Green Meetings

Ski with a Ranger
To enhance the outdoor experience, we offer guests the chance to ski with a US Forest Service ranger. The program brings guests the unique opportunity to view wild habitats and gain knowledge about the forests that make up our resort areas.

Community Outreach
Lend a hand and have fun as you become a steward to the national forest for a day. Swing a tool on projects ranging from tree planting to trail improvement in the White River National Forest with our partner non-profit organization Friends of the Dillon Ranger District.

Recycled Community Art Project
Tap into your inner artist, have fun as a team and leave a lasting community impression long after your event is over.  Our community art project diverts materials from our recycling stream which are used to create works of art that will be placed with a commemorative placard along our pedestrian walkway and throughout Keystone’s Villages.

Guest Donation
Guests are offered the opportunity to donate $1 when they purchase season passes, buy tickets online, play a round of golf at one of our golf courses or stay at one of our lodging properties. In Colorado and in South Lake Tahoe, the donation goes directly to our partnership with the National Forest Foundation and has generated more than $1.7 million in contributions to forest health projects in local communities.
Click here to learn more about the Guest Donation program

David Sackmann
Keystone's designated green meetings team leader for Keystone Resort & Conference Center and co-founder of the Colorado Chapter of the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC). He is active with GMIC locally and nationally. David partnered with Kim Langmaid with the National Forest Foundation to prepare group on-mountain projects for our ECHO Conferences offerings and is one of the authors of Vail Resorts “ECHO Meetings Program” guide.

Jason Komes
Keystone’s Environmental Manager, Jason Komes strives to make it easy for our guests, employees and overall community to be involved with our sustainability initiatives and enhancing our already epic outdoor experience through education and outreach. Jason brings novel ideas to improving our landfill diversion rates including implementing a single-stream recycling program at Keystone managed properties through partnering with  Keystone-managed, Home Owner Association to increase participation in organic (compostable) waste collection. Jason also actively participates in local sustainability nonprofits; developing best practices and improving resources for hazardous waste collection and disposal; and continually looks to develop, implement and pursue new ways to reduce resource consumption.

Keystone Resort conservation and energy initiatives:

• Composting - composted nearly 100 tons of food scraps during the 2010-2011 ski season; double the number from the 2009-2010 ski season. 
• Best in-class Compost Project –154 Tons. All of the compostable materials collected are delivered to the local Composting Cell at the landfill to be sold locally for soil enrichment. Currently 4 sites at Keystone are composting, including the Conference Center, the Lodge and Spa, the Ranch Restaurants and The Outpost.
• Recycling – Recycling program that prevents plastics, tin and aluminum cans, newspaper, office paper, and cardboard from entering the landfill continues to recycle over 1000 tons per year.Water and Energy Conservation – switched to energy-efficient lighting, snow-making and installed “low-flow” water fixtures.
• Building Efficiency Upgrades – The Lodge and Spa’s million dollar upgrade save 20-30% on heating.
• Pine Beetles – along with all Western Slope resorts, the natural infestation of Pine Beetle has damaged and killed thousands of Lodgepole Pines. Keystone is working vigilantly to protect the healthy trees while using recycled pine for mountain signage.
  
  The material recycled and composted by Keystone Conference Center every year is equivalent to:
    - saving 18 households of energy for one year
    - preventing 106 trees from being cut down and turned into paper products
    - preventing 138 tons of air emissions from being emitted into the atmosphere
    - taking 66 cars off the road for one year