Patagonia Volunteers Join LCV for Vote Early Day Canvass in Nevada

VENTURA, Calif. — For this week’s Vote Early Day, Patagonia volunteers joined the League of Conservation Voters’ (LCV) GreenRoots team on Tuesday to get out the vote for climate in Las Vegas. As part of Patagonia’s Vote Her campaign, the outdoor apparel company closed its stores yesterday to give employees a paid day off for Vote Early Day, and more than 30 employees traveled from the company’s headquarters in Ventura, California to Las Vegas to knock on doors and talk to potential voters with just a few days until Election Day, collectively knocking on over 1,500 doors.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Patagonia volunteers to help get out the vote and elect climate champions up and down the ballot in Nevada, including Representative Susie Lee, Senator Jacky Rosen, and Vice President Kamala Harris,” said LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “Addressing the climate crisis has never been more important, and we’re all in to help elect a pro-climate, pro-democracy trifecta.”

“To save our planet from the climate and nature crisis, we must elect leaders who share our sense of urgency, and we’re thankful to have partners in the environmental community such as the League of Conservation Voters dedicated to achieving that goal,” said Corley Kenna, Patagonia’s chief impact and communications officer. “We have been working with LCV for more than 20 years and we’re once again asking our community to vote for Mother Earth, just like we have since we took out our first local newspaper ad in Ventura in 1978 to advocate for candidates and ballot measures.”

“I am incredibly grateful to have the support of Patagonia and League of Conservation Voters volunteers as we work to keep public lands in public hands, and to promote sustainable outdoor recreation and conservation,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “Together, we will elect candidates up and down the ballot who are committed to combating climate change and keeping our air and water clean for generations to come.”

Last week, LCV Action Fund released its first-ever climate candidate guide, which will help voters see endorsed climate candidates from LCV Action Fund and state leagues, voter registration status, and polling locations.

Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert's LinkedIn Post on Company Changes

Many people have asked me how Patagonia has changed since its founders, the Chouinards, transferred their stock to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective two years ago. My answer is: Not much. We are part of a radical experiment that, for 51 years, has consistently demonstrated that business can be done differently and more responsibly. That is who we have been since Yvon founded the company, who we are today, and who we will be tomorrow.

Our success and our impact rely on our business. And our business relies on our commitment to quality product and authentic storytelling in service of our community. Today, we are getting more right than wrong, but we aren’t meeting the high standards we set for ourselves. And while we remain profitable, we are vulnerable to the same economic headwinds many companies in our industry are facing.  

Meeting our own standards requires embracing change and focus, and this week begins some major internal changes that are critical for our success in the near term and foundationally important for our next 50 years. We are evolving key functions in our Ventura headquarters to re-focus on building the best product, creating authentic connections through storytelling, and generating even more impact through grassroots environmental partnerships and responsible business practices. The changes will also ensure a more connected and consistent customer experience, remove some of the barriers that make it difficult to get our work done, and support a more vibrant culture.

Throughout this process, we evaluated roles, not people, and made every effort to minimize the impact on our colleagues. New roles were created, some were eliminated and most roles in Ventura are evolving. We bet on our own talent and are filling most of the new roles with internal candidates rather than searching externally. But even still, we had to make the sad and difficult decision to say goodbye to 41 of our colleagues, about one percent of our workforce.  

We are grateful to each of them, and I want to be clear that this decision does not represent a failure of people or roles. It means some parts of our company need to be shaped differently from the setup that made us successful in the past. We had individual conversations with them and are committed to a smooth and caring transition. They will receive a minimum of 22 weeks of pay, increasing with tenure, to support their transition, along with financial support to cover health insurance costs for a year and career transition assistance. And LinkedIn community – if you are hiring, reach out to me and I’ll help you get in touch with these exceptional individuals.  

We’re aware that our reputation is something we must earn and invest in each and every day. Patagonia has always been a great company; our challenge now is to become excellent in all ways, starting with our products, and to be a responsible convener and mobilizer for the whole community of those seeking to save our home planet.

Vote Her: Patagonia urges its community to vote for Mother Earth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VENTURA, Calif. — Patagonia launched the Vote Her campaign today to urge its community to elect climate candidates up and down the ballot in this fall’s general election in the United States.  

Following last month’s news about how the outdoor apparel company is closing its U.S. stores, offices and distribution center for Vote Early Day, Patagonia is doubling down by asking the community to vote for Mother Earth. The company has partnered with the League of Conservation Voters to provide employees and customers with opportunities to knock on doors, make phone calls and mail letters to voters, with the goal of increasing voter turnout and electing leaders at the local, state and federal level who will advance public policy for clean water, clean air, public lands and the climate. LCV and their state affiliates hold elected officials accountable by providing voters with scorecards to see how state and federal elected officials rate on environmental legislation.

“To save our planet from the climate and nature crisis, we must elect leaders who share our sense of urgency,” said Corley Kenna, vice president of communications and public policy at Patagonia. “We’re asking our community to vote for Mother Earth, just like we have since we took out our first local newspaper ad in Ventura in 1978 to advocate for specific candidates and ballot measures.”

The 1978 advertisement in the Ventura County Star-Free Press, placed by Great Pacific Iron Works, which is Patagonia’s original retail store.

Patagonia is reissuing a limited run of the “Vote Her” T-shirts it produced in 2020. These shirts say “Vote Her” with an image of Earth. The shirts will be sold on patagonia.com and in select Patagonia retail stores, including Seattle, San Francisco, Ventura, SoHo, Brooklyn and Washington, D.C.

Patagonia is giving full-time and part-time U.S. employees a paid day off on Vote Early Day on Oct. 29 to not only vote but also to volunteer with LCV, which it has been working with for more than two decades. Patagonia’s U.S. stores, distribution center and offices will be closed for the day as civic engagement takes precedence over business and commerce.

“For Patagonia, voting is a priority because democratic participation creates the foundation for progress on every issue we care about,” Kenna said.

Voter turnout remains stubbornly low in the United States. To help improve participation, Patagonia has been giving its employees the day off to vote since 2016. In 2018, it co-founded Time to Vote with Levi Strauss & Co. and PayPal to recruit other companies to ensure workers don’t have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. Time to Vote now includes more than 2,000 companies.

About Patagonia 

We’re in business to save our home planet. Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. As a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% for the Planet, the company is recognized internationally for its product quality and environmental activism, as well as its contributions of more than $230 million to environmental organizations. Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet.

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Patagonia giving all US employees paid time off to vote early and volunteer in 2024 election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: patagoniapress@patagonia.com  

VENTURA, Calif. — Patagonia has been asking its community to vote the planet since the 1970s, and it has given employees Election Day off in the United States since 2016. 

This year, the outdoor apparel company with more than 2,000 employees in the U.S. will close its stores, warehouse and offices on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, which is national Vote Early Day. Employees will receive a paid day off and have the entire day to vote early and volunteer. The company is calling it Vote Early and Volunteer Day. 

Democracy experts and advocates agree that voting early, either in-person or by mail, allows voters to avoid long lines and provides ample time to correct any problems with voter registration status. Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisan advocates are pushing voters to vote early because it’s an important way to improve voter turnout and ensure free and fair elections. 

“For Patagonia, voting is a priority because democratic participation creates the foundation for progress on every issue we care about,” said Corley Kenna, vice president of communications and public policy at Patagonia. “To save our planet from the climate and nature crisis, we have to elect leaders who share our sense of urgency.” 

