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Protect Our Winters

Slashing First Tracks in the Blizzard of Climate Change Messaging

The one thing all skiers and snowboarders have in common is the question: "Is it snowing?" When the answer is "no" and suddenly it's 65 degrees at 10,000 ft. in February, even the drunkest ski bum will start searching for answers. Climate change? There is nothing simple about climate change and the information explaining it is often over most of our heads. Hopefully, a change is on the horizon. While the climate change industry is stuck on creating a global message, Protect Our Winters (POW) is doing the opposite. By taking a human approach, POW is simplifying the climate change message.

Protect Our Winters is creating awareness with an audience that is greatly invested in their environment but is also probably the last one the climate activists would target: skiers and snowboarders. POW was started in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, who was reacting to ski resorts closing because they no longer received snow. In four short years, the organization has funded and organized a number of programs focused on renewable energy, recycling, and youth education. Additionally, the organization has produced a movie on climate change that screened at "all major US film festivals" as well as developed alliances with major apparel brands, resorts, and other like-minded organizations.

Could this be the blueprint of the future for communicating climate change? Climate change affects each climate differently, and in each of these climates, there are groups of individuals who either rely on the climate's resources to make a living or for recreation. It is in this individual and real-life connection where the message of climate change will be the most accepted.

A farmer in the Midwest probably isn't going to care about climate change until warmer temperatures start affecting crop yield. When the farmer's crops, and consequently, his income are affected, the farmer isn't going to ask climate scientists for the answers. The farmer is going to ask other farmers what's going on. Don't you think a farmer would listen to an organization of farmers who could explain what was happening?

I always try to compare the difficulties of explaining and understanding climate change to recycling. A picture of a landfill overflowing with cans and bottles is an easy for anyone to understand why they should recycle. Additionally, the process of recycling is simple. Place your bottles, cans and paper in a designated bin instead of the trash can.

When it comes to climate change, the clip of the polar bear swimming endlessly in search of ice is sad, but it provides no tangible evidence showing the harm of climate change. And by 'tangible', I really mean 'proof that ANYONE can relate to the harm is being done.' The next question is: 'How do you improve your own carbon footprint?' Drive less? Buy organic food? It really depends on your lifestyle, and that's exactly what POW is doing.

All that said, here is my call to action: climate activists, heed the approach of your fellow climate warriors, Protect Our Winters. Unless people can relate the effects of climate change to their own life, that poor polar bear is just going to keep swimming in the Great Sea of Intangibles.

About the Author

Sean Penrith

Since 2005, Sean served as Earth Advantage Institute's Executive Director. In 2012, he became the CEO of Earth Advantage's first for-profit spinoff — CakeSystems™, formerly EPS Auditor Pro.
A native South African, Sean earned a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of Cape Town. He is a United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) Climate Change Diplomacy graduate. He is an active proponent of the development of voluntary carbon markets, ecosystem service markets, greentech clusters and creating a robust energy efficiency labeling and disclosure standard.
Sean championed the creation of an Energy Performance Score rating label which was supported by the Energy Trust of Oregon. The label provides a 'miles-per-gallon' equivalent, investment grade label of a homes' energy and carbon use. He is Vice Chair on the The Climate Trust board, chairs their Offsets Committee and is an advisor to MIT's Climate CoLab project.
Sean is a recognized Portland Connector, and Edison Awards and Pivotal Leader nominee and an alumni of the EMERGE Leadership for Sustainability program. He frequently presents on topics that include green building, deep carbon reduction strategies, the future of sustainability, energy labeling and climate change.
Affiliations: Advertising Specialty Institute GreenBusiness.net OECDD Green Cluster Committee DRAC sub-committee, Green Permitting Portland Technical Advisory Group Governor's Energy Efficiency Work Group Governor's Future of Energy Summit The Climate Trust Western Climate Initiative Oregon Living Building Initiative Home Builders Association Steering Committee The Climate Registry Global Network of Entrepreneurs CleanTech Network MIT Climate CoLab

Projects: City of Seattle - Integration of EPS into existing protocols Energy Trust of Oregon - EPS Pilot Program Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance - Energy Star for New Homes Program Oregon Department of Environmental Quality - Life Cycle Assessment U.S. DOE - Strengthening Building Retrofit Markets