Telluride’s natural surroundings are pretty spectacular, and Telluriders are committed to keeping them that way. Want to do your part for this beautiful place? Try these top 5 ways to be green in the best town on the planet.

Ditch single-use plastic bottles. Telluride’s water is clean and delicious, which means there is no need to buy bottled water. Check out the reusable (and Telluride-themed) bottles at the Telluride Resort Store, near the Gondola station in Mountain Village. Most local eateries have a water dispenser for patrons, making a mid-day refill easy.

Ditto on single-use coffee cups. Head to any of Telluride and Mountain Village’s java joints and you’ll soon notice that everyone around you is carrying their own, reusable coffee mug. Find one at the Resort Store or one of our other fun and funky local retailers like Hook or Crossbow Leather.

Use public transportation. When your options are the free, convenient Galloping Goose bus or the Gondola, how can you go wrong? Both are eco-friendly. The Town of Telluride has partnered with local nonprofit Pinhead Institute to offset 100 percent of the buses’ carbon emissions, while the Gondola runs in part on energy generated by a local solar array.

The little things. Turn off lights and unplug chargers when not in use, reuse towels and linens, walk everywhere — you’ll certainly have plenty of photo opps while ambling along our pedestrian-friendly streets — and make use of Telluride’s freecycling hub, the Free Box, on North Fir Street.

Offset your carbon emissions. One of the best ways to keep places like Telluride pristine (and snowy) can be done before you ever arrive: purchase carbon offsets for flights, or, even better, to cover your annual CO2 emissions. Our favorite? The Pinhead Institute’s carbon offset program, which has partnered with a family-owned, Colorado ranch, at pinheadinstitute.org/dd_causes_cats/purchase-offsets/.

Hit the slopes! That’s right, get out and enjoy the very-green Telluride Ski Resort. The resort is a participant in the National Ski Area Association’s Climate Challenge and it shows. From big changes like upgrading to more efficient snow guns and snowcats to small ones such as eco-friendly straws, trail maps and signage, the resort has prioritized minimizing its impact on the environment. Wow.