In addition to ensuring employees have the time they need to vote by shutting down the company on Vote Early Day, employees will also have increased options for volunteer opportunities. Patagonia is partnering with the League of Conservation Voters this year to provide opportunities for its employees and the community to volunteer to knock on voters’ doors and write letters to low-propensity voters, as well as call and text voters to encourage them to vote, and to provide voters with resources to learn where the candidates stand on environmental issues. The company is also working with Vote Early Day, Protect Our Winters and the Civic Alliance to rally the outdoor sports and business communities around the importance of voting and volunteering in this fall’s election. 

45 Years of Election Engagement 

The first election Patagonia engaged in was in 1978. It launched Vote the Environment in 2004 to mobilize America’s outdoor sports community to vote. The company closed its stores, offices and warehouse on Election Day for the first time in 2016, and in 2018, it launched Time to Vote with Levi Strauss & Co. and PayPal. To this day, Time to Vote includes more than 2,000 companies that have pledged that workers won’t have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. 

About Patagonia 

We’re in business to save our home planet. Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. As a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% For the Planet, the company is recognized internationally for its product quality and environmental activism, as well as its contributions of more than $230 million to environmental organizations. Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet.  

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Witnessing Climate Change in one of America’s Last Wild Places

Patagonia to publish a first-hand account of the Arctic crisis, from the author of the bestselling Atlas of the National Parks

Jon Waterman is an award-winning author and photographer renowned for his immersive explorations of wilderness and environmental issues. With a prolific body of work encompassing 17 books and five films, including ESPN’s Emmy-winning “Surviving Denali” and National Geographic’s Atlas of Wild America, Waterman has earned acclaim for his deep connection to nature and his ability to inspire readers to protect the planet’s natural wonders.

This Fall, Patagonia will publish Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis (Nov. 12, 2024, hardcover), a book drawn from his life’s most profound journeys. Waterman—whose wide-ranging expeditions include a first winter ascent of Denali’s Cassin Ridge, kayaking North America’s Northwest Passage, dogsledding up Canada’s Mount Logan, sailing to Hawaii, and boating the Colorado River from source to sea—says Into the Thaw is his most important work yet.

More than 40 years ago, he worked as a mountaineering ranger at Alaska’s Denali National Park, and his 1983 patrol to the Noatak River in Gates of the Arctic National Park sparked a lifetime fascination with the wild, remote regions of the North. He was astonished by the abundant wildlife above the Arctic Circle, amid a strange landscape and otherworldly light—how the “frequent rain showers glow like lemonade poured out of the sky.”

Transitioning from park ranger to an adventure and environmental writer, Waterman embarked on scores of expeditions to the North, often traveling solo by boat and on foot to document the natural wonders and cultural heritage across Arctic North America.

After a long hiatus from the Noatak headwaters, he returned with his son in 2021, witnessing firsthand the effects of climate change that he chronicled in a New York Times op-ed: “36 Years Later, the Climate Changes at This National Park Stunned Me.”  Amid a river now flooded, overgrown with brush, and bereft of once-abundant caribou, he was deeply disheartened by the many transformations.

In 2022, Waterman took a final, extended expedition “into the thaw” with the professional kayaker and photographer Chris Korbulic to carefully document the environmental and cultural changes precipitated by the climate crisis. They covered more than 500 miles on foot and by packraft down the entire river, then up the coast, passing through three different National Park Service managed lands to meet with scientists, interview Iñupiat (the Alaskan Inuit), investigate the many impacts of the Arctic climate crisis, and celebrate the enduring wonder of this special place.

Into the Thaw alternates between adventure and wilderness memoir, side-noted with scholarly research into climate change and natural history. Waterman recounts encounters with bears, enduring weeks alone amidst swarms of mosquitoes, and witnessing phenomena like the Greening of the Arctic, teardrop-shaped landslides (thermokarsts) caused by thawing permafrost, and an increasing loss of sea ice as he travels along the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The book features stunning color photographs and detailed maps. Complimentary Reader’s and Teacher’s Guides, as well as an interactive story map, will be available at Patagonia.com.

Waterman not only shows how climate change has impacted the land, sea, and animals, but also the kindhearted, welcoming Inuit people.  Most affected by a crisis that has heated up the Arctic several times faster than the rest of the world, the ever-resilient villagers share how their age-old culture has attempted to cope with “the thaw.”  Waterman paints an intimate portrait of both the Inuit and the little-visited North—with its treasured park lands—because “it’s high time that we truly understand the Arctic,” he writes, “lest we forget what it once was.”  

Despite the unfolding climate crisis, Into the Thaw is a book about wonder—and through one man’s life-changing experiences in the wilderness—the narrative ends with a message of hope, urging actionable steps to mitigate further thawing and preserve the Arctic's extraordinary biodiversity and cultural heritage. 

About the Author

Jon Waterman has worked as a director of a small press, an editor, a naturalist, a park ranger, a wilderness guide, a photographer, and a filmmaker.  Among his many publications, Jon’s work has often appeared in The New York Times, Outside, Men’s Journal, Adventure, Climbing, and Sailing World.  His 17 books include In the Shadow of Denali, Kayaking the Vermilion Sea, and Running Dry; he is a frequent grantee of the National Geographic Society. By taking risks and tackling difficult issues, his work transcends traditional outdoor yarns and has garnered numerous awards, including a Literary Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, three Best Adventure Book Awards from the Banff Book Festival, a National Park Service Special Achievement Award, and the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. He lives in Carbondale, Colorado. 

Praise

“A beautiful, compelling book about the profound effects of anthropogenic climate change on America’s last and grandest wilderness.” —Roman Dial, Arctic scientist and author of The Adventurer’s Son

“Into the Thaw is an eloquent, impassioned, and essential elegy for the far north.” —Michael Finkel, bestselling author of The Stranger in the Woods and The Art Thief 

“A marvelous compendium of Jon Waterman's forty years in the high Arctic of Alaska and Nunavut. Combining geology, anthropology, climate science with intimate journal entries, Waterman's wanderings etch into our minds a vivid view of wild beauty, collapsing villages, icescapes and tundra, deeply altered by a changing climate. This lovely book is a joy to read and a warning.” —Gretel Ehrlich, author of The Solace of Open Spaces and This Cold Heaven

Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis
by Jon Waterman | published by Patagonia | ISBN 9781952338236
October 22, 2024 | $35 US | 304 pages | Hardcover, Nonfiction | 9.325 in X 8.5 in
AUTHOR TOUR: Denver, Seattle, Portland, Boston / New England
PRESS CONTACT: Stephanie@wildridgepr.com, 512-810-9238 

Can We Eat Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?

The Blue Plate, a new book from Patagonia, introduces the carbon-farming pioneers working to reverse the course of climate change

Did you know more than a quarter of the dangerous climate-heating greenhouse gas emissions produced around the world today come from the simple steps of growing, catching, processing, transporting, and cooking food—and then dealing with leftovers? This alarming statistic motivated ecologist Mark J. Easter to dramatically change what and how he and his family eat. Today he begins each meal with a quick calculation of the climate impacts of the food before him, aiming for “a blue plate” consisting of delicious, nutritious, low-carbon food.

This fall, Patagonia will publish The Blue Plate: A Food Lover's Guide to Climate Chaos (September 17, 2024, hardcover, 9781952338205) by Mark J. Easter, the first book written from a scientist’s point of view to offer a detailed picture of the carbon impact our favorite foods have on the Earth. 

