Protect Our Winters (POW) hosted it annual Global Summit in Austria, bringing together POW international chapters from across Europe. Founded in the United States in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, the nonprofit organization is now expanding its focus to Europe, where regional chapters will push for systemic political solutions to climate change by engaging the outdoor community in climate advocacy.
Both Burton Snowboards and Nidecker Group—on behalf of Nidecker and Jones Snowboards—used the POW Global Summit to commit to supporting POW’s work in Europe, each donating $50,000 US Dollars to the organization. The donations will support POW in their efforts to build a comprehensive strategy for the diverse European market, grow their regional POW chapters and cover upfront costs.
Jake Black, POW’s Program Manager in Boulder, Colorado, oversees the efforts of the European chapters. “Every country in our European coalition is working hard to reduce its emissions, but all are coming up short due to a variety of limitations. We believe that by creating a multiyear strategic plan that provides a regional vision, each country can then develop their own plans that leverage the outdoor community in influencing systemic political solutions to help reduce emissions,” said Black. “Europe is ripe for climate action and POW aims to add value to the movement by bringing the outdoor community to the table.”
Burton Snowboards’ Co-CEO Donna Carpenter, Nidecker Group CEO Henry Nidecker and Jones Snowboards’ Brand Manager Xavier Nidecker were in attendance at the two-day summit in Innsbruck.
In her opening remarks, Carpenter shared insights about Burton’s collaboration with POW—a partnership that began in 2013—focusing on the brand’s federal lobbying efforts, advocating for state-level carbon pricing legislation and, more recently, becoming a founding member of POW Canada in September of 2018.
“After working closely with POW in the U.S. for many years, it is time to expand our common focus to Europe to help POW grow and evolve,” said Donna Carpenter. “We are proud to support their cause as it aligns with our mission to invest in sustainability and protect our natural playgrounds.”
The Nidecker and Jones team played a key role in the summit workshops, which focused on developing in-country organizational structures and helping POW athletes learn how to best engage with their audiences on climate change.
“Sustainability has been at the core of our mission since the foundation of Jones by Jeremy Jones. It’s an honor to partner with POW as they unite people across industries, cultures and geographies to fight together on behalf of our planet,” said Xavier Nidecker, brand manager of Jones Snowboards.
“It’s important to us that POW Europe has the resources they need to accelerate the European transition to sustainability,” said Henry Nidecker, Xavier’s brother and CEO of Nidecker Group. “This donation is an investment in all of our futures.”
With the upcoming 2020 elections, POW’s current efforts in the United States are focused on passing state-level climate legislation and leveraging passionate outdoor constituents in key geographies with hopes of mobilizing voters. POW’s work in the U.S. will serve as the foundational strategy for European chapters who will mimic their use of high-profile influencers and brands to mobilize the community.
