Ride, Bike, Enjoy and vote! BAM supports POW!

Protect Our Winters (POW for short) Italy is the Italian “branch” (or, in POW slang, the “chapter”) of an organization that operates in various countries around the globe. It was born in the United States from an idea by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones. POW works on issues of climate change, human impact on the planet, and biodiversity loss specifically in mountainous contexts, addressing the community of mountain enthusiasts (whether they hike, run, ski, or snowboard) who love the mountains.

POW in general, and thus our Italian chapter as well, works on various themes and at different levels, ranging from extremely local (such as the impact of building a bobsled track in the town of Cortina) to supranational, with mobilizations that transcend national borders and are carried out with our European “cousins.” The mobilization campaign for the European elections that we want to tell you about here is one such example.

Indeed, 2024 is a crucial year for the planet, not only because of the (negative) records we are breaking in terms of increasing global average temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions, but also because this year 2 billion people worldwide will go to the polls, including 400 million European citizens eligible to vote. It is an extremely important year for democracy and consequently for the fight against the climate crisis. European elections are a crucial tool to strengthen our ability to move from activism to politics, pushing for the election of representatives capable of advancing our demands.

For this reason, POW has launched a mobilization campaign to draw attention to the importance of voting and to clearly and orderly define what we expect from the new European Parliament. We have highlighted four key areas in which the European Union can and must lead the way towards a more sustainable future, and we have developed a manifesto that details the various actions that fall within them. The manifesto (which can be read in its entirety here:https://vote.protectourwinters.eu/manifesto)  driving the “Ride, Bike, Climb, Vote!” campaign calls on the next European Parliament to:

1. Support a green energy transition: – Improve and promote low-carbon mobility: focus on rail as the primary form of international transport for EU citizens. 
   
2. Accelerate biodiversity restoration and landscape protection: increase funding for restoration measures and ensure that Europe reaches the 30% target by 2030. 
   
3. Put an end to unsustainable activities 
   
4. Put an end to unsustainable business models and excessive consumption: provide climate laws and funding that enable citizens to use products responsibly.

And have you planned how you will vote?

BAM supports the POW initiative, sharing its principles and initiatives. And, echoing its manifesto: Ride, Bike, Enjoy, and vote! Vote before coming to BAM (on June 6th) or vote upon return from BAM (June 9th), but vote. (And of course, go to the polling station by bicycle).