Easter researches the carbon footprint of food as part of a Colorado State University team of “greenhouse gas accountants” whose mission is to understand how greenhouse gases move into and out of soils and plants on farms and ranches. He has traveled globally to collaborate with farmers, ranchers, foresters, and others to learn how the ways people grow food and fiber make agriculture healthier and less damaging to the climate.

The Blue Plate tells hopeful stories of food producers who are already bending the climate emissions curve and contributing to climate solutions. While food emissions currently surpass those from fossil fuels used in agriculture, Easter outlines how simple changes in how we produce food can transform major pieces of its footprint from a source of emissions to a carbon sink, while creating more nutritious food that is lighter on the land.

Organized by the ingredients of a typical dinner party, including seafood, salad, bread, chicken, steak, potatoes, and fruit pie with ice cream, each chapter examines the food through the lens of the climate crisis. Learn about the soil that grows the lettuce, the farmers and ranchers and orchardists who steward the land, the dairy and farm workers and grocers who labor to bring it to the table, and the waste managers that process our leftovers.  

The book travels to a Wyoming fertilizer plant, a Colorado landfill, an Idaho fish farm, a Colorado peach orchard, to dairies across the country, to the inside of a cow’s stomach, to an Indiana corn and soybean farm, an Arizona lettuce farm, and deep into the soil before circling back the reader’s own plate. Each chapter reveals the causes and effects of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the social and environmental impact of out-of-season and far-from-home demand.

Food lovers everywhere will be happy to know that the answer to eating more sustainably is not necessarily a plant-based diet, but instead, to educate yourself about the best way and time of year to eat the foods you enjoy, including  steak, dairy, and seafood. The typical plate of food, Easter says, can be transformed into a “Blue Plate," a diet that is healthy not just for the people who eat it, but good for the planet.

Easter offers low-carbon, in-season alternatives that make your favorite foods not only more climate-friendly, but also more delicious. The first step, however, is an understanding of how food is grown, produced, harvested, and shipped. In stories both personal and entertaining, The Blue Plate offers a full understanding of what’s for dinner.

Mark J. Easter (Fort Collins, CO) is an ecologist who has conducted research in academia and private industry since 1988. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 1982 and a M.S. in Botany from the University of Vermont in 1991. Easter authored and co-authored more than fifty scientific papers and reports related to carbon cycling and the carbon footprint of agriculture, forestry, and other land uses. He contributed analyses to multiple reports published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 2018 he was named a fellow of the Colorado State University School of Global Environmental Sustainability. Besides his scientific work, Easter co-founded the organization Save The Poudre and is a founding board member of the organization “Save the Colorado.” He works with these organizations to help restore rivers to healthy conditions and protect rivers from water development. He loves to read, cook from his garden, hike and ski in wild places, and spend time with his wife, Leslie Brown and their dog, Bonny.

Praise

“Tag along with one of the premier scientists studying our food system's carbon footprint, as he takes us on a fascinating journey to meet the farmers, ranchers, and composters who are dramatically slashing emissions and transforming agriculture from a climate problem to a climate solution.” — Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground, Grain by Grain and Healing Grounds

“The Blue Plate is a lively look at the carbon footprint of our food — a journey that takes us across America and zooms in on our favorite eats. Similar in spirit to Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush, this book directs an honest gaze at what’s going on — and what we can do about it. Grounded in science, and yet told in story, this book teaches, inspires, and informs. From peaches to bread to beer to fish, The Blue Plate is indeed about our planet, our plates, and our future.” — Laura Pritchett, author of The Blue Hour, Stars Go Blue, and Red Lightning

 “The Blue Plate is the food book of the decade, and it tastes like hope. With the story-telling chops of Michael Pollan, the ethics of Thoreau, and the climate expertise of James Hanson, Mark Easter lays it all out: We CAN feed the world and nourish the earth at the same time. Here is how it can be done. And here is how you can participate. Authoritative, entertaining, and useful — this is the book I have been waiting for.” —  Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Encouragement for Earth’s Weary Lovers 

“Every bite we take — whether from a peach, a lamb chop, or a chunk of braised tofu — has an impact on a landscape somewhere in the world. Many thanks to Mark Easter for his thoughtful and comprehensive appraisal of the methods by which our food is produced and for this roadmap to align our eating with our concerns for the planet’s health.” — Kristin Ohlson, author of The Soil Will Save Us and Sweet in Tooth and Claw

“Anyone asking ‘can we eat ourselves out of the climate crisis?’ should begin with this book. Mark Easter offers not only a beautiful hymn to the elements, but a wonderful introduction to the difficult demands that science makes of us when we ask the most difficult questions with deep honesty and commitment.” — Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System

“In a well-structured mash up of research, analysis, and — above all — story, Mark Easter has created one of the most compelling books about climate change in recent memory. Or wait, is it about food? That's the beauty of the book — it is truly about both, and how our daily choices about what to put on our plates ties us into a global network of food production and delivery that has been the largest contributor to global warming, yet also holds the key to reversing the trend. In the end, they give the readers the power that only knowledge can instill: how to make the choices that support a food system that heals both body and planet... how to create blue plates.”— Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet

“An entertaining, enlightening, and uplifting guide to the food-climate connection.” — David R. Montgomery, co-author of What Your Food Ate and The Hidden Half of Nature

 “A feast of vivid stories about the future of agriculture — and the future of us all. Let ecologist Mark Easter fill your plate with hope.” — Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction

“Mark Easter gives us a different way of looking at food and a different way of looking at climate change He clearly loves food and has something important to say about it.” —Mark Kurlansky, New York Times bestselling and James A. Beard Award-winning author

The Blue Plate: A Food Lover's Guide to Climate Chaos
by Mark J. Easter | foreword by Anthony Myint | published by Patagonia | September 17, 2024
ISBN 9781952338205 | $30 US | 400 pages | Hardcover, Nonfiction | Distributed by Ingram / PGW
Printed on 100% post-consumer waste paper 
PRESS CONTACT: Stephanie@wildridgepr.com, 512-810-9238

Official Comment on Bears Ears Draft Management Plan

Editor’s note: Patagonia submitted the following comment to the Bureau of Land Management National NEPA register today.

United States Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management

1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240

RE: Bears Ears Draft RMP/EIS – Patagonia public comment                                                                   

Dear Bears Ears Commission, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management:

Patagonia is a U.S.-based outdoor apparel company with a 50-year history of environmental activism that believes deeply in the urgent, shared responsibility to protect our natural resources. The future of our business, the outdoor recreation economy and our planet relies on the health of wild places. 

The designation of Bears Ears as a national monument is unprecedented, and we believe the plan for managing its lands and resources must be too. Thank you for the opportunity to voice our support for Alternative E.  

Alternative E demonstrates the strongest commitment to responsible and informed land management of the monument and its magnificent recreational sites. 

The land, water and resources of the monument deserve to be sustainably managed. The Indigenous peoples whose ancestors stewarded these lands and resources continue to possess some of the most valuable knowledge and methods, tested over time and generations, needed to solve the global climate and biodiversity crisis not of their own making. We applaud the incorporation of Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into the management plan as a critical path to protecting the biodiversity and health of the monument for generations to come.  

Additionally, rather than negatively impacting recreation, Alternative E represents a responsible approach to conserving ecological and cultural resources by taking a holistic approach to resource management, which is crucial for the future management of all public lands.   

We are grateful the draft plan allows for the continued use and maintenance of existing rock-climbing routes in the monument. However, as an outdoor recreation company with employees and customers who know Bears Ears National Monument for its world-class climbing, we are eager to engage with you and receive more information on how future restrictions, permits and potential fees may be implemented for climbing activities.  

