Spy and DCP Team Up with Protect Our Winters

Author: Katie Schlicht, Snowboardmag.com

CARLSBAD, Calif.—SPY Optic™ today announced a partnership with Protect Our Winters (POW) and SPY Professional Snowboarder David Carrier Porcheron (DCP). DCP’s relationship with POW reaffirms his commitment to promoting environmental consciousness. He is active in a number of POW interests, including its Riders Alliance initiative—an athlete coalition—and Hot Planets/Cool Athletes program—a youth education series administered in conjunction with Alliance for Climate Education (ACE).

“The POW Hot Planets/Cool Athletes program affords DCP the opportunity to engage kids about climate change and help influence the next generation of sustainability leaders,” say Kevin Casillo, SPY Snow Segment manager. “DCP is a longtime proponent of reducing his carbon footprint and, working with POW, he has a chance to reach an entirely new, young audience and connect to the snow industry at the same time.”

With respect to the POW Riders Alliance, DCP joins a list of esteemed fellow athletes, including Gretchen Bleiler and Jeremy Jones, in leveraging their collective influence to affect public policy and promote environmental responsibility. Throughout the year, POW rallies the Riders Alliance behind renewable energy initiatives and enterprises designed to heighten awareness of greenness through community education, outreach and action, from local levels to Capitol Hill.

“I have become aware of my impact on the planet in recent years and, a snowboarder, I appreciate being in nature so much—my career completely depends on it,” says DCP. “SPY and POW help me give back to the environment with a portion of sales of my signature snow goggle going to POW’s reinvestment with organizations that share our sustainability mission and focus.”

For more information about POW, its programs, success stories, members, sponsors and grant recipients, log-on at www.protectourwinters.org.  For details about the SPY + DCP + Yes™ Zed™ goggle, go tohttp://www.spyoptic.com/zed/d/1057_c_200. For more information about SPY, log-on atwww.spyoptic.com and www.facebook.com/spyoptic.

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes visit VT high school to raise climate change awareness

Today, the “Hot Planet/Cool Athletes” program visited to over 400 students at S. Burlington HS in Vermont with Professional freeskier, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa.  After talking about personal experiences, seeing the effects of climate change and asking the students to be part of the solution, a ninth grader stepped up and shared with the audience – comprised mostly of upperclassman – several things she does to cut her carbon emissions: carpooling to school every day, composting, reusing butter containers to bake cupcakes, unplugging electronics, recycling, buying from responsible brands… and she spoke about how easy and important it is to implement these practices.  

Students can apply for small starter grants from POW to get their best ideas off the ground and making a difference.

Tomorrow, we visit Turners Falls, MA high school with Dylan Hood and next week in Nashua, NH with Nick Martini.


Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is a Program started by Protect Our Winters in partnership with Alliance For Climate Education (ACE) this program is targeted to schools in mountain communities, leveraging the power of a pro athlete to inspire and motivate young kids.  This impactful multi-media event provides a platform for any athlete to educate students about climate change solutions, through personal experiences, while inspiring them to be the next generation of climate leaders.

Quiksilver Foundation Grant Supports Protect Our Winters

By Transworld Business
The Quiksilver Foundation has donated grant money towards global snow sports non-profit organization Protect Our Winters to support its new “Hot Planet/Cool Athletes” campaign to educate youth on the impact of climate change.  The sum of the grant was undisclosed in the official announcement.

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is a partnership between POW and Alliance For Climate Education (ACE) and is customized version of the acclaimed ACE Assembly, a new multimedia presentation available to any pro snow sports athlete interested in speaking to schools on behalf of climate change awareness/education. Hot Planet/Cool Athletes highlights athlete achievements and personal stories about the impact of climate change on winter sports and local mountain communities.

Since the program launch in January, athletes such as Gretchen Bleiler, Nate Holland, Seth Wescott, Ralph Backstrom, Nick Visconti, Moss Halladay, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Iris Lazzareschi and Forrest Shearer have presented to over five thousand students.

“The Quiksilver Foundation is excited to be working with POW and helping to support many of their great programs such as their Hot Planet/Cool Athletes initiative.  We’ve been actively pursuing a dedicated organization concerned with the issues facing our winters and we found a perfect fit with POW.  Having them work with our athletes to discuss climate change issues to students all over California is the best way to start”, said Ryan Ashton, Director of the Quiksilver Foundation.

