Presented by The North Face in partnership with Protect Our Winters and Teton Gravity Research, Generations presents climate change through the perspectives of those for whom snowy winters have a deep personal and financial significance. Going beyond charts and numbers, the film humanizes and places into context, the debate on climate change by exploring the delicateness of winter and the intrinsic value of snow to people across generations and cultures.
Premiering in October 2009, Generations will showcase the impact of climate change on people such as California farmers, professional riders and skiers, mountain guides, resort owners and children. What’s been the impact to them personally and ultimately what can we do to prevent further damage to a season that we’ve all taken for granted for so long?
Generations is premiering at major US/Canadian Film Festivals and downloaded online at The North Face.com. The DVD is also being made available by POW to anyone who wants to show it locally to help inspire others to get involved. For more information, please contact us at: info@protectourwinters.org
It’s never too late to secure our planet for generations behind us. Get Involved!
In fact, if Americans can reduce their energy use 2 percent each year for the next 30 to 40 years we would be halfway to stabilizing our greenhouse-gas emissions.
Combining our efforts with an aggressive climate change treaty, coming out of the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Change summit in December, we’ll all be on the way to stopping the rise of C02 in the atmosphere, and the preservation of our winters and glaciers for generations.
First, it’s imperative that we all do whatever we can do to reverse climate change. It’s time to think about minimizing our personal carbon footprint by changing our daily habits and taking a look around the house and make our living environment more stable. Here is a quick list of some easy things to do that will have a tangible effect:
HOME
1. As the seasons change, take the opportunity to make sure your house is ready. Have the energy company come and do an energy audit or at the very least make sure all windows and doors seal tightly and that all hot water pipes and the hot water heater is insulated. According to the NRDC, having a leaky home is equivalent to a 3×3 foot hole in your wall! It will help decrease your current energy bill too.
2. After a long strenuous day on the mountain and you want to wash up, think shorter, less-hot showers. By making your showers warm will not only help cut back on the energy used, but it is also better for your dry, winter skin. Conserving water is extremely important as it’s a diminishing natural resource so we should try and conserve it anyway possible.
TRANSPORTATION
1. As soon as possible, trade in your car and purchase either a hybrid, biodiesel or something with the highest MPG as possible. Cars and trucks are responsible for 40% of the greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. There are tons of great new hybrid models and more on the way with federal incentives attached, so shop around now. Learn more here.
2. Use public transportation as often as possible. Ask your employer if they will subsidize your taking public transit to work.
3. Carpool to the mountain. Instead of driving yourself, load of your car with others going to to the hill in the morning. Or jump in someone else’s car. Most resorts have ride share boards. Here is Squaw Valley’s.
4. And think twice about how long you warm up your car on a cold morning. Necessary?
RECYCLING
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! This could be as simple as: if you are a coffee drinker waking up for the early pow mornings, reuse your travel mug. Almost every coffee shop will fill your own mug instead of using their paper or styrofoam cups.
2. Carry a reusable water bottle. Plastic production creates emissions and allows more opportunities for plastic littering the environment. If you plan to hit the mountain, carry a Camelbak and fill it with tap water; this will also keep you hydrated all day which is important!
3. Use less paper! Bring your own bags to the grocery store. This will cut back on the use of paper and help save our trees. The National Resources Defense Council said that the virgin pulp and paper industry is a top emitter of greenhouse gases. You will help save forests, water and help reduce carbon emissions.
GET INVOLVED LOCALLY
1. Contact your local congressman. In advance of the global climate change conference in Copenhagen on December 7-18, its imperative that our elected officials know how important it is that a new global climate change agreement be reach at that time. Please take a minute and write a letter/email to one of your elected representatives at the local, state or Federal level. Find them here.
2. Start a green team at work. Ask your current employer what their plans are and if they don’t have any, speak up!
3. Purchase carbon offset credits and help neutralize carbon emissions. These credits purchased replace customary polluting sources with sustainable renewable energy that are used on projects such as schools, communities, power grids, etc. Measure your carbon footprint and purchase offsets here:
4. Research and buy products from companies who make sustainability a priority. Take a look at their sustainability efforts on websites, such as The North Face and Clif Bar.
JOIN POW!!
Help bring awareness and do something about these important issues that are damaging our earth and creating shorter winters. Every month, we re-invest contributions from supporters in programs that have a tangible effect on climate change, such as supporting renewable energy projects and smart progressive ideas or educational initiatives that change the habits of the next generation. Join us, together we can Protect Our Winters.
