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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, August 3-6, 2019 M OUNTAIN TOWN NEWS A Roundup of News from Other Western Ski Resort Communities ALLEN BEST Mountain Town News Whistler needs more cars in order to meet emission goals WHISTLER, B.C. – Adoption of electric cars will have to accelerate if Whistler has any hope of attaining its goals of reducing greenhouse gases. It would also help if new buildings had no natural gas pipelines. Transportation is responsible for 56% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report by the municipality, and buildings another 32%, the result of burning natural gas for water and space heating. In 2008, the municipality set of goal of reducing emissions 33% by 2020. Barring a miracle, that will be impossible. The community reduced emissions an average 3.8% annually through 2012. Then came the backsliding period through 2017, when emissions grew an average 4.7% per year. Now, the community is back on track, with a 3% decline last year. A determined push to emphasize the virtues of mass transit may be partly at work. Transit ridership has increased 77% on weekends since 2016. Is there hope for electric cars accelerating? That’s the question in many states, including Colorado, now as utilities have started pivoting sharply toward wind and other renewable sources to produce electricity. Colorado in early 2018 adopted a goal of having 940,000 electric cars on the state’s roads by 2030. Now, as a result of aggressive new actions by state legislators and Gov. Jared Polis, that goal looks too modest. One of his first steps as governor in January was to direct the state’s Air Quality Control Commission to study whether to adopt the zero-emission standards adopted by California and other states. This would have the effect of requiring car dealers in Colorado add substantially more electric vehicles for sale, increasing consumer choice. On Monday, Colorado and major automakers announced they had reached a deal that would result in automakers introducing more electric cars while earning more credits for earlier sales. The commission must approve the compromise agreement. Everywhere, though, cost matters, and so do the range of EVs. The most costly component of an EV is its battery, but battery prices have dropped 85% in the last nine years, pointed out Maximilian Kniewasser, the climate change coordinator for Whistler. As for range, they remain a concern, but again there are advances. Some luxury models can go up to 300 miles per charge. New charging infrastructure, including the fast-charger that can refuel a car in less than 30 minutes, has also calmed range anxiety. As for buildings, they’re a more difficult proposition. Here and there, some builders are constructing homes that have no natural gas lines. All the heating, both of space and water, is done by electricity and improved technology called air-source heat pumps. Several units in a 23-unit affordable housing project called Basalt Vista, located 18 miles down-valley from Aspen, use those and other technologies, as does a science school in Avon, at the foot of Beaver Creek. In Whistler, a four-story 53bed affordable housing project is being completed under the standards of Passive House. The standards emphasize energy efficiency. Pique Newsmagazine reports that the new housing complex will be responsible for 43% fewer greenhouse gas emissions as compared to a similar structure built under the 2015 building code. She can run fast, but she could not outrun a grizzly CANMORE, Alberta – Emma Lunder can run fast. She’s an Olympic biathlete who lives in Canmore, at the entrance to Banff National Park, where she A-19 The Park Record often jogs along on trails. But when she saw a sow grizzly with two cubs from about 50 metres (160 feet) away along a trail recently, she tried other tactics. As the sow charged, getting to within 20 metres, Lunder screamed, put her hands over her head and backed up. As she did, she got out her bear spray. That was a good thing. The bear stopped, then charged again. “When she got to three to four metres away, I sprayed the bear,” Lund told the Rocky Mountain Outlook. “As soon as it hit her, she threw her head down, did a 180 and then sprinted away, and then the cubs ran with her and I ran in the other direction.” “It was definitely terrifying,” she said. “It was purely an instinct, and I’m super-impressed that I did it.” Wildlife officials said they suspected the bear was feeding on buffaloberries, but had otherwise been a particularly wary and secretive bear. Will Vail help Crested Butte compost its organic waste? CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. – Vail Resorts has set a goal of zero waste for its various properties by 2030. Now that it owns Crested Butte Mountain Resort, does that mean it will get engaged in community composting there? The Crested Butte News explains that Guerrilla Composting ceased operations late last winter. The owner was overwhelmed by the amount of compost but also work and cost. “In two years of operations I collected over 200,000 pounds of food scraps from our local restaurants, inns, and restaurants,” Julie Donahue said. She was outgrowing the capacities, in space and her financial resources. She also pointed out that delivering a composting service to a low-density, highly dispersed community takes time and is not energy efficient. She believes Vail and others Thankful? Frustrated? Want to highlight an issue? Think you have the solution to a problem? The Park Record wants to hear from you Send submissions to editor@parkrecord.com OGD E N VA L L E Y, U TA H NOW SELLING STUNNING VIEW LOTS & HOMES Please see Mountain Town, A-22 26 LOTS NESTLED ON EIGHTY ACRES WITH 60% DEDICATED OPEN SPACE ASK ABOUT OUR DESIGN BUILD CONCIERGE SERVICE EXECUTIVE HOME WITH VIEWS • MLS 11804552 4 Bed | 6 Bath | 5,400 Sq. Ft. | 1075 N. Oquirrh Mtn. Dr. This residence features a stunning landscape with Wasatch Mountain and Mount Timpanogos views. The gorgeous custom woodwork, a spacious open floor plan, outdoor living space, home gym and theater make this home special. Price recently reduced to $1,849,000. JENEE HIBLER | 435.657.4050 Jenee.Hibler@RedLedges.com RedLedges.com ERA SKYLINE REAL ESTATE Julie Summers Christensen Realtor® 801-745-5781 summersinutah@gmail.com trapperscrossing.com F O U R C L U B S O N E M E M B E R S H I P INFINITE WONDER Talisker Club is Park City’s only four-club private community presenting an incomparable collection of mountain, Main Street, backcountry and country clubs. Come make wonder your legacy. NEW PROPERTY & HOME RELEASES Homesites from $275K to $2.9M Homes & Residences from $1.5M to $9M Call 435.333.3617 Call 435.333.3617 For Your Private Tour For Your Private Tour Visit TaliskerClub.com or Visit TaliskerClub.com Welcome Center Open Daily Welcome Center Open Daily The Talisker Club materials and the features, prices and planned amenities are based upon current development plans which are subject to change without notice. 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