Voice Your Choice™ is here - Visit Your Patagonia Store & Help Us Spend Money for Good

With so many environmental groups out there doing great work, it’s impossible to make a donation to every one. We recognize there’s only so much each of us can donate toward environmental causes, and we also know our customers are the experts when it comes to what’s going on in their backyard. That’s why we created the Voice Your Choice™ campaign.  

Voice Your Choice™ enables customers of Patagonia-owned stores to become more involved in local environmental issues by providing education, volunteer opportunities, and grant money that our customers tell us how to spend.

Here’s how it works: After a great deal of research and local input, each Patagonia-owned store selects three local groups they’ve determined are doing something extraordinary to help restore and protect the environment. Representatives from each of these groups will visit the store during the Voice Your Choice™ campaign to share their work and offer you opportunities to get involved.

Additionally, each of our stores has $5000 in grant money available for distribution. It’s up to you to decide how that money is spent. Votes are cast in the store, and the top vote-getter will be awarded $2,500, with the second- and third-place organizations receiving $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

Simply stop by your nearest Patagonia store September 24-October 24, 2009 to learn about your local groups and vote. No purchase whatsoever is necessary, but ballots must be cast in the store.
(Make the jump for additional details and a complete list of last year's Voice Your Choice™ winners.)

After we've counted the votes, many stores will be holding a grants reception to award the money. If you’re not already on your local store’s e-mail list make sure to sign up so you can stay abreast of contest results and award details. Store information is also available by finding your store’s link on this page.

Last year, our Voice Your Choice campaign proved a great success for environmental groups and our stores alike. Customers cast 13,706 votes in our 23 stores nationwide. This degree of participation reinforces our conviction that Patagonia customers care deeply about environmental issues and appreciate the opportunity to get involved.

In 2008, Patagonia stores gave $378,000 to local environmental groups, with the Voice Your Choice campaign contributing an additional $100,000. This year we’ve increased the Voice Your Choice contribution to $125,000. We know grant recipients will put the money to good use and their work will benefit all of us who love the outdoors.

Please come by one of our stores to cast your vote by October 24, 2009. Click on your local Patagonia store page for directions to the store and to see which environmental groups are participating.

2008 Voice Your Choice Grant Recipients

Atlanta - Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Boston - Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
Cardiff - San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy
Chicago - Alliance for the Great Lakes
Denver - Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project
Dillon - Big Hole Watershed Committee
Freeport - RESTORE: The North Woods
Hale'iwa - North Shore Community Land Trust
SoHo - More Gardens!
Upper West Side - Rocking the Boat
Palo Alto - Green Foothills Foundation
Pasadena - EarthWorks Community Farm & Heal the Bay (tie)
Portland - Oregon Natural Resources
San Francisco - MedShare
Santa Monica - Algalita Marine Research Foundation
Seattle - The Whale Museum
St. Paul - Midtown Greenway Coalition
Washington D.C. - Potomac Conservancy
Westport - Save the Sound
Reno - Great Basin Water Network
Salt Lake City - Utah Clean Energy
Santa Cruz - Ventana Wilderness Alliance
Ventura - Surfrider Foundation, Ventura Chapter