The United Nations has designated December 11 as International Mountain Day and to mark the occasion, the Whistler Centre for Sustainability, in partnership with the Resort Municipality of Whistler and Tourism Whistler, is hosting a live videoconferencing event on Sunday, December 11, that will connect a Whistler audience to Verbier, Switzerland for the World Mountain Forum (WMF).
The vision of the WMF is to conserve, construct and celebrate mountain regions as vital ecosystems, by engaging their inhabitants and all those who benefit from mountains, and to jointly promote their conservation and sustainable development. At various points during the day, the WMF will connect with the communities of Verbier, Switzerland; Lima, Peru; Kathmandu, Nepal; and Whistler, Canada. The whole event will be livestreamed.
In Whistler, the one and a half hour programme, live-linked to Verbier, will feature pro skier Mike Douglas, mountain entrepreneur and newly elected councilor Jayson Faulkner, and All.i.can filmmaker Dave Mossop, as they share their personal and professional experiences with mountain culture. Whistlerites are invited to come to Millennium Place for breakfast, and to take part in the conversation with a Verbier audience, including a 30 minute presentation by David Breashears, world-renowned photographer, mountaineer and producer of IMAX film Everest.
When and Where: Sunday December 11, 2011, from 7am-9:30am at Millennium Place
The World Mountain Forum is part of the three-day Green Pioneering Summit in Verbier, developed in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The forum’s intent is to raise awareness of issues of climate change and environmental degradation facing mountain communities, and the need for more sustainable development, while uniting and celebrating the global community of those who live, work and play in the mountains.
The evening prior, the Whistler Forum for Dialogue will be hosting a special event at the Whistler Museum with three 80+ year old Mountain Pioneers: John Fraser, Don MacLaurin, and Howard Rode. Contact william@whistlerforum.com for more information.
Thanks to our sponsor Arc’teryx.
For more information about, and to RSVP for, the World Mountain Forum event in Whistler contact:
Cheeying Ho
Whistler Centre for Sustainability
cho (at) whistlercentre.ca
604 388 8421604 388 8421
Claire Daniels
Whistler Centre for Sustainability
cdaniels (at) whistlercentre.ca
John Rae
Resort Municipality of Whistler
jrae (at) whistler.ca
604 935 8184604 935 8184
More information about the World Mountain Forum:
Recent years have seen a massive increase in construction and investment in mountain resorts like Verbier. Climate change and environment discussions are focusing more on the risk of melting snow caps, glaciers and seasonal melt water which provide life support for billions of people around the world. Mountain communities need business development, but they also want to ensure that it is managed and sustainable in an environmentally friendly way.
The WMF is a network of individuals and organisations concerned with the wellbeing of mountain dwellers. The theme of this first Forum is to construct, conserve and celebrate our common mountain home, a subject that links the abiding reverence of traditional mountain cultures to the powerful restorative forces the modern societies still find in the high places of the world. This forum will, for the first time, unite the global community of those who live, work and play in mountains.
The WMF is a public-private program that aims at stimulating business relations for generating funding to enhance communication and implement practical sustainable solutions in the world’s mountain regions. The vision of the World Mountain Forum is to conserve, construct and celebrate mountain regions as vital ecosystems, by engaging their inhabitants and all those who benefit from mountains to jointly promote their conservation and sustainable development. The WMF will celebrate the International Mountain Day with a special interactive space with live streaming and activities focused for the younger generations.