Auden Schendler - The Optimistic Pragmatist

Auden Schendler is Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, where he focuses on finding large-scale solutions to climate change, specifically through clean energy and activism. Aspen Skiing Company has long been at the forefront of sustainable business practices, and Auden is one of the main forces behind the scenes driving those efforts-- efforts that have positively influenced the ski and outdoor industries at large. In addition to his daily work in Aspen, he’s a well-known author and speaker, and he wrote the amazingly impactful book Getting Green Done: Hard Truths from the Front Lines of the Sustainability Revolution.

For a guy who spends his days deep in the trenches fighting the forces of climate change, Auden is surprisingly upbeat, energetic, and funny-- as you’ll hear, we spend quite a bit of time laughing. But he’s far from naive or overly idealistic-- he is quick to call out “greenwashing” when he sees it and is unapologetically focused on achieving specific, measurable results. Through trial and error and a lot of hard work, Auden has managed to find the balance of the optimism needed to pursue audacious initiatives with the pragmatism required to succeed in a competitive business environment.

From a personal perspective, Auden’s work and writing have been especially impactful on my career-- I read his book a few months after earning my MBA, and it provided a much different perspective from the profit-at-all-costs philosophy that was the norm in business school. So it was obviously an honor to meet him, and I appreciate his letting me hassle him with questions for an hour.

We had a wide-ranging and fun conservation, discussing A work at Aspen Skiing Company and how he got his start in sustainability. We talked a lot about reading and books, specifically how the works of Cormac McCarthy and Jack Kerouac affected his outlook and approach to work. We chat about his daily routine and how he manages to fit so much into a single day, as well as how he wraps his head around pursuing a goal as overwhelming as solving climate change. We also talk about his expedition to Denali, how his kids have changed his outlook, and the importance of daily exercise. And as usual, we discuss favorite books about the West, favorite films, and his favorite location in the West.

This is an excellent episode, and I can’t thank Auden enough for making time in his busy schedule to chat. Links to everything are in the episode notes. Enjoy!

http://mountainandprairie.com/auden-schendler/

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:10 - How Auden began his career in sustainability
• 4:15 - Transition from theoretical sustainability to the business world
• 7:10 - Balancing patience with action
• 8:45 - Work as a practice
• 11:30 - Understanding the need for big challenges
• 12:45 - Mentors
• 16:00 - First visits to the West
• 17:30 - Republicans and the history of conservation
• 18:45 - On the Road’s influence on Auden
• 20:00 - Favorite failures
• 22:00 - Influence of Pat O’Donnell
• 24:30 - Publicly traded versus private companies
• 26:00 - Companies as political levels
• 29:00 - Dealing with climate change deniers
• 31:15 - Dealing with criticism
• 33:00 - Basalt fire and community
• 35:30 - Why does Auden choose to stay in the trenches?
• 37:15 - Auden’s daily routine
• 40:15 - How kids change his perspective
• 42:20 - Favorite books about the West
• 45:50 - Favorite films
• 47:50 - Most powerful outdoor experience
• 51:00 - Favorite location in the West
• 52:45 - Best advice he’s ever received
• 54:40 - Request of the podcast listeners
• 55:50 - Connect with Auden