POW Heads to Washington DC
Protect Our Winters heads to Washington D.C. with professional athletes and outdoor industry leaders to discuss bipartisan climate solutions.
BOULDER, CO— On September 13, 2017, Protect Our Winters (POW) will convene in Washington D.C. with professional athletes and outdoor industry leaders to discuss bipartisan solutions to climate change. Athletes in attendance will include: Founder of Protect Our Winters and Jones Snowboards, Jeremy Jones; Olympians Gretchen Bleiler, Alex Deibold, and Kaitlyn Farrington; skiers Julian Carr, Angel Collinson, Hadley Hammer, and Michelle Parker; snowboarders Josh Dirksen and Forrest Shearer; fly fisherman Hilary Hutcheson; climber Matt Segal; and Polar explorer Eric Larsen. In addition, representatives from Aspen Skiing Company, Burton, Fishpond, Keen, Orvis, and the California Ski Industry Association will be in attendance.
Throughout the day attendees will meet with the following offices: Congressman McClintock (R, CA-04), Congresswoman Mia Love (R, UT-04), Congressman Tipton (R, CO-03), Congressman Walden (R, OR-02), Congressman Welch (D, VT At Large), Senator Daines (R-MT), Senator Gardener (R-CO), and Senator Murkowski (R-AK).
“For Burton Snowboards, warming winters are a business bottom line issue. We are excited to head to Washington with Protect Our Winters to meet with lawmakers to discuss how we can address climate change’s impacts on the $887 billion-dollar outdoor recreation economy,” said Donna Carpenter, CEO of Burton Snowboards.
In addition to one-on-one meetings with members of Congress, the group is excited to attend a hearing held by the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus on climate change’s impacts on tourism and outdoor recreation. The Caucus is a group of U.S. Representatives with a mission to educate members on economically viable options to reduce climate risk and to explore bipartisan policy options that address the impacts, causes, and challenges of our changing climate. Membership is kept even between Democrats and Republicans; the Caucus currently boasts 52 members.
Pro fisher Hilary Hutcheson, Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, and VP of sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company Auden Schendler will testify at this hearing.
“As a professional snowboarder, it’s true that my idea of a good time isn’t necessarily putting on a suit and heading to Capitol Hill, but I am energized by the rapid growth of the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus,” said Jeremy Jones, Founder of Protect Our Winters and Jones Snowboards. “We look forward to meeting with the Caucus and talking solutions.”
