Weblog for the employees, friends and customers of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia. Visit Patagonia.com to see what we do.
Last week, we recommended Eric Blehm's book The Last Season and mentioned that he was up for Barnes and Noble's Discover New Writers Award. Turns out Eric won the award for nonfiction. Congratulations Eric!
It's nice to see the old red carpet getting a workout today. Now where's the after party?
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]
The fight to grow hemp domestically continues with the introduction of H.R. 1009, the "Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007." Patagonia has been making hemp clothing for years and we would love to see American farmers get the opportunity to grow the wondrous weed once again. Unfortunately, progress to that end has been extremely slow and mired in fears dating back to the 1930's. It's time for the DEA to stop treating American farmers like children and give them a chance to compete with the rest of the world.
Take action if you're ready to help change this outdated policy.
[Harvested hemp in Shanxi Province, China. Photo: Jill Dumain]
Our challenge from the Spring 2006 catalog has been answered. Becca from Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City proved us wrong by climbing Sundance (5.10a) in her Morning Glory Dress. You rock Becca! This really made our day.
When your travels take you to the Lake Tahoe area, be sure and say hi to the crew at Alpenglow Sports.
"Oh no he didn't..." I thought to myself as I watched the old man throw a bag full of garbage onto the rocks.
I was driving along the P.C.H. looking for an empty peak when I happened upon a surfer catching a slow 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.
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 as national parks. For more background, please read Kris' essay on Patagonia.com and then visit Conservacion Patagonica.
What makes this article unique is the language being used to describe Tompkins' efforts. Could Doug actually be a CIA operative? Is he really a new-age imperialist gringo? Of course not, but I can see how his actions might be misunderstood. Doug and Kris' preservationism might not be truly appreciated until more pristine Chilean and Argentinian landscapes are overdeveloped, industrialized and polluted -- a sad thought indeed.
Check out the article and let us know how you feel about this issue in the comments.
Eco-millionaire's land grab prompts fury
[Via Guardian Unlimited]
"The time is five o'clock, and I aaaaaaam outta here!" Everyday, all the little worker bees at Patagonia HQ eagerly await those sweet words from our frisbee-freak receptionist Chipper Bro, but never more so than on Friday afternoon.
Some folks bust out their aloha shirts to celebrate Friday, while others simply don't show up to work at all in hopes of getting a jump on the weekend traffic. So, what are your plans? The surf conditions aren't looking so hot, maybe we'll go snowboarding. Have a great weekend everybody.
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 from Mary as this project progresses. In the meantime, head over to Free Wheelchair Mission's Website for the complete press release. Great job Mary!
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 and governors, engineers with cool new technology.
But we don't have a movement—the largest rally yet held in the U.S. about global warming drew a thousand people. If we're going to make the kind of change we need in the short time left us, we need something that looks like the civil rights movement, and we need it now. Changing light bulbs just isn't enough.
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 book's subject). For more info or to order the book, visit www.thelastseason.com.
In addition, Eric is one of three finalists for the Barnes and Noble Discover New Writers Award in the nonfiction category. He'll be headed to NYC the end of the month for the awards ceremony. Good luck Eric!
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