Hundreds of leaders from mountain towns gather to discuss critical future move: 'How quickly can we do it?'

While ski towns are notoriously competitive in vying for visitors and top rankings, when it comes to the environment, they've banded together to forge an unusually collaborative network to protect their futures and the land they love.

Leaders from over 70 mountain towns and over 40 ski resorts gathered in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the third annual Mountain Towns 2030 Summit, a meeting of the mountain minds aimed squarely at accelerating progress toward net-zero emissions by 2030.

Ski towns are on the front lines of climate change with unpredictable, often shorter ski seasons and increasing heat, air quality issues, and drought that threaten the future of the recreation they revere and the economies built around them.

❓ Will there be enough snow during the holidays for visitors to take ski vacations?
❓ Will wildfire smoke prevent hikers and bikers from being able to enjoy the mountains?
❓ How can resorts find affordable housing in expensive ski towns with rising prices?

These questions were top of mind at the event, which was literally clouded by wildfire smoke that blanketed the Jackson area from the Pack Fire, burning over 87,000 acres and causing poor air quality for residents and attendees, some of whom wore masks during the event. 

"Are mountain towns going to need to have more indoor activities for smoky days?" asked marine biologist, author, and summit speaker Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. "All of these bummer scenarios we have to prepare for — what does that mean for people who are coming here for vacation with their families?" 

Johnson was on hand to speak about her new book, "What If We Get it Right? Visions of Climate Futures," and her goal to "make climate solutions cool."  

"So much of mountain towns is the culture, the relationship with the mountains, with the seasons," Johnson said. "The answer is community — that we're all in this together."

The annual event, produced by the nonprofit Mountain Towns 2030, assembles elected local officials, sustainability teams, ski resorts, nonprofits, and small businesses to foster collaboration, inspire progress, and build confidence in climate solutions.  

Park City, Utah, became the first mountain community to commit to net zero by 2030 in 2016, and MT2030 launched in 2019 to challenge other mountain towns to make the same commitment, with the promise of support via networking, the annual summit, and shared resources which continue after it ends. 

"We're no longer debating whether climate change is real and what we can do about it," said MT2030 Executive Director Chris Steinkamp. "We know what to do, we have the solutions — we should be asking ourselves how quickly can we do it?"

Attendees heard from Bethany Patten, executive director of the MIT Climate Policy Center at MIT Sloan, who demo'd an online climate simulator called En-ROADS that gives policymakers, educators, businesses, the media, and the public the ability to see, in real time, the impact of potential climate solutions.

Breakout sessions showcased innovative technologies like a plan by Vail, Colorado, to use geothermal to power its sidewalk snowmelt systems, discussed the power of homeowners associations to affect positive change in Montana, and explored scaling microgrids and community solar. 

Indigenous leader James Rattling Leaf spoke about Indigenous-led climate solutions, and environmentalist Benji Backer, a political conservative, shared ways attendees in red states could find common ground to "make the environment nonpartisan." 

Rewiring America co-founder, president, and CEO Ari Matusiak and officials from the Environmental Protection Agency spoke about how towns could take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act rebates and tax incentives, like the $60 million Montana received for climate pollution reduction. 

This year's event ended by awarding several communities for their progress:

🏅 Aspen was named "Community of the Year" for its aggressive electrification plan, using 100% renewable electricity supply and developing all-electric affordable housing.

🏅 Crested Butte was honored as a "Small Towns Doing Big Things" for its all-electric building code, a first in Colorado.

🏅 Collaboration of the Year was awarded to "Team Gold," a public-private partnership between the towns of Silverton and San Juan County, Colorado, with the San Miguel Power Association and EcoAction Partners to enable their historic mining community to transition to a clean energy future. 

"This is a moment that calls for collective wisdom," Johnson added. "If we're all reinventing the wheel, we literally don't have time for that." 

Anna Robertson is a co-founder of The Cool Down and is on the Board of Mountain Towns 2030.