Patagonia Denver Kicks Off ‘Voice Your Choice’ Campaign

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In an unusual case of allowing corporate giving to be guided by community input, the Denver store of outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia is asking area residents to select a local environmental organization to receive a $4,000 grant.  Consumers can cast their ballots in the Patagonia store from June 10 through July 19 in a “Voice Your Choice” campaign that marks the newest initiative in Patagonia’s well-known support of environmental causes.

Local groups nominated for the award are Colorado Environmental Coalition (www.ourcolorado.org), Colorado Wild (www.coloradowild.org), Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project (www.restoretherockies.org), Western Colorado Congress (www.wccongress.org), and Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership (www.sandcreekgreenway.org).  The candidates were selected by Patagonia store members based on their local focus and range of environmental concerns.

Consumers can learn more about the groups by visiting their websites, attending presentations by each organization that will be hosted by the store over the next few weeks, or viewing the Patagonia Denver webpage (www.patagonia.com/denver).  The store is located at 1431 15^th St. (at Blake) and can be reached at 303-446-9500.  Participants can cast one vote per store per visit.  No purchase is necessary.  The winner will be announced at a special Grants Reception in the store in early August.

“Our Voice Your Choice program has two purposes: helping local organizations continue the important work of restoring and protecting the local environment, and raising public awareness about the various environmental projects taking place in the community,” said store manager Cathleen Angell. “There are so many worthy recipients that we are asking the local community’s help in selecting the honoree.” 

The campaign is an extension of Patagonia’s corporate Environmental Grants Program, which has generated more than $31 million in grants since 1985 through a policy of giving 1% of annual sales to environmental organizations worldwide.  All Patagonia stores throughout the country except the new Boulder store, which recently ran its own Voice Your Choice campaign in conjunction with its grand opening, will be participating in the Voice Your Choice program.

“No one is more aware of local environmental issues than the people who live with these issues every day.  The Voice Your Choice campaign allows us to involve the local community in grant decisions that will directly affect them,” said Vickie Achee, Head of Marketing for Patagonia’s North America Retail Division.  “At the same time, our goal is to encourage environmental activism.  The more people who raise their hands, the greater the difference we can make in the future of the planet.”

Patagonia has a long-standing commitment to environmental causes that extends far beyond its grants program.  The company uses 100% organic cotton for all Patagonia-branded apparel to avoid causing environmental damage from toxic chemicals used in growing conventional cotton.  It also has used fleece made from post-consumer recycled plastic soda bottles since 1993; recycles competitors’ garments as well as its own through a program that accepts worn-out fleece, organic cotton t-shirts and Capilene (long underwear) products for recycling into new fibers; is creating a national park in Chile; and encourages sustainability through a variety of other initiatives.   

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