Youth Voices for Climate-Conscious Snow Sports: Chloe Jordan’s Experience at the ZERO Conference
On the 25th of November, Chloe Jordan attended the ZERO Final Conference in Bern as a panel speaker representing ENGSO Youth, joining experts and activists to help close out the three-year Zero Emission Rides Objectives (ZERO) project.
The conference opened with a keynote speech from Elias Elhardt, a German professional snowboarder, filmmaker, and environmental activist known as one of Europe’s leading backcountry riders, who shared insights from his award-winning films, using snowboarding as a lens to reflect on personal ambition, responsibility, and the societal challenges of a warming world.
Following this, the project’s partners gathered to present its outcomes and core deliverables, including a summary of the in-depth research conducted. Chloe shared that a highlight of the event was discovering the ZERO card game, which offered a fun and engaging way to spark sustainability conversations with people of all ages.
Next was the panel discussion on “Rethinking Access, Education & Climate Action in Youth Snowboarding.” During this, Chloe emphasised the importance of including young people in climate action and educating them from a young age. She highlighted the success of the Move4Nature project and explained how ENGSO Youth have engaged young people in it. She also encouraged other organisations in the room to speak with their young people about how to make sustainability and climate action more appealing and accessible.
Other panel members discussed the practical challenges snow sports face due to climate change and shared strategies for reducing emissions within clubs and events. Overall, the panel agreed on the need for stronger cooperation between athletes, young people, federations, and environmental organisations to secure a sustainable future for winter sport.
Chloe left the conference feeling motivated to continue advancing sustainability within ENGSO Youth and looks forward to trying out the ZERO Card Game with the young delegates. Thank you to the World Snowboard Federation for the invitation!