Live from Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver, CO, Deborah Williams brings you the highlights of the day's news, must-attend events, and the hottest products.
In this 2-part episode, Deborah Williams talks about a couple places and an issue that are important to her as an outdoorist, a Denverite and a Coloradan. The places are the Montbello Open Space Park and iconic Rocky Mountain National Park, and they are both recipients of Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars. She visits both in this 2-part episode, and she speaks with with some of the projects’ stakeholders from the Turst for Public Land, The North Face, Environmental Learning for Kids about how LWCF dollars were put to work.
In this 2-part episode, Deborah Williams talks about a couple places and an issue that are important to her as an outdoorist, a Denverite and a Coloradan. The places are the Montbello Open Space Park and iconic Rocky Mountain National Park, and they are both recipients of Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars. She visits both in this 2-part episode, and she speaks with with some of the projects’ stakeholders from the Turst for Public Land, The North Face, Environmental Learning for Kids about how LWCF dollars were put to work.
On todays episode, you'll hear from a couple of "Climate Crusaders" - individuals who have made it their mission to reduce their and their businesses' impact on the planet. First, we’ll hear from Mario Molina, the executive director of Protect Our Winters. POW is leading the way in climate advocacy and creating a movement among snow sports enthusiasts and professional athletes to speak up to politicians. Mario will be speaking at the Outdoor Industry Climate Leadership Summit, which will take place over Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, on the first day of MountainFilm.
Next we’ll hear from Kim Jordan, the co-founder and now board chair of New Belgium Brewing. Since it’s founding in 1991, New Belgium has invested dollars, time, and employees in discovering creative ways to conserve energy in their beer production. It’s a philosophy that has not only paid off for the company and the environment, but one that can inspire other companies in the outdoor industry.
Want to learn how you can get involved in OIA’s sustainability and climate initiatives? Check out the toolkits for advocating on climate policy and reducing your business’s footprint.
https://outdoorindustry.org/sustainable-business/climate/
https://outdoorindustry.org/event/outdoor-industry-climate-leadership-summit/
Protect Our Winters - https://protectourwinters.org/
New Belgium Brewing - http://www.newbelgium.com/Sustainability
In this episode, Deborah Williams, OIA’s managing content editor, talks with Jessica Wahl, OIA’s Government Affairs Manager about how OIA is advocating for it's members at the state and federal level. Jessica works in DC on recreation policy, and in this interview we’ll hear the latest on what she’s working on, the response since the Trump Administration rolled back the protection on the Utah's national monuments, and the actions you can take to make a difference.
You can find out more information about the work that OIA does on policy at outdoorindustry.org/advocacy. There you can also see what current legislation OIA is working on at the state and federal level. Finally, if you want to engage policymakers directly, you can attend Capitol Summit in DC in April.
In June of 2017, President Trump announced that he would withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. In a letter to OIA members, Executive Director Amy Roberts noted that the withdrawal threatens not only the $887 billion outdoor industry and the 7.6 million American jobs it supports but also the very future of our planet.
As outdoorists, we see and feel the impacts of climate change when each season becomes harder and harder to predict. As businesses in the outdoor industry, we know we have an important role to play. Our Sustainability Working Group is a global leader in the promotion of responsible and resilient supply chains, and Sustainable Business Innovation is one of our association’s core pillars. Another is advocacy. Following President Trump’s announcement, more than 2,000 mayors, governors and business leaders—including many in this industry—signed the “We’re Still In” letter affirming their commitments to the Paris Agreement’s climate targets. Outdoor Industry Association remains committed to climate advocacy through our work in D.C. and at the state level to work toward fact-based, innovative and bipartisan solutions.
A few weeks ago at the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show in Denver, our industry heard from keynote speaker Paul Hawken, the author of the book Drawdown, who explained that those solutions are not far-off. Many solutions are, in fact, already in existence, viable and accessible. Following the keynote, OIA’s Sustainable Business Innovation Manager Jessie Curry had an opportunity to sit down with Hawken for an in-depth conversation. Over the next 20 minutes, we’ll dig into the book, its solutions and learn what outdoor industry companies—and even individual outdoorists—can do right now to drawdown carbon from our atmosphere and help ensure a viable planet for us all.
