September means Fall is here! This month we sit down with Chris Steinkamp, Executive Director of Mountain Towns 2030, to talk about how mountain communities are becoming the test labs for real climate solutions — from resilient infrastructure to the climate tech actually getting deployed on the ground. Malone also nerds out hard on geothermal energy, because obviously the onsens had to come up. We also break down the Mountain Towns 2030 Summit — Oct 13–14 in Sun Valley, ID — where 600+ people from 80 mountain communities and 50 ski resorts show up to build what's next for climate action in places like ours. Anyone can attend, not just industry!

Register / learn more: https://mt2030.org/mt2030-climate-summit-sun-valley-2026/

Links:

Mountain Towns 2030: https://mt2030.org

Summer is flying by, but we've got a new episode to remind you about the importance of WINTER! We sit down with Erin Sprague, CEO of @protectourwinters — the org turning outdoor people into climate advocates.

We get into how POW is mobilizing skiers, riders, and trail runners into a political force, what shrinking snowpack actually means for mountain towns like ours, and what any of us who live for winter can do beyond just recycling our beer cans.

Also: Erin once ran a marathon in Antarctica. We talk about that too.

Listen to Sherry McConkey's journey from South Africa to Tahoe, her love for animals, and the establishment of the Shane McConkey Foundation. The conversation covers the EcoChallenge and the foundation's events, funding, and impact. It also explores the growth and impact of the EcoChallenge, expanding participation, influence on policy, and future goals.