Protect Our Winters and The North Face Launch Spring Round of Powder Grant Program
Kicks Off 2015 Hot Planet/Cool Athletes Program
Pacific Palisades, CA, March 31, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Protect Our Winters (POW) is excited to launch the 2015 edition of its successful Hot Planet/Cool Athletes (HPCA)climate assembly program and the second round of their Powder Grant initiative, both sponsored by The North Face. Both initiatives encourage students to bring their own climate-change fighting ideas to life.
For 2015 Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is has already reached 3,200 students in drought-stricken California and Washington with assemblies hosted by professional snowboarder and The North Face athlete Lucas Debari and professional skier Meg Olenick. Designed to utilize these powerful influencers to educate teens on climate change and empowering them to be the next generation of environmental leaders, the assemblies present climate science basics, the effects on winter sports and mountain communities, and personal and inspirational stories from the athletes about solutions.
The Powder Grants program runs in conjunction with the Hot Planet/Cool Athletes multi-media assemblies that are delivered by professional snow sports athletes at middle and high schools. Individuals or groups of students in middle school or high school are invited to submit project proposals addressing environmental action in their schools or communities. The Powder Grants program is broken into two grant cycles, with $5,000 allotted to one or more projects, dependent on project budgets, per cycle, for an annual allotment of $10,000 total. The Spring cycle deadline is August 31, 2015, with the Fall cycle running from September 1, 2015 to January 15, 2016.
Since its launch in 2011, Hot Planet/Cool Athletes assemblies have reached almost 30,000 students at 74 middle schools and high schools across North America.
“In its first year, our Powder Grants program is currently helping to fund the development of five impressive programs in schools in California, Vermont, Ohio and Colorado and we can’t wait to see the next round of submissions,” said POW’s Executive Director Chris Steinkamp. “During the Hot Planet/Cool Athletes assemblies, we find the students are incredibly engaged and motivated and we’re excited to give them the opportunity to channel that into a positive change they can make in their community through their own direct action.”
Schools and/or students interested in learning more about the grant program, hosting an assembly or showing the Hot Planet/Cool Athletes DVD can do so through the website: www.hotplanetcoolathletes.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Barbara Weber
Program Manager, Protect Our Winters
224-217-0201
About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966 with the goal of preparing outdoor athletes for the rigors of their next adventure. Today we are the world's leading outdoor brand, creating athlete-tested, expedition-proven products that help people explore and test the limits of human potential. We protect our outdoor playgrounds and minimize our impact on the planet through programs that encourage sustainability. The North Face products are available at premium and specialty retail sporting goods stores globally and we are headquartered in California on a LEED Platinum-certified campus. For more information, please visit www.thenorthface.com.
About Protect Our Winters
Founded in 2007 by pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones, Protect Our Winters is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and mobilize the winter sports community to lead the fight against climate change. Our focus is on educational initiatives, advocacy and support of community-based projects. To find out more about Protect Our Winters, please visit us at www.protectourwinters.org.