In early 2017, OIA announced an enhanced suite of member benefit partnerships in six key business channels, including finance operations and marketing sales. These benefits provide valuable tools to OIA members to improve their operating efficiencies and bottom lines. These vetted and trusted partners understand the outdoor recreation landscape and share the outdoor industry’s values.
Today we’re talking to Randy Norris, segment manager, and Lisa Berghaus, communications manager, with Monadnock Paper Mills. These two help their clients find or develop paper products that meet their needs. “Paper?” you might be asking. “What does that have to do with my business?” Well, take a minute to think about any and all of your printed materials. If you’re a brand, that might include catalogs, look books, direct mail, product hang tags, packaging and merchandise displays that you provide to your retail partners. If you’re a retailer, it could include brochures, shopping bags, price tickets, store signage and gift cards. Long-committed to green initiatives and sustainability, the nearly 200-year-old family-owned company believes that responsible forestry and paper production benefits any industry that relies on woods and waterways.
Monadnock has set itself apart by helping companies make purchasing and sourcing decisions that support a whole-brand sustainability mission. Whether your company already has a sustainability mission that includes paper-purchasing guidelines or you’re looking for a place to start your sustainability work, Monadnock is an ideal partner. Not only do they help on the front end, they offer up-to-date information on the entire paper lifecycle, including disposal and recycling, via a free Field Guide -mpm.com/fieldguide/ - available in print and online.
You can learn more about Monadnock Paper Mills at mpm.com
You can learn more about the other OIA member benefit with Monadnock at oia.outdoorindustry.org/monadnock
In 2016, we conducted an extensive series of interviews and surveys to find out how OIA—the outdoor industry’s membership trade association—can best support outdoor companies. What we learned is that our members see us as a convener—the unifying entity best equipped to galvanize the industry around three important issues: policy, participation and sustainable business. We then identified individuals who are already working to move the needle on those issues within their respective companies.
Jill Domain, the CEO of Bluesign, David Labistour, the CEO of MEC, and Thomas Chiu of Everest Textiles are represent links in Mountain Equipment Co-op’s sustainable supply chain. Each person and company plays a role in making sure that fabrics used for MEC’s outdoor apparel are responsibly made and procured. And it’s not always the easiest process. Listen as they get in depth about why they choose to work in sustainable businesses, and why collaboration is the key to a clean supply chain.
Want to learn more about these individuals and the work OIA is doing to foster collaboration throughout the industry and to catalyze change? Visit outdoorindustry.org/outdoorist to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and our Audio Outdoorist podcast.
In 2016, we conducted an extensive series of interviews and surveys to find out how OIA—the outdoor industry’s membership trade association—can best support outdoor companies. What we learned is that our members see us as a convener—the unifying entity best equipped to galvanize the industry around three important issues: policy, participation and sustainable business. We then identified individuals who are already working to move the needle on those issues within their respective companies.
Tom Adams, as the director of the Utah Office of Recreation, and Ashley Korenblatt, as the CEO of Western Spirit Cycling, are both undeniably vested in the success and promotion of the outdoors as an economic—and fun—driver in Utah. Listen in to their behind-the-scenes conversation about why they got into the industry and the importance of protecting the outdoors.
Want to learn more about these individuals and the work OIA is doing to foster collaboration throughout the industry and to catalyze change? Visit outdoorindustry.org/outdoorist to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and our Audio Outdoorist podcast.
Between 20 and 30 years ago, outdoor specialty retail shops began popping up around the country. Owned and run by passionate outdoorists, these stores became institutions in their towns and communities. Over time, some of them were swallowed up by bigger companies or went out of business, but many of them thrived. Now, though, owners are aging out and inching up on retirement with no built-in plans for succession.
This episode will address:
Episode guests:
Membership in OIA comes with a host of business benefits including preferred partnerships with law firms, HR specialists, insurance providers and other experts who can help you plot your next step. Visit outdoorindustry.org and click on Benefits of Membership to learn about our partnership program.