Protect Our Winters sustainability score: 52/100
Better than 45% of Consulting / Professional Services
Leading practice starts at 60. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Protect Our Winters is a US-based nonprofit advocacy organisation founded in 2007, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. It mobilises athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and communities to lobby for climate action, clean energy, and public lands protection.
More about Protect Our Winters
Operating with ~$6.3M annual revenue and 50–132 staff, POW campaigns on carbon pricing, solar energy, transportation, and Arctic protection through policy advocacy, digital media, and member mobilisation.
Founded 2007Head office Boulder, United StatesStaff ~50-132Revenue ~$7.5MWebsite ↗
Protect Our Winters is a climate advocacy nonprofit with a negligible operational footprint but no formal sustainability disclosure. Its strength lies in aggressive pro-climate lobbying and public lands advocacy. Core weakness: complete absence of operational emissions reporting, energy strategy, or science-based targets for its own organisation—despite being a climate organisation.
Protect Our Winters scores 52/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it. Last verified May 2026.
That places Protect Our Winters joint 109th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 15th of 30 in Consulting / Professional Services.
What is Protect Our Winters doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Transparency & Accountability (9/10, 6/10). Weakest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Emissions Trajectory (3/10, 3/10).
Where Protect Our Winters lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
What would raise this score
- Emissions from its own operationsPublish emissions figures for its own operations, even an estimate from energy bills.
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling, even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy isMove to a renewable energy tariff or make a major efficiency investment.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations3/10No emissions figures for its own operations, not even an estimate from energy bills.
- Emissions from its supply chain4/10Most of its supply-chain (Scope 3) emissions aren't measured.
- Whether its emissions are falling3/10No evidence its emissions are falling, not even from energy bills or mileage.
- How clean its energy is3/10No renewable energy tariff or major efficiency investment shown.
- Its effect on nature5/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste4/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water5/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.
How is Protect Our Winters's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Protect Our Winters's score changed?
Protect Our Winters's score has been reviewed 3 times and currently stands where it started, at 52.
- 52 → 528 November 2026
Source added, 8 November 2026: the organisation's US tax return (Form 990), quoted for its staff numbers and revenue. They confirm it is a small company, so the size rule is unchanged. Score unchanged.
- 52 → 527 November 2026
Correction, 7 November 2026: removed an unsourced emissions figure. Score unchanged.
- Scored 529 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is Protect Our Winters's score based on?
13 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
46% of them were published by Protect Our Winters itself; the rest come from independent sources.
Scored on 9 April 2026 under an earlier version of our method. We're re-checking it under the current method.
7 of 13 sources are independent of the company.
“Total number of individuals employed in calendar year 2024 (Part V, line 2a) … 40 … Total revenue - add lines 8 through 11 (must equal Part VIII, column (A), line 12) … 6,329,663. 6,668,021.”
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
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How does Protect Our Winters compare with other consulting / professional services companies?
Where Protect Our Winters sits among consulting / professional services peers.
Among the 30 major consulting / professional services brands we've scored, Protect Our Winters is tied =15th of 30, with 2 others.
Who scores higher in Consulting / Professional Services?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Protect Our Winters.
Accenture's own operations' emissions are 91% below 2019, and it buys renewable electricity contracts to match all its office use, but its total footprint rose 31% in two years to 711,431 tCO2e in its 2025 financial year, its latest report, led by purchased services and business travel.
See the breakdown →PwC reports comprehensive emissions reductions (71% Scope 1&2, 43% business travel) and 95% renewable electricity, but global Scope 3 coverage remains incomplete.
See the breakdown →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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