Hello reader, and welcome once again to my corner of the Internet…
In my previous post, I told you the fascinating story of Doug Tompkins.
Meanwhile, in the creation of Doug’s companies, a renowned climber named Yvon Chouinard began selling mountain gear within his already established company; Chouinard Equipment. Years later, and due to a series of unfortunate events that I won’t delve into now, which ended with Yvon declaring bankruptcy for his company, specifically in 1973 Yvon founded Patagonia Inc. The failure of Chouinard Equipment led Yvon to want to create a company more committed to environmental activism.
So, in the early 1980s, we have Patagonia Inc. and The North Face brands established, and Kristine McDivitt entered the picture. Kristine was a friend of Yvon’s and also an employee of Patagonia, but something wasn’t right with her, she found that the fashion industry wasn’t for her, although Patagonia Inc. was committed to taking actions for the environment, Kristine felt she needed to do more, so when she met Doug Tompkins, everything made sense.
In the previous post, I explained that Doug, in the late 1980s, began to take an increasing interest in environmental activism,… So when Kristie met Doug in 1990, everything made sense,… they fell in love with each other, and they had a greater common love; to protect and restore the wild beauty and biodiversity. Together they created national parks, restored wildlife, inspired activism, and fostered economic vitality as a result of conservation.
Kristine and her late husband, Douglas Tompkins, have protected approximately 14.8 million acres of parks in Chile and Argentina through Tompkins Conservation and its partners, making them one of the most successful national park-oriented philanthropists in history.
Through Tompkins Conservation and its descendant organizations, Rewilding Argentina and Rewilding Chile, they have helped create or expand 15 national parks in Argentina and Chile, including two marine national parks. They also work to recover species that have become extinct locally or nationally, such as the jaguar, the red and green macaw, and the giant river otter in northeastern Argentina, and the Darwin’s rhea and the huemul, an endangered species in Chile.
Currently, Kristine continues her mission of protecting and restoring wild beauty and biodiversity, and Yvon, in 2022, announced that he was donating Patagonia to environmental protection, transferring ownership to a trust and a non-profit organization that will dedicate all profits generated to defending the planet.
What do you think of the story behind these famous brands?
If you were fascinated by the story and want to know more, I invite you to watch or read the following;
- Discover how and why Doug Tompkins founded The North Face on the documentary Mountain of Storms; you can find it on YouTube.
- Let my people go surfing; a book by Yvon Chouinards that tells the story of how Patagonia became a successful sustainable company that prioritizes environmentalism and ethics over profits. It highlights the importance of taking responsibility for our impact on the planet and adopting a business model with a purpose. You can find it on Amazon.
- The future of responsible company. A book by Vincent Stanley and Yvon Chouinards, containing simple but powerful advice on how and why to rethink the business structure at a time when traditional capitalism no longer works for people or the planet. You can find it on Amazon
- Read the letter from Yvon Chouinard, one of the founders of Patagonia Inc, on the official website of the Patagonia clothing brand where he announces the company’s donation to fight the climate crisis.
- Wild life documentary about the life of Kristine Tompkins, the documentary tells her story and how with Doug they worked on their mission to protect and restore wild beauty and biodiversity. You can find it on Disney+
Cheers to a greener world and new beginnings,
Aura 🌿
