Sustainable slopes

Mt Hutt

TSC member Mt Hutt in Canterbury, managed by NZSki, has been voted New Zealand's Best Ski Resort four years running. We took a peek into their sustainability initiatives for 2019.

Mt Hutt Sustainability Initiatives 2019 

Mt Hutt staff identified four main areas to concentrate their sustainable efforts on for 2019:

  • Ecological restoration
  • Waste management
  • Measuring, managing and minimising carbon footprint
  • Carbon reduction


Ecological restoration
 

Mt Hutt is aiming to become a carbon neutral ski area. To achieve this, they need to plant approximately 3000 trees every year and have started their journey to achieving this target.

Working closely with the Department of Conservation, Mt Hutt purchased 1250 native (manuka) seedlings. A water collection tank has been established in their designated planting site and they will begin planting there during spring.

NZSki has also partnered with the Kea Conservation Trust. Mt Hutt is dedicated to bringing this endangered parrot back to their native alpine environment. They have deployed a broad range of possum and stoat traps over a large area to help make Mt Hutt a safer environment for Kea to return to. They are also working with local schools and the community to raise awareness on this issue.

Waste management 

Mt Hutt is taking a stand against single use items to reduce waste. They no longer offer the option of disposable coffee cups and cutlery in their food and beverage outlets. If customers want a takeaway coffee, they are advised to bring a reusable cup or can purchase one from one of Mt Hutt’s outlets. Otherwise Mt Hutt provides plenty of reusable crockery for everyone. In support of this initiative Mt Hutt installed a high-volume conveyor dishwasher and hired extra staff to help bus tables.

This year Mt Hutt leased an ORCA for food scraps. The ORCA is an organic waste disposal system which creates a perfect environment for microorganisms to digest and convert food waste into a liquid. This liquid then enters Mt Hutt's grey water system, significantly reducing the amount of waste needing to be transported off the mountain.  

Staff also pre-order lunch so the Food & Beverage team can cater more accurately, reducing food waste. 

Mt Hutt installed a water bottle filling station, providing fresh mountain water to guests and encouraging them to use reusable water bottles instead of buying single use plastic bottles.