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.
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