Cranmore's Jimmy Mersereau to Receive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Lifetime Achievement Award Posthumously
The New England Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected Cranmore Mountain’s long-time operations director James Mersereau to receive an Environmental Merit Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in recognition of his exceptional work and commitment to the environment.
NORTH CONWAY, NH – The New England Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected Cranmore Mountain’s long-time operations director James Mersereau to receive an Environmental Merit Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in recognition of his exceptional work and commitment to the environment.
This award recognizes outstanding environmental advocates who dedicated their lives toward preserving and protecting New England’s natural resources. This award will be presented at a special ceremony to be held at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Mass. on Thursday, April 22, 2010 --- the 40th anniversary of Earth Day -- from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This annual ceremony has recognized the environmental achievements of New Englanders for more than three decades. Mersereau’s family and Cranmore co-workers including GM Ben Wilcox will be guests of honor at this celebration.
Wilcox gives credit to Jim Mersereau for the many energy efficiency, renewable energy, and pollution prevention initiatives undertaken by Cranmore in recent years.
In the award nomination submitted by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) in cooperation with Cranmore, Wilcox wrote, "Jim's passion and energy for doing the right thing for the environment was the reason Cranmore's management team supported many of the initiatives that he brought to the table. His leadership was an inspiration to the entire Cranmore team, along with the entire NH ski industry."
“Jim Mersereau was a kind, fun, dedicated individual who, through his personal conviction to doing ‘the right thing,’ led a transformation of the ski industry in the Northeast toward improved energy efficiency, pollution prevention, and use of alternative fuels.”
Cranmore’s environmental initiatives, awards and achievements inspired by Mersereau included:
- 2003 – First ski area in the east to use biodiesel in snow grooming equipment, successfully demonstrating the viability of biodiesel as a cold weather fuel option. Eight NH ski areas any many more in New England now use biodiesel blends.
- 2004/5 – Adopted use of biodegradable hydraulic fluids to reduce the environmental impact from hydraulic leaks or system failures in the groom and lift operations.
- Implementation of “Biodiesel Days” to raise awareness of alternative fuels and reward customers using them.
- First New Hampshire ski area to initiate single stream recycling.
- 2007 – The only ski area to publicly support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – hosted a press event to show this support and garner support of other areas and industries.
- Switched snow making equipment to high volume, low pressure guns that reduce energy and water use by over 60%. This project resulted in a Community Service Award for Energy Efficiency from the Nationa Rural Electric Cooperative Association for the NH Electric Cooperative in 2008.
- 2008 – Cranmore Mountain Resort received a Governor’s Commendation for Leadership and Initiative on Climate Change Issues.
Jim was extremely well respected in the ski area industry as shown by his selection to an elite grooming crew for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. He successfully undertook initiatives that made his mountain, and through his leadership, his industry, more aware of their environmental impacts and more willing to find alternatives and solutions to mitigate them.
For more information on the environmental initiatives Mersereau pioneered at Cranmore, visit www.cranmore.com/gogreen.
