Ski Areas as Climate Advocates: Using Business Influence to Advance Climate Policy

Project Overview

Ski areas sit in an unusual position: they are often among the largest employers and tax generators in their mountain communities, they depend directly on a stable climate, and they have strong brands that people love. The panel argued that this combination gives resorts real power to shape climate policy, and that advocacy is a distinct job from greening their own operations. As Chris Miller of Aspen One put it, sustainability is about solving a company’s own problems, while advocacy is about putting the company’s influence behind solving bigger problems for the community and society.

The panelists described advocacy as something that happens at every level. Arapahoe Basin starts locally: building relationships with elected officials so that they have each other’s cell numbers, holding a seat on the board of the High Country Conservation Center (which has worked with the county on a climate action plan), participating in the I-70 Coalition on transportation to the ski areas, and joining NSAA and Ceres in Washington, DC to speak for clean energy policy. Tony Cammarata stressed that advocacy can be as simple as a cup of coffee with someone who shares a problem with you, and that local conversations are practice for harder ones.

Advocacy does not always involve elected officials. Anna Nason described attending a Lake Tahoe electric transportation forum to push for transit to Mt. Rose and to build support for renewable diesel, using passholder and employee feedback to make her case. She said the key is having your facts, your story, and your shared goals dialed in before you walk into the room. Mt. Rose, an independent, family-owned mountain near Reno that employs about 800 people a season, also encouraged its internal green team to comment in support of the county’s new sustainability strategy.

On handling requests to weigh in on issues such as utility resource planning at a public utilities commission, the panel recommended clarity about business priorities, an internal team rather than a single gatekeeper, and a simple test used at Arapahoe Basin: would we advocate for this even if no one had asked us? Staff who are not subject matter experts can draw on colleagues and local partners before deciding whether to take a public position.

The panel also addressed the current political climate. Miller noted that Aspen One operates on federal land under federal permits, yet argued that climate change is not actually a divisive issue with the public, citing Yale climate communication research that 69% of Americans think climate change is happening versus 15% who do not, and that 32% of Americans had rewarded companies for climate action in the past 12 months while 25% had punished bad actors. Cammarata and Nason emphasized finding common ground (clean air, clean water, rivers, jobs, efficiency) to keep hard conversations open, whether with a congressional staffer or a 30-year maintenance employee.

Results and examples shared include Arapahoe Basin reaching its carbon neutrality goal a year ahead of its 2025 target (which Cammarata described as a first for a U.S. ski area) and winning the top award from Colorado’s green business program, and Aspen One opening what Miller called the largest all-electric hotel in the country in Boulder, with another all-electric hotel planned in Mammoth. Nason described a stalled effort to get a Nevada renewable diesel incentive (quotes ran $1 to $3 more per gallon) and her next idea: forming a purchasing group to negotiate a better deal with a vendor.

Lessons Learned

Start local and build relationships before you need them

Advocacy can begin with a cup of coffee with a local official or nonprofit partner. Relationships built in advance mean you can make a call when your organization needs something, and partners will also come to you for input and support. Local conversations are practice for higher-stakes ones at the state and federal level.

Know your story and your numbers

Before any advocacy conversation, have your facts, the human side of the story, and the shared goals clear. Mt. Rose used feedback from passholders and employees to make the case for transit. The story can evolve, but it needs to be ready.

Use a clear filter for incoming requests

When asked to sign a letter or show up at a hearing, ask whether you would advocate for this even if no one had asked. Talk it through with an internal team rather than routing everything through one person, and lean on colleagues and local partners for expertise you lack. Distinguish between what the business endorses and what staff can do in a personal capacity.

Lead with common ground

With skeptical staffers, lawmakers, or long-time employees, open with things no one argues about: clean air, clean water, a favorite river, jobs, and making work easier and more efficient. Tony Cammarata recalled spotting a photo of the Salmon River in a congressional office and using it to start the conversation. Then connect it to what climate change means for ski area jobs and rural economies.

Your guests and marketing teams are untapped assets

Resorts have world-class marketing and storytelling skills and visitors who love the outdoors. Chris Miller argued that steering that passion for place toward climate solutions could help build the broader political support needed for policy change. Ski brands also open doors with lawmakers: the moderator noted that a ski area logo on a coalition letter gets attention.

Not every effort has to win to count

Nason’s push for a Nevada renewable diesel incentive stalled when a legislator said a bill should come from a nonprofit and a conservation group declined to take it on for now. Even so, officials and partners now know Mt. Rose is ready to act when costs come down, and she is pursuing a purchasing group as an alternative path.

Program Contacts

Kelly Trombley, Director, State Policy (moderator), Ceres
Tony Cammarata, Director of Development and Planning, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Christopher Miller, SVP, Sustainability and Advocacy, Aspen One
Anna Nason, Sustainability Manager, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe