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'On The Side Of Science' - Says Former Aspen CEO Pat O'Donnell

By Craig Altschul
May 07, 2007

He was honored last month in Whistler, B.C. during the 32nd Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS), a buyers and sellers bazaar and forum that has become the largest, longest-running, and most successful gathering of mountain travel professionals in North America.

O'Donnell received the first-ever Mountain Travel Industry Achievement Award for his long-time activism and leadership in getting the ski industry off the dime to actively begin to protect the environment it espouses.

"Pat's pioneering environment efforts in the ski industry made him the clear choice for our first MTS Industry Achievement Award," said Ralf Garrison at the Whistler presentation. "His vision, leadership, and unflagging support of forward-looking and creative solutions have set a standard of excellence in the ski industry that will serve as a model for years, if not decades."

It's not easy championing any cause at Aspen, where the phrase "only in Aspen" is de rigueur. O'Donnell acknowledged that to the award audience by firing out a couple of one-liners that got their attention: "13 years of working for the Aspen Skiing Company was a lot like licking the honey off a thorn," and "It was kind of like having a marshmallow thrown in your face. It doesn't hurt, but it really pisses you off."

One-liners, aside, O'Donnell got serious when talking to The Industry Report about what drives him and why Aspen led the way to environmental consciousness in an industry that prior to that time paid little public heed.

O'Donnell ran the Yosemite Institute in San Francisco before joining the team that developed the Keystone, Colo., resort. He landed at Aspen after years as CEO at Kirkwood Meadows in California; Whistler in B.C.; and for the Patagonia clothing company.

"I knew right away that if we were going to remain in business forever at Aspen – sort of a boutique resort among the others in the Rockies – that the answer had to be in one word: sustainability."

He said he had the support of Aspen ownership early. "The first time around, it was a bit like, sure, sounds good, do it as long as you still meet the budget. But, it didn't take long for ownership to see the attention Aspen was getting in a good way. The truth is the owners were wonderful and really got behind the effort."

Aspen's environmental agenda began to build. The first Environmental Affairs Department in ski industry was created, an independent Environment Foundation was launched. More than 1,600 Aspen employees "walk the talk" by contributing $1 million to environmental activities. Heavy equipment vehicles were converted to biodiesel fuel. All of Aspen's energy use as of last year was covered by purchases of wind credits. The beat went – and goes – on and on.

O'Donnell agrees the industry was slow on the uptake. "I remember when NSAA initiated the Gold and Silver Eagle Awards in 1994," he said. "Hardly anyone bothered to show up at the reception. But, when we continued to win the awards the next two years, other resorts started to take notice."

O'Donnell went from a very few at the buffet lines to packed rooms. "Seriously, I've never been as happy as when Telluride and Vail and others started to win the overall awards. That meant what we started was spreading." Aspen, for the record, is a finalist for the overall award to be presented this week in La Quinta, Calif. He credits NSAA's continued emphasis with the attention resorts pay to the issue today.

About that "honey on a thorn" thing: Aspen didn't go out and blow its horn about all it had done or was doing. In fact, the environmental activity just recently showed up in the resort's advertising.

"We didn't want to appear condescending or arrogant," he said. "Aspen is always a target for that. We just wanted to keep our head down and do the right thing." He said that by looking out 10-15 years and maintaining Aspen as a real ski experience, "we've done our job.

"Here's the thing and I really believe this," he said. "We rent land from the U.S. Forest Service. We have a moral and ethical obligation to give something back to future generations."

Aspen has launched a new Web site (www.savesnow.org) for consumers. These are the same people the resort knows respect Aspen for what it is doing for the environment (survey: 37 percent – predominantly, but not all by any means, in a younger profile – said they would choose Aspen because of its environmental stance; up from under10 percent five years ago).

The Web site lets Aspen's customers know what the resort is doing to help the environment and enlists their help. "We're telling our loyal base – here's what you can do to save snow for your children."

O'Donnell wonders what would happen if all resorts mobilized their loyal customers in helping to save snow for their children. "This could be our calling."

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Comments

	On the side of whose science, that is the question. Science that serves political masters, such as the UN's IPCC, is hardly worthy of the name. We all depend on the environent. Running efficient operations is a given. Just don't believe the science is settled. It never is.
	Posted by: Kevin Magnall | May 8, 2007 11:54 AM