SUMMIT COUNTY - In a world of businesses operating strictly from the bottom line, and using the cheapest, fastest tools for operations, its easy to overlook available resources that are easier on the environment and have cost-effective, though often long-term, paybacks.

Certain types of businesses are under more pressure than others to meet requirements for resourceful operating procedures and minimizing environmental impacts.

In Summit County, when the bottom line relies directly upon expanding into wildlife and wetland habitat, as is the nature of businesses such as ski resorts and real estate companies, representatives are often under pressure to go above and beyond simply meeting requirements.

"Keystone has had an environmental position for eight years that used to cover Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Breckenridge," said John Gitchell, environmental manager for Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek. "It's kind of evolved over time, now I'm the environmental manager for all four (Vail) resorts. We've adopted a company-wide environmental policy."

There are four elements to Vail Resorts' environmental policy renewable resources, waste elimination, protecting biodiversity, and care for the community. A key focus of the latter is public education, which includes such projects as the energy forum held last week at Keystone, in which representatives from Xcel energy and the Colorado Energy Science Center spoke to several local business owners on the virtues of using sustainable energy resources and environmentally friendly tools.

The information at the forum was not directed exclusively toward the resorts, but covered global concerns such as the United States oil supply, 12 percent of which comes from the Middle East, and also specific strategies that could be used in any operation, such as concise tracking of utilities and retro-fitting energy efficient tools. There are some operations in Summit County that have long since utilized such strategies, such as Bighorn Ace Hardware Materials in Silverthorne. For years, BigHorn owner Don Sather has implemented every green tactic into his building from insulated glass to high-tech photovoltaic systems, natural light to windpower.

Sather and his wife, Betsy, first became interested in solar energy in the 1970s, during the oil embargo when the need for alternative energy gained special attention. This was also when the couple began reading up on the dangers of carcinogenic housing insulation and the long-term payback of natural alternatives. With this new wisdom in mind, they started small, installing solar energy and a few green materials and have since gained status as renowned green gurus of Summit County.

Over time, (health) issues have paralleled issues of sustainability, Sather said. We're depleting the resources and realizing that we've seen spikes at times like the California crisis last year with brown-outs and black-outs leading to having to shut down appliances and things. Those are all wake-up calls. Today, we're so dependant for our own security on imported oil products. Why not, for security reasons, if not for conservation, start investing in means that don't make us so dependant on foreign resources.

Sather said, although there's always room for more green practices, Summit County is fairly conscientious. He notes the hydro-electric plant at Lake Dillon, which serves as a resourceful means of supplying the county's electricity, and up-and-coming private building practices, such as strawbale houses.

Also, the four county resorts have recently dedicated a special section of their Websites to focus on the environment, including green goals, and incorporate energy altenatives and environmentally friendly considerations into future development plans wherever budget permits.

Many might ask why, when putting in a new lift, ski areas don't use strictly green materials and energy sources in an effort to negate the damage of clearing a wilderness area. However, even if resorts budgeted for the extra initial costs of using purely wind power to power lifts, for example, often there is not enough available on the market.

We use as much wind power as we can, said Dylan Hoffman, environmental coordinator at Keystone. One or two-percent of our energy is generated by wind, and if there was more on the market to buy, we would.

Because most green projects at ski resorts, or for any kind of business, involve retro-fitting structures and buildings that have been built without alternative resources in mind, the immediate expenses are given more more consideration than long-term paybacks. But small retro-fits can sometimes be easier than they appear, according to Sather, whether it involves replacing cheap incandescent light bulbs with more expensive, but more sustainable florescent lights, or looking into new products such as a peel-and-stick photovoltaic tool that can be placed on metal roofs.

Even if a full photovoltaic system is installed, such as the one at BigHorn, with an estimated payback period lying 12 to 15 years down the road, unsuspected hikes in the cost of energy sources will often offset this time frame.

It's often a modest return on investment, Sather said. It's not a quick payback. But the public knows energy costs bounce around. Fortunately for us, energy prices began to increase and now (the payback for BigHorn's photovoltaic system) is nine to 10 years.

Sather recommends studying the location of a building or structure to determine alternative, natural energy tools and materials that could be applied to it whether it's a sunny or windy location, or one that lends itself to hydro or thermo resources.

In the Rocky Mountains, there's a lot of hot water below, Sather pointed out. In other parts of the world, we've seen that as a principle kind of heat. Where you are, whether it's the architect or the specialist, it would be wise to do a feasible study on alternative project design. If it's retro-fitting, there are (methods) that are very simple and basic if you look into it. Generally speaking, (green building) is an investment. It takes additional capital up front. And if you're looking at real estate purposes, you're looking at ways to make initial construction affordable. Energy conservation features don't usually surface in people's thinking.

(reprinted by permission of The Ten Mile Times, Jim Pokrandt, Publisher 10/1/01)