“We couldn’t be more excited about partnering with the Quiksilver Foundation. Our missions are aligned very closely and we’re looking forward to giving their athletes a platform to influence students to become climate leaders.  The athlete voice is a powerful one, one that has the ability to create a movement”, said Chris Steinkamp, POW’s Executive Director.

WHOLE FOODS GIVES TO PROTECT OUR WINTERS

On Thursday, April 7th, Whole Foods Market will give 5% of net sales to Protect Our Winters to fund Hot Planet/Cool Athletes, an engaging climate change presentation for teens.

Whole Foods Market Highland Drive has selected non-profit organization, Protect Our Winters (POW) as the current quarter’s 5% Community Giving Day recipient. Funds earned from the 5% Day will assist POW in funding for their “Hot Planet/Cool Athletes” program.

“Hot Planet/Cool Athletes” is a multi-media high school assembly that provides professional snow sports athletes with a platform to discuss climate change with students. Athletes discuss climate science basics and share their personal stories about the impact of climate change and its potential effects on winter sports and mountain communities, with the aim of inspiring students to take action in their own lives to reduce their carbon footprint and incite activism in their schools and communities. Whole Foods Market will partner with POW for their Salt Lake school presentations this spring to help educate students about climate change.

“We feel this is a perfect fit for our location, as the mountains are literally in our backyard,” says Sondra Stephens, Whole Foods Market Store Marketing Specialist. Whole Foods Market 5% Community Giving Days” are held once a quarter at each Whole Foods Market location. The groups (non-profit organizations) that benefit from the 5% Days are as varied as the communities themselves. Sondra Stephens, Whole Foods Market Marketing Specialist says, “This is one of the many ways that our stores give back to our community to benefit a selected Community Partner.”

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes to Reach 1500 Students

Professional snowboarders will be visiting multiple high schools across the Sierra Nevada region to promote taking action against global warming. The outreach is the result of a joint effort between Protect Our Winters and the Alliance for Climate Education.

Here’s more from the press release:

Pacific Palisades, Calif., and Oakland, Calif. - March 15, 2011 - As atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide continue to rise at an accelerated rate, our mountains are beginning to feel the effects first with shorter winters and shrinking snowpack. In the face of climate change, the in-school climate presentation Hot Planet/Cool Athletes aims to educate and mobilize the generation that stands to lose the most by presenting engaging science and solutions on climate change with leading pro snow sports athletes. Hot Planet/Cool Athletes will reach 1500 students in the Sierra Nevada region, March 22 - 28.

The program is a collaboration between Protect Our Winters (POW), the environmental center point of the winter sports community, and Alliance For Climate Education (ACE), the national leader in high school climate science education, and presents a customized version of the acclaimed ACE Assembly, a multimedia presentation that’s reached more than 700,000 high school students since 2009.

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes highlights pro snow sports athletes’ achievements and personal stories about the impact of climate change on winter sports and local mountain communities. Launched in January during Winter X Games, the assembly delivers a message for students to take action in their own lives from snow sport role models.

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is part of a week of special events with the Shane McConkey Foundation that includes the Pain McSchlonkey Classic, a ski and snowboard competition and fundraiser on March 26th, memorializing snow sport legend Shane McConkey.

Athletes/Schools include:

* Nine-time Big Mountain Snowboarder of the Year and POW Founder Jeremy Jones visits his hometown of Truckee, CA to present to 250 students at 9:30 am at Truckee High School on March 24th

* The Northface Masters of Snowboarding Champion and Lake Tahoe local Iris Lazzareschi and pro snowboader

Moss Halladay will co-present to 400 students at 8:10 am at North Valley High School in Reno, NV on March 22nd

* Pro snowboarder Ralph Backstrom will present to 300 students at 10 am at McQueen High School in Reno,NV

on March 24th

* Pro snowboarder Nick Visconti will address another 250 students in his hometown at 11 am at Truckee High School

on March 24th and to 300 students at 12:05 pm at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno, NV on March 28th

*Media are invited to attend. Contact: Savannah Cowley 530.448.4093

Akin to surfers and the ocean, pro snow sport athletes have close relationship with mountain environments, through which many harness a sense of environmental activism - a call to “protect where you play.” Jeremy Jones, pro snowboarder and POW’s Founder, realized that his position in snow sports gave him a unique voice to address climate change and mobilize a community around him. “As pro athletes, it’s our responsibility to inspire those who look up to us to be part of the solution,” said Jones, “Hot Planet/Cool Athletes gives us a platform to talk personally about what we’ve seen in the mountains and what needs to be done to fight climate change.”

