Patagonia Launches New Activism-Driven Website

Patagonia, everyone’s favorite outdoor clothing company, is making it easier than ever to fight for public lands.

The company has been involved with conservation efforts since Yvon Chouinard created it in 1973, and unlike most companies, Patagonia refuses to ignore issues that threaten its beliefs. Proudly displayed on its website is its mission statement to “build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” The outdoor clothing company has already gone above and beyond to uphold its mission statement; it sponsors a podcast called The Dirtbag Diaries that consistently draws attention to endangered spaces, it uses ethically-sourced and sustainably-harvested materials to make its products, it buys land in Patagonia to prevent deforestation and it even threated to sue President Donald Trump for his decision to reduce national monuments.

On Feb. 7, 2018, the company took conservation efforts one step further by launching its website Patagonia Action Works. The site connects volunteers and future activists with grassroots environmental action groups in their community and keeps them up to date with events and actions.

“Patagonia’s reason for existence is to force government and corporations to take action in solving our environmental problems,” Chouinard states in the website’s “about” video. The founder of Patagonia was inspired to create Patagonia Action Works after the recent defeats and setbacks for the outdoor activism community. “If we could connect our community, our friends, our customers, directly with local groups near where they live working on issues that they’re passionate about, suddenly these organizations would have the capacity to achieve even more.”

Patagonia Action Works has incredible potential to be successful because it tackles environmental conservation, preservation and sustainability issues on a large and small scale. By focusing on communities and allowing organizations to apply to have their issues showcased on the site, Patagonia is opening up the potential for action beyond its company and is allowing individuals to take the reigns.

There is also a tab on the site that is devoted to larger campaigns created by Patagonia, like its lawsuit against President Trump, its fight against the Keystone XL Pipeline and so much more. You can also find a vast searchable database of organizations that tackle larger issues, like climate change and biodiversity. 

Chouinard calls Patagonia Action Works the “dating site” for environmental activists, and it’s time for all of us to sign up. The Tallahassee area already has some organizations and events on the page and with the current state of things going on, there is no doubt that more will come in the future. 

• conservation
• environmental activism
• FSU
• patagonia
• sustainability