Sustainable food on the slopes

Ski season: It's almost here! (The forecast in Boulder is for snow today ... here's hoping.) One nice change I'm looking forward to: Vail Resorts, which includes the ski areas at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and (in California) Heavenly, recently launched the Appetite for Life program, a commitment to using natural and organic foods in all its food-service restaurants (including those at its RockResorts properties). That means Coleman Natural Meats, Horizon Organic dairy items, zero trans fats, sustainable seafood, local items, and even certified organic and fair-trade Starbucks coffee will be on the menu starting with this year's ski season. And that's no small amount of food: Last year, they served more than 2.5 million lunches, making Vail Resorts "the largest restaurant operator in North America to exclusively serve natural meats and organic dairy products." This is the kind of trend that makes me happy.