YOUR AD HERE »

Actively Green 2015 ambassador profile: Zane Gearhart

Editor’s note: This is a weekly spotlight that celebrates a local person who works for an Actively Green 2015 participating sustainable business.

Name: Zane Gearhart.



Job: Banking officer at Alpine Bank in Vail.

What does Actively Green mean to Alpine Bank? With all of our existing sustainability and community development initiatives, we easily aligned with the program and we try to be a leader in these areas.

Support Local Journalism



Can you discuss some of these initiatives? Alpine Bank’s Loyalty Card program donates 10 cents per swipe of a debit card to one of six program areas, as selected by the customer. We donate to local organizations supporting community, education, the arts, the environment, Latin American communities and Colorado Mountain College. In 2012, we eliminated the use of our fleet vehicles, saving 11,000 gallons of fuel each year. We also have loans for fuel-efficient and electric vehicles and solar panel financing. We provide e-Waste recycling for customers, as well as paper shredding days for recycling confidential information.

Why should businesses get involved with Actively Green? The Sustainable Travel International model, which is utilized in the Actively Green program to identify baseline data and track progress, is primarily a travel and tourism framework. There are a lot of core business services and professionals needed in order to sustain the travel and tourism industry. Not to mention the cost savings.

My vision for a more environmentally sustainable Vail Valley includes: Giving an overhaul to transportation to and from Vail. We could really use intelligently designed solutions that would improve transport for visitors and locals alike.

The Actively Green 2015 sustainable business certification program is a community partnership supported by the town of Vail, the Vail Valley Foundation, Sustainable Travel International and Walking Mountains Science Center. To get involved, go to http://www.activelygreen2015.com.


Support Local Journalism