Member spotlight: Protect Our winters
Erin Sprague is the CEO of Protect Our Winters, where she leads outdoor enthusiasts in protecting the places they love from climate change. A former brand-builder at Aspen Skiing Company, Specialized Bicycles, and Virgin Sport, Erin also helped launch climate tech startups tackling food waste and heat pump adoption. She grew up in the Adirondacks and now calls Boulder home, where her daughters already outpace her on the trails.
We sat down with Erin to discuss the power of collective action in tackling climate change, POW’s partnership with Premiums for the Planet to drive systems-level solutions, the importance of aligning individual, corporate, and policy efforts for lasting impact, POW’s work on diversity in the outdoor community, and where she finds hope during dark times.
Premiums for the Planet: Why did POW decide to partner with Premiums for the Planet?
Erin Sprague: What’s not to love about a bunch of climate x insurance nerds? POW and Premiums for the Planet both prioritize systems-level change — the only altitude that can solve the climate crisis. We need smart tactics to replace centuries of fossil fuel usage with clean, renewable systems. Insurance is a really smart tactic. No business leader would build an intensive capex project like an oil and gas pipeline without insurance. Capitalism, philanthropy, and policy have to work together to solve this big of a problem.
PFP: Both POW and Premiums for the Planet emphasize collective action. Why do you believe that collective action is your best pathway to impact?
ES: Mountain climbs are always better with friends. We have a community we call the Outdoor State — this is the 176 million outdoor enthusiasts in the US. Together, we are bigger than any single state and an unstoppable force for change. Right now, we’re fragmented. Collective action brings us together for better results and more fun along the trail.
PFP: In the transition to a more just and regenerative society, how does POW weigh the roles of individual action, corporate responsibility, and public policy?
ES: You can install an energy-efficient light bulb, but is the electricity powering your light bulb coming from a clean source? This is the level of policy and systems change we need. At POW we have 110 corporate brand partners who understand their voices are powerful and trusted, especially together. POW partners like Burton and REI are some of the best examples of how corporate advocacy also creates a meaningful brand position for consumers.
PFP: Given the homogeneity of the outdoor community in the United States, how does POW actively address diversity, equity, and inclusion within its membership, its solutions, and the larger outdoor community?
ES: Communities of color experience greater negative impacts from climate change. The solutions needed in DEI work are similar to climate — they both require collective action and thinking at a systems/ecosystem level. We were founding members of the Outdoor Diversity Alliance (ODA), and work with other great outdoor brands like Cotopaxi, Boa, Decathlon, On Running, Keen, and more. The ODA is a community of shared best practices to help companies move faster, farther, overcome the fear of making mistakes/getting called out, and a lack of capacity and resources. To share one key best practice: we hire paid community advisors from underrepresented groups to guide our actions.
PFP: While the challenges are immense, what initiatives, organizations, movements, or individuals inspire hope for a sustainable future?
ES: Kids fuel my optimism. When I travel for work, my kids say “oh, so you’re going to save the earth, right?” When I ask them what that means, they say “I think you pick up litter and stuff.” I’ll be covering Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions with them during bath time tonight. We have a lot of inbound interest from college students and other young people who love POW stickers, emails, and actions. We’ll leverage that interest to get them engag[ed].