The operators of 250 French ski resorts presented this Friday, October 2, a series of measures for the environment, at the start of a season that risks being marked by the coronavirus epidemic.
The ski lift operators of the 250 French ski resorts presented Friday in Grenoble their commitments for the environment, a priority despite the Covid crisis
.
We took the quantifiable and the quantifiable so as not to fall into the accusation of greenwashing
, said Alexandre Maulin, president of Domaines skiables de France (DSF), during the association’s annual conference.
These 16 commitments, decided collectively, concern energy consumption, water and waste management, and the preservation of biodiversity and landscapes.
Alexandre Maulin assured that NGOs like WWF and Mountain Wilderness will be able to verify the application.
Carbon footprint
The carbon footprint of a ski holiday depends above all on transport (60%) and accommodation (35%). The ski lifts only contribute 2%, but it is on this very small portion – the only one which directly concerns ski lift operators – that DSF intends to work.
As 95% of this carbon footprint is generated by grooming, the focus will be on supporting the manufacture of snow groomers. hydrogen to have a neutral carbon footprint by 2037. By then, snow groomer operators will be trained in driving less fuel-efficient (to allow 5 to 10% savings).
For the lifts, which operate on electricity, the speed may be reduced in the event of a lower influx of skiers and some, redundant, closed outside the high season.
We hope for up to 15% savings on a device during its season
, said Alexandre Maulin.
Biodiversity, waters, landscapes …
Water management will be a strategic point
because it contributes to the capacity to manufacture artificial snow: the snow will be measured more finely to optimize the volumes of snow to be produced. In addition, water sharing with pastoralists will be better organized in order to support pastoralism in the mountains.
On biodiversity, each operator must have made an inventory of the fauna, flora and natural spaces within five years. And at the same time, all cables that could be a danger to large birds such as tétras-lyres (Alps) and capercaillie (Pyrenees) will be equipped with signs.
On waste, operators commit to at least one collection operation each year and to educate customers. Because in the spring, up to 30,000 cigarette ends can be found under a 10-pylon chairlift; a cigarette butt pollutes 1 cubic meter of snow and 500 liters of water
, according to DSF.
Finally, for the preservation of landscapes, the abandoned lifts will begin to be dismantled and removed from next summer. All earthworks will be followed by revegetation with endemic seeds.
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