Renewable Energy

After decades of ownership by the Blake family, Taos Ski Valley (TSV) has been purchased by Louis Bacon. This change has left many intensely loyal Taos skiers wondering what is in store for their favorite mountain. While the Taos Ski Valley 2010 Development Plan details future plans there are still unanswered questions. I interviewed Gordon Briner, C.E.O. and Peter Talty, Director of Properties to find out more about the changes in store for Taos Ski Valley.

Hey, ski resort. I know we haven't seen much of each other for a few months but the mornings have been getting cooler and I was thinking about you. I want us to be together every winter, but we need to talk. I love the great times we've had together but we can't keep going on like we used to. We could talk about the weather all the time: When will it snow? How much? Will it be light, fluffy powder or a heavy, wet blanket of snow? But things have changed and I'm worried about our future. We need to talk about CO2 and climate change.

...sitting here on Capitol Hill. The clock is ticking while the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) sits in a Senate committee. If you're not a policy wonk (political nerd) the US Senate must vote on this bill before April 16, 2010 or it expires. Apparently, some Senators are willing to let the bill die. If you are concerned about reducing CO2 emissions nationally and growing renewable energy, then it's time to call or write your Senator.

Austria-based Fischer Sports GMBH has fully converted their ski production to run on renewable power. While their Austrian plant has been powered by biomass since 2001, now their larger facility in Mukachevo, Ukraine is run by a 5.5 MW biomass-fueled power plant. The Ukraine plant was built using state-of-the-art engineering and features the necessary filter systems. This represents a major contribution from Fischer towards achieving the Kyoto environmental objectives.