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Jesse Swing: Jeep 48STRAIGHT Environmental All Star
As
the founder of “Heal the Snow” organization, Jesse Swing, a former
collegiate ski racer from Sierra Nevada College, turned his love for
skiing into a successful non-profit. With the goal of educating and
helping people create a healthy and environmentally-friendly lifestyle,
Swing and partners created the Shred Wagen--a sustainable, mobile cabin
that provides lodging for skiers competing on the US Freeskiing Tour.
We caught up with Jesse to get the low-down on the Shred Wagen, the
pros and cons of starting your own non-profit, and the future of “Heal
the Snow”.
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Where did the idea of the Shred Wagen come from?
Naturally,
as a ski bum you can ski more if you keep the cost down, that was the
idea. Pipe dreams in the backcountry, “what if we had a cabin with
wheels on it” Yeah, where do we plug in? We will have to use solar
panels, yeah! How do you install solar panels? What about the cost of
all this? It was just a pipe dream out skiing in the backcountry with
my good friend Tobias who died in an avalanche two years ago while Heal
the Snow was in its early stages. All we knew was that there is a kick
ass lifestyle that we live traveling around skiing and playing, why not
do it right? So now we promote our healthy freethinking lifestyle that
promotes local goods, supports our economy and does it all with energy
independence. We made it happen with a lot of free Craigslist materials
and with some saved up money, we built this solar powered mobile cabin
with the mission to educate our friends about renewable energy and show
them how easy it is to work with the environment, not against it.
How did you build it? What are some of its unique green "features"?
We
bought an old trailer and tore it apart and re-built it Cabin style and
gave it a 30inch lift so that we could take it off road out in to the
woods and live off the grid while we enjoy some skiing or biking with
all our friends. With big hopes of living this lifestyle my buddy Pete
and my sister Janni and my brother Blaise saw the vision and began to
make it a reality. Built out of waste materials, mostly from free stuff
on Craigslist and other junkyard items.
We milled our own
wood from the dead city trees of Salt Lake City to build the frame and
interior. Everything runs on solar power and the passive solar works
fantastic. The lighting is so great that we hardly ever use lights. In
the winter it is heated with propane or natural gas and there is enough
power to run anything we need .It has 240w of solar pv panels and
625amp hours of storage via gel batteries with an 1800 watt inverter.
When its not sunny you can just hook it up to our truck and run it for
a bit charging the batteries while running biodiesel, It also has a dc
converter so you can plug in to the grid and charge the batteries if
the truck is not around. It can also just be plugged in to the grid and
bypassing the inverter altogether.
How many skiers can the
Shred Wagen sleep? How many people can it sleep? What is the inside
like? How many miles to the gallon does the truck get?
We
built eight bunk beds that work great, however, with all the ski gear
in the winter six is about as many as we want in there. The inside is
like a foreign hostel from the 50s; its classy. We put used pages from
a 1961 encyclopedia for the wallpaper in the main area. That wallpaper
really makes things interesting, there is always something interesting
to read, like how rainbows are created or the great mountains of the
world, even Dr. Suess. We don’t have a TV, but we watch movies on our
computers sometimes, it has a great sound system that rocks. We use a
Dodge Truck to pull the Wagen and it does great, specially with our
homemade biodiesel from our co-founder Nate Johansing who runs
Steamboat biodiesel.
Any funny stories from the road? Did it ever break down? Get stuck in the snow?
We
have plenty of stories! The first road trip I took was with Todd Ligare
down to the SIA show in Vegas and then to Telluride for the first comp.
On the way we got hit with a huge snowstorm and at this time I was
still toying with the system to charge the batteries off the alternator
in the truck since there was no sun. We were without power and just
needed to find a place to park so we thought we would go to a RV site
to plug in and get some rest. Instead we got to go get the Wagen stuck
in six feet of snow while trying to get to a RV site in the lot. Todd
said, “I think you might want to back out of here, I don’t think we are
going to make it this way.
I tried to back out, but it was
pitch black out, and I could not see anything, and we were sliding all
around. Time to put the chains on, good thing I bought chains, sweet we
are so prepared! We got the chains on and ripped them to shreds, they
broke! Hmm….no wonder I got them for so cheap. Damn! The only way we
could get out now was over a steep hill with a sharp turn. I gassed it
and did some extreme off road maneuvering in deep snow, we were getting
face shots! Snow was flying over the truck and then we were stuck in
seriously deep snow. Three hours later after a lot of digging we got
the tow truck to tow the mobile cabin out of its entrenched snowy
parking spot and got to plug in and have electricity.
What is the next project for Heal the Snow?
