ACES, Aspen One, City of Aspen, CORE, POW Presents: The Future is Local

Celebrate Earth Day in Aspen with a community-wide gathering focused on environmental stewardship, climate action, and civic engagement. Join us for an afternoon Community Action Fair featuring local environmental organizations and local farms, win prizes from community partners, visit with local environmental organizations and explore fresh goods from local farmers. This will take place at the pedestrian mall across from the Wheeler. Then come by the Wheeler Opera House for a free Earth Day program exploring the intersection of environment, politics, and community resilience. Not your average Earth Day – The program will include storytelling, data-driven insights, and comedic relief as we explore the vital link between political decision-making and environmental survival. From the state and national level to the Roaring Fork Valley, we are diving deep into how policy shapes our climate, our land-use, and the very resilience of mountain communities like Aspen. An inspiring, hopeful look at how local voices and decisions shape the future of the places we love. The evening will feature: Rollie Williams (Climate Town) You might know him from his hit YouTube series Climate Town, where he breaks down the most frustrating aspects of the climate crisis with a mix of investigative rigor and “”laugh-so-you-don’t-cry”” humor. Rollie will take the stage to demystify complex policy issues, showing us why politics is the most powerful tool we have in the fight for a livable planet. Drew Petersen (POW Athlete & Podcaster) Professional skier and advocate Drew Petersen joins us to discuss the mental health side of the movement. Through the lens of his podcast The Drew Petersen Podcast, Drew will share insights on navigating climate anxiety by aiming to make climate conversations feel personal and relatable. Julie McCluskie (Speaker of the Colorado House) In an exclusive pre-recorded “”State of the State”” environmental address, Speaker Julie McCluskie (D-Dillon) will provide a briefing on recent and upcoming environmental successes and challenges in our state. Chris Miller, VP of Sustainability at Aspen One, brings the conversation home with a first look at the 2026 Colorado Climate Damages and Adaptations Costs Report. And Tara Stitzlein is the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) and Chris Lane, ACES CEO, will wrap up the evening by sharing community actions and goals.