ASPEN, Colo. (KKCO) - For ten years, the Ski Area Citizens Coalition has published its Ski Area Environmental Report Card, a rating system that grades ski resorts across the West, according to their impact on the natural environment.

Paul Joyce, of Colorado Wild says, "When a ski area expands into the back country, expands into habitat, affects wildlife, affects vegetation, thereby affecting water, watersheds, water quality, those things weigh really heavy with the report card."

Resorts owned by the Aspen Skiing Company dominate the highest rated resorts in the West.

Auden Schendler of the Aspen Skiing Company says, "People listen to us in part because we're an interesting news story but also because we're business people. Ultimately we're not environmentalists we're business people and we see climate change as an existential threat to the business."

The resorts emply active and passive solar, hydroelectricity, clean burning vehicles, and construct energy efficient buildings, power consumption is closely monitored, and efficiency goals increase annually.

The goal of the report card is to help protect the natural world, but resort companies like these believe being green is good for business too.