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Meet the EcoSki Advisory Panel
We have brought together key figures from the world of sport, environmental activism and fashion to help us in our journey towards a more sustainable way of life.   Our panel of advisors provide crucial insight, expertise and guidance through their first hand experience and commitment to positive change. We are proud to have their support.
Martin Hartley
In 2017, I was invited to join a North Pole expedition to collect snow depth measurements for the European Space Agency's CryoSat programme, conducted in concert with NASA‘s Operation IceBridge mission.
I went out skiing one morning to take some pictures. Usually at that point the ice formations are as big as houses, massive blocks of ice some as big as Cathedrals everywhere you look. But it was as flat as a tennis court, just the odd lump of ice, not much taller than knee high here and there for 200 miles.
I looked at that picture and realised it looked nothing like the Arctic Ocean, I couldn't help but wonder where all the ice had gone. All the ice we had been skiing on was ice that had formed the previous winter and would not be able to survive a single summer.
Quite simply it meant that the little white cap that's floating at the top of the earth, which is the air conditioning system for the entire northern hemisphere, is melting. Once it's gone it will fundamentally affect our entire weather system, having catastrophic implications on our climate.
I've grown up being aware of the impacts that I have personally on the planet, whether it's turning a tap off to brush my teeth or turning a light off when leaving a room. I want to help more people be aware of those little things and how significant they are. They certainly became more significant for me right then when I looked at that picture. It started me thinking, I need to do more personally. How can I reduce my own impact, today, right now, not in a year's time, or 10 years, and I want to encourage others to do the same.
I am truly delighted to support EcoSki as a driving force supporting brands who produce clothes specifically for cold and harsh environments, responsibly.
Chemmy Alcott
As a competitive skier I travelled the world with a narrow focus – you have to in order to be your best in a sport where tiny margins and fractions of a second mean the difference between winning and losing – but all that changed when I became a mother.
I want to pass my love of snow sports down to my two boys but thinking about how much the mountains have changed in my lifetime worries me. Skiing the Vallee Blanche with my husband a few years ago I was struck by how much the glacier had retracted since I'd skied it in my teens. The enjoyment and rush of this iconic run was dulled by the reality that unless we do something, the snow won't be around for future generations.
Working as a ski coach and commentator means I can't avoid travel, but I've challenged myself to be greener and to make changes where I can. Teaming up with EcoSki – a ski retailer passionate about sustainability, recycling, and giving back – was not only the logical choice, it felt right. Together we are educating ourselves to be better and to make a difference where we can.
Rachel Fortune
Founder of The Sustainable Fashion Awards – the first award of it's kind that recognises conscientious creators, brands and businesses who are dedicated to making beautiful products and services with a positive social and environmental impact.
Fashion has always been a major part of my life, from enjoying dress up as a young girl to working in the fashion industry on leaving university. Like for many of us, I have used fashion as a means of self expression and its role as a window to my beliefs and desires has never been more important than when I started to work with sustainable fashion and lifestyle brands.
My fashion career started as a Visual Merchandiser for Nicole Farhi, as well as an independent and in-house stylist. My initial venture, Style The Sustainable, was my first foray into sustainable fashion and signified my intention to teach shoppers about a more mindful and conscientious form of consumption that does not compromise on style or value.
Working in the fashion industry, I became increasingly informed and concerned about the ethics and sustainability of the supply chain, as well as the perceived misconceptions around sustainably-made goods – a widely held believe that quality and aesthetics are somehow compromised for the sake of being ‘virtuous'.
In 2019 I set up the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards to address these concerns. Backed by some of the most formidable names in fashion and retail, including senior figures from Harvey Nichols, Anthropologie and TRAID, the programme has become the definitive award of its kind to verify and celebrate brands that hold both style and substance in equal measure, genuinely helping consumers to live a more sustainable lifestyle and shining a spotlight on the conscientious creators who are dedicated to making beautiful products with a positive social and environmental impact. Its very existence is to champion daily change.
Rachael's and my friendship goes back many years and I was honoured and excited when she reached out telling me about EcoSki and how she would like us to work together. Armed with a list of credible skiwear brands that were promoting positive social and environmental practices, we refined the selection to only include those brands that were 1) meeting or clearly working towards definite sustainable targets and 2) were are the top of their game performance wise.
No one or thing is perfect and we are certainly not expecting this from the brands EcoSki feature, however, with transparency and traceability being one of EcoSki's founding principles we are excited to be partnering with some of today's most pioneering, innovative and socially responsible brands.
As a keen skier myself and clearly someone who is passionate about the ethics, sustainability and style of fashion, EcoSki's vision is inspiring and offers exciting opportunities for both brands and consumers when it comes to making a positive impact in the activewear space.
Lucie Harrild
I have worked in the sustainability profession for over 15 years now. Working with large and small businesses on setting meaningful strategies and communicating transparently about sustainability, I have seen a great deal of positive change. Most people in business in the UK now have at least heard of sustainability! But as time goes on, the climate crisis gets ever more urgent and social inequality is ever more stark. We must wake up to the fact that we only have a few more years to make the meaningful changes that our planet and our societies need for a settled and healthy future.
Now I run a platform to champion conscious fashion choices (Comhla) and work with clothing brands and retailers who are creating change and want to talk to their customers about it. I'm passionate that it's when businesses and their customers come together that their combined power can make the difference we all need.
Whether you are interested in a holiday or a jacket, buying your groceries or a car, there are choices we can make that will be a better option for people and planet. Now you can buy a more sustainable product or rent what you need. And the great thing is that those choices are becoming really desirable with brilliantly designed, well made, well priced products and services. What may seem like small individual actions do add up and they send signals to businesses and governments that we can work together to make the choices that will help our planet and our people thrive.
I'm delighted to be working with Rachael at EcoSki as her business is one of those brilliant choices, where a change to buying habits can make a real difference. By supporting brands who work hard to be more sustainable, and by using EcoSki'd to keep ski kit out of landfill, we can feel better about the future and enjoy the great outdoors.