April Newsletter

Something exciting is coming to Park City next week – and you’re invited to be part of it!

This year, our community is proud to host the 3rd annual Zero Waste Forum, put on by Race to Zero Waste, Green Education US, and the National Recycling Coalition. This lively and inspiring event will be a gathering of national and international thought leaders on zero waste to rethink what we throw away and why it matters. For a few energizing days our community will become a hub for fresh ideas, practical solutions, and meaningful conversations about how we can reduce waste and build a more circular future.

Whether you run a business, manage operations, or simply care about sustainability, the forum offers something for you. Expect engaging speakers, real-world examples, and down-to-earth strategies you can actually use. It’s also a chance to connect with others who share your curiosity and commitment, right here in our own backyard.

We’re also excited to offer special discounted registration for Green Businesses!

Curious? Interested? Ready to be inspired? Learn more here and reach out to Celia Peterson to access discounts.

We’d love to see you there—and to continue building a more resilient, low-waste future together.

Resourcefully yours,

The Green Business Team

Thriving Workplaces That Empower Working Parents

Join us on May 13 from 12 to 1 pm at the Park City Library for our next Lunch and Learn to explore how we can create thriving workplaces that empower working parents. We’ll hear from the Park City Chamber, Alpine Distilling, and Summit County Health about practical strategies and resources for employers, including the Best Place for Working Parents designation, tax credits for small businesses, and lactation resources that support a more inclusive workplace culture. Learn more and register for the event at the link here.

When it comes to reducing waste at your business, the simplest changes can sometimes make all the difference. The Green Business Program provides practical steps on our website to improve waste diversion efforts by focusing on staff and customer behaviors that often lead to contamination in recycling and compost bins, causing more materials to be sent to the landfill. One simple change your business can make is installing recycling bins alongside all trash bins, with consistent bin colors and bilingual signage to support easy and intuitive waste diversion.

Download template signage directly from your Green Business profile or reach out to the Green Business team to get support.

At Park City's Visitor Information Center, sustainability is woven into how they welcome every guest. From the moment visitors arrive, their team works to make responsible tourism feel natural and easy.

A few ways they put their values into practice:

They also train their team to share practical sustainability tips with visitors, from public transit options to responsible recreation, because informed guests make a real difference for our natural resources and community. The rotating climate change exhibit, developed in partnership with Swaner, brings that message home, showing how rising temperatures are affecting our local snowpack.

Together, these efforts reflect the Information Center's deep, ongoing commitment to a greener Park City.

Alpine Distilling Takes the Lead!

As the newest certified Green Business, and achieving the highest points of any business so far, Alpine Distilling truly reflects Park City’s climate ambitions, and it shows.

Owners Rob and Sara Sergent have made sustainability a core value from day one– proving that smart environmental choices can also save money and lead to more efficient operations.

When it comes to protecting resources, their distilling process uses far less water than conventional methods and includes a containment system that ensures no byproducts of their distilling enter local waterways. Their energy-efficient steam systems capture and reuse heat, cutting natural gas use by up to 40%. Across the business, they prioritize waste reduction by reusing packaging, repurposing production materials, and composting organic waste.

Sustainability is also woven into their Social Aid & Pleasure Club, where robust recycling and food-waste practices are the norm. Even their décor tells a reuse story—sourced from reclaimed Disney set materials that might otherwise have gone to the landfill.

This kind of creativity and commitment has earned Alpine multiple Green Business and industry recognitions—and makes them a local leader and valued partner in advancing Park City’s climate goals.

In search of funding for a sustainability program, initiative, promotion, or event? The Sustainable Tourism Grant is open for applications until May 1st for projects that align with an objective outlined in the Park City & Summit County Sustainable Tourism Plan. Awards of up to $20,000 are available to partially or fully fund eligible projects.

On April 30th, Park City Municipal will be considering a new ordinance that will affect all business renewals and applications in 84060. This waste reduction ordinance will require that all businesses have a plan for recycling, and provide details of how their landfill and recycling waste is hauled. More information and updates can be found at www.parkcity.gov/wastereduction.

Want to get more involved in local solid waste planning efforts? Take this quick (5 question) survey before it closes this Friday, April 17, to share how waste diversion fits into your operations, challenges you face, and ways the City and County can help your business recycle more.

Beyond Buzzwords: Writing Sustainability Content People Care About

Join Visit Park City and Right On on June 10, 10:30 am to 2:00 pm at Hotel Thaynes for a hands-on workshop on writing sustainability messaging that actually connects. You'll leave with practical strategies to cut through jargon and find the human story in your content, across web, social, print, and more. Lunch included!

RSVP here.

Through the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, businesses (commercial properties, workplaces, multifamily housing), nonprofits, homeowners’ associations (HOAs), and property managers are eligible to receive up to $7,000 for installing electric vehicle chargers. Want to learn more or apply for a rebate? Visit the link here.

Join Recycle Utah on May 12 from 6 to 8 pm at the Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter to learn about the importance of open space and land conservation for water in Summit County. You’ll hear from the teams at Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter and Summit Land Conservancy. Learn more and register for the event here.