It’s late January, do you know where your skis are? Well, it doesn’t really matter because practically every ski area in the Northwest is still closed on account of the incredibly scarce snow. Snoqualmie, Stevens, Baker, White Pass, Mt. Hood Meadows, and Mt. Hood Skibowl–Closed. All of them. Crystal, at Mount Rainier, is partially open. The shuttered ski areas are an ominous indication of climate change.
But there’s a modicum of good news for skiers who like snow. As an alert reader of my earlier post on this subject pointed out, Northwest ski areas are industry leaders in addressing climate change by promoting renewable energy. The Bonneville Environmental Foundation is sponsoring a very cool program called SkiGreen. For a mere $2 skiers can purchase "Mini-GreenTags" that support 100-kilowatt hours of clean wind energy (which releases no planet-warming carbon dioxide), offsetting the energy used driving to the ski area.
