Oyuki kigan 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 OK What can we do to make our beloved sports greener? What is being done that we don`t know about? Are there any green technologies or products that you know about? What should we avoid? What can the resorts do? Are any resorts doing anything better than others? Please share any and all info you have! Public transport seems to be a huge thing. What hills are accessible by train and shuttle bus? (besides Kauizawa...)I want to cut down on my driving this year. There is a Canadian Company named Hillbilly making environmentally-friendly waxes. I e-mailed them last year, and they said that they would try to get into the Japanese market this year. I heard that Jeremy Jones is working with K2 to make products more environmentally-friendly, as well as donate some proceeds to environmental causes. Of course, the biggest thing is cutting down on our consumption, and when we do consume, consume intelligently. Like supporting green technologies (Ocean 11, your input would be highly appreceated) or buying second-hand. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Didn't you just ask about heliskiing? Link to post Share on other sites
AK 77 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 My backpack is mouldy - that's green. Supporting (mould) biodiversity. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 If you want greener sports Id avoid winter mate - bit too much white stuff around. I see what it does to my mates after they get it in their nose, down their pants, and eat it - they get these silly grins and act like animals always wanting more and more. Clearly that white stuff is a drug and should be avoided at all costs. See you in April I could also introduce you to a few creeks which had some green left in them even at the beginning of January. Most of it was frozen but some green bits were here and there. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 > What is being done that we don`t know about? I don't know. Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 I didn`t say i was gonna heli-ski, i just wanted to confirm the rumor. it would be nice to ride untracked pow, but i don`t think i would go about it that way. And O11, i know that you know whats going on with green technology, could you share what you do when you snowboard? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 I don't snowboard any more. I gave it up because it is too energy-intensive and polluting for my conscience. I'm pretty gutted about it in fact, but I do other things instead like gardening, forestry, hiking, cycling, skateboarding, occasionally mountainboarding and from next year, snorkeling and hopefully hunting, all of which I can do under my own power. If I still lived near snowy mountains I would do the sort of thing that Toque used to do here. There's really no way around it -- resort skiing is not green, nor will it ever be. Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 And what did Toque do? I live pretty close to the mountains... Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 As far as I know, he took public transport or rode his mountain bike. He might have used a car as well. I didn't follow everything he did because it made me turn green whenever I did. Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 Its funny that hunting can be `green`. At first i didn`t get it, but i guess if you live in a place where all the indegenous predators have been eliminated, some species can get out of hand... You had also mentioned in other threads about some hills harvesting some of their own timber, or using their own restaurant waste for bio-fuel. Hills may not be able to become 100% sustainable, but the do give the general public an alternative to going out into the wild and pissing all over it... i used to look at Disneyland as a nugget of evil american cultural homogenization (and still do), but it does serve to give people an alternative to flying overseas when they have some money to burn. In a way, Disneyland keeps some people in Japan, instead of flying abroad and polluting elsewhere. And if Dineyland can become even slightly more `green`, all the better. You can look upon theme parks and ski hills as `recreational toilets`. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 The things I mentioned are not being done as far as I know and would require a great deal of dedication to get started, especially by a foreigner. They would also require a great deal of study to understand how green the results may be and in what ways they would pay off. The NPO that I belong to is run by a pair of retired engineers who have been involved in community politics and greenness for a very long time and have lots of connections. They achieve quite a lot and have many people involved, but it would be very hard for somebody without their background and knowledge to replicate what they do. I don't say this to discourage you, but just to give you some idea of what is required. You might do well to start looking at the local Japanese organizations that you could ally with. Also sign up for the Japan for Sustainability newsletter and check out their archive for ideas. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Oyuki - call me a paranoid attention seeker, but you have always pretty much ignored my posts. Not all of what I post is rubbish. Below is a copy/paste from another thread. It partially answers your question"What is being done that we don`t know about?" I am assuming you didn't know about it. You be the judge of how meaningful the below initiatives are. Quote: Perhaps Hakuba (resorts) could collude to lead the way in Japanese environmentally sensitive resort management policy. - Here’s whats going on at the Aspen Ski Company: http://www.savesnow.com/ - And an example from the National Ski Areas Association (America) http://www.keepwintercool.org/ It is kind of a tough one, considering that most new business ‘solutions’ for Hakuba’s supposed lackings will depend upon cash flow from foreigners flying to Japan in future season. And here's another thing you didn't know about http://www.venturesnowboards.com/index.php?inc=conservation.html Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 Truthfully, i am just looking for ideas from people at the moment. I have not been in this area for a while, and do not have the connections, know-how, or education to even presume policy change. Eventually, should i settle here and join the community (with some modicum of respectabilty-ha!)then i might look into avenues like that. But right now i am looking to get riders and skiers aware of environmental problems, and offer ideas on how to change. Perhaps something similat to the Surfrider foundation, except for winter-sports enthusiasts. And belive me, i appreciate the advice. Your words are not nearly as dicouraging as bringing up the subject with other snowboarders and getting blank stares. I will check out the newsletter! Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Author Share Posted October 10, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by le spud: [QB] Oyuki - call me a paranoid attention seeker, but you have always pretty much ignored my posts. Not all of what I post is rubbish. Below is a copy/paste from another thread. It partially answers your question"What is being done that we don`t know about?" I am assuming you didn't know about it. You be the judge of how meaningful the below initiatives are. Actually, i didn`t read this post before. I`m glad you reposted it. Alot of other threads may diverge into environmental terrain (like the snowmobile one), and i wanted to devote to just the issue. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Some random musings Gala Yuzawa is directly linked to the Shinkansen. 47/Kandatsu etc run direct buses from the city. I suppose transport to the resort will be the major environmental problem. Charmant Hiuchi has no bulldozed courses. The place at the top of Honshu famous for pow must be the same. Maybe Hachimantai too. Nozawa doesn't make snow. Despite IOC pressure, Happo refused to extend the Olympic downhill course up above the resort. Bombing for avalanche control is banned in Japan. The roads to Tateyama and Kamikochi are closed to private cars. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 Sad as it may be, doubt it is high on the agenda when they are all it seems struggling to survive in the short term. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 That's where the 'sustainability' bit comes in... Link to post Share on other sites
farquah 0 Posted October 11, 2006 Share Posted October 11, 2006 funny I was going to post somthing about this the other day but forgot! Sustainable snowboards and skateboards can be found here Arbor Sports They make their boards from environmentally friendly natural fibers. Made from sustainably harvested wood, cork damping stringers and have a dedicated policy toward environmental production methods. Apparently even available at Murasaki sports this year. Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted October 11, 2006 Author Share Posted October 11, 2006 Good! Keep `em coming. Has anyone seen Hillbilly wax over here? Are there any hills here tat are trying to go green? A lot of big resorts on North America have made steps. When i worked n Whis they started changing their truck fleet over to hybrids. And the link that Spud posted shows some awareness, if not flat-out improvement state-side. What about here? Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 OK, you should check out Fall Line, theres an article which deals with this. Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 Farquah, Arbor boards have some nice things about them but they're still mostly made out of the same stuff that other board are made out of (carbon and fibreglass and resins and stuff). I've seen bambo stringers in boards made by other manufactures that don't claim the environmental high ground. what is more environmentally sustainable an entirely synthetic board or a board that still has a very high synthetic content but also involves wood from native trees? Murasaki have been selling them for the past few years. The Jimbocho store has them. I couldn't give a toss about Arbor's environmental credentials. I ride them because the boards look good and go fast. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts