At Banff Sunshine Village, we are proud to call the Canadian Rockies our home. We take great pride in being stewards of our land. Here's some of our on mountain environmental initiatives.
MANKIND AND NATURE PLAYING IN HARMONY, WE CARE ABOUT THIS SPECIAL PLACE. At Sunshine Village, we work and play in the heart of Banff National Park, an area so special, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sunshine and Parks Canada are in constant contact to ensure our winter sports have minimal impact on this unique location. Here are some of the things we're doing to ensure the environment remains the #1 priority.
In the spring of 2002, Sunshine began an ongoing initiative to maximize the efficiency of its water supply and sewage treatment capacities. All on-mountain buildings were refitted with high-efficiency fixtures, cutting water use per-skier visit by 29 percent. On peak days, per-skier water use is down 38 percent. In late 2008, Sunshine also completed an upgrade at the water filtration plant that further improves the quality of our effluent water. Some of our water conservation practices include:
- Dual flush toilets and water-free urinals
- High-efficiency showerheads
- Low-flow faucet aerators
- Metering faucets in public washrooms
- Training of management and staff in efficient water use.
WE DON'T MAKE SNOW, WE FARM IT
Sitting high atop the Continental Divide provides Sunshine with up to nine metres (30 feet) of Canada's Best Snow annually.
We capture snow instead of making it. Sunshine Village's trail crew builds over 30 kilometres of snow-fencing annually. Placed perpendicular to the prevailing winds, the fencing captures snow and builds the snowpack without the need for artificial means.
Sunshine operates only four snow machines to build the snowpack in the lower ski-out and the Ski & Snowboard School beginner areas in the early season. Once a base is developed, the snowmakers are turned off and we let nature run its course to provide Canada's Best Snow.
Every Time we do building renovations, we upgrade them to the highest environmental standards. These environmental enhancements are highlighted in the new West Wing of the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, which opened in December 2009, and the new Creekside building, which opened in November 2010.
The new Sunshine Mountain Lodge received many upgrades to meet these high environmental standards. Some of the highlights of the new lodge include:
- The use of passive solar through high-efficiency windows to maximize heat gain
- Reduction of water consumption by 44 percent
- Reduction of energy consumption by 20 percent
The Sunshine Mountain Lodge was built with natural stone and styled with a colour palette chosen to be in harmony with its surroundings. The Lodge site includes vegetation native to the area as part of the post-construction site remediation
Sunshine Village regularly upgrades its fleet of vehicles to take advantage of the most fuel-efficient models, including hybrids. Our snowmobiles are all low-emission, four-stroke models.
Sunshine buses its staff from Canmore and Banff for free, encouraging carpooling and lowering fuel emissions. We also encourage guests staying in Banff, Canmore and Lake Louise to utilize the Sunshine bussing service to cut down on emissions.
Sunshine promotes recycling on the mountain, and provides recycling bins in all our facilities for guest use. Butt-out containers are also provided for guest use to avoid cigarette litter.
1-877-542-2633