Named after the concept of an “easy green” trail at a resort, the idea embodies the idea that making sustainable choices when skiing and snowboarding can be easy. As climate change poses a growing threat to winter sports, Easy Green drives a collective commitment to sustainable practices through five easy actions and recognizing the urgent need to secure the future of our winters.

5 Easy Actions

Your choices, voice and action can make a difference. Just like the first time cruising down a green trail making sustainable choices when skiing and snowboarding can be easy.

These small actions lead to big results. 

1. Bring Your Bottle: Hydrate responsibly. Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S.
Using a reusable water bottle saves an average of 156 plastic bottles annually.

2. Carpool To The Slope: More than 266 million vehicles consume millions of barrels of petroleum every day in the United States. Team up via carpool or public transportation to the mountain to promote environmental sustainability, save money on fuel and reduce traffic congestion.

3. Advocate For Change: Write to your local representatives and share information about climate change's impact on snowsports to support systemic solutions. We work with Protect Our Winters, but advocate in any way you see fit.

4. Recycle Your Gear: Americans throw away about 70 pounds of textiles each year, amounting to 17 million tons of annual waste. Donate and recycle your old ski clothes and equipment. The World Economic Forum has resources for recycling fabric and Outside has a list of recycling spots for outdoor gear. 

5. Spend Green: Choose gear brands and resorts that prioritize sustainability. Research their practices, ask questions or contact your local environmental agency for more information.

OFFSETS 

Our goal is to reduce our carbon footprint, and for this fiscal year, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has secured funding to offset 10% of our carbon footprint. Alongside this immediate action, we will embark on a fundraising campaign with the goal of offsetting 100% or more of our carbon footprint annually by 2030.

We measured our carbon footprint with Greenly and partnered with Anew Climate, one of the largest developers of forestry credits to help offset our carbon impact. Anew aligned us with the Bayfield Forestry Project. This initiative is comprised of 50% Conservation VERs and 50% Verified Removals, focusing on enhanced forest management practices in Wisconsin. This public land is not only a hub for various recreational activities, but also the host of the American Birkebeiner, the largest cross country ski race in the United States.

REDUCING CARBON IMPACT 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has formed a sustainability task force with leaders within the climate change industry that help to guide our actions. This includes installing electric vehicle charging stations and solar at our headquarters, the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah. We also have a hybrid fleet of Toyota cars, and utilize the energy-efficient vehicles for domestic transportation and an employee carpool program to and from the office. Employees also work remotely multiple times a week to reduce the need to commute. And finally, we promote sustainable practices at events we organize, manage and sanction.

AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS

By working with sports and athletes that have a massive, global audience, we can educate and drive action through awareness campaigns. As an example, our alpine team wore climate change-themed race suits at the 2023 FIS Ski World Championships, designed to bring attention to the world's changing temperatures on a global stage. Each suit sported a vista of melting glaciers designed by our technical apparel partner Kappa and featured the Protect Our Winters logo. We also hosted the World Cup for Climate at the Stifel America's Downhill at Aspen in 2023, complete with panels and discussions on the topic.

For both of these activations, POW gave U.S. Ski & Snowboard their annual Jake Burton Award, which recognizes partners who have demonstrated leading the charge in creating cultural shifts needed to take on climate as a community.

While we have made strides on sustainability we are keenly aware that this is part of a much longer journey. We are committed to continuous improvement and innovation in our sustainability efforts.

We're proud to partner with leaders in the industry to make us better as we pursue sustainable action.