“Stationary energy” is the energy consumed by facilities and makes up the largest sector of energy use at the YMCA of the Rockies – Estes Park Center, reported Amy Wolf, the YMCA’s first Environmental Sustainability Manager.
Wolf’s job is to assess the operations at the Y and to make recommendations on ways the organization can establish and maintain sustainability. She also leads educational programs, designed to help visitors and employees to be more sustainable, and makes public presentations to spread the word.
Wolf was invited to speak last week to the League of Women Voters of Estes Park by the group’s Community Recycling Committee. The meeting took place at the American Legion Post 119.
“Our goal is to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2050,” she said, noting that trying to reduce to 0% would entail buying carbon credits and her department is focused on reducing the actual emissions created at the Estes Park Center.
But energy is only one piece of a much bigger focus. Wolf explained that the campus works closely with the Colorado State Forest Service to come up with a yearly forestry plan. Staff keep the trees thinned, removing any trees that are diseased, dead, or with diameters less than six inches, for fire mitigation.
“The Estes Park Center is 860 acres of ponderosa pines and is surrounded on three sides by Rocky Mountain National Park,” Wolf said. “The YMCA of the Rockies is proud to partner with Estes Valley Land Trust to preserve over 127 acres of Estes Park Center property so future generations can enjoy these natural spaces.”
The YMCA of the Rockies is not your typical “swim and gym,” facility, Wolf said. “We are a conference center and have lodging operations. We have cabins, hotel-style rooms, and conference buildings”
In addition, there are childcare centers including daycare and preschools.
“We work with a lot of the schools in Colorado,” she said. “We like to say it’s the ‘Disneyland of YMCAs’ where we have so many different things.”
Water conservation is a top priority, too. Wolf played several educational videos that were part of her presentation, one of which said freshwater makes up just three percent of the world’s volume of water, making it important to protect.
The range of mountains in RMNP birthed the headwaters of the Colorado River, you can hike to it in Kawuneeche Valley, on the west side of the Park. This river travels on to carve the Grand Canyon and is an essential water source for several states, including Colorado, in the southwest portion of the country.
Wolf has also created several educational youth programs designed to teach about the importance of sustainability while performing beneficial tasks to help combat climate change. Through her efforts, Wolf’s programs have:
- Replaced the plastic wraps in the housekeeping departments with reusable totes, saving the YMCA $10,000
- developed a waste audit and utility handbook in three languages to aid in training staff and guests on recyclable items
- Increased the number of recycling receptacles on campus
- Created sustainability training materials for both youth and adults in several languages
- Installed solar panels, heat pumps, and is investigating electric fleet vehicles.
Wolf has worked for the YMCA for six years starting the Snow Mountain Ranch location, pivoting from marketing to sustainability efforts. She has attended global climate change summits and is a founding member of the North American Sustainability Coalition, a group of YMCA employees who “work to strengthen environmental sustainability strategies,” said Cathy Alper, the chair of the League’s Recycling Committee, while introducing the presenter.
Wolf and her husband were married at the summit of Mount Princeton at 14,200 feet in elevation. She and her family live in Estes Park.