We encourage the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to ensure that Alternative E, the preferred alternative, becomes the final resource management plan for the Bears Ears National Monument. Alternative E represents a sustainable and collaborative land and resource management that: 

·       Upholds the sovereignty of the Tribes and honors Indigenous peoples’ personal, traditional and cultural connections to land. 

·       Reflects time-tested best practices for land management passed down over centuries from the original, and ongoing, stewards of this land. 

·       Protects habitat, wildlife and resource biodiversity. 

·       Responsibly manages access and use of the monument in a way that allows current and future visitors to recreate, hunt and fish, while also responding to the needs and health of the land. 

Patagonia operates a retail store in Salt Lake City and supports numerous local outdoor gear shops and environmental organizations in Utah. We began fighting for the protection of Bears Ears in 2013 by supporting the historic vision of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and grassroots allies at Friends of Cedar Mesa and Utah Diné Bikéyah. Our 2015 film, Defined by the Line, chronicled climber and conservation activist Josh Ewing’s story of converting a passion for climbing into a passion for protecting Bears Ears. Building on the connection that many climbers have to the region, we expanded efforts to include environmental grants to local groups, in-kind donations to local communities and regular use of our communication channels to amplify our outdoor business voice in Utah to call for protection.  

We celebrated when President Obama designated Bears Ears National Monument in 2016. When Governor Gary Herbert signed a resolution asking President Trump to rescind the monument in 2017, we boycotted the bi-annual Outdoor Retailer tradeshow in Salt Lake City to send a message to Utah’s political leaders that the outdoor industry depends on public policy that protects the planet. Other companies joined the boycott, and the show relocated to Denver until 2023. 

When President Trump drastically reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument in 2017, we joined the sovereign Indigenous nations of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni, along with several grassroots conservation groups, scientists and anthropologists to sue the Trump administration. 

We celebrated when President Biden restored Bears Ears National Monument in 2021, protecting 1.36 million acres of land across southeast Utah. And today we applaud the Biden administration for recognizing Bears Ears as one of our nation’s most significant cultural, natural landscapes. Alternative E is the best version of the draft management plan to ensure Bears Ears is protected forever. 

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to submit a comment on behalf of Patagonia.  

Sincerely,  

Hans Cole

VP of Environmental Activism

Patagonia

Letter to President Biden Regarding Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Sanctuary Designation Process

May 21, 2024

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500

CC:

Mr. Richard W. Spinrad, Ph.D., Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator
The Honorable Gina Raimondo, United States Secretary of Commerce
The Honorable Brenda Mallory, Chair, White House Council on Environment Quality

Mr. John Podesta, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Designee
Ms. Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Climate and Environment, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Comments re: the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Sanctuary Designation Process

Dear President Biden,

Patagonia is a U.S.-based outdoor apparel brand with a 50-year history of environmental activism that believes deeply in the urgent, shared responsibility to protect our natural resources. The future of our business, the outdoor recreation economy, and our planet relies on the health of wild places. On behalf of Patagonia, I thank you and the Biden administration for your many acts of leadership to achieve meaningful conservation on land and water.

Patagonia was particularly buoyed by the administration’s public commitments to protect 30 percent of ocean waters under American jurisdiction by 2030, including the administration’s work to designate a new national marine sanctuary protecting the waters around the Pacific Remote Islands. We are concerned, however, by the recent claim that the United States has already succeeded in protecting approximately one-third of its marine areas. It remains unclear how NOAA calculated this figure, unless they are including in this claim minimally protected marine areas that fail to meet high-integrity international standards including the Marine Protected Area Guide or those set by experts at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

In the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, the United States appears to declare premature victory, setting a dangerous precedent for global 30x30 commitments. At a time when the State Department is correctly prodding other countries to ensure that “protected really means protected,” we are concerned that the United States’ approach here could set a bad example during a critical moment for conservation.

By contrast, the administration has a prime opportunity to fully protect the Pacific Remote Islands, which would unequivocally take the United States over the finish line on the 30 percent commitment. The Pacific Remote Islands are an important cultural seascape for Pacific Islanders and one of the last wild and healthy marine ecosystems in the world. Now is the time to fulfill our promise to protect this culturally, historically and ecologically significant area and act quickly to safeguard our fisheries and biodiversity.

Anything less than a strong sanctuary designation would only invite illegal, unregulated fishing from countries that don’t share our commitment to conservation. Achieving your conservation commitments on 30x30 through a robust Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Sanctuary designation is well within reach, and we urge you to take this opportunity to stand for high- integrity marine protected areas. We are excited to support that effort and look forward to continued partnership.

Sincerely,
Hans Cole, VP of Environmental Activism, Patagonia

COALITION OF LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GROUPS LAUNCH FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT ‘YOSEMITE OF SOUTH AMERICA’ FOREVER

Photo by Rodrigo Manns.

A view of Mount Trinidad during a break in the rain. Cochamo, Chile_November 2019.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Led by Chilean NGO Puelo Patagonia, the campaign Conserva Puchegüín is working urgently to raise $78 million to purchase and protect 325,000 acres in Chilean Patagonia.  

The campaign has two years to raise the money needed to protect the Cochamó Valley, also known as the “Yosemite of South America” by rock climbers around the globe. The area features thousand-meter granite walls, glacier-crowned peaks, rivers, plunging waterfalls and massive groves of alerce trees, plus endangered and endemic species, and many small communities with traditional ways of life.

Puelo Patagonia and The Nature Conservancy have entered into a purchase option agreement with the current landowner to acquire and protect Hacienda Puchegüín, 325,000 acres of land in Chilean Patagonia that includes the Cochamó Valley. The agreement gives the conservationists two years to raise the money to purchase the land.

Initial donations have been secured by Freyja Foundation and Wyss Foundation, but the campaign still needs to raise approximately $63 million. Outdoor apparel company Patagonia Inc. has been supporting Puelo Patagonia through its 1% for the Planet environmental grants program since 2016, and the company’s nonprofit, the Holdfast Collective, has recently expressed interest in joining the campaign.

Hacienda Puchegüín caught the attention of conservation organizations when it was listed for sale in 2022 through Christie's auction house in New York. Despite being surrounded by over 4,000,000 acres of Chilean and Argentine parks, reserves and nature sanctuaries, the property is exposed to a variety of threats, such as land fragmentation, that have endangered the area. Thus, the acquisition of Puchegüín represents not only an opportunity to protect the region’s ecological and cultural heritage, but also to ensure the integrity of one of the most important biological corridors in Latin America.  

“We are a group of organizations that share a dream: We want to conserve this critical land for its immense environmental and cultural value,” said Andrés Diez, executive director of Puelo Patagonia. “For years, Puchegüín was threatened by projects with a different vision than the one held by the local community. This campaign is just the beginning of an even bigger project—a unique opportunity for Cochamó, the country and the world.” 

"The Wyss Foundation is proud to pledge the first major gift in support of permanently protecting Hacienda Puchegüín,” said Molly McUsic, president of the Wyss Foundation. “The region signifies not only an immense stretch of land crucial to the environment and biodiversity of the Cochamó region of Chilean Patagonia, but a haven for the local communities who are active stewards of this conservation project. Protecting Hacienda Puchegüín will mean saving endangered species of wildlife and preserving the cultural value of thousands of hectares of land. We are thankful for the partnership of Freyja Foundation, Puelo Patagonia, The Nature Conservancy and Patagonia in this endeavor, and encourage others to join in this effort to ensure Hacienda Puchegüín receives the permanent protection it deserves." 

