Voluntary environmentalism promotes the idea that companies become more enthusiastic recyclers and re-users when their adherence to such policies comes willingly. But voluntarily going green continues to have limited corporate appealeven among the snowy slopes of the ski industry, according to a new study. The report, published in Policy Studies Journal, found that among ski areas in the western United States , where the industry is a major environmental player, many of the guidelines in a so-called “sustainable slopes” program are not being followed by the ski areas that have endorsed them. Launched in 2000 by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), an industry trade group, the sustainable slopes program is a set of guidelines designed to promote the environmentally sound management of ski areas’ planning and management. For example, one principle reads, “Optimize efficiency and effectiveness of water use in snowmaking operations;” suggested options include “using appropriate technology and equipment to optimize efficiency.” The study found that among the 175 association members that have endorsed the programjust over half of the 326 members in totalmany were not following the program’s principles. Most damaging, according to the study, is the absence of mandatory regulations. The sustainable slopes program lacks important mechanisms such as third-party oversight, penalties for poor performance, and standards for ranking environmental efficiency that have led to the success of other volunteer initiatives. That’s not an unusual finding for self-regulated programs, says the study’s co-author Jorge Rivera, an assistant professor in the department of strategic management and public… [Read full story]
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