Activism Stories
Author Eric Blehm is a longtime friend and field-report contributor of ours. His latest book, The Last Season, has just been released as a paperback version with a new cover and 16 new pages of text/photos, including an interview with the author, a tribute to mountaineer Patty Ramber, and an essay by Randy Morgenson (the…
A Letter From Bill McKibben Dear Friends— This is an invitation to help start a movement—to take one spring day and use it to reshape the future. Those of us who know that climate change is the greatest threat civilization now faces have science on our side; we have economists and policy specialists, courageous mayors…
Patagonia surf ambassador Mary Osborne just sent word that she’s going to be helping surf legend Robert August and Free Wheelchair Mission distribute 10,000 wheelchairs in Costa Rica. The project will be documented in a series of short videos narrated by Mary, Robert and Robert’s son, Sam August. We’ll try and wrangle a firsthand report…
Doug Tompkins is coming under fire once again in Argentina for his efforts to protect the environment. As most of you know, Doug and his wife, Kris Tomkins (former CEO of Patagonia), are buying large pieces of undeveloped land in Argentina and Chile in hopes of preserving the wild landscapes and ecosystems for future generations…
I was driving along the P.C.H. looking for an empty peak when I happened upon a surfer catching a lumpy right. I pulled over to see if there was anything consistent rolling through when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. A man stepped out of the van parked in front of me, looked around, and tossed his kitchen sized bag of garbage into the rocks. As I processed what I had just witnessed, his compatriot climbed out of the driver’s seat. Dirty rag in hand, the man started walking towards the rocks, while making a series of “any witnesses around” glances over his shoulder.
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of the CRO (Corporate Responsibility Officer), but they have graciously awarded Patagonia a 2006 Business Ethics Award. We won’t bore you with a long acceptance speech, but we’re grateful for the recognition. Thanks CRO! Business Ethics 18th Annual Awards [via Jackson Library Blog]
Can a Sierra Club activist and an oil platform designer be the first to install a wind farm off the coast of the United States? According to a recent article in Wired magazine they just might, and they’re planning to do it by recycling old oil rigs. I just love the mixture of irony and…
From the press release:VENTURA, Calif., March 5 /PRNewswire/ — Patagonia, the outdoor apparel manufacturer, announced today that the company’s Reno Service Center, was recently honored with the GOLD level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). With this esteemed certification, Patagonia’s distribution center becomes only the second…
Editor’s note: Whenever Patagoina ambassador Ron Kauk visits the office I always try to track him down and say hello. I have great respect for Ron even though I’m not much of a climber. His love for Nature is deep and he seems to carry the spirit of Yosemite with him wherever he goes. Here’s…
The self-professed ‘Great Irritant’, Doug Peacock, stopped by the Patagonia campus today. Doug was kind enough to share some of his archival footage of the Grizzly bear (AKA “the Grizz”) filmed in and around the Rocky Mountains during the 70’s. He also read some journal passages from those times, as well as some excerpts from his books. Most importantly though, Doug spoke passionately about his relationship with the Grizzly bears and the tragic consequences that the de-listing of the Yellowstone population from the Endangered Species List will cause.
Patagonia’s environmental commitment extends to its extensive support of the Conservacion Patagonica program. Each year, employees have the opportunity to participate in one of three separate service trips designed to tackle the mountainous work required to transform retired ranches into a stunning new national park. This report comes to us from recent trip participant Andy Mitchell, of Patagonia’s…
Just got word from a tipster in the edit department about an opportunity for Patagoniacs in the Northeast to affect the climate change discussion. Sorry for the late notice on this one. I’m sure you can join up with the walk at any point. Action Now on Global Warming: Join Bill McKibben on the Interfaith…
Back in ’01-’02, well before Oceans as Wilderness, our environmental focus was on genetic engineering. While there were some victories associated with that campaign, the issue has not gone away. The following action alert came from one of our environmental grantees in California. Hopefully, more states will follow suit. Support New Legislation Protecting Communities and…
For those who don’t know about the Ojai Raptor Center, run by long-time Patagonia employee Kim Stroud, you should check it out in person or online at www.ojairaptorcenter.org I recently visited the center behind Kim’s home and was amazed at the work she’s doing for orphaned and injured birds of prey.When I first heard mention…
Bend, Oregon – The American Alpine Club presented its prestigious David R. Brower Award for conservation to Yvon Chouinard this Saturday, March 31. A quote from the American Alpine Club’s announcement: The Brower Award, created in 1991, recognizes leadership and commitmentto preserving mountain regions worldwide. The awardee, whose activepersonal role deserves public recognition, has made…
Check out this recent article in the LA Times – Ethanol Market, USDA Policies Shrink Conservation Reserve by Tim Reiterman – about how the government’s plan to boost corn production to meet rising ethanol demands could adversely affect our conservation areas.It’s a great article because it shows how switching to less environmentally harmful practices on…
Following up on his recent talk at Patagonia HQ, Doug Peacock just sent us the following letter on behalf of Yellowstone Grizzlies. Make sure and click the "Continue reading" link for details on how you can help. Your support is greatly encouraged and appreciated. Dear Friends: On March 29, 2007, the Department of the Interior…