About Protect Our Winters: Protect Our Winters is the environmental center point of the winter sports community, united towards a common goal of reducing climate change’s effects on our sport and local mountain communities. With over 35,000 supporters worldwide, POW re-invests contributions in educational initiatives, activism and supporting community-based initiatives that have tangible results. For more information, visit protectourwinters.org

About Alliance For Climate Education: Alliance for Climate Education is a national nonprofit dedicated to educating America’s high school students about climate science and solutions. We educate students through free in-person multimedia assemblies presenting climate science that sticks; we inspire students to lower their emissions and raise their voices; and we activate students to take on carbon-reducing projects in their schools and communities. ACE has reached more than 700,000 high school students at more than 1,200 schools nationwide since 2009. To learn more, visit acespace.org.

Protect Our Winters Launches Hot Planet/Cool Athletes with ACE

Pacific Palisades, CA January 24, 2011 - In a recent study conducted by Yale University, just 1 in 10 Americans believe they have a strong understanding of climate science, while 75% of Americans say that schools should teach our children about climate change.

In response, Protect Our Winters (POW), the environmental voice in snow sports, has teamed up with the Alliance For Climate Education (ACE), the national leader in high school climate science education, to create an engaging new climate change presentation for teens called“Hot Planet/Cool Athletes.”

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is a customized version of the acclaimed ACE Assembly, a multimedia presentation that’s reached more than 600,000 high school students since 2009.This new winter sports presentation is available to any pro snow sports athlete interested in speaking to schools on behalf of climate change awareness/education. Hot Planet/Cool Athletes highlights athlete achievements and personal stories about the impact of climate change on winter sports and local mountain communities.

Students will learn climate science basics, potential effects on winter sports and mountain communities and will leave feeling inspired to take action in their own lives. Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is designed as a complete and easily executed package; making it easy for athletes with busy schedules to implement with an ACE Educator.

This week, Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is part of a host of special events happening in Colorado’s Roaring Fork valley high schools leading up to Winter X 15 in Aspen. During the five-days, Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is slated to reach 2000+ students. Assemblies will continue throughout 2011.

Athletes/Events include:

-Olympic Silver Medalist and four-time X Games Gold Medalist Gretchen Bleiler will visit her hometown high school of Aspen High School in Aspen, CO on January 26th

-Five-time X Games Gold Medalist Nate Holland will address an all-student assembly at Basalt High School alongside Seth Wescott on January 25th

-Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and three-time X Games Silver Medalist Seth Wescott joins his competitor and friend (Holland) in presenting at Basalt High School on January 25th

-Pro freeskier Sage Cattabriga-Alosa will meet with over 400 students at Roaring Fork High School in Roaring Fork, CO on January 28th

“Part of POW’s mission is to make sure that the next generation is better equipped to address climate change. As athletes, we now have a relevant platform to reach young students and create a movement of passionate youth leaders,” said Jeremy Jones, POW’s Founder and professional snowboarder.

Jones, who is one of the world’s top freeriders and nine-time Big Mountain Snowboarder of the Year, witnessed first-hand the impact of climate change on our mountains and believes that pro athletes can effectively leverage their visibility and influence to inspire activism amongst the winter sports community. It is upon this same ideal that the collaborative presentation was born; Hot Planet/Cool Athletes conveys the climate crisis through the eyes of pro snow athletes in a voice that resonates with teens.

“Mountain communities have been hard hit by climate change in the form of shorter ski seasons, deforestation and more,” said Pic Walker, executive director at ACE. “Winter athletes really bring it home for high school students with personal stories about the impacts of climate change that directly affect their lives. Together, we can inspire a generation to make sure there’s still snow to shred.”

Hot Planet/Cool Athletes Video