2016 Gifts: Protect Our Winters & The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado

One of the ways I’ve chosen to become more involved in the environmental community is to make regular donations to environmental organizations or causes. I’ve donated before, but this makes it official and public. It’s not only coming from me, it’s coming from this blog as an official endorsement. I’ve chosen 2 organizations for The National Environmental Professional 2016 gift – Protect Our Winters and The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado.

Publicizing the donation is an effort to extend the reach of my gift by promoting these organizations. It might introduce you to them. It may inspire you to give or to get involved. Or it may inspire you to find a similar cause that is close to where your live or within your work/life community. We need as many positive stories about the environmental community as possible.

Protect Our Winters (POW)powlogo

Protect Our Winters is a passionate crew of diehards, professional athletes and industry brands mobilizing the outdoor sports community to lead the charge towards positive climate action. We focus on educational initiatives, political advocacy and community-based activism.

I’m a skier and love being in the Colorado mountains. I appreciate how POW uses the outdoor community as it’s platform to educate and inspire people to take action on climate change. This will be the third time I’ve supported them. I previously gave to POW as an individual donor and as an organization, the Colorado Environmental Management Society, which was called the Colorado Hazard Waste Management Society at the time. I’ve followed POW’s actions for the past several years and I like what I see. If you’re a skier, boarder, hiker, camper, mountain biker, fisherman or generally like nature, I’d encourage you to check them out.

The Alliance for Sustainable Coloradoasc_horizontal_tagline

We envision a Colorado where connected, empowered, and sustainable communities have fulfilled their potential economically, environmentally, and socially. We believe in the ability to create the future we want with health, happiness, equity, and prosperity for everyone.

I wanted my second gift to be specific to Colorado, which is where I live. Therefore, I made my donation on Colorado Gives Day. I know one of the Alliance’s previous Executive Directors and how passionate she is about the cause. You can read my interview with her here. Colorado has a unique blend of beautiful land to conserve, a growing urban population, a growing demand for water in an arid climate, and a blended energy economy (solar, wind, oil and gas). That puts Colorado right in the crosshairs of many of our environmental challenges.

Did you know about these organizations before reading this? Have you ever given your time or money to an environmental organizations? If so, share it to inspire others.