Where Would Robert Redford Meet?

If you were one of the world's best-known environmentalists, how would you go about building a conference center?

One answer can be found at the new Redford Conference Center, opening today at Redford's 5,000-acre Sundance Resort.

The resort already has in place an impressive set of green policies, which includes an on-site glass kiln (installed because of the difficulties of recycling in a remote mountain location) and car-pooling incentives, as well as a full-time naturalist and staff who carry out ongoing environmental restoration projects.

The new conference center is notable for its use of green building materials. The wood in the ballroom and pre-function areas is reclaimed barn materials, and staircase panels area from old Wyoming and Montana. A fireplace hearth was locally quarried, and 95 percent of the lights are LED or fluorescent.

It also uses geothermal heating and cooling, which pulls heat from the ground in the winter, and disperses heat into the ground in summer.

“This conference center will foster more people into collaborative ventures, more new ideas to flow, and more creativity to thrive on the mountain," said Redford, "all without overwhelming the natural space it inhabits."