In the spring of 1992, while I was mountain manager, I received an environmental wake-up call. One of our grooming staff had left a diesel nozzle wide open and failed to shut off a connecting safety valve. The result was a 1,300-litre diesel spill flowing into an adjacent creek that led to prime fish habitat. The smell of diesel overtook the area and our dispatch office was flooded with calls from concerned guests and staff. Local media were immediately on the scene and a few hours later officials from the Ministry of the Environment arrived to take statements. The Ministry official indicated to us that we would likely be prosecuted.
In my role as mountain manager I dealt with many incidents, sometimes catastrophic. I was surprised at how emotionally difficult it was to deal with this particular event. We had practiced excellent due diligence with respect to the safety of our guests and staff. Comprehensive programs were in place so that every reasonable step was taken to ensure public safety. Unfortunately, our systems for protecting the environment at the time were non-existent. This fuel spill illustrated our neglect in establishing our environmental programs. Without forethought, we had situated our fuel storage area next to a creek!
With nervousness and apprehension, I met with the local media. I openly admitted that it had been our neglect that had caused the current situation and outlined all of the steps we were taking to clean up the diesel and ensure due diligence in the future. Headlines the following day read, “Mountains Making Every Effort to Clean up Spill.” This influenced the Ministry of the Environment not to prosecute. This taught me my first lesson in controlling our environmental destiny. Be up-front and honest about your environmental issues and problems. This open communication enhances our relationships, builds trust and respect and helps to disarm potential opposition.
Immediately after our diesel spill incident, we hired a graduate student to help us develop a comprehensive environmental management system. Still in the early 90’s, our industry was not yet under the environmental microscope. Local, national and international environmental groups were burying our neighboring communities, reliant on forestry. There was no question that they would one day set their sights on us.
Three key points were learned as we watched the forestry industry collapse under the environmental hammer. The first point was to never boast about being a strong environmental performer. Our provincial forest industry launched many advertising campaigns promoting themselves as responsible stewards of the forest. However, it was all too easy for environmental groups to discredit the forest industry claims.
The second point is that we must keep our issues local. International environmental groups such as Greenpeace require causes that appeal to a mass audience to drive memberships and donations. Because members of these international groups do not live and work in our communities, they are able to focus on only one aspect of the issue and maintain a strictly preservationist stance. Local environmental groups have first-hand knowledge of the local situation and can be held accountable to the community and economy. Often, but not always, local environmental groups are accountable to what we call a triple bottom line—the sustainability of the economy, community and environment. Environmental issues must be kept local to find balanced solutions which are sensitive to all three.
In areas where state, national and international groups have yet to have an impact, there is still opportunity for ski areas to control their environmental destinies. They must understand the concerns and needs of local groups and work together so that there will not be a need for larger groups to become involved.
The irony is that local environmental groups will ultimately keep Big Brother out. Rather than viewing local groups as a potential adversary to the ski area, they can be seen as partners in keeping issues local.
In 1996, we formed a small environment and resource planning team. A key objective of this team was to develop relationships with the six active environmental concern groups in Whistler. We decided to take this one step further and create our own community environmental group called HIT (Habitat Improvement Team), dedicated to improving wildlife habitat in the resort of Whistler. Each of Whistler’s environmental concern groups selects one or two habitat improvement projects for HIT, while Whistler/Blackcomb staff co-ordinate the projects with community volunteers. The group is non-political in the sense that we do not debate or discuss issues, but rather go out into the community to tackle projects hands-on.
The proactive role that the mountains have taken in developing HIT has done much to improve interaction and relationships with local concern groups. We have found we are able to direct our environmental initiatives toward solutions that are mutually beneficial.
Our local media recognize our efforts and are less likely to focus on the negative aspects of issues when the company enjoys local respect and trust.
The third point we learned in watching our forest industry crumble was that if the ski and tourism industry chooses to control its environmental destiny, it must lead conservation initiatives.
Leading conservation means more than meeting regulatory requirements. It means becoming the expert in understanding, sustaining and enhancing the flora and fauna of your ski area—becoming the educator and problem-solver, not an object of criticism.
Most importantly, where it is not too late, we must keep issues local where compromise and balance are obtainable. We must become the educator rather than the responder where environmental matters are concerned. If we lead conservation, we will determine our own environmental destiny. If we follow, others will determine that destiny for us.
