Mountains Sustainability

Hilltrip is dedicated to improve the sustainability of our mountain environment and lifestyle.

What does Sustainability mean?
At its most basic level, sustainable means "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Why Global Warming?
"Climate change is one of the most significant sustainable development challenges facing the international community. It has implications not only for the health and well-being of the Earth's ecosystems, but also for the economic enterprises and social livelihoods that we have built upon this base. Creative responses based on solid research, shared knowledge and the engagement of people at all levels are required to meet the challenge posed by climate change."
- International Institute for Sustainability, www.iisd.org

Why Mountains?
"Mountains are an important source of water, energy and biological diversity. Furthermore, they are a source of such key resources as minerals, forest products and agricultural products and of recreation. As a major ecosystem representing the complex and interrelated ecology of our planet, mountain environments are essential to the survival of the global ecosystem."
- Agenda 21, Chapter 13, "Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development" Agenda 21 is a 40-chapter statement of goals and potential programmes produced by delegates at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro.


A barometer of global climate change, Mountain ecosystems are highly sensitive to changes in temperature. Many climatologists believe that mountains provide an early glimpse of what may come to pass in lowland environments.

Although sitting in silence, glaciers seem to be sending us some urgent messages about our climate. Rising temperatures are transforming mountain environments, even altering the alpine experience:
·Glaciers are melting – worldwide, melting rates have doubled since the 1980s
·Waters are drying up – in the Canadian West, late summer flows are dwindling, threatening communities, farms, and fish
·Snowlines are rising – winters are getting shorter, and experts predict trouble ahead for low-elevation ski resorts
·Mountains are falling apart – scientists link melting alpine permafrost with rockfall, such as the extraordinary events on portions of famous climbing routes in the Alps in the summer of 2003.

Clearly, those of us that play and work in the mountains have much to lose.

For more information visit www.meltingmountains.org and www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Mountains.asp.

Leading the Way!
We would like to outline the contributions to sustainable development from some of our sponsors. Check out who’s contributing to sustainable development here.