“It doesn’t matter if you ski or snowboard, or how old you are, we’ve got to come together to fight this thing”

Those are the words of Chris Steinkamp, Director of Protect Our Winters a winter-enthused non-profit dedicated to helping fight climate change and to keep the winter lifestyle alive. If you haven’t heard of Protect Our Winters, take a few minutes to understand why this organization is important enough to write about.

Pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones, is the Founder/CEO of Protect Our Winters, sharing the responsibility of educating masses along with pro skiers like Nick Martini, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Chris Davenport, and more. One of POW’s main programs is having professional athletes speak to high school students about climate change. Called Hot Planet/Cool Athletes, the program focuses on educating youths about climate change and encouraging students of all ages to get involved in finding solutions.

To understand the changes that skiers will see as a result of climate change, all it takes is visiting the Protect Our Winters website and reading some of the science – “...by the end of the century, up to 70% of the snowpack in most western states could be lost if climate change continues on in this high-emissions scenario”, it states. That’s terrifying to anyone who loves to ski.

But we can help slow it if we act now. “If we can get this message out to NS, it can hopefully resonate to some of you guys that ‘this is my cause too’ and you’ll join us. There is strength in numbers and we all need to all find a way to come together as a united front.”

In speaking about POW’s philosophy, two things became clear:

• NS represents the youngest generation able to make a difference

• Climate change really is a do-or-melt situation

The best way to get involved is to take The POW 7 Pledge. It’s a list of seven things that anyone can do to make a difference. Steinkamp asserts that the #1 way to help stop climate change is to “Get Political”. Having lobbied Congress twice already, Steinkamp said that it was eye opening to see what drives political agendas. Politicians are not far out of everyone’s reach, including NS! If enough constituents- NS’ers- take interest in a situation, there will be political action in response to that! Protect Our Winters by joining together, and as a community we each do our part. Together, we can Protect Our Winters.

You can show support for POW by taking the POW 7 Pledge; “Liking” them on Facebook; and donating today. Spread the word and take action- Protect Our Winters. http://www.protectourwinters.org