Ever since Bend to Baja took the Interwebs by storm in late 2005, we’ve received a pretty steady flow of inquiries from friends and customers about how they can convert their own diesel rigs to run on straight vegetable oil. A recent article from the Santa Barbara Independent serves as a nice primer for anyone…
Thank you for all you do on behalf of our beautiful home. Smell the flowers, hug a tree, thank a bee and enjoy this special Earth Day episode of the Risky Biscuit Hayseed Hoot. Listen to "Songs and tunes for the Earth, about the Earth and forearthlings" [Photo: Apollo 17 Crew & NASA. With thanks…
The following report is brought to us by Ken Larussa, from our Reno Distribution Center, home of Patagonia’s Customer Service. If you’re a long-time customer, chances are good you’ve spoken to Ken at least once. After hearing about Ken’s trip and seeing his pictures, we’re lucky he came back. Wool. We all know it comes…
There are few pristine places left in the ocean, and our understanding of what is natural has shifted dramatically over time. But in the Line Islands there is an atoll where the corals are healthy and sharks are king. Last month, in support of our Oceans as Wilderness campaign, marine ecologist Dr. Enric Sala visited…
If you live in the Reno area or happen to be there on May 17, please join Rick Ridgeway for this special event at the Patagonia Service Center. Those not in the area can read about Rick’s journey in his book The Big Open: On Foot Across Tibet’s Chang Tang. THE BIG OPEN On Foot…
Several years ago I ran across the howies site. I felt they had a similar vibe, a focus on the environment and sports but with a stronger focus on cycling than we did, so I got hooked. I wrote to see if I could place an overseas order and a nice guy named Ade helped…
There was a somewhat quiet challenge issued deep in the comments of the "Support Human Power" post about who could saddle up more of their crew for Bike to Work Week: our Ventura HQ or the Reno Distribution Center. Not that it’s a contest or anything . . . BUT, well, we are feeling a…
What to do when you want to participate in Bike to Work Week but your commute’s a beefy one? Follow Team Bacon Strip. If the ride’s a long one, these guys aren’t afraid to start the night before. If you’re in the Reno area and want to punctuate your Bike to Work Week in fine…
An impressive-enough commute by car, 2 states and 3 counties are exactly what some of the folks who work in our Reno Distribution Center pedaled through to get to work Thursday morning. Undaunted by distance and mountain passes, Nate Hanson (Pro Sales), Tim Kipp (Customer Service), Anne Cahill (Account Manager), Rob Flesher (Call Center Mgr.)…
The results are in from the retail store Bike-to-Work challenge. Nick from Patagonia Seattle — the store that instigated the friendly competition — gives us the lowdown: The final numbers are in and we have the results for the Retail Cycling Challenge. First, I would like to say thank you to all the stores that…
This post comes from Patagoniac Kristin Jaeger, a PhD graduate student at Colorado State University who’s studying fluvial geomorphology. Kristin originally submitted this as an environmental essay for our catalog, but since it didn’t fit our current theme of Oceans as Wilderness we’re gladly presenting it here. If you have a story about invasive species…
We now turn our attention from the eradication of invasive species to the reintroduction of native species. Kris Tompkins, head of Conservacion Patagonica, sends word of a celebration on behalf of the giant anteater. Dear Family and Friends, After over two years of acquiring permissions from numerous national governmental agencies and four provinces, months spent…
I just received word this morning from my friends up at the Buffalo Field Campaign in West Yellowstone. Montana’s Department of Livestock is planning on trapping and slaughtering 300 wild buffalo – including calves as young as a few weeks, and their mothers. The agency plans to begin the roundup on Thursday, May 31. It’s…
Just last week, Montana’s Department of Livestock had plans to round up 300 wild buffalo (including babies) and ship them off this morning, June 4, to slaughter, because they’d wandered outside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. Thanks to the efforts of the Buffalo Field Campaign, their supporters and all of the media that picked…
Plastic bags make me cringe. They’re given away excessively at grocery stores and markets with barely a thought as to how they’ll be disposed or where they might end up. One gallon of milk? Two plastic bags. Greeting card? Plastic bag. Fresh produce? One plastic bag for each variety please. Plastic, plastic, everywhere. And none…
They say it takes about 30 days to form a new habit. It’s been about 30 days since we got rollingwith our Bike to Work Week festivities, so it’s time to check in: How y’all doing with that new habit of rolling through the sunny summer mornings on your way to the daily grind? Having…
Doug and Kris Tompkins were interviewed and Parque Pumalin toured last night on ABC’s Nightline. You can read a nice written recap of the story, with plenty of choice quotes from Doug and Kris, at the ABC News website. There’s also a streaming video about Parque Pumalin as a vacation destination. Millionaires With a Mission…
On May 11, Patagonia Ventura employees were treated to an hour-long presentation from Hunter Lovins. Hunter is the president and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions and co- creator of the Natural Capitalism concept – a whole-system framework that promotes the economic advantages of sustainability. She was also noted by Time magazine as a "Hero for…
Last week, word came out from our friends at the Buffalo Field Campaign in West Yellowstone, Montana, that the state Dept. of Livestock decided not to round up and exterminate 300 wild buffalo (including calves less than a month old). Well, their compassion appears to have been short lived. We received word from the BFC…
