Sustainability at Limelight Hotels
When it comes to sustainability, we go deep and act smart. We also get others involved.Here is how we do that at the Limelight Hotels.
Honor Place
Buildings account for a huge portion of global carbon dioxide emissions. So modeling good design for our guests — and for the world — is critical.The Limelights Hotels in Snowmass and Ketchum are both certified to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard. At the Limelight Aspen, we overhauled the previous structure to ensure radically improved energy efficiency.
Live Passionately: We are Energy Nerds
In Limelight Aspen’s garage, we cut the minimum run-time on makeup air units and exhaust fans from 30 minutes to seven, minimizing the amount of time we’re venting heated air at a rate of 17,500 cubic feet per minute.The Limelight Snowmass beat the very strict International Energy Efficiency Code by 18%, which is actually quite hard to do.
And Limelight Ketchum’s roof has an insulation value of R-70. A standard home roof is less than half that.
We'll admit these little details aren't as exciting as 10-inches of fresh powder, but if we want those snowy days to last for future generations, we all need to get smart about how we use energy.
Little Levers Everywhere
Far more important than our own operations is how the whole world — governments, policies, and norms — address climate change and equity, among other pressing issues. We see levers for change and progress everywhere: our guests, our voice, our industry, and our community.That’s why we’ve got “Citizenship Kiosks” in some of our lobbies, where you can write your congressperson — preferably about climate change. It’s why our parent company Aspen Skiing Company’s sustainability report is in your room — so you can learn about us, and maybe be a part of our movement.
And it’s why we partner with Protect Our Winters to bring the outdoor industry to the climate fight in Washington.
The Lounge is the Community
The Lounge functions as the hotel's and the community’s living room. So what happens there reflects, and influences, regional conversations.In Aspen, our Aspen U speaker series has hosted international environmental leaders like Bill McKibben and Naomi Oreskes for intimate speaking gigs. Only requirement: the speaker, and the audience, needs to drink beer, (OK, it's not required, but encouraged).
In 2020, the Limelight Snowmass hosted Black leaders from Denver, who met with Aspen Skiing Company senior leadership for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an impromptu discussion on why we care about racial justice, and what we might do next.
People-Driven Philanthropy
All three of our hotels have unique community foundations funded by optional guest contributions, employee-paycheck donations, and a company match. One hundred percent of dollars go to local causes like health care, mental health treatment, education, open space, climate action or trail building.And who makes the decisions? A board of employees, who learn about local community nonprofits and get a chance to practice philanthropy themselves. This leads to some crazy stuff. Learn more about the Environment Foundation, the Caring for Community Fund, and the Limelight Ketchum Community Fund.
