Among the pines, spruces and aspens, the Town of Alta stands out as a different shade of green, thanks to the resort town’s environment initiatives.   Among other efforts, Alta recently decided to boost its Blue Sky purchase from 5 percent to 30 percent of its total electricity consumption (5,700 kilowatt-hours (kwh) per month), making it Utah's fifth municipality to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership.   And the tenth nationwide.

"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, Pollard says.   Alta is demonstrating the significant role city governments can play in leading the way to raise awareness of global warming and the solutions available today to combat this significant problem.