Thursday, Alta became Utah's fifth municipality to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership. The town recently boosted its renewable energy purchasing from 5 percent to 30 percent of its total electricity consumption.

Only a 10 percent commitment is required to join the national program.

"We're trying to take steps in our little community to set an example for what can be done," says Mayor Tom Pollard, adding that the town worries about the impact climate change could have on Alta's No. 1 resource: snow.

"Our main source of revenue up here is the ski industry." Alta is following the lead of other green-minded ski towns such as Colorado's Aspen and Vail, Pollard says.

Utah's other Green Power Partners are Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Moab, which shares its membership with neighboring Castle Valley.

With only three buildings and a water-delivery system to operate, hitting the 30 percent mark might have been an easier reach for Alta, population 365. But city leaders hope the purchase has big results.

Alta now buys 5,700 kilowatt-hours (kwh) per month through Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program, which charges customers a premium to offset the cost of adding wind power to the grid instead of conventional coal-fired energy.

For Alta, participation means paying an additional $111 per month on its energy bill, but it also means reducing the town's carbon-dioxide emissions - a primary contributor to global warming - by 136,800 pounds annually.

That's the equivalent of not driving 146,547 miles, or planting 13,440 trees each year.

"Where our energy comes from . . . [has] one of the most profound impacts on our environment and our economy," says Sara Baldwin of the nonprofit advocacy group Utah Clean Energy.

"City governments can really lead the way, not only at the community level but at the state and regional levels. It has a domino effect. We commend Alta's efforts."

The town also has applied for a $33,500 grant from RMP to place solar panels on its administrative building. The panels would feed electricity - representing 2 percent of Alta's power needs - back onto the grid. RMP will decide in August whether to award the grant.

Next, Alta hopes to join the EPA's Green Power Community program, which measures participation among residents and businesses. Thanks largely to Alta Ski Area's sizable Blue Sky purchase of 75,000 kwh per month (23 percent of the resort's power), the town already exceeds the community benchmark of 3 percent.

Nearly 9 percent of all electricity consumed in Alta is offset by Blue Sky purchases.

Alta would be one of the first 10 cities nationally to join the program - Moab and Park City already belong.

"As a community we're doing really well without anybody making a big deal about it, but I think we can do better," says Assistant Town Administrator Laura McIndoe, who coordinates the town's green power efforts.

"What I'm hoping to do is inspire our residents and businesses to see if they can do anymore with respect to renewable energy."

rwinters@sltrib.com