Hayward’s Birkebeiner Drops Enbridge As Race Sponsor

The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation has decided to dissolve their relationship with Enbridge Energy after members of their skiing community voiced concern over the sponsorship. The ABSF says they had intended their mutual engagement would foster thoughtful discussion about the environment and climate change. They developed the Birkie Green which is an initiative to inspire and implement solutions to address changing climates and work towards less reliance on fossil fuels in the future.

They say in a statement that the relationship with Enbridge Energy is not in alignment with the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation mission. They announce that moving forward they will continue to work towards the Birkie Green initiatives:

We will make every effort to align ourselves with our Birkie Green initiatives of addressing solutions to our changing climates; of implementing sustainability practices whenever feasible; of creating solutions to support the environment and use of the land; and to consciously choose like-minded partners who demonstrate green and sustainability based practices, whenever possible.

In the announcement they thank community members for sharing their thoughts and concerns with the board. They urge people to learn more about their Birke Green Imitative on their website.

WDIO reached out to Enbridge for comments on the ASBF's decision. Enbridge says they have been working towards a goal of net zero greenhous gas emissions, and point out they are one of the few energy companies in the world to receive and A- score for climate change efforts from the Carbon Disclosure Project. The further elaborate that the machinery used to groom the trails rely on crude oil, plastics used in the various equipments for the ABSF also rely on crude oil. They plan to donate the sponsorship money to a different non-profit organization serving the Hayward area.