Patagonia's Mission Statement: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
Patagonia has put together a number of environmental organizations, musicians, and other assorted players in their bid to make a positive impact on the environmental crisis and to reduce the impact we have in our daily lives. This impact will be felt most on November 4th, when we cast our votes for President. Patagonia's coalition of the willing is called Vote the Environment, and it is a most worthy cause. Patagonia is a pioneer in both making great products and standing at the pinnacle of corporate responsibility. Yvonne Chouinard, founder and President, is a personal hero for his outspoken, yet disturbingly unaffected, demeanor; he has crafted this excellent company in his personal image, to a great result. Chouinard's longtime surf partner, environmental activist, and musician, Jack Johnson, wrote a simple yet poignant essay for the group, found on Patagonia's site...
Vote the Environment
by Jack Johnson
Surf 2008
Not only are we a product of our environment, we are an integral part of it. This statement seems obvious enough, but in our modern culture human beings often feel separate from nature. We see this when we vote: the environment has become only the 10th most important issue on a list after war, healthcare, education and other concerns. As the foundation for all of life and all human endeavors, the environment should be our first and most important consideration.
When you vote for candidates who support environmental programs, such as school gardens, you are not only supporting education, you are supporting better childhood nutrition, and you are reconnecting the next generation of voters to nature. When you vote to improve water and air quality, you are voting to improve human health. When you vote to provide incentives to use renewable energy, you are helping to create jobs and energy independence, in turn making an investment in peace.
When you Vote the Environment, you are not voting for one isolated issue, you are voting for all of the issues on the list. You are casting a positive vote for life on earth.