“While our 2023 acquisition secured a critical 309-hectare property near Cochamo’s entrance, Freyja's vision extends far beyond this initial success. Puchegüín represents a much larger, environmentally significant area within the greater Cochamó Valley,” said Anne Deane, president of the Freyja Foundation. “Protecting this area is not just about safeguarding a one-off property; it's a crucial step towards ensuring the ecological health of Patagonia as a whole. True conservation thrives on a holistic approach, one that considers interconnected ecosystems and the long-term well-being of the entire region. This philosophy guided our strategic land purchase last year, and it continues to fuel our ongoing efforts. We're actively working to inspire further action and involvement, fostering a collaborative effort to secure Puchegüín’s future for the benefit of Chile and the world.”

"Conserva Puchegüín is an example of radical collaboration for conservation where we seek to protect this area of great natural and cultural value alongside local communities,” said Juan Jose Donoso, executive director of The Nature Conservancy Chile. “As an organization, The Nature Conservancy offers our knowledge and global experience of more than 60 years in developing large conservation projects, and our learnings in Chile from 20 years of managing the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, a protected area that is a model of science-based conservation, in coordination with local communities and developing financial mechanisms that ensure its future protection. As The Nature Conservancy, we hope that Conserva Puchegüín will be a model that can be replicated in Chile and the rest of the world. Puchegüín is located in the heart of Northern Patagonia and, as such, is part of a region that is a priority for TNC to protect. Patagonia is one of the iconic landscapes and one of the most important climate refuges in Latin America."

“Our five organizations—Puelo Patagonia, The Nature Conservancy, Freyja Foundation, Wyss Foundation and Patagonia, Inc.—are bound by the common goal of protecting Cochamó forever, and we look forward to finding even more like-minded organizations to join us over the coming months and years,” said Alex Perry, general manager of Latin America for Patagonia, Inc. “If we are successful, and I am confident we will be, not only will more than 300,000 acres of threatened land and water be protected, but we will have created an enduring example of how large-scale, community led yet globally collaborative conservation projects can be successful.”

Photo by Catalina Claro.

Miguel Boehm (@negroffwidth) climbing the route "between crystals and condors" on the wall of time, in the amphitheatre.

Notes to editor

About Puchegüín: a place of major ecological value

·       The Puchegüín area, globally renowned for its natural beauty and geological magnificence, encompasses over 58,000 hectares of primary forest—a critical resource that’s rapidly vanishing across the globe. Within this vast expanse are 18,000 hectares of endangered alerce trees, a species recognized for its longevity, that represents roughly 10% of Chile's alerce habitat. These temperate forests play a pivotal role in transforming the region into a climate refuge, boasting the continent's second-largest carbon sink. Chilean Patagonia's vast forest cover, peatlands and wetlands collectively store approximately twice the amount of carbon per hectare compared to the Amazon.

·       Puchegüín also encompasses an enormous reserve of freshwater and provides critical habitat for other endangered and endemic species such as Darwin’s frog, the huemul, the Patagonian vizcacha and the monito del monte—one of South America’s few marsupials. 

·       Puchegüín is also home to a unique mountain community with a deeply rooted Gaucho culture, characterized by horsemanship, agrarianism and small-scale livestock farming. This initiative seeks to develop a sustainable economic growth system that will support—not destroy—local traditions, culture and ways of life. Building from Puelo Patagonia’s local expertise and experience, Conserva Puchegüín not only focuses on the needs of the local communities as the foundation for all kinds of development, but also actively seeks their involvement. Conserva Puchegüín respects these communities’ long and successful tenure as stewards of this land and recognizes their presence as a defense against irresponsible and unsustainable future development. 

·       Purchasing this property will generate a unique opportunity to develop a local economic model based on conservation and ecotourism, which will foster the types of sustainable businesses and trades linked to any new protected area—with the anticipated result being a reduction in poverty, an improvement of wellbeing and a strengthening of the community’s social fabric. 

About Conserva Puchegüín: a unique alliance with a modern vision for conservation 

·       As far back as early 2010, NGOs in the Cochamó region have successfully halted high-impact projects slated for this private property.

·       Hacienda Puchegüín's 2022 sale listing sparked concern amongst local communities and conservation groups who have long protected the area, inciting fear that a new owner may lack the knowledge or respect for the territory and its people.

·       Conserva Puchegüín was formed to fight this possibility. This alliance combines the deep knowledge and local experience of Puelo Patagonia with the global perspective and proven success in large-scale conservation and fundraising projects of The Nature Conservancy, Freyja Foundation, Patagonia, Inc. and Wyss Foundation.

·       Conserva Puchegüín is now launching an international fundraising campaign. Alongside international outreach, the alliance will continue to center local community members and authorities, encouraging their active participation and engagement in project design and planning. 

About Puelo Patagonia 

Puelo Patagonia is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting the natural and cultural heritage of the Cochamó region in Chilean Patagonia. Over the past ten years, we have carried out numerous projects directly related to local environmental problems, collecting relevant scientific research, and providing legal tools to help protect the pristine ecosystems of Cochamó, and the communities that live there. In 2023, we achieved one of our greatest victories—the declaration of the Cochamó Valley Nature Sanctuary—which protected 11,400 hectares of invaluable wilderness under Chilean law in perpetuity. We have also worked hand in hand with the people of Cochamó to undertake a number of projects, including: 1) creating sustainable limits for mass tourism; 2) monitoring native flora and fauna; 3) implementing a rural volunteer program; and 4.) petitioning the Chilean government to declare the Puelo River a Water Reserve—which, when successful, will be a first of its kind designation in Chile. For more information about Puelo Patagonia, visit www.puelopatagonia.cl or @puelopatagonia on Instagram. 

About The Nature Conservancy 

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, practical solutions to our world's most pressing challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans on an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably, and helping to make cities more sustainable. We work in 77 countries and territories: 41 through direct conservation impact and 36 through partners, using a collaborative approach involving local communities, governments, the private sector and other partners. For more information about TNC's work in Chile, visit www.nature.org/chile or @tnc_chile on X and Instagram. 

About Freyja Foundation 

Freyja Foundation is an international private, charitable organization dedicated to developing and supporting innovative, scalable, and lasting conservation solutions that protect wild places and combat the climate crisis. Its work integrates protecting existing at-threat carbon sinks, re-establishing biodiversity, and empowering local communities. Freyja Foundation began supporting conservation in Chile in 2018. In 2023, as part of a larger effort to protect the Cochamó Valley,  the foundation purchased a critical 309-hectare property of high ecological and cultural value in the region, which will be committed to conservation. For more information on Freyja Foundation, visit www.freyjafoundation.org or @freyja_foundation on Instagram.      

About Patagonia, Inc. 

We’re in business to save our home planet. Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. As a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% for the Planet, the company is recognized internationally for its product quality and environmental activism, as well as its contributions of more than $230 million to environmental organizations. Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet.

About Wyss Foundation
Wyss Foundation is a private, charitable foundation dedicated to supporting innovative, lasting solutions that improve lives, empower communities, and strengthen connections to the land. Since its establishment in 1998, it has helped governments, Indigenous communities, and other charitable organizations protect more than 100 million acres of land and more than 3 million square kilometers of ocean. These lands and waters are now conserved in perpetuity for current and future generations to enjoy and explore. Wyss Foundation leverages the expertise of grantees to establish partnerships with like-minded organizations and accelerate conservation efforts. For more information about the Wyss Foundation, visit www.wyssfoundation.org or follow @WyssFoundation on Twitter/X.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Tania Garimani, Tania.Garimani@patagonia.com;  Ernesto Escobar, Ernesto.Escobar@commplexity.io

Photos for PR usage here.