Currently
we have partnered with Intergalactic Hydrogen, and we are going to be
starting the first of many Intergalactic Gas stations. They are a
creative collaboration of a healthy lifestyle and an environmental
clean fuel solution that promotes a new business model of multi-fuel
stations with hydrogen, natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol, electric
vehicle charging, propane and gasoline, in addition we upgrade any
vehicle to run on CNG (compressed natural gas).
We also
provide renewable energy products in our rejuvenating lounge atmosphere
that has renewable energy educators to help with your understanding of
all clean energy options including wind, sun, hydro and geothermal
power applications that we sell and install all while enjoying local
goods and produce from the rooftop victory garden that supports our
local economy. Our first station will be in Salt Lake City, UT.
What
advice would you give a fellow athlete who was thinking about starting
a non-profit? What are some of the pros and what are some of the cons?
Anyone
wanting to start a non-profit I would completely encourage if it is
unique and you have a good community base for support. Since I have
started this non-profit I have had the chance to travel all over and
meet many others that run non-profits. I find that everyone is really
doing what they believe in, which is great but you don’t need to start
a non-profit to make a difference. Honestly, it is no different than
running any other business.
People have the misconception
that they can just ask others for donations which you can, but you
certainly can’t count on donations to survive as a business. There are
so many non-profits out there doing good all over the world and if you
want to really make a change I would advise to look into some other
existing ones that support what you believe in and see if you can put
your passion and expertise into that non-profit and bring more people
together. It’s all about the community and working together. Be the
change! May 20, 2008 by Delinda Lombardo Bryon Friedman is a well-established US Ski team member and world-class skier who has appeared in several World Cup Competitions while somehow finding the time to graduate from Dartmouth College (2005), pursue his love of music, and promote a noteworthy cause. Friedman is a strong supporter of Heal the Snow, an organization dedicated to helping ski areas become more environmentally friendly. The organization is unique in the fact that it’s run by a board of well-educated professional skiers, including Friedman, and other athletes who’ve studied business, psychology and history. “Heal the Snow is something that makes sense to me. It’s a great organization to support because its core values correlate with my personal values and those as a skier,” Friedman says on the website, “Over the past decade I have noticed a considerable change in the Winter climate and have been directly affected by the lack of snowfall in the early season. Its no longer a threat, it’s a reality and Heal the Snow is prepared to help those near and dear to skiing to make some changes to benefit our environment. Look to the Stars caught up with Friedman to ask about his involvement with Heal the Snow, his musical career and Heal the Snow’s first project, the ‘Shred Wagon’, a ‘mobile hostel’ powered by solar energy and bio diesel that travels from resort to resort to provide affordable lodging for skiers. Tell us a bit more about the Shred Wagon-was it a success? Is it a permanent feature? The Shred Wagon is still around and is a success. Jesse Swing, the founder of Heal The Snow, plans to keep driving the wagon from resort to resort and promote sustainable living in ski towns. We are also planning a music fest in Park City in which the Wagon will be center stage. Have you made any personal sacrifices in your life that you feel may help heal our world? I wouldn’t classify them as personal sacrifices but I have donated a lot of time and energy into Heal The Snow and helping the organization reach their potential. It has become a passion of mine to help them succeed and in due time I’m positive they will. In terms of your musical career, you’ve opened for the Doobie Brothers and Train. What can we expect next? I love to play and I perform when I have time and I’m not skiing. We are actually recording our second album in June which I’m psyched for! You were also filmed for a yet-to-be-released biography, can you tell us a little bit about it and if it’s going to be released soon? I think so. It’s a project that a filmmaker friend of mine Allessandro Gentile took on last year, and he wants to document my return to World Cup competition and through the 2010 Olympics. I didn’t really know what to expect but it’s been a fun journey so far and he’s a great person to work with. Look to the Stars would like to thank Bryon for taking the time to speak with us and for his continued support with Heal the Snow. To read more from Bryon Friedman, and his work with Heal the Snow, please visit his personal blog on Yardbarker and the Heal the Snow website. TEDTalks Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat Transition Towns Are Spreading: Communities Take on Climate Change and Peak Oil Skiers Look to Combat Global Warming, Preserve Slopes
Alana Herro – January 4, 2008 – 12:00pm
Eco-conscious skiers hope to preserve the beauty of the slopes.
Photo courtesy of Alain Bachellier via Flickr Skiing enthusiasts witnessing changing weather patterns connected to global warming are finding ways to help ensure the sustainability of their sport. While melting glaciers and snowless ski resorts are often linked to releases of greenhouse gases in locations far from the slopes, environmentally minded skiers can help minimize the impacts of the sport locally by supporting “green” resorts, ski shops, and other facilities.
