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As a writer living in Arkansas nearly a decade ago, Zo褢 Rom (MJour鈥�18) was frustrated with the lack of variety in climate-related stories in the news.听

鈥淐limate change stories were just preaching to the choir,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wanted to bring environmental writing to new people. I wanted to take seriously their concerns and their desires and their passions.鈥澨�

She decided to hone her skills and jump into environmental writing full time, which brought her to CU Boulder鈥檚 environmental journalism graduate program within the College of Media, Communication and Information.听

At CU, she was exposed to an intellectual community who brought knowledge in areas ranging from snow leopards to fire ecology, she said, but also pushed her to challenge her perspectives on things like environmental ethics, justice and racism.听

鈥淭hey鈥檝e all become such a part of my DNA of how I approach things,鈥� said Rom, who moved to Aspen after she graduated from CU Boulder to cover the environment and ski industry for NPR.听

After leaving NPR, Rom moved to Carbondale, Colorado, and decided to continue telling stories in the endurance sports industry as she could weave in environmental angles while writing about athletes in areas like running, climbing or skiing.听

Today Rom is the editor-in-chief of Trail Runner magazine, managing editor for Women鈥檚 Running magazine and a contributing editor and writer for Outside Run magazine. She鈥檚 written about how ; how climate change has in mountaineering; or how gear companies are turning to to adjust to changing weather (a cooling race vest from Nike, for instance).听

During the pandemic, Rom 鈥� who is a trail runner 鈥� drew the attention of Tina Muir, CEO of , which uses the stories of top runners to spur social and environmental change. The two originally connected over a tweet about composting, but then forged a friendship centered on environmental activism.听

鈥淶o毛 puts in the time and diligence to make sure she has considered all variables, all perspectives in a situation,鈥� said Muir, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri. 鈥淪he knows that words matter, and she puts forward a lot of energy to make sure what she is sharing is impactful and accurate.鈥�

Muir suggested the duo write a book. They spent the next two years conducting interviews and research to craft , which caters to runners of all levels and is a solutions-focused guide to climate advocacy. The book was released in August.听

鈥淎 primary challenge I found in interviews was that many people didn鈥檛 see themselves as 鈥榓ctivists鈥�: They didn鈥檛 want to go vegan, they didn鈥檛 really want to stop flying,鈥� said Rom. 鈥淪o we just wanted to head-on address those concerns in a compassionate and evidence-based way.鈥澨�

The book garnered the attention of runner and best-selling author of .听

鈥泪鈥�ve been waiting a long time for a book that puts running in the broader context of our bodies, our minds and the world around us,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecoming a Sustainable Runner is that book.鈥�

Rom hopes the book inspires people to become politically active in their local communities and generate curiosity about where they can make the most impact. And while the book aims to draw attention to larger climate issues, it focuses on the importance of self care, too, Rom said, who finds solace in her own mountain runs and quiet connections with nature.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 necessary to care for your community and planet in the same way it鈥檚 essential to care for yourself,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd on the flip side, I wanted to demonstrate for folks who already are doing a lot of climate or community work that it鈥檚 important to take that time to take care of themselves and sustain themselves as well.鈥澨�

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Photos courtesy听Zo褢 Rom