For West Coast skiers, concerns about climate change are growing. Wildfires are affecting air quality and even destroying ski resorts in the summer and fall, and the lack of powder is diminishing snow quality in the winter and spring. The Aspen Skiing Company, which owns Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass, is one of the leaders in the industry in terms of addressing global warming. A major concern in the ski industry is Methane, which contributes 11% to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. 
In 2012, the Aspen Skiing Company opened a methane-capture plant on the site of an old coal mine in Somerset, Colorado. The plant converts methane that would usually go into the atmosphere and instead uses it for energy on the power grid. According to the Aspen Times, the plant “generates between $100,000 to $150,000 in revenue per month from electricity and carbon credit sales to Holy Cross Energy.” In the video down below, ABC News went to Aspen to talk with the Aspen Skiing Company and check out the methane-capture plant.
Image/Video Credits: Aspen Snowmass, ABC News
