Beyond Clicktivism

Patagonia has been supporting grassroots activists for over 40 years, but the environmental crisis isn’t going away. If anything, it’s intensified. And we often hear from our customers, “What can I do?”

Great question. For one thing, vote. Even in midterm elections like we have this year when most of the country doesn’t bother. For another, punch up Patagonia Action Works in your web browser.

Patagonia Action Works is an online platform that connects our environmental grantees with individuals who are fired up and want to go beyond likes, shares and retweets, and get involved. Think of it as a kind of dating site for people who want to collaborate to protect the places they love and defend the air, water and soil we all need.

Since 1985, we’ve given away 1 percent of our sales to action groups working to solve specific environmental issues. These organizations make up our grantee network, which has grown to include 1,000 worldwide. Through events, petitions, donations and skilled volunteering opportunities using our partner Catchafire, people can unite around meaningful work and make a measurable difference. It’s a way to feel better, too.

“By supporting small grassroots organizations, your client becomes someone who is almost always directly affected by the causes they’re defending,” says Geoff Holstad, a Patagonia artist and designer who has

spent the last four years supporting grassroots organizations through pro-bono creative work. “They’re not holed away in an office on the other side of the country. They don’t even have an office. It’s a grandma leading the charge with a small group of volunteers, on next to no budget, from her kitchen table. I love having grandma as my client.”

Volunteering allows activists to recruit critical assistance that otherwise would be costly, especially when budgets are tight. The Surfrider Foundation New York City worked with a single skilled volunteer who helped create a whole new revenue stream for the chapter, mapping out how to monetize beach cleanups when working with corporate partners. Lace Thornberg of Oregon Natural Desert Association says that so far volunteering assistance through Patagonia Action Works has saved them $6,750, and there are at least $10,000 worth of projects in the queue. They’ve also seen their attendance numbers triple at events. “We posted an ad for an event and ended up packing the room with people we hadn’t ever seen at our events before,” she says. Darlene Lee of the Earth Law Center, based in New York City, said that as of April 2018 her organization had saved nearly $100,000 through volunteer work. “The power of networks is amazing.”

So is being a part of that network. What can you do? Take a minute to sign up.

ROSE MARCARIO, Chief Executive Officer, Patagonia, 2018