Natural science education, summer camps, hiking, snowshoe tours and things to do in the Eagle River Valley and Vail, Colorado.

Staff Spotlight: Kim Schlaepfer

Written by Walking Mountains Science Center | Sep 25, 2020 4:00:00 PM

Meet our staff! Walking Mountains staff is full of brilliant, interesting and funny individuals. We want the community that might not have a chance to work with them or participate in their program to get to know our staff. Trust us-- our staff makes all the difference! Join us Fridays for a new blog post. Click the tag at the bottom for more spotlights!

Staff Spotlight: Kim Schlaepfer
What is your position at Walking Mountains? What is your primary responsibility?
My position at Walking Mountains is the Manager of the Climate Action Collaborative for the Eagle County Community and my primary responsibility is to organize the community leadership to achieve our Eagle County Climate Action Plan goals. The goals set by the CAP are a 25% reduction in community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and an 80% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050.

 

How long have you been at Walking Mountains?
I've been at Walking Mountains for about 2 and a half years now! Time flies when you are having fun.  

 

How long have you lived in Eagle County? Where did you live before?
I've lived in Eagle County for almost three years now, I moved in December of 2018 to be a ski bum. Previously I lived in Denver and worked for a sustainability consulting group. I was lucky that we had a remote work set-up that allowed me to move to the mountains and keep my job - although I did cut my hours back to save plenty of time for skiing. 

 

What inspires you, in regards to your job?
The most inspirational part of my job is to see, each and every day, and a huge group of smart, qualified, engaged individuals who are working hard to address this big scary problem of climate change both at Walking Mountains and in the Eagle County community at large. It's easy to fall into a slump of bad news and negativity in today's world, but every time I jump into work for the day, I am reminded that there are a lot of people in this world who care a whole lot and are dedicating their time and energy to fixing the problems we face. I am a lucky person to be surrounded by such inspiring individuals in my job! 

 

Do you have a favorite program or event that WMSC hosts? Why do you enjoy that program?
I think my favorite program is the Sustainable Film Series because of the reason I stated above. The attendance of that event continues to blow me away and it's so cool to see so many people working to learn more about climate change and the solutions we have available to fix it. 

 

Where else in the community do you work or volunteer? 
I own my own consulting business to help businesses with sustainability work. This just started and it has been a super fun journey! I also volunteer each winter with SOS Outreach and love getting out on the slopes with my SOS kids! 

 

What is your favorite way to spend time in the outdoors?
Hmm this is so tough, and probably differs by season. Skiiing is my number one passion, so I'd have to say that one trumps them all. But in the summertime, hiking and biking are close seconds!  

 

What is your favorite food?
Pasta. In all its glorious forms. It's just so good! 

 

What is your favorite animal?
You would think I'd have a favorite animal working at Walking Mountains, but this question is always tough for me. I think one of the cutest animals, that I could watch all day, is a sloth. So we'll go with that! 

 

What is your favorite science or nature fact?  
That Aspens are all one tree connected by the root system - it never ceases to amaze me! 

 

Fun/interesting fact about yourself?
I'm a cat person. Always have been and always will be. Dogs are cute, but nothing compared to a little kitty!

 
View Kim's Staff Page: HERE
Learn more about The Sustainable Film Series: HERE