Outdoor Retailer PreShow - 2020 - 14

First Words
O U T D O O R

S N O W

S H O W

Speaking Up: Geraldine Link, NSAA;
Patricia Rojas-Ungar, OIA; Andrew
Pappas, OIA; Senator Mike Braun (RIN); Melanie Mills, Colorado Ski Country
USA; Chris Steinkamp, SIA; and Bill Jensen, Telluride Ski Resort (left to right)
at the U.S. Capitol in October 2019.

Taking Charge

The Outdoor Business Climate Partnership promises to
unite the industry to take action on climate change.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS THREATENING

our communities, infrastructure,
and economy-particularly the
$887 billion outdoor recreation
economy. The Fourth National
Climate Assessment identified
outdoor recreation and the tourism
economies it supports as one of the
key sectors that will be impacted
by climate change.
The unpredictability that comes
with climate change presents
challenges for the outdoor industry
with respect to planning, staffing,
inventory, capital investments, and
other key decision-making. Uncertainty is bad for business.
Individual actions aren't enough

to achieve a stable climate. In order to combat climate change, spur
government action, and drive policy change, what is needed now are
the powerful voices of our industry's business leaders. That's why
OIA, SIA, and NSAA came together a year ago to create the Outdoor
Business Climate Partnership
(OBCP) to unite the powerful voices of our industry's leaders and the
economic weight of thousands of
outdoor retailers, manufacturers,
suppliers, sales reps, and resorts
across the country.
The OBCP is building bipartisan bridges in Congress. In our
first year, we worked alongside

/ OUTDOOR + SNOW SHOW 2020

business leaders and CEOs from
70 progressive companies such as
Microsoft, New Belgium Brewing,
and Ben & Jerry's to advocate for
a price on carbon. Additionally, we
participated in the first-ever Congressional Ski & Snowboard Caucus "Climate Roundtable," helped
to build membership in the biparKELLY PAWLAK
NSAA President

tisan Senate Climate Solutions
Caucus, and provided resources to
all our member companies about
how they can drive their businesses
toward clean energy.
With a new year comes a
new sense of hope and purpose.
There are plenty of signs that the
business sector will be absolutely
critical to building a bipartisan dialogue and maintaining
forward momentum on Capitol
Hill. We will continue to use our
voices and work to make climate
a bridge issue, not a wedge issue.
We have a critically important
election coming up in 2020, and
we've already begun setting the
foundation for broad-scale, bipartisan action on climate.
As members of OIA, SIA, and
NSAA, you play an important role.
We need you to join with other
outdoor businesses in exploring
opportunities to procure renewable energy, continue to support
renewable energy initiatives at all
levels, take climate action to drive
down greenhouse gas reductions in
your operations and supply chains,
and to lend a voice in advocating
and testifying on Capitol Hill
about climate change impacts and
policy solutions.
We stand together, with you,
bound by our passion for outdoor
recreation. This goes beyond political parties. This includes all communities, no matter where you live
or what work you do. The outdoor
industry is uniquely positioned to
find the common ground to help
solve this complex issue.

STEVE BARKER
OIA Interim Executive
Director

NICK SARGENT
SIA President

Outdoor Retailer PreShow - 2020

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