To learn more or donate, click here.

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Introducing Home Planet Fund: A radically different approach to the climate crisis

VENTURA, Calif. — This week, the Home Planet Fund launches. It is a new independent nonprofit that supports local and Indigenous communities who work in concert with nature to stop climate breakdown.

In 2021, outdoor apparel company Patagonia committed $20 million in seed funding to help launch the Home Planet Fund. This new, independent nonprofit will operate as a 501(c)(3) that can receive contributions from other donors, large and small. 

Home Planet Fund will also let the communities it invests in make their own decisions.

“We trust Indigenous Peoples,” said Dilafruz Khonikboyeva, executive director of the Home Planet Fund. “Indigenous Peoples and tribal communities have been doing this work for centuries, but they’re not being supported well enough. The Home Planet Fund will vet the communities we invest in and then we will get out of the way, so they can decide how to spend the investment best. No long grant applications. No need to gather data to relentlessly track progress. No strings attached. They already know what works, and they know their communities. We trust them.”

Radical trust in its partners will be matched with a willingness to take risks. Home Planet Fund will work in fragile and rural places others can’t or won’t.

Why go this route? Because Indigenous Peoples manage more than 24% of the world’s land, representing 40% of the intact landscapes left on the planet—and a staggering 80% of the world’s biodiversity. These communities feel the impacts of the climate crisis firsthand, while contributing practically nothing to it—and they’re pursuing brilliantly simple solutions that can help mitigate it.

Home Planet Fund is collaborating with Indigenous-led NGOs on four continents to support priorities determined by the communities themselves:  

• Asia: Tajikistan  

• Africa: Kenya + Tanzania + Uganda

• Oceania: Pacific Islands       

• North America: Alaska, USA         

Funds will be used to expand the traditional practices of Maasai pastoralists in Kenya and Tanzania, promote the wisdom of Pacific Islanders in Fiji and Vanuatu, support indigenous farming practices in Tajikistan, and so much more.  

The goal is not only to support these critical efforts, but to spread the knowledge of Indigenous People all over the globe. Although many of their techniques are ancient, they are not unsophisticated: Indigenous practices reflect a deep understanding of the natural world, honed over generations. 

Learn more at homeplanetfund.org.  

About Home Planet Fund

Home Planet Fund is a global initiative addressing the climate crisis in Indigenous communities that are typically overlooked—and we’re doing it at a scale never seen before. We’re advancing proven nature-based solutions along with trusted partners across the globe.  

We encourage people to visit our website, follow our social-media channels (below), donate to the cause, and spread the stories of the people whose practices, which have been proven for millennia, have always been the only ones that can now heal the Earth. 

Contact: info@homeplanetfund.org

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Patagonia presents 'The Shitthropocene'

Patagonia has announced the scheduled release of “The Shitthropocene” — a new film set to premier on Monday, April 29, on Patagonia.com. The film offers a humorous, thought-provoking anthropological exploration of humanity’s consumption habits, turning a satirical yet brutally honest eye on how everything is turning to shit and why the impulse toward buying more crap might destroy us all.    

Running for 45 minutes, you should be prepared for some lively moments, including dancing cave people. 

While it might seem unnatural, unusual or inauthentic for a brand to tell its community only to buy what they need and not more, that's been a core message at Patagonia since the start. Over 50 years ago, our founders knew that the gear they made had to be of the highest quality or someone might get hurt. And then, another evolution: If what we sold wasn’t of the highest quality, it was just more crap that no one needed.   

Soon, this turned into a commitment to using business as a tool for good and showing how a company can make a profit while operating responsibly. In practice, this meant making items that are functional, repairable and timeless with the lowest environmental impact and done by people being treated and paid fairly. But it’s also making films like “The Shitthropocene” and asking our community to demand quality products and keep gear in play for longer through resale and repair. 

As Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard wrote last year in a New York Times essay, “People ask me how [Patagonia] has managed to stick around so long…I tell them it’s been our unrelenting focus on quality, which includes making things that last and that cause the least amount of harm to our planet.” 

Tour dates can be found here. 

If you would like to screen the film, please fill out this request form  

CEO Ryan Gellert releases statement about Ambler Road decision

“There is no getting around that Ambler Road would permanently disrupt one of the largest, undeveloped parks on the planet,” said Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert.  “There are important reasons local and Native communities oppose this speculative road — it would pollute nearly 3,000 rivers and streams, threaten recreational opportunities from rafting to hunting and disrupt the migration corridor of one of Earth’s largest caribou herds. We thank the Biden administration for taking another important step in protecting America’s Arctic.” 

CEO Ryan Gellert reacts to Biden administration announcement about Western Arctic

“Today’s news is the result of a steadfast commitment from a diverse and tireless coalition of outdoor recreationalists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, activists, scientists and key government leaders, and we thank the Biden administration for taking this action to protect the Western Arctic,” said Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert. “The Western Arctic is the largest tract of U.S. public land, home to hundreds of species at increased risk from a warming climate and to Indigenous communities who have lived off the land for millennia. New drilling in the Reserve would further threaten the region and lock the U.S. into decades of fossil fuel production. In a time when so many issues divide us, protecting nature unites us.” 

No One Said Nature Protection Is Easy

The Blue Heart of Europe includes the Vjosa River as it flows unimpeded through Albania. Photo credit: Thomas Hadinger.

By Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia

Have you ever seen a river? Maybe you think you have, but living, free-flowing river systems are a rarity. One by one, humans have dominated nature for short-term gain, channelizing, damming, rerouting, and dredging rivers until there are very few intact river systems left.

Patagonia’s support for grassroots activism began by working to protect the Ventura River, which flows behind our headquarters in California. Since then, we’ve supported groups and communities advocating for free-flowing rivers at home and all over the world while preventing and removing dams in countries from South Korea to Chile.

Each time I’ve stood on the banks of the Vjosa River, it’s clear how critical it is to protect that largely intact river system. The river springs to life in the Pindus Mountains of Greece where it’s called the Aoos until it meets the border with Albania—thereby becoming the Vjosa—before meandering to the Adriatic Sea.

A year ago this month, our support for the Vjosa River took me back to Albania to join Albanian national leaders, international dignitaries, environmental NGOs, scientists, and community members as Prime Minister Edi Rama designated the Vjosa River as Europe’s first wild river national park.

This was a moment many in the river protection movement feared we would never see. Our NGO partners from the Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign in the Balkans and across Europe have worked for decades to protect these exceptional ecosystems. They have dedicated their lives to highlighting the destructive impact of hydropower on the last wild rivers of Europe. In doing so, they have reluctantly learned that in nature conservation you often lose more than you win.

As we stood on a hill in Tepelene overlooking the Vjosa River last March, two contrasting thoughts filled my head. First, a deep sense of appreciation for the tireless commitment of all involved. Minister Mirela Kumbaro, Prime Minister Edi Rama, General Director of NAPA Daniel Pirushi, IUCN Associate Director James Hardcastle, and the NGOs who have embodied the mantra of “trust but verify.” This includes Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika from EcoAlbania, Ulrich Eichelmann from Riverwatch, and Gabriel Schwaderer and Annette Spangenberg from EuroNatur. My second thought was that so often in life the reward for solving a problem is an invitation to a bigger problem.

