At Blue Mountain Resort, adventure and outdoor fun come hand-in-hand with a deep commitment to environmental responsibility. We are proud to announce our Sustainable Tourism Certification through GreenStep Solutions—North America’s leading certification program for the tourism and hospitality industry.
This milestone marks a significant step in Blue Mountain’s ongoing journey toward reducing our environmental footprint, creating meaningful sustainability outcomes, and inspiring guests to travel more responsibly.
What is the GreenStep Sustainable Tourism Certification?
The GreenStep Sustainable Tourism Certification is more than just a label—it’s a globally recognized framework aligned with both the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a comprehensive assessment, Blue Mountain was evaluated across 87 sustainability criteria spanning environmental, socio-cultural, and economic performance.
This third-party certification helps validate that Blue Mountain isn’t just talking about sustainability—it’s making measurable, credible changes to reduce its impact on the planet.
A Culture of Climate Action
Sustainability at Blue Mountain is not a department—it’s a culture. Much of that culture is being driven by our Sustainability Analyst, Tori Rooney, and supported by the collaboration between our employees and guests. As an outdoor destination, Blue has established target sustainability goals for the next several years. These goals are ambitious:
- Reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030
- Offset remaining emissions
- Transition to 100% renewable energy
Sustainability in Action
Here are just a few of the impactful initiatives currently underway at the resort:
🌲 Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Blue is tackling Scope 1 and 2 emissions head-on by upgrading resort infrastructure to rely more on electricity (which in Ontario is 87.5% renewable), transitioning away from natural gas, and implementing a resort-wide diagnostic vehicle fleet monitoring system to improve efficiency and reduce idling.
🏔️ Snowmaking Efficiency: Through the use of analytics and automation, the resort is making annual enhancements to a signifiant part of Blue’s winter energy usage.
🚌 Greener Transportation: Blue Mountain operates its own internal network of complimentary shuttle buses that encourage alternative transportation for guests and employees. A pilot electric vehicle is already in use, and the resort is exploring renewable diesel options for machinery.
🥦 Food Waste Revolution: The resort has launched an AI-powered food waste tracking system, which uses cameras and scales to analyze exactly what food gets wasted. This data has already led to smarter portioning and menu design.
♻️ Waste Diversion & Composting: Blue Mountain diverts more than 37% of waste from landfill through a comprehensive reduce, reuse, and recycle program. Composting systems at food outlets like Grand Central Eatery guide guests step-by-step through proper waste disposal using visual prompts.
Empowering a Green Workforce
Sustainability is embedded in the employee experience. BMR has formed a Culture Committee featuring representatives from every department, with subcommittees for wellness, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Looking Ahead
While the current initiatives are already yielding positive results, Blue Mountain has its sights set even higher: from net-zero construction plans and renewable diesel conversions to expanding electric vehicle usage and investigating new collaborations like our partnership with Ecochit.
Blue Mountain’s GreenStep certification not only demonstrates transparency and measurable progress—it also tells a story of passionate people, data-driven decision-making, and a vision of tourism that protects what we love about the natural world.
So the next time you carve a line down the slopes or explore the trails at Blue, know that you’re part of a resort that’s truly investing in a more sustainable future.
