Applying the Principles of Industrial Ecology to the Guest‐Service Sector

Industrial ecology (IE) has historically focused on manufacturing but could be applied more broadly, particularly to sectors of the economy not typically considered “dirty.” The guest‐service sector, for example, has a significant ecological footprint, often in environmentally sensitive areas, and would benefit from an IE perspective. Colorado's Aspen Skiing Company, which hosts 1.3 million skiers annually on 5, 000 acres of skiable terrain, is integrating concepts of energy efficiency, feedback, life‐cycle costing, nutrient cycling, renewable energy, ecosystem diversity, local sourcing, and human capital into operations at four ski areas and two hotels. An IE perspective offers the guest service sector a holistic view of its environmental impacts, a big‐picture view that is missing from an industry where environmentalism has historically meant “recycling” or end‐of‐pipe pollution control. Many industrial ecology principles are directly applicable to resorts, but implementers will encounter a host of obstacles cultural, institutional, and economic that express themselves in unique ways in the guest service sector. Written using firsthand experiences from Aspen's ski slopes, restaurants, and a five‐star hotel, this article explores what happens when the principles of industrial ecology are applied to the guest service sector, particularly what goes right, and what goes wrong.