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Steamboat Springs — A 1,800-acre subdivision west of Steamboat Springs boasts multimillion-dollar home sites, a herd of cattle and plenty of open land. One thing it doesn't have?

A carbon footprint.

Marabou is carbon-neutral, managing partner and President Jeff Temple said, which means it contributes zero carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association hopes other companies take a cue from the ranch preservation subdivision, which is in the top tier of the Chamber's Sustainable Business Program. The program enters its second year this month, and officials are pleased to report progress.

Thirty-four businesses have enrolled in the sustainability program. About a dozen of those have achieved gold certification, the highest level possible. The chamber aimed to sign up at least 25 businesses in the first year of the program, chamber Executive Vice President Sandy Evans Hall said. The goal for the second year is 50.

Businesses in the program set goals for reducing their energy use, water use and waste.

Chamber member businesses pay $50 to $500, depending on their size. Nonmembers must pay an additional $200. The fee pays for the expertise of Lyn Halliday, principal of Environmental Solutions Unlimited, who sits down with each business to tailor a sustainability plan.

"I don't walk in and scold people," Halliday said. "I'm kind of like a coach. I let people know what's available."

One size doesn't fit all

Needs vary among businesses, Halliday said. Restaurants, retailers, lodging properties and others have enrolled.

"An art gallery tried to reduce the use of electricity through lighting, and that was tough because they have strict requirements on lighting and how they use it," Halliday said. "They went all the way to Europe to look. Those are the kinds of things that are unique to businesses."

That gallery was Images of Nature, owned by Todd Savalox. The lighting issue hasn't been resolved, he said, because the technology isn't available. The gallery would like to switch to LED lighting, which uses less energy than the halogen bulbs it uses now.

But the gallery needs specific fixtures to focus LED light on the art, and those aren't on the market, he said.

"It'll happen; it's just a matter of time," Savalox said. Until then, the gallery has silver certification.

When a business has met sustainability goals, it receives a plaque denoting its certification level: green, bronze, silver or gold. To achieve green certification, for example, companies must reduce their annual landfill waste by 15 percent. To achieve gold, they must cut it by 50 percent. The chamber is developing a platinum level, Evans Hall said.

Black Tie Ski Rentals has gone for and gotten the gold. The company uses energy-saving compact fluorescent lighting throughout its store, offsets its vehicle emissions by buying carbon credits and rewards employees for using alternative transportation, co-owner Ian Prichard said.

Employees get a point each time they carpool, walk, bike or use other methods to get to work besides driving themselves, he said. Points can be redeemed for merchandise. Black Tie recently awarded its

top two point-earners with a trip to Silverton, Prichard said.

If employees have points left over at the end of the year, Prichard said, Black Tie will match the number of points with a dollar donation to the employee's choice of Protect our Winters, which fights global warming and focuses on the winter sports community or Routt County United Way.

Moving forward

As the sustainability program enters year two, Evans Hall said, the chamber is looking at what's next. The program's steering committee is working on a process to recertify businesses yearly and is seeking sponsors, she said. The group also is planning a luncheon this month at which participating businesses and those interested in joining can chat.

"We're getting these businesses together, and we're going to ask them what's most beneficial," Evans Hall said. "Do they want to meet once a month? Do they want a newsletter? Whatever it is, we will then put it together."

Smartwool, another gold-certified business, might co-sponsor the luncheon, said Mark Satkiewicz, vice president of sales.

"We want to lead by example, to educate, inspire and support at our business, at our homes and - this is really, really important - within the Steamboat community itself," he said.

The Chamber named Marabou its sustainable business of the year in October 2007. Marabou's environmental efforts have included using renewable power sources, planting trees and exceeding Built Green construction standards, managing partner Temple said.

He said the measures, which can add 5 or 6 percent to building costs, were worth the expense.

"I think the recommendation or the advice is that it's not that hard; we should all be doing it," Temple said. "The customer will appreciate it, let alone our kids and grandkids."

Steamboat companies are spreading the word, Evans Hall said.

"Our businesses are the ones who are taking the lead now; they're really doing it," she said. "That word of mouth can help other people jump on. You need these early leaders to try it and test it."