Boyne Resorts Moves To 100% Renewable Electric Energy Across North American Operations
Boyne Resorts has announced a renewable energy purchase commitment with CMS Enterprises, a CMS Energy subsidiary, that entirely offsets electric energy consumption at its resorts and facilities throughout North America as of Jan. 1, 2021.
The purchase is among numerous environmental initiatives and newly established goals that are part of the company’s evolving, long-term sustainability plan, named “ForeverProject”. The plan’s marquee goal is to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 and working with CMS Enterprises accelerated the effort by eliminating approximately 70% of the company’s carbon footprint driven by its electrical usage. Additionally, a 1.7-megawatt solar array will be installed at Boyne Mountain Resort in collaboration with a separate CMS Energy subsidiary.
“Human driven climate change is an urgent issue for the world and most certainly for the snowsports industry. Though we have been a thoughtful steward of our resort properties over the last eight decades, it was clear to our team that we were not doing enough and fast enough if we are to truly help reverse the effects our carbon footprint has on the planet’s climate,“ said Stephen Kircher, Boyne Resorts president and chief executive officer. “Our commitments guiding ForeverProject, starting with moving to 100 percent renewable electric energy, reduce a significant portion of our carbon footprint and give us a huge head start on our efforts to become completely carbon neutral by 2030. We have always tried to take the long-term perspective on our business and this environmental sustainability initiative steps up our efforts to positively affect the lasting implications our resorts, team members and guests have on the planet.”
The new level of urgency was initiated in October 2019, in part facilitated by Boyne Resorts’ sponsorship of and involvement in the Mountain Towns 2030 Net Zero Summit, through collaborative discussions with the ski industry’s largest players who have shown leadership by aggressively embracing sustainability efforts, and the rollout of NSAA’s (National Ski Area Association) Sustainable Slopes initiatives. CMS Energy is a longtime energy provider to Boyne Resorts’ Michigan operations and following the Net Zero Summit, discussions between the two began in earnest, culminating in this significant and impactful clean energy arrangement.
CMS Enterprises develops, owns and operates utility-scale wind, solar and energy projects for large customers. CMS Enterprises will tap its in-house energy marketing group and U.S.-based clean energy portfolio to help Boyne Resorts capture renewable energy credits (RECs). The RECs will help Boyne substantiate renewable energy use claims and maximize value for its renewable energy investment.
Through facilitation of the RECs purchase, sharing baseline and consumption tracking models now utilized companywide and leading additional projects to support the company’s goals, CMS Enterprises is today regarded as a true partner on both a regional scale and to Boyne Resorts globally.
“CMS Enterprises is proud to help Boyne Resorts power its facilities in Michigan and throughout North America with renewable and clean energy,” said DV Rao, Senior Vice President of Strategy for CMS Energy. “Through implementation of energy efficiency programs, the electrification of Boyne’s vehicle fleet, on-site solar generation and other advances on tap in Michigan, Boyne Resorts is poised to become an industry leader in clean and renewable energy and sustainability.”
Preparations are underway for the solar array being installed by a CMS Energy subsidiary at Boyne Mountain Resort. The 1.7-megawatt system stands to power the equivalence of the resort’s 300+ homes and condominiums, and is the first of its size for Boyne Resorts. Solar is a resource of strong interest and this project is to serve as a pilot for potential installations at locations across the resort network.
For information on Boyne Resorts’ 73-year history of sustainability efforts and further steps toward its net zero emissions goal, and for details of and the many resort-based ForeverProject initiatives being led by the company’s passionate and valued resort teams, please visit http://www.boyneresorts.com/sustainability.
Boyne Resorts, founded in 1948 by Everett Kircher, is among the largest mountain resort companies in North America. A Michigan-based corporation, Boyne Resorts owns award-winning mountain and golf resorts and attractions throughout the United States and Canada including Cypress Mountain near Vancouver, B.C., official freestyle skiing and snowboard venue of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games; Sugarloaf and Sunday River Resort in Maine; Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Highlands Resort, Inn at Bay Harbor, Autograph Collection and Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark in Michigan; Big Sky Resort in Montana; Loon Mountain Resort in New Hampshire; Gatlinburg SkyLift Park in Tennessee; Brighton Resort in Utah; and The Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington.
