An Epic Week Celebrating an Epic Future

From teaching kids about energy to recycling, forest conservation, and charitable giving, we’ve explored some pretty amazing impacts the EpicPromise program has had right here in our own Breck backyard, but there’s one important topic we haven’t covered: EpicPromise itself! In celebration of Breck’s upcoming EpicPromise week, let’s find out a little more about the Vail Resorts program that’s all about giving back!

Like most companies, Vail Resorts has a list of values it encourages all its resorts and employees to engage in. One of these values is “Do Good,” which is a call to preserve local environments and support local communities. Through initiatives covering environmental stewardship, energy and water efficiency, recycling, composting, charitable giving, and volunteerism, EpicPromise is the way Vail Resorts puts this idea into action.

Not only is the list of positive impacts EpicPromise has had truly inspiring, it’s also way too long to list in this blog! But once you start looking, you’ll discover EpicPromise programs all across the slopes and mountain communities. Here are just a few examples:

• As a whole, Vail Resorts diverts more than 40% of its waste through recycling, composting, and materials reuse. Breck and Keystone both divert nearly 90% of their food waste by partnering with Summit County’s compost program.

• One of EpicPromise’s proudest achievements is Target 10. In 2008, Vail Resorts committed to reducing its energy use by 10%, and meeting that goal took just a few years! Setting its sights higher, Vail Resorts is now focused on The Next 10, which is the company’s goal of cutting energy use another 10% by 2020.

• Wood chips created during Breckenridge’s Peak 6 expansion were sent to a nearby biomass plant where they were used to generate electricity and to the Climax Mine near Leadville where they were used for habitat restoration.

• Each year, Vail Resorts employees volunteer over 20,000 hours of their time to local non-profit organizations. Vail Resorts also hosts EpicPromise Day, which is a company-wide volunteer day.

EpicPromise is about radiating good in all that we do, and we can all get involved, whether by donating to forest, habitat, and wildlife conservation funds or recycling while we’re on the mountains and at home. You can read about the more of program’s achievements and even share your own sustainability success stories on the EpicPromise website.  And you can even snag some sweet EpicPromise swag if you visit Breckenridge Ski Resort during EpicPromise week.

Just in time for EpicPromise Week, EpicPromise is now a part of EpicMix!
Did you know that since 2009, Vail Resorts has saved enough energy to power 3,326 average U.S. homes for a year? Earn the brand-new EpicPromise pin as a part of the EpicMix Challenge by skiing 3,326 vertical feet at any of our resorts.

Even though EpicPromise Week is an important time to raise awareness about issues that matter to all of us, we can live EpicPromise every day. We skiers and riders share a passion for the outdoors, and we should work together to protect the natural playgrounds that inspire countless smiles, family adventures, and shouts of joy. That way, we make our own epic promises for an epic future!

– Jess Hoover