2008-06-10 23:54:32 -
- Patagonia Vickie Achee 805-667-4630 Vickie_achee@patagonia.com or SSPR Liz Nida 719-634-8055 lnida@sspr.com In an unusual case of allowing corporate giving to be guided by community input, outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia's seven California stores are asking area residents to select an environmental organization in their respective communities to receive a $4,000 grant. Consumers can cast their ballots
in their local Patagonia store from June 10 through July 19 in a "Voice Your Choice" campaign that marks the newest initiative in Patagonia's well-known support of environmental causes.
Patagonia has retail stores in Ventura, Cardiff, Santa Cruz, Palo Alto, Pasadena, San Francisco and Santa Monica. Each store will award $4,000 to one of five organizations operating in their area. The candidates were selected by staff at each Patagonia store based on the groups' local focus and range of environmental concerns.
Consumers can learn more about the nominated groups by visiting their local retail location, attending presentations by the groups at the stores in the next few weeks, or at the stores' webpage (www.patagonia.com/stores). Participants can cast one vote per store per visit. No purchase is necessary. Winners will be announced at a special Grants Reception at each store in early August.
"Our Voice Your Choice program has two purposes: helping local organizations continue the important work of restoring and protecting the local environment, and raising public awareness about the various environmental projects taking place in the community," said Vickie Achee, Head of Marketing for Patagonia's North America Retail Division. "There are so many worthy recipients that our stores are asking their local community's help in selecting the honoree."
The campaign is an extension of Patagonia's corporate Environmental Grants Program, which has generated more than $31 million in grants since 1985 through a policy of giving 1% of annual sales to environmental organizations worldwide. All Patagonia stores throughout the country except the new Boulder store, which recently ran its own Voice Your Choice campaign in conjunction with its grand opening, will be participating in the Voice Your Choice program.
"No one is more aware of local environmental issues than the people who live with these issues every day. The Voice Your Choice campaign allows us to involve the local community in grant decisions that will directly affect them," Achee noted. "At the same time, our goal is to encourage environmental activism. The more people who raise their hands, the greater the difference we can make in the future of the planet."
Patagonia has a long-standing commitment to environmental causes that extends far beyond its grants program. The company uses 100% organic cotton for all Patagonia-branded apparel to avoid causing environmental damage from toxic chemicals used in growing conventional cotton. It also has used fleece made from post-consumer recycled plastic soda bottles since 1993; recycles competitors' garments as well as its own through a program that accepts worn-out fleece, organic cotton t-shirts and Capilene (long underwear) products for recycling into new fibers; is creating a national park in Chile; and encourages sustainability through a variety of other initiatives.
About Patagonia
Patagonia, with sales last year of over $280M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. Incorporating environmental responsibility in to product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically grown cotton in its clothing line. With its most recent launch of synthetic fiber-to-fiber recycling - Patagonia is taking back worn-out polyester and nylon clothing and reincarnating it as new products, forever capturing the raw materials used in making virgin fiber.
Vote June 10-July 19 at Local Patagonia Stores
