Thursday, December 13, 2007

Preferred Parking for Hybrid Vehicles at Tahoe Ski Resort


Sierra-at-Tahoe is rewarding skiers and snowboarders who are helping to reduce their carbon footprint.

New this ski season, guests who arrive in a hybrid vehicle will be able to park in the lot closest to the lifts. In this “green lot”, the parking lines are painted green instead of yellow. The preferred parking lot is located front and center at the resort, which also provides skiers and snowboarders arriving in gas guzzlers the chance to walk past a veritable showroom of hybrid vehicle choices.

There some one dozen models of hybrid cars, both sedans and SUVs, already on the market, with more in the pipeline, from nearly all your favorite manufacturers. These are some, not all --

Hybrid Sedans -- Toyota Prius and Camry, Honda Accord and Civic, Nissan Altima, Lexus LS 450H, Saturn Aura Green Line

Hybrid SUVs -- Ford Escape (pictured, above), Mercury Mariner, Lexus RX 400h

New Hybrid Models Expected in 2008 -- Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler Aspen

Okay, back to skiing and snowboarding. At Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort, "Project:Green" program includes mini-green tags, which help offset vehicle emissions associated with ski trips. Complimentary resort shuttles from nearby South Lake Tahoe help minimize vehicle trips to the resort.

Other resort-wide projects that have been in place for several seasons include installing solar panels and occupancy sensors that turn off hallway and bathroom lights when nobody is there.

Wow, a special, preferred parking lot for green cars. How brilliant is that! Invite the good guys up front and send the bad guys to the outer limits.