into the alpine; and another is risk diversification, such as increasing summer visits through mountain biking and high alpine attractions like the Peak 2 Peak.

Whistler Blackcomb has made progress on all six steps, and is now in the seventh step, which is advocacy. To that end, DeJong says that they've made all of the information in the report publicly available, although the report is the first time that the information has been assembled in one place. In that sense, he says it's also valuable for Whistler Blackcomb.

DeJong says it's overwhelming to see all of the resort's past activities collected in one document.

"You do one thing and then move onto the next, and you kind of forget all of the things you've done," said DeJong. "But when you take a step back, it's also clear that we haven't done enough... this generation has to fix this problem, it's not for future generations because the impacts of (climate change) are already upon us. We're over 400 parts per million carbon dioxide, and frequently the 450 ppm mark is seen as the breaking point by many climate scientists. The point of no return."

DeJong says its important for mountain resorts to take a leadership role in climate change — not just because they're directly affected in terms of snowfall, but because they have the potential to reach millions of visitors.

"We can truly be a model for global tourism," he says, "and that's great for business — we can likely save money doing it, it makes us a more attractive resort and a more inspirational place to visit.

"In a global village, Whistler can be a guiding light in the effort to decarbonize our society."