Member Resource Guide - Outdoor Industry Association

SUSTAINABILITY
Going Green
LOOKING TO TURN YOUR BUSINESS INTO A
GREEN BUSINESS? CONSIDER THIS.
T
Wind turbines supply clean electrical energy that businesses
can purchase instead of buying carbon-emitting,
coal-generated electrical energy.
he outdoor industry is about encouraging people to get outside
and be active, and whenever possible trying to improve on each
participant’s experience. Hypothetically, it makes sense for the industry
to tread lightly whenever possible. In reality, it’s not always “easy
being green.” The initial cost and effort of heading down a greener
path can be daunting and the rewards not always obvious.
But don’t be discouraged! Going green doesn’t have to happen
overnight. Whether it’s focusing on adding natural, sustainable fabrics
to your apparel line-up or using wind power as your company’s energy
source, there are a number of ways to make a difference. Making the
environment part of a company’s agenda can backfire if done purely
as a marketing ploy—but when pursued with honest intentions, an
environmental focus can pay back in consumer loyalty as companies
such as Clif Bar, Patagonia, Prana and Timberland have discovered.
If you’re thinking of going green, Beaver Theodosakis, founder
and president of Prana, offers this advice, “This decision has to come
from the heart. You need to be true to who you are and to your
business. Going green is not for everyone. It has to be authentic. It
can’t just be about making a profit, or for the customers, so you can
carry the screen around that says you’re environmentally minded. If
you’re touting and holding that flag, then you will be transparent.”
Once you decide to go for it, Theodosakis outlines, “You have to
know that it’s going to come in increments. You’re not going to carry
the flag of sustainability right out of the box.” He recommends starting
10 ★ 2007 OIA DIRECTORY
Photos courtesy of NativeEnergy
by doing small things, but do them right. “No one is perfect, [Yvon]
Chouinard will admit that he logs more jet miles than most people,
and in the perfect world, we wouldn’t be producing more products. So
be authentic and be realistic about what you can and can’t do.” The
worst thing you can do, he adds, is “if you start this and it doesn’t
become core and inherent in the fabric of your company, and you don’t
commit, it will fade away and that’s worse than never starting. Don’t start
and not follow through.”
Again Theodosakis emphasizes aligning the decisions to bring environmental
practices into your business with your personal values.
“Then there’s not a disconnect, you’re walking the same path. If you’re
authentic and grab something you feel deeply connected to, then it
will be clear to everyone involved. Too many people get on these paths
and they’re struggling because there wasn’t an alignment to begin with.”
Prana is an example of a company in alignment. First, the company
started to produce apparel for climbers, because its founders were into
climbing. Later, it branched into yoga apparel, because a core group of
employees were practicing yoga. On the environment front, Prana has
pursued wind power as one of its key environmental initiatives. “Sure,
we do recycled and organic products, but our big push is wind power,”
explains Theodosakis. “Our first T-shirt we ever did had a windmill on
it. We love the fact that you can harness the wind.”
Electricity production is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions
that contribute to global climate change. Unlike coal-generated
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