Open Letter From Lynsey Dyer To The Skiers Of America

Photo courtesy Lynsey Dyer. 

Dear skiers,

I have a favor to ask. I ask that for a hot minute to put aside your thoughts of the upcoming ski season and focus on something even more important for the future of skiing: voting. You already know our sport, our snow, our nation, and our world are at risk from climate change. We need to #voteclimate when we hit the polls this week.

Some people say elections don’t matter, that their vote doesn’t matter. I've felt this way for sure. But history proves the only way real change is made is BY THE PEOPLE, though it doesn't feel like it, it's us who holds the power and when enough of us use our power, shit changes.

Lynsey Dyer does not want the POW to disappear. Leslie Hittmeier photo. 

Let’s look back to 2000, when one of the fathers of the climate movement, Al Gore, lost to that other guy by several hundred votes. Imagine if more people who cared about the environment and climate had voted then. Instead of eight years of pro fossil fuel policies in Washington, we could have had a president committed to action on climate change and renewable energy production. 

Voting matters.

We got our first African American president because young people turned out to vote in huge numbers in 2008 and 2012. We helped change history. We can do it again. For the first time in history, millennials are tied with baby boomers as the largest group of voters. This is our generation’s election and we have the influence to really make a difference. At the same time, polls show that the majority of people age 18-29 think climate change is a serious problem. That’s higher than for older groups of voters. Unfortunately, those older groups vote in higher percentages than we do. 

We need to flip it. Younger voters, and especially skiers, who are on the front lines of warming winters, need to vote.

This is the most important election of our generation. Your vote can determine if we continue the forward progress made on climate change that we’ve all worked so hard for, or if we take a huge step backwards. We can not afford to miss this opportunity, there is too much at stake.

It's important to know where your candidates stand on climate and who supports the issues you care about. Who are the bold, visionary leaders who are going to stand up to political pressure and move us forward? With so many candidates, I know it's daunting. Protect Our Winters, or POW, the leading climate action group in snowsports, wants to help you vote smart. POW has created the "Drop In and Vote" page on its website (http://protectourwinters.org/vote) where you can access information on where your candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, and other state offices stand. Do it.

Those so-called down-ballot elections are crucial. There are currently 182 climate deniers in Congress, according to the Center for American Progress. A lot of those science denying lawmakers got elected because we, millennials, didn’t vote in the mid-term elections that occur every two years, in non-presidential elections. Let’s vote this year, and in 2018 as well, when we can give our next president a Congress that supports action on climate, a Congress that will work with The White House to make America a leader in renewable energy.

The truth is, we can’t solve climate change without government action. Yeah, it’s great to ride our bikes, carpool, recycle, buy local, use energy efficient light bulbs, and green our footprints however we can, but individual lifestyle choices aren’t enough. We need our federal and state governments to pass laws and regulations and policies that reduce carbon emissions. Period. We need to eliminate the subsidies and loopholes that support the oil and gas and coal industries and put that money toward renewable energy production—wind and solar and smart energy efficient technologies that will boost our economy and create the green jobs of the future.

I predict that this election turnout will be historic in terms of youth voting. It must be. Let's use the democratic process as our personal lever on issues we care about. For me, that’s climate change. I hope it is for you as well. History shows we can make a difference. All we have to do is a little bit of homework, then #DropInAndVote.

Will you vote with me? I'll see you at the polls tomorrow.

- Lynsey

About The Author

Follow

stash member Lynsey Dyer