Attention Eagle County residents and visitors! As the snow season slows and spring creeps around the corner, have you been thinking to yourself, “how can I participate in local climate action work?” If so, you’re in luck, because Walking Mountains and the Climate Action Collaborative will be hosting our third annual Climate Action Week from April 15th through 22nd!
Climate Action Week is a week full of events across Eagle County that aim to inspire climate action and highlight the work of local Climate Action Collaborative partners. Events, many of which are in partnership with other organizations and businesses in our community, will center on the different sector areas of the Climate Action Plan, emphasizing how partnership and collaboration are crucial to progress. This year will feature more Spanish-first events than in years past, including the Fiesta de Sostenibilidad on Saturday, April 20, an afternoon sustainability fair for Spanish-speaking families.
Speaking of progress, it’s important that I highlight the state of our climate action progress before jumping into the enjoyable events taking place next month. It concerns me to share that our community isn’t making the progress necessary to achieve our science-based climate action goals and halt the worst of climate change. As of the 2022 Eagle County Greenhouse Gas Inventory, County emissions were 6% higher than they were in 2014, our baseline year. Natural gas usage, transportation emissions, and solid waste emissions have all increased over this time period, despite many programs and policies aimed at addressing emissions in our community. Next month, we will use this column to share a more detailed overview of the inventory, adding context to the data within it. In the meantime, let this information galvanize you to participate in Climate Action Week and learn more about local organizations, programs, and opportunities for involvement. Climate change is a collective problem that will require collective solutions, so we’re calling on you to participate.
Onto the fun stuff - Climate Action Week!
On Monday, April 15th, start your day with an ethnobotany tour hosted by the Eagle Valley Land Trust at Brush Creek Valley Ranch and Open Space. In the evening, join Walking Mountains and the Town of Eagle for a tour of two local homes currently undergoing electrification and energy efficiency retrofits. Following the tour will be a happy hour at the Brush Creek Pavilion with resources and information from partners on starting your clean energy journey.
On Tuesday, April 16th, close out your day by bringing your family to a Spanish viewing of the timeless environmental classic, The Lorax, at the Edwards Riverwalk Theatre.
Test your trivia skills on Wednesday, April 17th, with sustainability trivia hosted by the Adam Palmer Sustainability Fund at Second Street Tavern in Eagle. Choose your team wisely!
Thursday, April 18th is movie night! Support the Eagle River Coalition by attending the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, which will feature several environmental and adventure-based short films, all with the common thread of our most precious resource, water.
Kickstart Friday, April 19th by either stimulating the brain or the body! Colorado Mountain College will host their Sustainability and Ecosystem Science Conference, featuring keynote speaker, Elder Forrest Cuch, of the Ute Indian Tribe. Cuch’s keynote is entitled Native Knowledge for the New Earth and will discuss how the presence of American Indians informs a vision for the New Earth, including intersections with racism, environmental justice, and climate change. Alternatively, if you’re feeling the need to move your bones Friday morning, Walking Mountains will host a leisurely backcountry snowshoe with one of our Certified Interpretive Guides, who will discuss how climate change is impacting peak snowpack in Colorado.
There’s something for everyone on Saturday, April 20th! Give back to the landscape in the morning by joining the Eagle River Coalition for a riparian planting at Brush Creek Valley Ranch and Open Space in Eagle. In the afternoon, join us at Walking Mountains for the first annual Fiesta de Sostenibilidad, a Spanish-first, family friendly day of sustainability education and fun.
If you weren’t able to make Saturday’s riparian planting event with the Eagle River Coalition, don’t fret, on Sunday, April 21st, there will be another opportunity at the same time and location. In the evening, join Charlotte Lin, green careers coach and Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Avon, for a conversation about the book Active Hope and how to use the power of hope to inspire sustainable action.
To close it all out, on Monday, April 22nd (Earth Day!), participate in Revolution Power Yoga’s Earth Day yoga class, centered on grounding and connecting with the Earth. In the afternoon, swing by the new Wiggle Worm Gardens in Eagle for an open house sustainable gardening and seed bomb making activity.
Talk about a lineup of climate action and sustainability events! Visit Walking Mountains Climate Action Week website to learn more and register for all these events. We hope to see you at Climate Action Week 2024!
Gina McCrackin is the Climate Action Collaborative Manager at Walking Mountains. The Climate Action Collaborative is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Eagle County 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.