February 8, 2025

Vail Mayor Kim Langmaid shares how the city is taking climate action at the top of Vail Mountain.
Dominique Taylor/Courtesy photo

The Walking Mountains Science Center held its inaugural Climb It for Climate event this weekend, bringing together more than 400 people for immersive outdoor fun and education with the goal of energizing climate action in Eagle County. .

The event centered around a hike on the Berrypicker Trail, a popular Vail Mountain route that climbs 2,286 feet in about four miles. Along the trail, the Climb It for Climate event featured educational stations highlighting what various community organizations are doing to combat climate change in Eagle County and beyond.

James Kenly, the director of individual giving at the Walking Mountains Science Center, said the concept was developed as a physical metaphor for climate action and a window into the programs and initiatives being mobilized across the valley to ensure that the our province will reach its climate goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.



Participants will hike the Berry Picker Trail to Vail Mountain in the inaugural Climb It for Climate event on Saturday, September 24.
Dominique Taylor/Courtesy photo

“It’s not the easiest hike in the world, and there’s a bit of a metaphor that climate action is not the easiest hike in the world, but it’s important,” Kenly said. “There are a lot of climate champions in our community who are doing a lot of work very quietly, and it makes the momentum of sustainability hard to understand as a regular person. All of these companies are doing things that most of us unknown, so we want to make everyone proud to live in Eagle County and see the work being done here.

Learn about local actions

Walking Mountains begins its educational journey at the trailhead, sharing information about the impact of climate change on our local watershed. During the hike, Swedish outdoor apparel company Fjallraven explained its process for sustainable design and production while local bands provided a live soundtrack to inspire hikers.



At the top of the mountain, Vail Resorts and Vail Honeywagon teamed up to discuss how they can work together to achieve the ski company’s goal of zero waste to landfill by 2030. Vail Honeywagon’s compost and recycling services in Wolcott make zero waste a possibility for companies throughout the valley, and Vail Resorts is currently prioritizing waste diversion in its climate action plan, using strategies that can be replicated in other industries.

The city of Vail served as presenting sponsor of the Climb It for Climate event, and mayor Kim Langmaid shared the city’s climate efforts and achievements. In addition to replacing trash, he promoted the town’s “Bring Back Gore” campaign.which has been working to protect Gore Creek through education and intervention programs since 2011.

In addition to promoting the actions of large companies, Kenly said Climb It for Climate is designed to inspire individual action and show Eagle County community members ways they can make lasting changes. in their own lives.



A green commuting session talks about alternatives to driving gas-powered cars to get to work and other destinations. These include electric-powered public transportation, a new fleet of Shift e-bikes, expansion of electric vehicle charging stations and the possible adoption of a Regional Transportation Authority if voters approve it in November.

Artist Pat Milbery (PatMilbery.com) applied upcycled aluminum cups as clouds in a custom mural created for the inaugural Climb It for Climate event.
Dominique Taylor/Courtesy photo

There will also be a session on green buildings, where individuals will learn how to reduce their energy and water consumption, as well as options for retrofitting homes to become fully electrified, thus reduce the individual carbon footprint. All this is possible thanks to the actions of Holy Cross Energy, which presented its plan for filling its grids with 100% renewable energy sources by 2030.

Matt and Amy Sadler, owners of Gypsum-based landscaping company Rutsu, launched a new educational program called Dirt Dojo at Saturday’s event. Dirt Dojo will provide interactive training programs for children and adults to become more deeply connected to nature, enabling community members to better understand our local environment.

At the end of the day, after taking inspiration from these different initiatives, all attendees were asked to write a personal climate pledge, committing to an action they can take to help achieve the county climate goals.

“We want everyone to know that we are not alone. Everybody’s doing something, we’re all doing different things, but this is what it takes,” Kenly said. “The underlying theme here is that none of us are perfect, each of us can do something more, and all actions really do make a difference.”

A party for the planet

Climb It for Climate focused on a serious topic in a fun way, and managed to sell in the process. Kenly describes it as “throwing a party for the planet,” where our valley’s love for live music, art and the environment is celebrated while disseminating information and used to inspire action. Given the popularity of the inaugural event, he seems to have hit it off.

“A lot of climate talk is just a bummer, and we’re trying to say ‘OK yes, there’s a problem, but we have a lot of solutions’ – we just have to do it,” Kenly said. “We saw our community come together on Saturday with a focus on sustainability and climate action, with curiosity, with a willingness to learn, with an openness to change, to take action that they are not currently taking, and the way we do it. done in community: with the desire to have fun.”

After learning about sustainability in Eagle County, the Climb It for Climate crowd celebrated with Brother’s Keeper on the rooftop deck of Eagle’s Nest.
Dominique Taylor/Courtesy photo

The event also served as a fundraiser for the Walking Mountains Science Center, raising more than $160,000 to support the organization’s work as a hub for sustainability education and climate action in Eagle County. Walking Mountains plans to make Climb It for Climate an annual event that will be able to tell more and more success stories with each passing year, until the county reaches the pinnacle of its climate goals.

For more information about Walking Mountains initiatives and upcoming events, visit WalkingMountains.org.

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