Park City, Utah – Day 2

Purpose Driven Travel

Carbon Neutrality

From a previously stated Personal Social Responsibility (PSR) point-of-view, Carbon Neutrality is one of the most important goals for our road trip. I want to demonstrate how individuals and families might participate in carbon offsetting to reduce their respective carbon footprints. Our efforts in this pursuit involve three areas: (1) an emission-free automobile, (2) accurately sourcing and offsetting the carbon intensity of the electricity drawn from the electrical grid at various charging locations along our route, and (3) perhaps the most difficult, estimating the carbon footprint and carbon offsetting of other actions such as hotel stays and off-property restaurants and other leisure activities.

Reporting

Partners in this undertaking include WattTime®, a subsidiary of Rocky Mountain Institute that is able to provide us with accurate carbon intensity of each of our charges, and Myght, Inc, an impact travel agency founded by friend and fellow Arizona State University alum Javier Valdez. Myght is a purpose driven travel agency whose mission is aligned to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Myght will help us with number three, estimating the carbon footprint of our hotel stays and other leisure activities, and assisting us in the development of our trip’s PSR report. As such Sustainability is certainly on my mind at every destination.

Montage Deer Valley

I first heard of Montage Deer Valley from my cousin Bud Campbell, Director of Sales, of Montage’s West Coast Global Sales Office. As I began planning this trip and chose Park City as a rest and relaxation destination, I reached out to Bud and here we are. Montage is an ultra-luxury hotel management company and it certainly shines here at Montage Deer Valley. I could wax on about the amazing staff and attention to detail, but what I really want to talk about here is Montage’s commitment to Sustainability. Montage Hotels is “passionate about sustainability at every level of the company and at each of the hotels and resorts,” and, in fact, integrates sustainability principles in the design of its properties and throughout its operation through an executive-level sustainability director.

Regarding energy use, which is essential to our PSR reporting, Montage Deer Valley offsets 100% of its power consumption by renewable wind power and Montage Deer Valley is the first resort property in the State of Utah to receive a LEED® Certification (Silver), featuring “natural lighting, indigenous materials, a comprehensive waste management program, and environmentally-sensitive landscaping.”

One could say that Montage Deer Valley personifies what we hope to accomplish in our own efforts.

“Watts Her Name” at front entrance to Montage Deer Valley • Photo Credit: Deven Patten