Extreme cold and new buildings and people who take fossil-fueled trips to massive barbeques, oh my: Auden Schendler saves the world from carbon dioxide

Most Buildings Don’t Work Properly, Who Cares? « Climate Progress

By Auden Schendler, author of “Getting Green Done.”

On Christmas Eve 2009, the peak of the ski season in Aspen Snowmass, all was not quiet at the resort’s new flagship restaurant, Sam’s Smokehouse. At 10,600 feet in the Colorado Rockies, the weather can be extreme. On that night, things got brutal. It was minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and the wind was howling.

Unfortunately, heating equipment failed, so it wasn’t much warmer inside the restaurant (27 degrees), and as a result, two pipes froze solid and burst.

It was a calamity, because managers planned to serve barbecue to 300 people the next day, with thousands more expected for snacks, toe warming, and bathroom breaks.