Sustainability | Brighton Resort

When most skiers and riders consider Brighton, perched high in the Wasatch Mountains at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, night skiing and riding, feature-packed terrain and a campy, come-as-you-are vibe are often what come to mind. But what many may not know about this beloved resort is that the descriptor ‘environmentally conscientious’ now also applies.

Though Brighton has valued sustainability since it was founded more than 85 years ago, this new, concentrated effort to reduce its carbon footprint is inspired by a program originating with Brighton’s parent company, Boyne Resorts, called the ForeverProject. “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,” says Stephen Kircher, Boyne Resorts president and CEO.





As such, the lodestar guiding Brighton’s ongoing, multifaceted efforts—involving every department across the resort—has become achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. A few of the carbon-saving and resource-saving strategies Brighton has performed and made a part of its day-to-day functions include: retrofitting toilets and sinks with low-flow fixtures; transitioning the resort’s snowcat fleet to Tier 4 or better vehicles (Tier 4 engine standards are the strictest EPA emissions requirement for off-highway diesel engines.); installing new LED lights for night skiing; converting all lighting within the Alpine Rose (Brighton’s largest building) to high-efficiency LED fixtures; enacting new lift maintenance policies that limit wattage use; installing an electric vehicle charging station (coming soon!); creating companywide recycling and food composting programs; rolling tree planting into the weekly activities of the resort’s kids summer camp, Camp Brighton; and providing free UTA Ski Bus service for all employees, season pass holders and Ikon pass holders.





Above and beyond the company policies Brighton has adopted in its quest to achieve its Net Zero 2030 goal, the resort also regularly engages in advocacy work and partners with other sustainable-minded organizations and businesses. In 2020, Brighton joined thousands of other businesses across the U.S. in signing the “We Are Still In” declaration, a document promoting the U.S.’s re-engagement in The Paris Agreement, the first global commitment to fight climate change. In conjunction with the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation (CCF) and TreeUtah, Brighton regularly hosts Ski with a Ranger and Ski with an Arborist environmental education tours of the mountain. Brighton is home to the Wasatch Mountain Club, an outdoor recreation club established in 1920 to promote conservation through the enjoyment of the natural world. And the resort works together with the U.S. Forest Service to ensure year-round recreation access to its landscape.

Learn more about Brighton’s efforts and successes along the company’s journey to achieving its Net Zero 2030 goal at brightonresort.com/sustainability.