Sustainability is a work in progress, so it’s impossible to have all the information to know whether a company’s activities are green enough. However, you can learn whom to trust simply by testing whether a company will genuinely respond to you.

Last Friday, I wrote a piece on The Eightfold on the opportunity for theme parks to green the customer experience. In it I mentioned Bearfire Resort, a year round outdoor ski resort to be built in Dallas, Texas in 2009. Since Texas summers are resource intense, I questioned the value of building a 650,000 square foot ski resort.

Typically when you question a their practices, companies have three standard reactions to potential criticism 1. Manage the situation with PR 2. Ignore it 3. Take the bull by the horns and interact with you. Now the third reaction is pretty rare because it exposes the company to a trial by fire. So I was surprised when Bearfire’s CEO Charlie Aaron commented on The Eightfold to explain not only his commitment to making Bearfire sustainable but also his desire to chart a new course for the leisure industry.

I called Bearfire yesterday to lean more and left a message on Aaron’s direct line. When Aaron called me back last night, I asked him a simple question: what do you aspire to be? I learned Aaron isn’t pursuing a gimmick. He is driven by conviction and vision to keep winter culture alive despite global warming. Why in Texas? Three reasons: to provide a new opportunity to ski, to educate people about winter and create awareness about the environment.

Now Aaron may have been giving me his PR speech, but it seemed unlikely. People who are open are fearless. They are propelled forward by passion and conviction, and I felt Aaron’s willingness to personally return my call promptly and despite being in transit is telling. I finished our half hour conversation open for further dialog and slightly less cynical.

Does this mean I believe skiing in Texas’ sweltering August is a good idea? I haven’t decided. I don’t have the research and science to conclusively reason either way. But I do believe good business has always been and will always be about relationships and trust. We might never conclusively have all the facts, especially since sustainability is a work in progress. But when you’re not sure which companies are worthwhile, ask yourself: who would you rather trust — a gated press department, a non responsive company or a CEO who takes the time to explain his vision to you? My bet’s on the last one.

http://www.bearfireresorts.com/
http://theeightfold.com/?p=278