Stories of Mountain Town Professionals: Kate, Sustainability Programs Coordinator

#featurefriday Stories about real professionals in the mountains! Meet Kate in Vail, CO who is the Sustainability Programs Coordinator for Actively Green, Walking Mountains Science Center.

Tell us about your job…

I love my job with Walking Mountains for its collaborative nature and for the ability it gives me to be creative in developing place-based solutions. In order to make long-term, lasting, and significant change to address the global climate crisis we are facing, we need businesses to be self-driven in leading that change. I am simply assisting these businesses in finding the solutions that work for them by connecting them with innovative ideas and supplementing their needs to achieve their own sustainability goals.

Why did you move to the mountains?

Having grown up in Colorado, the Vail Valley is where I put on my first skis, where I’ve come to indulge in the beauty of the landscape here, and where I hope to call home for many years to come. I moved to the mountains because it has been my dream for a long time and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do what I love here.

What is the best part about living here?

The best part about living in the mountains is the strong sense of community I, as well as others, receive in return. The number of permanent residents here in the Vail Valley is not very large: Running into staff of Actively Green businesses at the post office and grocery store happens on a daily basis. Being both neighbors and business partners allows us to work more collaboratively with Actively Green members and improve their businesses’ sustainability at an accelerated pace. Living in a town with these tight-knit relationships fosters the impressive work that Actively Green businesses are doing.

Do you have advice for someone looking to make the move?

My advice for someone thinking about moving to the mountains is to plan on staying there a long time- it is difficult to build these wonderful relationships in a small mountain town and then move on. I plan to be here for many many years to come!

More information on Actively Green, Walking Mountains Science Center.

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