Burton Snowboards was born in a barn in southern Vermont over forty years ago, and we proudly remain a Vermont based business. The climate crisis is a direct threat to the sport we love, the mountain lifestyle that we and our community lead, and our long-term business success. In today’s world we are constantly reminded of the impacts of climate change, which are evident right here. The number of days with snow cover each year has decreased by one to two weeks since 1970 in the northeast, a change which I have personally experienced since my childhood in rural Vermont. At Burton, we are working hard to help tackle the global challenge by reducing our own carbon footprint: promoting renewable energy generation through improvements to operations and making changes to product design and manufacturing. However, our impacts as an individual company alone cannot stop worldwide emissions. Which is why we work to multiply our impact around the world by influencing positive climate policy.

Winter came early this year, and I suspect I wasn’t the only one in a panic because I forgot (again) to make an appointment to have our car’s snow tires put on. (It wasn’t just me: A friend got to a local business at 5 a.m. to wait in the first-come, first-served queue and get her tires put on just before Thanksgiving.) Oil changes, new tires, windshield washer fluid, parking, clearing snow and ice off the windshield, regular fill ups…despite their convenience, cars can be inconvenient.