Bolivia’s Chacaltaya Glacier, once known as the world’s highest ski run at 17,388 feet, has completely melted away, serving as a vivid example of the effects of climate change on the glaciers around the globe.

“Chacaltaya has disappeared. It no longer exists.” - Dr. Edson Ramirez, Institute of Hydraulics and Hydrology at the Universidad Mayor de San Andres

Read more of this story »

Winter is long where I live. Long. Snow and cold weather lingers from as early as October to possibly March. A long winter can translate into long days inside which leads to restlessness, more television, boredom, eating and more pounds…for the entire family.  To help make the winter more active and healthy I have begun to employ some new tactics that help everyone watch less television, eat better and get some activity.

Winter sports and activities can be the cure. I don’t like winter and I don’t like cold or snow but it’s where I live and the other months are gorgeous.

I’m trying to embrace the season with a more positive attitude. With a snowy winter there are many healthy active sports that the children and I can enjoy. They get us out of the house and mean physical activity.

Read more of this story »

Powered by used vegetable oil from Colorado restaurants, a new ski shuttle service is now offering “carbon-neutral” luxury shuttle service from Denver International Airport to Colorado ski resorts like Vail, Aspen, and Breckenridge.

Last month, Denver waiter-turned-entrepreneur Kristopher Klain started offering a more eco-friendly airport shuttle alternative in Colorado Green Shuttle’s flagship seven-passenger retro-fitted Ford Excursion, fueled by 100% straight vegetable oil.

Read more of this story »

Late last week, several Polish skiers and snowboarders slid down a ramp covered by snow trucked in by the WWF and handed a petition to Polish Environment Minister Macjiec Nowicki in Poznan. Looking beyond the carbon footprint of trucking-in a ton of snow, it’s great to see unusual players getting involved in these important global climate change talks.

Read more of this story »

Sitting at the table opposite, and having previously wiped mud from my skis for the first time ever, I observed the pair finish their drinks as they continued to discuss the impending catastrophe, before tottering across the car park and jumping in to a large BMW SUV, apparently oblivious to their own part in the play. Similar scenes are replayed daily the world over. Many people agree that human-kind is having a negative impact on our environment, but few are taking direct action. - more on this later.

Read more of this story »

Now before you self-styled environmentalists throw a fit, know this: I offset all my travel by trading for credits at Gladropes, my local hemp crafts store and carbon exchange. I found a nice gentleman whom for some reason wanted all my old underwear in exchange for 5,000 gallons of effluence for my personal methane-capture still.

Though I had to breathe into a paper bag to keep from hyperventilating every time I looked out at the plane’s fuel-guzzling engines, I did enjoy the flight. I can’t say the same for my neighbor, who kept gagging and running to the bathroom. The poor fellow was so embarrassed that he made up some story about being allergic to patchouli.

Once I arrived, I made a concerted effort to look like a Vail skier. I wore carefully constructed fake fur boots and a hemp parka, with big sunglasses and an air of superiority that, oddly enough, came very naturally to me.

Of course, I wasn’t there to ski; I was there to gauge the health of the lynx population and visit a personal shrine: The burned-down-by-ecoterrorists-but-then-reconstructed-with-even-more-wood-than-before Two Elk Lodge.

The first Two Elk was burned by the brave soldiers of the Environmental Liberty Foundation or the Encouragement of Lynx Freedom or the Eschewing of Lousy Food; I can’t remember. I could Google it, but that takes carbon. In any case, it was burned down to protest the planned expansion of Vail into prime lynx habitat. No matter that a lynx hadn’t been seen in Colorado since 1973; the ELF knew one might wander into town someday and courageously burned a lot of wood to give it a warm welcome.

To visit the restaurant and lynx habitat, I had to ski, which is difficult and conspicuous in hemp. The bitter cold forced me to wear a hat made of wool. Thoughts of the denuding and oppression of sheep made me so upset that I stayed quite warm all day.

Vail is entirely wind-powered, which makes me sick when I think of all the co-ops and naturopathic medical clinics that could use that energy. I made my disapproval clear to all who rode the chairlift with me by constantly rolling my eyes and clucking. I could sense solidarity in the ones who didn’t quickly ski away from me once we reached the top.

I felt I should canvass the entire ski area in my search for lynx, so I tackled the back bowls and some awesome tree runs in an effort to be thorough. But I promise I didn’t enjoy it.

I also didn’t find any lynx. However, I am now satisfied that if one shows up, it will feel welcome. Until it’s caught and skinned for a Bogner parka.