There is a lot to love about our (second annual) Sustainable Tourism Grants award, including the powerful testament about the progress we’re making on building a balanced, sustainable economy and community. 

It’s inspiring to see dozens of projects brought forward by private businesses and nonprofits that are reducing waste and energy use, preserving our heritage, protecting our environment, promoting the arts, and managing visitor impacts.

As a sustainable tourism leader, we offer grants that encourage and support these local efforts. Our volunteer grants committee carefully reviewed applications with the broad objectives of the Sustainable Tourism Plan in mind, moving Park City a step closer to achieving the mission.

This year, the committee awarded approximately $300,000 to 22 projects, 47 percent of them in the Visitor Management category, and 24 percent in Visitor Product Development. Rounding out the total are Visitor Dispersion (14 percent), Visitor Education (10 percent), and Visitor Economy Support (5 percent).

Chamber Board member Diego Zegarra, Summit County’s Tonja Hanson, Deer Valley Sustainability and Transportation Planning Manager Victoria Schlaepfer, local writer and business communicator Beth Rossi, and sustainability analyst (and Olympic medalist ariel skier) Megan Nick performed excellent and diligent service as the review committee, and I am very grateful.

Let’s take a look at this year’s funded projects:

  • JANS, as White Pine Touring Nordic Center, for Utah’s first all-electric Snowcat.
  • Summit Land Conservancy, for creating cross-country ski access to the Osguthorpe Farm on Old Ranch Road.
  • Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, to help close the Silver King headframe shaft.
  • Park City Film for their “Raising Voices” series and Eastern Summit County pop-up film screenings.
  • The Arts Council of Park City and Summit County, for the CREATE PC Local Artist Collective and Summit Arts Market.
  • Mountain Mediation Center, for a tenant/landlord bilingual video library.
  • The Snyderville Basin Special Rec District, to install trailhead cameras and a signboard.
  • White Pine Touring Nordic Center, for Utah’s first all-electric snowcat.
  • Park City Museum for heritage tourism.
  • Echo Community and Historical Organization, for a permanent Historic Echo Church exhibition.
  • fulFILLed, to start a refill pilot project with local hotels.
  • Park Silly Sunday Market, to enhance their Main Street tradition.
  • Summit County Gardens and EATS, for a “Summer in the Gardens” program.
  • Park City Chamber Music Society, to continue the Beethoven Festival.
  • Deer Valley Zero Waste Management Program, to continue making progress.
  • Park City Community Donation’s Climate Fund for a curbside compost program to advance  the Zero Waste food goal.
  • Momentum Recycling’s Summit County Waste Assessment Program, to help manage/reduce waste countywide.
  • Recycle Utah, to support the PC/Summit County Green Business program.
  • Swaner Eco Center, for sustainable infrastructure projects.
  • Mountain Trails Foundation, for refining their Park City Trails Resource page and interactive maps.
  • North Summit Unite, to debut a marketing and promotions program.

As you can see, this year’s projects highlight the broad range of issues encompassed by the concept of sustainability. As we move deeper into the new fiscal year and prepare for our annual meeting in September, I am looking forward to tracking (and celebrating) the contributions our Sustainable Tourism Grant awardees are making to Park City’s quality of life and economy.