The outstanding characteristic of the Earth household is its inherent ability to sustain life. As members of the global community of living beings, it behooves us to behave in such a way that we do not interfere with this inherent ability: this is the essential meaning of ecological sustainability. What is sustained in a sustainable community is not economic growth or development, but the entire web of life on which our long-term survival depends. It is designed so that its ways of life, businesses, economy, physical structures, and technologies do not interfere with nature’s inherent ability to sustain life.

——Fritjof Capra, from the book The Hidden Connections

The idea is to work our way back through the design process with environmental and social considerations given equal weight to that of profit.

Using the American template for perceived prosperity, India and China will shop us into oblivion.

Editor's Note

It’s a start.

Outdoor Retailer’s 2005 Winter Market marked the launch of the Green Steps Association, a new non-profit organization established for the purpose of promoting principles of sustainability within the outdoor industry. 

in today’s global economy, it has become almost impossible to comprehend the mind-boggling extent of our relations. The systems and processes that bring the products we buy to market reach around the globe and back, touching often impoverished communities and cultures as well as stressing vulnerable ecosystems. And yet the effects of these systems and the corresponding patterns of global consumption are the most powerful undercurrents of our times, shaping the future for both the planet and its inhabitants.

It’s hardly a revelation that an “outdoor industry” requires both a healthy planet and a constituency that values wild places, so the pursuit of “sustainability” is essentially an act of self-preservation. Compellingly, there are few industries that enjoy the commonality of values we share with our customers. This common love of wilderness and the outdoor lifestyle implies not only that to varying degrees we are concerned about the environment, but perhaps even that we (our customers and our peers) have confronted or are prepared to confront the heretofore un-American notion that there are higher values than unrestrained shopping. Our customers are uniquely predisposed to be receptive to and supportive of the ideal of sustainability and the ways its pursuit impacts them as consumers. The reality is that at least in the short term, and quite possibly indefinitely, “sustainability” comes with a price tag, although the price compares quite favorably with the devastating cost of doing nothing.

The outdoor industry has a rich and colorful heritage of both maverick leadership and technical innovation, and also happens to be densely populated with committed environmental activists. This combination has produced some outstanding outcomes for the environment. In fact, without the outdoor industry, there would likely be no fleece keeping plastic bottles out of landfills, and little market for organic cotton. But while we’ve come a great distance, the more compelling story is the road yet to be traveled.

There’s a growing sense among many in the industry that it’s time to move beyond corporate giving and a handful of marquee achievements to take a more comprehensive, systemic, top-to-bottom look at the entirety of the way we do business. On the environmental side, this entails reconsidering everything from all material, energy, and chemical inputs and outputs (for both manufacturers and retailers) to the products used to clean the employee bathroom. And then there is the social side of the equation, which can encompass everything from community service to paternity leave for staff to working conditions in third world factories. A surprising number of companies large and small are taking up this challenge, and their solutions are as varied as the products they produce. The common denominator is a willingness to embrace a completely new way of thinking about business. In time, the end results could be truly revolutionary.

Any model of sustainability must succeed not only environmentally and socially, but economically. While our industry’s interdependence with the environment provides incentive to lead, it’s the values we share with our customers that place us in a unique position to do so. But does the American consumer at large give a crap about how the products they buy come to market? Will socially and environmentally progressive companies meet with financial reward? Does capital investment in the pursuit of “sustainability” make good business sense? Recent studies suggest not only that social responsibility and profitability can coexist, but that there can be causality in the relationship. 

This isn’t to say it won’t be challenging. While the benefits of economic consolidation and giantism (cheap goods) are concrete to the consumer, the often devastating social and environmental consequences are largely invisible. That is to say that for Americans, they most often seem to be happening somewhere else, to someone else.  

Fortunately, there are some emerging exceptions to this paradigm. The explosive growth in sales of organic foods, and to a lesser extent, the accompanying interest in and awareness of the agricultural practices and other systems that bring food products to market, seems to have paved the way for a broader understanding of the cause and effect relationships set in motion by our patterns of consumption. To what extent these consumers will transfer what they’ve absorbed about these systems and processes to non-food products is an open question. To date, it would be disingenuous to suggest the organic cotton label is driving sales at the retail level. There is, however, much evidence to suggest a growing number of retailers are seeking out organic cotton, and responding well to other fabrics and products with progressive environmental and/or social stories.  

There is no shortage of such stories in the outdoor industry, and yet it can be difficult for the retailer to separate what’s truly valuable and productive from the standpoint of sustainability from that which is either largely symbolic or even overtly misleading. Part of the role of the Green Steps Journal is to serve as a clearinghouse for credible information, so retailers can shop with confidence on behalf of their customers.

