Patagonia, the Good on People of SCASD and the World

Tom+Khal+hiking+Mount+Shasta+in+his+Patagonia+jacket.+Photo+by+Ben+Lawrence.+

Tom Khal hiking Mount Shasta in his Patagonia jacket. Photo by Ben Lawrence.

Amelia Lawrence

Patagonia is an American retail store that sells outdoor clothing, athletic equipment, backpacks, sleeping bags,and even camping food. It was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973. On Sept. 14 2022, the owner Yvon Chouinard and his family decided that its profits would now be used to address and aid in climate change and donated most of the $3 billion of the company’s earnings to fight climate change. 98% of the company’s stock shares belong to an environmental non-profit called Holdfast. Not only that, they also support other activist groups and use materials with lower environmental impact. Their hope and goal is to use renewable, organic, and recycled materials exclusively by 2025 to decrease their carbon footprint.

 

Sophomore State High Cross Country athlete, Makayla Raptosh, runs in Patagonia clothing during practices and in her free time.  “For as long as I have been running, I have been wearing Patagonia. It is some of my favorite athletic apparel,” Raptosh said.

 

Although Raptosh knew a little bit about Patagoina’s goal. She said that learning about the lengths this company is going to in order to heal our environment will make her add more of this brand to her closet. 

 

Patagonia has great hiking and outdoor apparel and many claim to love it. Tom Kahl, an avid outdoorsman said, “For the past 30 years I have spent a lot of hours hiking and camping. I have been in all kinds of weather and often used Patagonia gear. I still have some of the apparel I bought over 30 years ago and it’s in great condition.”

 

“In May of 2022, I hiked Mount Shasta and used Patagonia for most of my hiking wear and I was comfortable–warm when I needed to be,” Kahl said. Kalh was aware of the great work Patagonia does and it does impact his decision when purchasing outdoor gear. He said, “Early on,I bought Patagonia because of the quality of the clothing. Now, I buy it because of the quality and the good work they do.” 

 

At State High, many students carry Patagonia backpacks, jackets, sweatshirts etc. It is a very popular company worn by all sorts of people. Skiers, hikers, swimmers. Although it is an expensive brand of clothing and not affordable to everyone, those who can afford it should know that their money is well spent. 

 

It is important as consumers to pay attention to the businesses that they support.. Through the businesses that consumers support, they can help social causes just by economically helping the businesses with great causes. Consumers can and should work as partners to make the world a better place.