The Ski Club, based in the United Kingdom, has compiled a database comparing the eco-efforts of ski resorts in countries ranging from Andorra to the United States. According to the group’s website, “skiers and [snow]boarders are some of the first to see the impact of climate change.” The database ranks resorts in categories that include climate policy, recycling, and traffic reduction, offering skiers a quick overview of a resort’s environmental efforts. The Ski Club’s “Green Resort Guide” also features a brief description of resorts’ unique environmental initiatives.
Other groups, like the U.S.- based Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition (SACC) and National Ski Areas Association, have their own systems for categorizing the environmental progress of resorts. Aspen Mountain ski resort in Colorado is ranked number one in its region by the SACC. The resort’s eco-initiatives include conserving water and energy by avoiding snowmaking, skier and employee carpooling initiatives, protecting endangered species habitat, and raising public awareness via its “Save Snow” campaign. Efforts at resorts across the United States have led to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions equal to the benefit of 13 million trees being planted.
Some resorts offer inexpensive “SkiGreen Tags” that enable skiers to offset their carbon emissions related to the sport. And thrifty eco-skiers use secondhand equipment and clothing and try to ensure that used gear is passed on to others decrease the impact on the planet. People looking to hit the slopes with newer equipment can find snowboards made from bamboo, socks made using recycled materials, and other environmentally friendly goods.
Once a company commits to ‘sustainability,’ then what? While many Business Roundtable members, like DuPont, Alcoa, and GE are leading the way implementing sustainable business practices, how do companies initiate this process if they starting at the beginning?
With pressure for action increasing from shareholders, policymakers and the public, many companies must balance the steep learning curve of implementing sustainable growth with the harsh realities of meeting the bottom line. This is where Business Roundtable is at its best. As an organization of 160 CEOs of leading U.S. companies, we have actively encouraged the cross pollination of ideas on sustainability for many years. And we have the guidance and resources to meet these challenges. For companies, “Doing well, by doing good” does not have to mean doing it alone.
Our “S.E.E. Change” (Social, Environmental, Economic) initiative is just one example of bringing together the enormous resources of the private sector, providing members learn-by-sharing venues, and comparing best practices. It is a platform to assist member companies from the drawing board to the realization of sustainable growth programs.
The following is a roadmap developed by Business Roundtable members to meet these challenges. See the full toolkit at S.E.E. Change’s Sustainable Growth Toolkit.
Here is an insider’s look at the challenging, yet necessary steps businesses must consider as they endeavor to implement sustainable growth programs:
Step 1: Finding the Right Place to Start
Goal: Establish the right starting place that will assure that sustainability efforts are rooted in the core business and will generate shareholder value.
What does this mean? A company needs to understand its values and how sustainability aligns with its business goals, strategies and operating environment before developing the internal groundwork necessary to implement the plan within the company.
Words are critical – shareholders, employees and stakeholders need to understand what is taking place, why, and how they can gain from these efforts.
Step 2: Opportunities and Risks from Environmental and Social Trends
Goal: Conduct rigorous analysis of the market opportunities and risks a business faces as a result of environmental and social trends.
What this means:
How does the company need to think about sustainability?
What are the social and environmental trends as market forces that put business value at stake?
How do sustainability strategies create value?
Identify key issues and trends and engage stakeholders.
Step 3: Sustainability Strategy Development
Goal: Develop robust sustainability strategies that create economic value for customers, employees and shareholders, while also benefiting society and the environment.
How to do this:
Establish a framework of strategies that create shareholder and societal value simultaneously;
Familiarize team with sustainability strategy frameworks;
Integrate the assessment of opportunities and risks from sustainability into strategy;
Brainstorm strategic options for further investigation;
Refine and test strategic options; and
Adopt strategies that combine sustainability goals and business objectives.
Step 4: Goals and Metrics
Goal: Develop and implement goals and metrics that guide, accelerate and deepen the implementation of sustainability strategies.
Step 5: Implementation Plans
Goal: Successfully implement sustainability strategies.
Ingredients for success: Get senior management and employees on board, develop an external communications plan and drive sustainability into business through the planning process and regular reviews. Ensure metrics and data are an integral part of the plans.
Step 6: Overcoming Barriers
Goal: Anticipate, recognize and overcome the typical barriers to successful implementation of sustainable growth initiatives.
Step 7: Cross-Cutting Tool: External Engagement
Goal: Develop the broad capability to effectively understand and collaborate with external stakeholders, including non-commercial entities.
Understanding the steps businesses will take provides an appreciation for the work they are undertaking. No one said it would be easy being green or sustainable, but Business Roundtable believes the return will be worth all the effort.
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