With the help, cooperation and commitment of Kenji Haroutunian and others at VNU (producers of Outdoor Retailer), some significant Green Steps were taken in relation to the trade show itself, and many others are in the works. The annual industry party featured organic food for the first time, along with Wolaver’s Certified Organic Ales and recycled paper products from Seventh Generation. Even the entertainment was environmentally friendly, as the industry welcomed award-winning Austin recording artist Patrice Pike and her band. (Pike doubles as a committed activist.)

But the big news was that all revenue from the Green Steps program, plus a generous chunk from the trade show folks, went to pay for the entire four-day trade show to be run on wind power. (Wahoo!)    

To me, the purpose of the Green Steps program is three fold. First, to give voice to a more comprehensive definition of sustainability among both manufacturers and retailers. Second, to draw attention to the good work companies within the industry are doing. And last, to encourage retailers large and small to incorporate the ideal of sustainability not only into their operations, but also into their purchasing decisions, supporting the companies that are displaying leadership in these areas.

A couple of words of caution about this rag. First, it’s not the purpose of this publication to attempt to identify the “greenest” companies, nor is it to provide a laundry list of stuff to do. (Okay, there’s a short list.) To me, it’s far more useful and interesting to explore the ways companies of varying sizes and at varying points on the “sustainability spectrum” are learning to think differently about business. Second, most of the companies profiled here are relatively small, and that was not intentional. We have a great feature in the works on Timberland’s impressive environmental and social agenda for our summer issue. (Where’s the info on hard goods? That’s also in the pipeline for summer.)

The reality is that while there are impressive pieces and programs throughout the industry, certainly no one would claim to have come close to assembling the sustainability puzzle. There’s so much to be gained by sharing experiences, information, and perspectives. We will all come to the table with biases, and we will all have some of those overturned.

Terry Kellogg, Director of Environmental Affairs for the Timberland Company, sums it up well in talking about his own company.

“Our philosophy, the way we go about this work, can be characterized by a pretty simple phrase: we try to make it better one step at a time. We may not embody all the lofty principles of sustainability in any one of our initiatives, but each of them have sought to move the needle and make it better.”

A heartfelt “thanks” to all the companies, organizations, and individuals who have contributed to making all aspects of the Green Steps program a reality, with special kudos to Scott Leonard of Indigenous Designs. I’ve seen his bare feet, and they are in fact somewhat greenish. Scott worked his butt off and withstood not a small amount of resistance from some quarters. The Green Steps Association came together on the fly, and it is definitely a work in progress. Where it goes from here will largely be determined by the extent to which folks are willing to work cooperatively. It’s a big tent, and all are more than welcome.

Every mindful step in the direction of sustainability, however small, amounts to a priceless act of compassion. Whether it’s an innovative new screenprinting process or a roll of recycled toilet paper, it’s also a shot in the arm for an emerging paradigm—the one that refuses to reward the winners in the race to the bottom.

Cheers,

(Pride Scott Wright is the publisher of an alternative mag in Northern California called the Harbinger, as well as the founder of the Brushwood Institute. He is 100 percent biodegradable. Reach him at pride@harbingerproject.com.)

Being green rocks.

OR’s annual Industry Party featured organic whole foods, organic beer from the good folks at Wolaver’s, and recycled paper products from Seventh Generation. And revelers also received a special treat in Austin recording artist Patrice Pike and her stellar band. Pike, who is a committed activist, lent her intelligent lyrics, smoldering vocals, and eclectic blend of blues, R&B, and alt-country to the cause. The quartet absolutely rocked the house. (Or in this case, the train depot.) Congratulations to Patrice for winning the Overall Grand Prize at the 2004 USA Songwriting Competition, sponsored by Rolling Stone Magazine and Performing Songwriter, among others.

OR Powered by Wind!

Outdoor Retailer’s Winter Market was powered entirely by 100 percent clean wind energy! All proceeds from Green Steps sponsorships, plus additional contributions from OR, went to cover the ten percent incremental increase in cost to avoid burning fossil fuels during the show.

“Outdoor Retailer decided to do our part for the Show and the industry by powering all four days of OR Winter Market with a sustainable resource—wind energy,” said Andy Tompkins, OR’s Show Director. “It is just one step that OR is taking to move with the entire industry in the right direction.”

According to Utah Power, the power supplier for the Salt Palace Convention Center, for every kilowatt-hour of wind energy purchased, a company can offset two pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Based on power usage from past shows, it was estimated Outdoor Retailer Winter Market would purchase approximately 117,109 kilowatt-hours of wind energy. That means 234,218 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions were offset! Now that’s a Green Step. 

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