The final Climate Hero of the Month for 2022 is Roaring Fork Team Leadership Council Member and dedicated volunteer, Fred Malo. Fred is a co-leader of the 350 Roaring Fork Team and has been for the past 6-7 years.
Fred moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1993 after working in a Chicago area steel mill for 17 years. It was later on that Fred’s climate activism really kicked off.
“I got interested in the climate movement in 2016 when I encountered Julia Williams & Jennifer Moore at the 350 Colorado booth at the Carbondale Farmer’s Market. Jennifer & I got 350 Roaring Fork going with presentations and film screenings.” said Fred. Little by little the group began to grow through their combined leadership, and Fred made connections with other new members that joined the team, some of which are still active today. The team grew over time, and eventually got a Team Coordinator to help oversee campaigns and movement building efforts. With leadership from Will Hodges as the Roaring Fork Team Coordinator, and then afterwards as a superstar volunteer, Will worked alongside Fred in different capacities over the years and witnessed his dedication. Whether in team meetings, public hearings, or at protests, Fred has been a core volunteer that can be counted on.
Fred’s second chapter in life after the steel mill work has been writing. “Since then I’ve had newspaper experience and my education is in journalism. I’m a frequent letter to the editor writer,” said Fred.
Writing letters to the editor and other editorials is an effective way to raise awareness and inform the community of what is happening. The more press and media that pick up stories about climate, oil & gas, policies, or solutions, the more the climate movement can be strengthened and grow! Fred is a member of a mighty group of dedicated Roaring Fork Team volunteers that write letters to the editor and submit other pieces to be published, and on average Fred is submitting 4 letters a month! His pieces often call on our elected leaders and our community members to act with the climate in mind and how we can build a renewable future. He’s been published in the Sopris Sun, The Aspen Daily Times, and the Post Independent more than a few times!
“Fred has a great way of writing that it concise, respectful, and understandable, even when discussing more complex issues,” said Chelsea, Movement Building & Volunteer Director at 350 Colorado. “Breaking down information to make it as accessible as possible is just crucial when writing about the climate and policy. Disinformation is still a problem.”
In addition to all the great writing he does on a regular basis, Fred also gets out into the community! For the last few years, multiple times each summer, Fred has helped set up a table for the 350RF Team at the Carbondale Farmer’s Market, as he was recruited to join the movement those years ago. He talks with members of the public, answers questions, and promotes climate action in the valley. Bearing through the elements and talking to people all day can be incredibly taxing, and we appreciate every minute Fred has spent doing this important movement building work!
Fred lives in Carbondale and is currently helping protest the Uinta Basin Railway (alongside the Roaring Fork Team!), which is poised to bring upwards of 10 oil trains through Colorado from Utah to Louisiana. We can always count on the Roaring Fork Team to stand up and make our state the climate leader we know it can be. As a reliable figure on the team since its inception, the climate movement is incredibly fortunate to have had Fred’s dedication all these years. There are very likely efforts and projects that Fred was a part of these last years that weren’t captured in this post, so we’re taking another pause to honor all of those things that go unseen.
Thank you SO much Fred for all the years of hard work, insight, determination, and flexibility!
Want to be our next Climate Hero of the month? Join us as a volunteer by emailing volunteer@350colorado.org.