SAM Magazine—May 15, 2020, Lakewood, Colo.—On Wednesday, May 13, the Outdoor Business Climate Partnership (OBCP) joined LEAD on Climate 2020. The event, facilitated by Google Hangouts and sustainability-focused NPO Ceres, brought together more than 330 business leaders for the largest ever call-to-action on climate change.

OBCP is an alliance between the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), Snowsports Industries America (SIA), and the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA). In digital face-to-face meetings, these organizations and leaders across other industries called on members of Congress to use this unique moment in time to build back a better economy post-pandemic. They advocated for bipartisan investment in long-term climate solutions like a net-zero emissions economy and a price on carbon.

"This pandemic has given us a preview of the havoc climate change can wreak on our industry, and our way of life. Now is the right time to utilize our learnings from COVID-19 and come back stronger in our fight against the climate crisis,” said NSAA CEO Kelly Pawlak.

SIA president Nick Sargent echoed those words: "The pandemic has given us a glimpse into the future if we choose to remain unprepared for what we know is coming on climate change. All of us in the corporate community must drive this change towards a more resilient economy, but we can't do it alone, we need Congress to be our partners, to tackle this together."

LEAD on Climate 2020 built on last year’s LEAD on Climate Pricing, an in-person event that brought together over 75 companies, including OBCP. This year’s virtual advocacy day had more than four times the number of participating businesses, representing a combined market value of $11.5 trillion.

“I think both the virtual nature of the event, and the broadening of the message (last year, we focused on a price on carbon; this year, we focused on #BuildingBackBetter and working toward a resilient climate future) allowed more businesses to participate,” noted NSAA director of marketing and communications Adrienne Saia Isaac.

“Ceres provided the training we needed to be effective in our advocacy, and it was wonderful to see lawmakers from both sides of the aisle engaged in the conversation and hearing the issues our businesses face,” she added.

LEAD on Climate 2020 participants included Fortune 500 companies, like Microsoft, NIKE, Pepsico, Salesforce, and VISA, as well as outdoor industry partners, such as Alterra Mountain Company, Burton, Clif Bar, POWDR, Vail Resorts and several regional ski area associations.

“When the business voices of the ski industry—in concert with over 300 businesses and trade associations—come together in Washington, it is a very powerful call to action,” said Isaac.