FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 2018

Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund with Environment Montana host panel discussion about growing movement of businesses who have pledged to act on climate

(Bozeman) – On Thursday, Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund with Environment Montana co-hosted a panel discussion in Bozeman to showcase a growing movement among businesses within Montana who have signed onto the WE ARE STILL IN pledge campaign. The event was concurrent with the latest UN climate change conference (COP24 12/3-14).

The WE ARE STILL IN pledge campaign is a coalition of more than 3,500 mayors, businesses, governors, college presidents and other leaders committed to continuing to act on climate despite the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate mitigation. Highlighting those who have taken the WE ARE STILL IN pledge, the panel included Mayor Cyndy Andrus of Bozeman, the owner of Wild Joe’s Coffee Spot Erica Brubaker and Founder and CEO of KERBspace Electric Vehicle Charging Bill Clem.

“Climate change is one of the most urgent issues of our day. The city of Bozeman is committed to addressing carbon pollution,” said Mayor Cyndy Andrus. “Some ways we are doing this is by streamlining our solar permitting processes, offering small grants to businesses for energy efficiency and renewable energy, and working alongside our utility to advance community solar.”

“At Wild Joe’s we are committed to social and environmentally responsible practices to promote a healthy local and global community, which is why taking the We Are Still In pledge was a no brainer,” said Erica Brubaker owner of Wild Joe’s Coffee Spot in downtown Bozeman. “Every day we continue to act on climate by recycling, composting and offsetting 100% of our energy consumption with wind power.”

“Climate change affects us all,” said Bill Clem, CEO and Founder of KERBspace Electric Vehicle Charging. “As a part of the business community, we have a responsibility to provide leadership through our actions, products, and services to mitigate the effects of climate change and influence our communities and government to work toward a more sustainable and equitable future for everyone.”

From reduced snowpack to worsening wildlife seasons that result in what seems like endless days of smoke, climate change continues to impact Montana’s tourism, our economy and way of life. Montanans know climate change is real and Montana’s businesses are taking it upon themselves to act on climate even if their federal government will not.

The current list of Montana WE ARE STILL IN pledge signers:
1. 02 Architects, Billings
2. Al’s Boot Repair, Billings
3. AlternaBiotics, Trego
4. Benny’s Bistro, Helena
5. Big Hole Lodge, Wise River
6. Big Sky Resort, Big Sky
7. Biomimicry 3.8, Missoula
8. Bioroot Energy Inc., Darby
9. Building Bridges Counseling and Consulting, Missoula
10. Bumbleroot Foods, Big Fork
11. City of Bozeman
12. Community Food Co-Op, Bozeman
13. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
14. CTA Architects Engineers
15. Cypress Yard, Whitefish
16. Detour: The Adventure Travel Marketplace, Helena
17. Dram Shop, Missoula
18. Hayden Tanner, LLC, Bigfork
19. Home Resource, Missoula
20. Kamut, Missoula
21. KERBspace Electric Vehicle Charging, Bozeman
22. Mama Bear Birth Arts, Missoula
23. Market On Front, Missoula
24. Natural Exposures, Inc., Bozeman
25. Oasis Montana, Inc., Stevensville
26. OnSite Energy, Bozeman
27. Onyx Studio, Bozeman
28. Open Range Food and Drink, Bozeman
29. Piece of Mind, Missoula
30. Rock Climb Montana, Whitefish
31. Scotty’s Table, Missoula
32. Stumptown Snowboards, Whitefish
33. Treeline Coffee Roasters, Bozeman
34. Valley of the Flowers Landscaping, LLC, Bozeman
35. Vilicus Farms, Havre
36. Vino per Tutti, Bozeman
37. West Paw, Bozeman
38. Whitehall Geogroup, Inc., Whitehall
39. Whole Earth Lawn Care, Three Forks
40. Wild Joe’s Coffee Spot, Bozeman

For more information on the WE ARE STILL IN campaign, visit WeAreStillIn.com.
Contact
Whitney Tawney, Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund
whitney@mtvoters.org, 202-412-4793

Skye Borden, Environment Montana
sborden@environmentmontana.org, 603-703-1060

###
Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund (MCVEF) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to educate citizens and organizations in the basic techniques of effective civic engagement to further environmental and conservation goals. MCVEF programs educate the public about critical environmental and public lands issues; promote greater non-partisan citizen involvement in the democratic process; and provide strategic tools to conservation organizations to be more effective.