Alta Integrates Scholarship Opportunity

Originally approached as a graduate student project to introduce sustainability within a business, the Alta Environmental Center has become a leading advocate in sustainability initiatives. The AEC's efforts include energy efficiency and operations, tracking greenhouse gas emissions, and vegetation management efforts. The center serves as a liaison between the ski area, its national forest and protective watershed, and the Utah community. Now the center has expanded efforts toward supporting university students' education and research by creating a full-tuition scholarship for those interested in environmental and sustainability studies.

According to Maura Olivos, the center's sustainability coordinator, the partnership between Alta and the U is not a new one. The Alta Ski Area has previously worked with the college of science studying snowpack and how it is affected by climate change. Alta has also championed higher education for many years, offering a tuition reimbursement program to its employees.

But Alta wants to do more. "The time is right. We want to build and develop people professionally. There is an influx of students, and we know that going to school can be daunting and difficult for some," Olivos remarks. "We see a future in sustainability and environmental studies and we want to promote that. We're only going to see more situations and issues arise. Promoting this field will help the future."

The center's mission statement is to protect and improve the well-being of the environment, ski industry, and the Utah community. Olivos believes that the way to do this is to create awareness. She explains, "We want to share Alta's story. Because the ski industry is such a huge component in revenue for the state, we need to let people know that we're within a natural area and a watershed. We therefore have a responsibility as a culture to protect it."

Currently, the center focuses on energy and conservation management, responding and adapting to climate change. "We take what we learn and use it to become more efficient in our mechanical and behavioral operations. We do this because we want to sustain the mountain's healthy ecosystem, its resource as a water storage for the valley, a healthy community for wildlife, and leave a beautiful place to visit 100 years from now," explains Olivos.

CSBS senior Jamie Murphy is this year's recipient of the Alta Environmental Center's scholarship, majoring in environmental and sustainability studies.