Be Better Here Initiatives
Social Responsibility
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We strive to enact positive change to community well-being both in the local community and the ski industry as a whole. The Be Better Here Fund was put into place as a means of supporting these communities through a variety of philanthropic initiatives. Through the Be Better Here Fund, the resort focuses on providing financial and charitable support to key nonprofit partner organizations, schools, and other fundraising events including but not limited to the below. During our 2023/24 fiscal year, we donated over $2 million in cash and in-kind donations to these entities. rich-text, responsive-table
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We are committed to supporting the progression and development of a community in which individuals from any background can feel comfortable working, exploring, and adventuring. Our team is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for guests and employees alike. To us, the mountains are for everyone.
rich-text, responsive-tableWe work to address four main areas:
Employee Hiring, Training, and Growth
- Proactively recruit employees from all backgrounds at all levels within the resort
- Conduct employee trainings for staff at all levels to better understand, interact with, and provide a welcoming experience for guests of all backgrounds
- Provide career growth opportunities for these staff
Outreach and Inclusion
- Strive to represent people from all backgrounds in our outreach initiatives
- Include these groups in planning for resort offerings including events, products, and activities
Partnerships
- Partner with organizations striving for similar goals to create a more welcoming and diverse industry for both guests and employees
- Ski Vermont Diversity Initiative
- Alterra Mountain Company initiative
- State of VT Racial Equity Task Force
Diversity Committee
- Develop a committee dedicated to ensuring these initiatives move forward with participation at the employee, guest, and community levels
Additional Resources:
Ski Area Management – Snowsports Groups Commit to Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity
Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington
Ski Vermont Diversity Initiative
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Sugarbush is entrusted with the stewardship of lands in the Mad River Valley. Sugarbush is an endorser of the National Ski Areas Association Sustainable Slopes program and is an active participant in the NSAA Climate Challenge - a voluntary program dedicated to helping ski areas inventory, target and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Sugarbush has been recognized and earned Sustainable Slopes Badges in these areas:
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We have a shared responsibility to take climate action seriously and protect the natural environment so that future generations can continue to cultivate a spirit of adventure and camaraderie for many winters to come.
rich-text, responsive-tableEnergy
Sugarbush and Alterra Mountain Company have committed to reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030. Sugarbush has already reduced scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 28% from 2019. Guided by climate science, we are following decarbonization strategies to achieve our climate commitments focused on efficiency, electrification of infrastructure, renewable energy, and collaboration.
SOLAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
In partnership with developer, Green Lantern Solar, Sugarbush is an off taker of a total of 2.75 megawatts of solar energy across eight different solar arrays in Vermont including one at Sugarbush in Parking Lot F. These solar systems produce approximately 4.75 million kWh of electricity or about 47% of our total annual electricity usage.
100% CARBON-FREE ELECTRICITY
In addition to supporting solar development, Green Mountain Power now supplies Sugarbush with 100% carbon-free sourced electricity.
ENERGY EFFICIENT SNOWMAKING
Every year, we replace components of our snowmaking system to make snow more efficiently while reducing the amount of compressed air, energy, and water needed. The resort consumption approximately 33% less electricity now than compared to 10 years ago without compromising either the quality or quantity of snow.
DECARBONIZATION OF OUR HEATING SYSTEMS
We are installing energy efficient electric heat pump HVAC systems which reduce fossil fuel consumption for heating. The Lodge at Lincoln Peak, Mt Ellen Base Lodge, The Farmhouse, Clay Brook, and the Day School are the first facilities with heat pumps.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
We are replacing fossil fuel powered vehicles with EVs. In 2024, we purchased our first all-electric truck and snowmobile with more EVs planned.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
Level 2 EV chargers are available for guests at Mt Ellen, Lincoln Peak, and in the Clay Brook Hotel parking garage so that guests can drive EVs with confidence to and from the resort.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Green Mountain Transit provides free winter public transportation around Sugarbush and throughout the Mad River Valley on the Mad Bus giving guests and employees the opportunity to leave their vehicles at home.
