MMSA is committed to resource conservation and pollution
prevention to eliminate or minimize adverse environmental
impacts.
Sierra Star Reclaimed Water
MMSA partnered with the Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD)
to install the first recycled "gray" water system in the Eastern
Sierra. The system, going on-line at MMSA's Sierra Star Golf
Course in summer 2010, utilizes up to 320 acre feet per year of
reclaimed water, making Sierra Star's fairways the "greenest"
greens in the High Sierra. Sierra Star's course will be
watered with one hundred percent reclaimed water, saving enough
potable water to serve almost one thousand households, or roughly
one third of the Town of Mammoth Lakes' permanent residents.
The system works by processing gray water at the MCWD
facilities, then piping it to Sierra Star through a closed
infrastructure system. The project is a model for
public-private partnerships, and helped MMSA win the 2010 NSAA
Silver Eagle Award for Excellence in Water Conservation.
LEED Buildings
MMSA leads the way in the Eastern Sierra with three completed
LEED certified buildings. LEED ("Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design") was established by the U.S. Green Building
Council in 1993 as a national environmental rating system to
encourage the mainstream building industry to utilize sustainable
practices. LEED-recognized building practices include reducing
carbon footprint by utilizing building materials processed and
manufactured within 500 miles, using local masonry rock, installing
energy efficient windows and systems, and purchasing carpeting,
decking, and drywall fabricated from recycled materials.
MMSA celebrated the opening of the first LEED certified building
in Mammoth Lakes with the opening of a LEED Platinum certified
cabin at Tamarack Lodge and Resort. MMSA's Tamarack Lodge and
Resort, established in 1924, sits at the entrance to the Mammoth
Lakes Basin, one of the most heavily visited National Forest
portals in the United States. "Constructing the Tamarack cabin to
LEED Platinum standards is one of many important steps that Mammoth
Mountain is taking to fulfill our commitment to the environment,"
said Rusty Gregory, CEO, Mammoth Mountain. MMSA followed its
success at Tamarack Lodge with the completion of the first phase of
Altis, a slope side luxury town home project consisting of four
LEED Gold Certified homes. When completed, Altis will feature
twenty four LEED Gold certified residences.
Public Transportation
MMSA first started transporting guests from the Town in the
1950s, long before anyone was thinking green. During those
early days, guests were transported on Weasels, recycled military
vehicles that could navigate snow-covered roads. In its
modern incarnation, MMSA's transportation system encompasses five
major routes through the Town of Mammoth Lakes, and efficiently
ferries guests to and from the lifts, lodging, dining and shopping
areas, without charge. Getting people out of their many cars
and on to more efficient public transportation helps reduce traffic
congestion, relieves warm-weather drivers from having to deal with
wintry road conditions, and dramatically reduces carbon
footprint.
Village Ski Back Trail
The Village Ski Back trail demonstrates MMSA's commitment to
environmental stewardship in ways much deeper than simply getting
people to ski (rather than drive) back to their lodging - the
construction project itself was developed and modified to be far
more environmentally sensitive than previous planners had
anticipated. Originally proposed in the late 1970s, design of
the trail began in 1994 and was updated multiple times to meet the
changing priorities of the Town of Mammoth Lakes, the U.S. Forest
Service and MMSA. The final alignment and construction utilized
slope retention techniques to minimize disturbance of the natural
terrain, reduced dirt export by 20,000 cubic yards, and avoided the
removal of approximately 130 trees. During Summer 2010, MMSA
will be completing the second phase of the trail, which includes
the re-aligned grading and the installation of the Village Ski Back
Bridge..
Questions and Comments
Call 760.934.0773 or
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