In this episode I have Mario Molina, the Executive Director of Protect Our Winters, which if you’re not familiar with POW, is a non-profit created by professional snowboarder and entrepreneur Jeremy Jones. POW’s mission is to turn passionate outdoor people into effective climate advocates. Having been fortunate enough to interview and work with a number of great people in the Protect Our Winters ecosystem, I have to say they do a hell of a job at that mission - so thank you to the whole team, the board and all the athlete and creative ambassadors for fighting the good fight and leading the way for the rest of us.
Speaking of leading, Mario is easily one of the most insightful, well read, and articulate executives I’ve come across - which you’ll quickly realize as we get into the conversation.
Prior to POW, Mario served as International Director for Vice President Al Gore’s organization,
the Climate Reality Project and Deputy Director at the Alliance for Climate Education, which educates young people all over the world on the science of climate change to empower them to take action.
Honestly, I loved this chat. Not only because Mario was well informed and thoughtful, but because this is one one of those conversations that one can’t help but walk away with something truly valuable. Whether it’s a philosophy on how to perceive our own self limits, the shared ethos that brings together the outdoor community regardless of what country your from or language you speak, or some very tangible tips on becoming a better climate advocate - I sincerely hope you’ll find some great nuggets in this one like I did. Enjoy!
Resources:
Protect Our Winters (POW)
Jeremy Jones - Founder POW and Jones Snowboards, and Professional Snowboarder
POW Climate Activist’s Roadmap
POW Climate Science primer page
Helen Davis - photo journalist for Denver post and Mario’s climbing partner
Auden Shendler - Chair of POW board and VP of Sustainability - Aspen Snowmass
Naomi Oreskes - POW Board Member, Professor of History of Science - Harvard University
Chris Steinkamp - former POW Executive Director
Donna Carpenter - POW Board member, CEO Burton Snowboards
Civil war in Guatemala in the early 80s
“The Revenge of Geography” by Robert Kaplan (geopolitics)
Two books that were formative in Mario’s childhood: Conticki and 7 Years in Tibet
The Age of Empire - Eric Hobsbawm
The American Power Act (cap and trade bill)
Nicholas Stern - The New Climate Economy
Alliance for Climate Education
Hot Climate, Cool Athletes (POW flagship program)
Duct Tape, Then Beer (outdoor media/production company)
Merchants of Doubt - Naomi Oreskes
NPR - Science Friday
Daniel Scott - Studies tourism and climate change (co-guest with Mario on NPR’s Science Friday)
Some episode themes:
How our identify in the outdoor community helps us bond over a love for adventure, irregardless of where we come from or what language we speak.
What it’s like to group up in Guatemala City in the 80’s and 90’s where civil war and coup drills were the reality for school children.
Making things like greenhouse gases and fossil fuels socially and legislatively unacceptable, much like drunk driving or cigarettes for minors.
We need to be climate citizens.
We need to have the hard conversations about the things we believe in.