Patagonia Grants $100,000+ to OCEANA, Largest Grant Ever Made

Posted: 05/07/2007 In Category: Outdoor Retail

Industry News Release Written By: Jen Rapp

Ventura, CA (May 7, 2007)— Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, recently showed its dedication to the environment’s conservation by bestowing a grant in the amount of $99,180.00 to the ocean conservation group Oceana in the US. The company’s European office is set to grant $7525.00 to Oceana in coming weeks. The monies were raised through Patagonia’s t-shirt sales in its Oceans as Wilderness Campaign. The grant will support Oceana’s efforts to protect the world’s oceans through campaigns to fight pollution and destructive fishing practices.

“We are thrilled our customers were excited about both our beautiful t-shirt and lending support to a great group like Oceana through their purchases,” said Ilysia Shattuck, Patagonia’s environmental grants manager. “We’re proud to support Oceana’s domestic and international work to protect our oceans as part of our Oceans as Wilderness Campaign this year.”

With this grant, Oceana will directly fund its current campaigns. Moneys will be spent on working with local and national governments to gain protections and to spread awareness.

“Every precious treasure the ocean has to offer is in danger of being lost forever. To sit back and watch them disappear is a crime of humanity,” stated Andy Sharpless, CEO of Oceana. “We understand the magnitude of this situation, as does Patagonia.”

Patagonia is well known for being a clothing manufacturer with a commitment to environmental activist groups. The company’s mission is to not only make the best quality product while not causing any unnecessary harm, but also to use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental problems. Grant-giving is an effective way for the company to give back to the grassroots activist community.

“We want to train ourselves to see beneath the surface of the waves,” says Casey Sheahan, president and CEO of Patagonia. “It’s a challenge to see what is hidden. Like the wild areas we have treasured on land, the oceans are a wilderness with complex and fragile ecosystems that need to be protected.”

Oceans cover 71 percent of the globe, and they are as important to us as they are vast. Nearly 1 billion people around the world rely on fish as their primary source of protein and oceans are responsible for driving many economies. Without a strategic plan to protect our oceans, countless people’s lives will change for the worse.

Oceana is solely dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans because they truly understand the importance of protecting such a treasure. They are leading campaigns against threats to our ocean’s, threats that continuously test our ocean’s resilience.

Patagonia, with sales last year of $270M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. Its Environmental Grants Program has contributed over $27M to grassroots environmental activists since the program began in 1985, and its Environmental Internship Program allows employees to work for environmental groups while receiving their full paycheck. Incorporating environmental responsibility in to product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically-grown cotton in its clothing line, and is noted world-wide for using recycled soda bottles in many of its polyester fleece garments.

Contact: Jen Rapp, (805) 667-4768, jen_rapp@patagonia.com
259 West Santa Clara Street, Ventura, Calif. 93001
www.patagonia.com

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