LED LIGHTING
Every base lodge and the SHaRC have been retrofitted with efficient LED lighting.
Waste
WASTE DIVERSION
We strive to reduce single-use products and divert as much waste from the landfill as possible. Our recycling and composting programs now keep approximately 40% of our total waste out of the landfill.HOUSEKEEPING
Our housekeeping team uses bulk cleaning and hygiene products and participates in Clean the World, a program which collects and recycles discarded soap and plastic amenity bottles from our lodging and distributes soap worldwide to support communities vulnerable to hygiene-related illnesses.
Forest
FOREST AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLANS
Portions of Sugarbush Resort are located on leased National Forest System lands and are operated under a Special Use Permit issued by the Green Mountain National Forest. The rest of the resort lands are privately held by Sugarbush Mountain Resort and operated under State of Vermont land use and environmental permits. We have both Vegetation and Forest Management Plans to balance forest and plant health, wildlife diversity and habitat, water and air quality and ski area operations.
HABITAT PROTECTION
From protecting and restoring sensitive high-elevation habitat home to the threatened Bicknell’s Thrush, limiting activity in critical wildlife habitat for black bears, and restoring local stream riparian zones, Sugarbush is committed to protecting our mountain ecosystems.
Water
STROMWATER AND STREAM REPAIR
Stormwater is precipitation (snowmelt and rainwater) that runs off impervious surfaces rather than infiltrating into the soil. Stormwater management techniques are employed throughout the resort to remove pollutants, and slow, spread and sink stormwater back into the ground before it enters the watershed. We have completed amulti-year water-quality remediation planwhich has resulted in the clean-up of several important high-elevation streams at the resort including Rice and Gadd Brooks.
DRINKING WATER
Our Mountain Water Company is committed to providing safe, clean drinking water to resort guests. Resort drinking water comes from the Clay Brook and fourteen bedrock wells, where water is pumped using energy-efficient pumping technology.
WASTEWATER
Wastewater (sewer) from the resort is separated and cleaned through a carefully controlled and monitored process that involves collection, filtration, aeration, and disinfection. Lincoln Peak Wastewater Treatment and Mountain Wastewater Treatment are our two large facilities that process waste back into clean water.
SEW COMMITTEE
The SEW (Safety, Environment, and Wellness) Committee and an employee committee made up of members from all departments to make improvements to the safety and well-being of our employees and the resort’s environmental stewardship. Some of our initiatives include:- Annual “SEW Day”, an educational day for all staff to celebrate and further SEW focus areas
- Annual “Green-up day” when staff clean up litter around the resort community
- Water bottle filling stations at the Gate House Lodge, Mt Ellen Lodge, and the SHaRC
- Improvements to waste management
- Formalization of a resort-wide no-idling policy
- Replacement of Torchlight parade flares with reusable LED lights
- Pedestrian safety and outdoor lighting improvements
- Elimination of plastic straw use
- Promotion of “Know the Code”
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Charitable Donation Inquiry
Sugarbush Resort receives many inquiries for charitable donations from worthy endeavors, events and organizations around the region. As the number of requests exceeds our giving capacity, we tend to prioritize those requestors from the following areas:
- Those that support our local communities here in the Mad River Valley
- Those that support the greater Vermont area or in other ways champion outdoor recreation, sustainability initiatives and/or DEI
- Those that are integrated into markets key to our business
- Others that are near and dear to our staff and/or key customer base
The Resort does not give cash contributions nor donate lodging packages. A typical donation is a pair of summer or winter non-holiday lift tickets.
To request a charitable donation, please complete the form below in entirety. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Requests are reviewed on the 15th of each month with decisions made and communicated to recipients by the 30th of each month. Sugarbush does not review any requests during our peak winter period from mid-December through February. Please plan accordingly.
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Charitable Donation Form