A view of Bald Mountain from the Sun Valley golf course.
We’ve never been happier to see so much white on the ground in Sun Valley. After all, this may be the best snowfall we’ve seen in years. So when we write get green, we’re not talking about an early spring with less snow and more grass; we’re talking about making the valley and your daily life a little more eco-friendly.
Plum recently sat down with Aimee Christensen, a Sun Valley native, who is working 24/7 to make the world a little greener. Having grown up in Sun Valley, Christensen’s appreciation for natural beauty and sustainability seems only fitting. She spent her high school days hanging out with local stars like Reggie Crist and graduating from the Community School in 1983. Chritensen left the valley to pursue a B.A. in anthropology and later a law degree. Her primary focus was, and continues to be energy and its impact on human rights. It is an interest that led her to work in the Department of Energy under Clinton and Gore. Today, she works with corporations and philanthropists, helping them to make their businesses greener and in turn more economically efficient.
This March, Christensen brings her work back home to Sun Valley, when Community Library and 48STRAIGHT bring the first annual Green Your Scene: Climate Change for the Mountain Lifestyle. For three nights, people can hear environmental experts from all over the world talk about greening a ski mountain, supporting eco-tourism, and living a sustainable life. The goal is to raise awareness about current climate problems and to show people how they can get involved.
Christensen’s activism comes at a time when the world is ripe and ready for change. In fact, we have finally gotten to the point when 1,200 world experts have expressed they are 90% confident that global warning is due to human activity. Already we are seeing erratic weather patterns that bring droughts and floods. Current research predicts that by 2020 at least thirty countries will be water deprived. Yet this is not just a problem out there, it is already a serious issue in Idaho. There are water shortages, Salmon supply problems, and erratic snow packs. In other words, the time to act is now.
Even if global warning is a fallacy, taking action now can only be good. We will have cleaner air and water and more economic benefits. If it is real, then we’ll have serious problems. Not just unpredictable weather, but real world conflicts forcing people to compete and fight for even scarcer resources resulting in massive migrations and war. A prime example is Darfur, where extreme drought has led to extreme conflict.
Lucky for us, the state of Idaho has a chance to play a big role in providing a solution to global warming. There is incredible potential for wind and geothermal power. There is also a process to curb the methane production from cow manure that not only takes away greenhouse gases, but also creates biofuels. If you thought the Pio’s baked spuds were amazing, imagine a car that runs on potato-based fuel.
To find out more and get involved click here or email Christensen.
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