Each of us knew what brought us together that day was both critically important and exceedingly complicated. There were uneasy alliances between NGOs and government leaders who had spent years locked in an adversarial posture. This was in addition to the fact that although we had a framework to guide us provided by the IUCN, in many ways, we were all committing and then figuring it out later. Landscape-level conservation is hard by definition. Far more so when protecting a river system flowing through towns and cities that have existed longer than the US has been a country. Our project would have been ambitious on a normal timeline—it often takes a decade to establish a new national park. We were seeking to move much faster.

So, one year in, what have we learned? It’s been tough. There have been moments when our disagreements felt insurmountable. Even when aligned, we’ve faced challenges that we didn’t anticipate a year ago. The work has been under-resourced on the government side. Each of the core teams within the Albanian government has a full-time job in addition to their work on this project. The rangers who patrol the river have seen their responsibilities increase with few additional resources. Communication across stakeholders—including across government ministries—has created conflicts that risked derailing the project multiple times. We’ve navigated tensions between tourism and conservation. And we’ve developed natural solutions for flood protection, which can be both complicated and time-consuming but also essential for a free-flowing river.

Perhaps our biggest challenge to date is finding a solution to a water-extraction project on the Shushicë River intended to support tourism infrastructure on the Adriatic coast. This important tributary to the Vjosa is currently the focus of intense negotiations between each of the different stakeholders including foreign government funders.

Yet, there have been some meaningful wins this past year. The Albanian government has been actively raising international support for the Vjosa Wild River National Park and the surrounding valley. Working with a team of experts largely funded by Patagonia[CK1] , the project team has drafted both a management plan and governance model. And the Albanian government is finalizing plans for the creation of a visitor center to serve as both a gateway to the park and a resource for protecting the 1,100 species that call it home.

When I reflect on the past eight years we’ve been involved in working to protect the Vjosa River—and the past 12 months since the Vjosa Wild River National Park was created—I start with why we got involved in the first place. To both permanently protect this fragile and largely intact ecosystem, and in doing so create a model for other landscape-level conservation and restoration partnerships between government, civil society, and private companies.

On that first point, permanent protections, one measure of success is that we are still here. Still negotiating. Still fighting like siblings. And still willing to engage when, at times, it would be easier to walk away. On that second goal—creating a new model—our shared impact is starting to scale. Our partners from the Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign are working to replicate the model to protect other free-flowing rivers, including the Una River in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Morača in Montenegro. The Albanian government is working with Greece to create a trans-boundary national park from source to sea by including the Aoos River. And I often speak to business leaders, environmentalists and government leaders who are inspired by what these strange bedfellows have come together to accomplish.

I still believe we will succeed in creating a Vjosa Wild River National Park that benefits the citizens of Albania, and the flora and fauna that depend upon it. And in doing so, we will help create a new model for partnering to protect and restore nature. One that combines the strengths of government, civil society, and private business.

Onward …

New Report Finds Lower Snake River Dams Create Methane Emissions, Not Clean Energy

Media Contact: patagoniapress@patagonia.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Report Reveals Snake River Dams Annually Spew 1.8M Metric Tons of Carbon Emissions

VENTURA, Calif. — New science on the four Lower Snake River dams is in and it disproves claims that hydropower is clean energy.

A new report finds these dams are not a source of green, zero-carbon energy, but rather a major source of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases causing the climate crisis. Compounding the problem, dams submerge and destroy natural carbon sinks that once grew under their reservoirs.

For decades, politicians and various industry leaders have defended damming rivers by pointing to the climate benefits of allegedly clean hydropower. The new report, titled “Estimate of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Lower Snake River Dams and Reservoirs using the All-Res Modeling Tool,” estimates the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, from the Lower Snake River dams, reservoirs and their hydropower systems. The report finds the four dams in Washington are responsible for emitting approximately 1,800,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year—nearly 10,000 railcars’ worth of coal burned.

“Contrary to popular belief, hydropower is not a carbon-neutral source of energy,” said Mark Easter, chief scientist for Tell The Dam Truth and a former senior research associate at Colorado State University’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory. “The concept of how methane gets produced by dams and reservoirs is not widely understood. And that’s the source of the problem here—the Lower Snake River dams and reservoirs are giant methane factories, and the science proves it.”

Easter and Tell The Dam Truth, a nonprofit with a goal of exposing dams as climate catastrophes, used the All-Res Modeling Tool, which estimates emissions using a lifecycle analysis framework and includes the known greenhouse gas emissions emitted by dams and reservoirs through their entire lifespan. Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective provided financial support to develop the All-Res tool, and Patagonia has provided $1.5 million in grant funding to more than 15 grassroots environmental nonprofits working on Snake River dam removal since 2000. Patagonia has also made a feature-length film about dams, DamNation, and is currently running a campaign to raise awareness and spark action on these issues.

Dams and the reservoirs behind them emit methane and other potent greenhouse gases when artificially trapped organic material decomposes underwater. The research shows the dams on the Lower Snake River produce the equivalent carbon emissions of burning 2 billion pounds of coal annually. Dams also destroy carbon-capturing habitats, ruin life-sustaining fisheries and starve coastal communities of the sand and rocks critical to defending against rising seas.

Patagonia, along with a coalition of policymakers, tribal leaders, wild river advocates, anglers and others, is advocating a proven solution: Removing the Lower Snake River dams. In December, the Biden administration announced a 10-year partnership with Tribes and states to restore wild salmon and expand clean-energy production in the Columbia River Basin in the Pacific Northwest.

“Only by removing these dams, can we begin to restore the magnificent Columbia and Snake River watershed, save numerous species from extinction, honor treaty rights and build climate resiliency,” said Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert. “We applaud investments in true clean- energy solutions and programs that recover wild, self-sustaining fish populations that Tribes and other local communities depend on. We’re hopeful Congress will finally recognize that hydropower harms ecosystems and the climate, and that they must authorize removing the dams to free the Snake River.”

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Patagonia to publish ‘Patagonia National Park: Chile’

Published by Patagonia, an expansive new book offers a photographic journey through a former livestock ranch restored to become protected parklands.

Dig more deeply into the conservation story of Douglas Tompkins, the co-founder of The North Face and Esprit, and Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, former CEO of Patagonia, told in the recent NatGeo documentary “Wild Life,” directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (“Free Solo”).

Releasing April 30, 2024, Patagonia National Park: Chile (Patagonia, ISBN 9781952338069, paperback, 11 x 11) will provide an intimate exploration of one of the globally acclaimed conservation and rewilding initiatives led by their nonprofit Tompkins Conservation—the creation of Patagonia National Park.

Highlighting breathtaking photographs and personal narratives from the individuals instrumental in the park’s restoration and establishment, Patagonia National Park: Chile pays homage to the rich history, awe-inspiring landscapes, and vibrant wildlife.

Photographer Linde Waidhofer captured the decades-long restoration journey, documenting the transformation of the land from livestock ranch to a world-class national park, where endemic species once again range wild. Essay contributions include notable figures such as Kris Tompkins, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and others. Readers are invited to immerse themselves in a sanctuary dedicated primarily to its wild inhabitants and offering human visitors an opportunity to rediscover their connection with the land.

