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The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

SkiCo grants available for environmental projects

Elizabeth Stewart-Severy/Aspen Public Radio News

The Aspen Skiing Company announced yesterday that it is accepting applications for grants to support environmental projects.

 

The Environment Foundation is Ski Co’s employee-run charity that has given out nearly $3 million since its inception in 1998. Matthew Hamilton, sustainability director with the company, said responsible and renewal energy projects have been a past favorite of the board.

“That maintains the kind of sports we all love to enjoy in the wintertime,” Hamilton said.  

Over the past two and a half years, the foundation has donated $122,000 to a variety of organizations that aim to prevent drilling in Thompson Divide.

Hamilton said this kind of work showcases the power of many voices coming together.

“There are some places in Colorado that are too special to drill,” he said. “And we ought to look at other ways to maintain economic value in those lands.”

One of the earliest grant recipients was the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. The foundation has given nearly a quarter million dollars to the nonprofit to support education of what Hamilton calls the next generation of environmental stewards.

This year, the number one priority identified by employees is making sure rivers and streams are healthy. Other focuses include energy efficiency and development and promoting climate change awareness.

The grants are financed in part by employee contributions, and about half of Ski Co employees donate to the foundation. The application deadline is October 28.

Applicants can request an electronic grant application, eligibility guidelines or more information from Hamilton at mhamilton@aspensnowmass.com.

 

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
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