Mountain guide Jordan Cargill spent his life enjoying the White Mountains and now he makes a living from it, taking people with a spirit of adventure to places like Tuckerman’s Gorge.

Before founding Mountain Shadow Adventures in 2020, he struggled with his decision to continue his dream job because he was concerned about the future of New Hampshire’s nature in a warming climate and less reliable seasons.

“It was difficult to turn my head and start a business based on seasonality and conditions,” he said. “Even if you look at it from an optimistic perspective, in reality it will likely be limited and challenging.”

In the midst of a changing climate and even a pandemic, he opted for human adaptability and offered guided excursions into the hinterland. He says there’s a lot of hope in that.

Cargill, a member of the national Protect Our Winters Alliance, like other business owners, has a financial stake in protecting state cold-weather tourism. Less snow means fewer skiers and snowmobilers who bring their money.

New Hampshire outdoor businesses provide 37,000 jobs and account for 3.2% of the state’s economy, according to Tyler Ray, founder of the Granite Outdoor Alliance, which advocates responsible outdoor planning and use.

Because the economy is so reliant on winter activities, more support is needed to improve sustainable projects, conservation and management, Ray said.

One way to start the conversation is for people to start thinking about nature and the economy as two interrelated elements, Ray said.

“It’s an exciting time to be in the outdoors,” said Ray. “There is a lot of potential for growth and continued success and preservation, protecting what makes us all happy.”

The effects of climate change on winter sports and tourism are unknown territory to New Hampshire. Several industry experts shared their ideas on what granite staters and out-of-state tourists who love winter and related activities can do to help the winter in a panel discussion organized by the League of Conservation Voters last week Mitigate the effects of a warming climate. Ideas included forest protection, green voting, switching to renewable energy sources including electric vehicles and installing solar panels.

According to Elizabeth Burakowski, a research fellow and professor at the Institute for the Study of the Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire is warming rapidly, similar to the Midwest. And this warming not only affects skiing, but also entire ecosystems.

Ski resorts are already proving resilient, according to Jessyca Keeler, President of Ski New Hampshire. They can fight climate change by creating snow when temperatures are below freezing, but this process uses a lot of energy.

In order to become more environmentally friendly, the resorts have implemented sustainable practices such as: B. the inclusion of biodegradable or recyclable material, plates, cups and napkins and the use of digital systems to reduce paper consumption. Many resorts have also switched to LED lighting in their lodges and in some cases have carried out energy audits and installed charging stations for electric vehicles.

Several ski resorts in the state worked with a Harvard graduate student to study their energy consumption or carbon footprint. What they found was that people driving to and from the mountain had a larger carbon footprint than the entire snowmaking system, Keeler said.

A consensus within the group was to move away from the fossil fuel industry towards renewable energies. Keeler said New Hampshire needs to work on its electric vehicle infrastructure and invest more in wind and solar power.

Cargill said it was easy to fall into the trap of allowing a significant challenge, and the magnitude of climate change prevents action against it. But he hopes it’s a problem that can be resolved because individual actions can add up and make a difference.

“Part of the challenge is realizing that we are all imperfect and that we can still have an impact. We can still find a solution here,” said Cargill. “Protect Our Winters sees that many solutions to the climate crisis largely exist, but at this point we really need the political will to implement them.”

The future remains optimistic as the cost of renewable energy has fallen compared to traditional energy systems that cost higher amounts in the long run, said Rob Werner, state director for the New Hampshire Conservation Voters’ League.

“We really have to get on this train,” said Werner, who is also a councilor for Concord. “We really miss this boat and leave a lot of money on the table and actually hurt our interest payers.”

President Joe Biden’s pledges for a green economy made Werner quite confident that renewable energy initiatives will have a positive impact across the country. Biden on Wednesday unveiled a $ 2 trillion infrastructure investment and economic recovery package that Werner said will be a huge incentive to invest in electric vehicle infrastructure, renewable energy, and create more jobs and opportunities across New Seize Hampshire.