Patagonia National Park is located in the Aysen region of southern Chile along the Route of Parks, a 1,700-mile scenic route connecting 17 national parks and over 60 communities. The park’s central feature is a renowned east-west valley shaped by the Chacabuco River. Once a vital passage for nomadic peoples and wildlife through the Andes, this valley had experienced significant degradation due to historical livestock grazing.

These protected parklands were conceived for the purpose of ecological restoration—a strategy aimed at combatting climate change, revitalizing ecosystems, and safeguarding wildlife. They are a result of private philanthropy and forged partnerships by local, regional and national governments, especially the support of former President Bachelet, who worked closely with the Tompkins, recognizing that the benefits of a protected planet outweigh the costs.

“In Patagonia the battle for the future of Chile was fought,” says former President Bachelet in the prologue. “At Patagonia National Park we signed our commitment to change its destiny, closing the door to pollution, and opening the door to a sustainable future, in which the protected park can be an example to other developing countries, demonstrating that con­servation doesn’t prevent development and well-being but actually secures these gains for generations to come.”

Inaugurated in 2018, Patagonia National Park is one of the fifteen national parks across Chile and Argentina that Tompkins Conservation helped create or expand, collectively spanning over 15 million acres. The Tompkins’ contribution is considered the most substantial philanthropic land donation by private individuals in the history of conservation.

The photographs and stories within the book are devoted to Patagonia National Park’s diverse landscapes, encompassing deciduous forests, glaciers, high alpine terrain, rivers, wetlands, and Patagonian steppes, as well as the park’s wild residents and the ongoing efforts to bring back healthy populations of fragile species, such as the highly endangered huemul deer, Darwin's rhea, puma and Andean condor.

“National Parks are the jewels of a country where all are welcome,” says Kris. “Where citizens and foreigners alike can walk the hills, meander along the rivers, and watch Patagonia grasslands slowly, patiently, regenerate forward toward the powerful, plentiful territories they once were. Where visitors can camp beneath the forest canopy that offers shelter from the famous Patagonian winds. Where visitors can sit quietly, watching species interact with one another, and even see glimpses of certain animals—like pumas, ñandú [Darwin's rhea], and Pampas cats—that are more elusive. This park is for native species to return to their rightful places, to roam the grasslands and forests just as they have for millennia. Our work is not yet complete. There are projects to be realized, species to be reintroduced, and ideas to flourish. Perhaps, after all, this will not be the last book we write.”

About the Contributors 

Kristine McDivitt Tompkins is a former CEO of Patagonia and cofounder and president of Tompkins Conservation. She has been a key figure in the creation of Patagonia National Park in Chile and other conservation projects that have so far resulted in 15 million acres protected in new or expanded national parks in Chile and Argentina, in addition to 30 million acres of marine national parks in Argentina. She holds several global leadership positions in conservation, and formerly served as a Patron for Protected Areas for the UN Environment Programme. The organization she created in Chile with Douglas Tompkins is now an independent entity known as Rewilding Chile which continues the Tompkins legacy in the region.

Michelle Bachelet is the first woman to have been elected president of Chile, a position she held for two terms, 2006-2010 and 2014-2018. She studied medicine before entering politics and was Minister of Health and Minister of Defense during the presidency of Ricardo Lagos. An advocate for the rights of women and the oppressed, in 2018 she was appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Yvon Chouinard is the founder and former owner of Patagonia. He is an itinerant adventurer, passionate activist, and iconoclastic businessman. He also cofounded the Fair Labor Association, 1% for the Planet, Textile Exchange, The Conservation Alliance, and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. He is a surfer, mountain climber, gardener, and falconer, and he is particularly fond of tenkara fly fishing.

Linde Waidhofer is a landscape photographer in love with the pristine and mysterious beauty of wild, remote places. In her more than 40 years of professional photography, she has documented little-known landscapes from the deserts and mountains of the western U.S. to the Andes of Patagonia and has published 10 books of landscape photography. Linde is especially proud of her decades-long collaboration with Doug and Kris Tompkins, having contributed photos to their many conservation programs, including the Patagonia Sin Represas campaign to oppose destructive dams on Patagonia’s free-flowing rivers. She considers photographing the creation of Patagonia National Park one of her most exciting and important photographic adventures.

Patagonia National Park: Chile
by Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, Michelle Bachelet, Yvon Chouinard; published by Patagonia
April 30, 2024, Paperback, ISBN 9781952338069
276 pages, 11x11 inches, full-color photography throughout
$50 U.S. Printed on 100% post-consumer waste paper

Visual assets
Images

Press contacts
Stephanie Ridge: Stephanie@wildridgepr.com, 512-810-9238

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Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert Joins The B Team

Today, The B Team announced the addition of Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia, to its group of global business and civil society leaders. 

Gellert has been at the helm of the California-based outdoor apparel company since 2020. He oversaw the transfer of the company’s ownership to two entities in September 2022: The Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective. The structure legally enshrines the company’s values and purpose and allows for every dollar that’s not reinvested back into the company to be distributed as an annual dividend to help protect nature.

The B Team, co-founded by Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz in 2013, came together united in the belief that business has both the capacity and the responsibility to become a driving force for social, environmental and economic benefit. Today, while the world grapples with simultaneous challenges — from climate and nature crises to active conflicts and human rights catastrophes — the need for bold leadership, particularly from business leaders, is irrefutable.

“I am thrilled to welcome Ryan Gellert to The B Team,” said B Team CEO Halla Tómasdóttir. “Ryan exemplifies courageous leadership. His unwavering yet humble commitment to the well-being of people and nature sets the gold standard for sustainable business practices. We look forward to collaborating with Ryan to catalyze a world where we can all love where we live and work.”

Gellert joins The B Team alongside leaders including Jesper Brodin (Inkga Group), Ester Baiget (Novonesis), Oliver Bäte (Allianz), Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Emmanuel Faber (ISSB), André Hoffmann (Roche), Ilham Kadri (Syensqo), Andrew Liveris, Juan Carlos Mora (Bancolombia), Jacqueline Novogratz (Acumen), Paul Polman, Mary Robinson (The Elders) and Hamdi Ulukaya (Chobani).

“I’m joining The B Team because they’re redefining business culture and developing better leaders worldwide,” Gellert said. “I look forward to working on this collective effort with leaders I respect and pushing the business community to scale solutions to the environmental crisis and the other pressing challenges of our time.” 

Contact

For more information, please contact Nadine Dobbs at nd@bteam.org.

About The B Team

The B Team is a global collective of business and civil society leaders working to create new norms of corporate leadership today, for a better tomorrow. Together, these leaders strive to hold themselves and their peers accountable for measuring business success not only by financial performance but also for the benefit of future generations. Leaders include: Jesper Brodin (Chair), Ester Baiget (Vice-Chair) Ajay Banga, Oliver Bäte, Marc Benioff, Richard Branson, Sharan Burrow, Kathy Calvin, Emmanuel Faber, Christiana Figueres, Ryan Gellert, Mats Granryd, André Hoffmann, Arianna Huffington, Van Jones, Sir Mo Ibrahim, Ilham Kadri, Joseph D. Kenner, Isabelle Kocher, Guilherme Leal, Andrew Liveris, Hiro Mizuno, Juan Carlos Mora, Jacqueline Novogratz, Paul Polman, Jean Oelwang, Mary Robinson, Hamdi Ulukaya, Zhang Yue, Professor Muhammad Yunus and Jochen Zeitz.

About Patagonia  

We’re in business to save our home planet. Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. As a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% for the Planet, the company is recognized internationally for its product quality and environmental activism, as well as its contributions of more than $230 million to environmental organizations. Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet.

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