“When you deposit money in the bank, it doesn’t just sit there, it goes out into the world and finances things,” Ben Stuart, Chief Marketing Officer at Bank of the West, said. “Your bank, and your deposits, can be a force for good. That’s why Bank of the West is making bold choices about what we do and don’t finance on behalf of the environment and teaming up with organizations, like Protect our Winters, that are taking action to protect our planet.”
The Climate Impact Lab predicts the number of days at or below freezing in some of the most popular ski towns in the U.S. will decline by weeks over the next 20 years. As this reduction occurs, there will be a dramatic, negative impact on the local economies and industries who rely on these winter seasons – unless changemakers act now to protect natural resources.
POW leads a community of athletes, thought pioneers and forward-thinking business leaders to affect systemic solutions to climate change. They believe that by engaging and turning a critical number of passionate outdoor people into effective climate advocates, they can add enough power to the climate movement to positively affect systemic policy change and lead to a cultural shift in climate advocacy.
“POW aligned with Bank of the West because it is one of the only U.S. banks taking action to combat climate change via sustainable financing practices,” Mario Molina, Executive Director at Protect Our Winters, said. “Bank of the West has proven to be an important ally to the outdoor sports industry. We’re excited to welcome them into our community; their proactive action on energy transition issues makes them a natural fit with POW’s mission.”
To kick-off this relationship, Bank of the West and POW have launched the #CaptureTheChange photo contest on Instagram to initiate conversations on how climate change is affecting our winters. The contest, which will run until March 1, 2020, encourages consumers to think about the impact they’re seeing as a result of climate change, including the important areas they wish to preserve with more sustainable lifestyles.