Following its pledge to match donations up to $50,000, outdoor apparel retailer, Patagonia, is excited to announce that together with the Australian community, they have raised over $125,200.00 supporting six environmental groups on the front lines fighting for our local sea, land and air.
A part of Patagonia’s annual Environmental Grants Program, which sees 1% of the company’s global sales granted to small environmental activist groups all around the world, the Double Down campaign saw crowd funded donations to the six groups matched dollar-for-dollar.
The donation will go a long way for these environmental groups, addressing a diverse range of environmental issues:
The Australian Marine Conservation Society fundraised to send an independent delegation of scientists and stakeholders to the World Heritage Committee meeting in Poland to give an independent voice to the Great Barrier Reef
The Southwest Tasmanian Marine Debris Clean Up is boating into the remote Southwest wilderness of Tasmania to remove and study marine debris washed onto the area’s beaches
The Lock the Gate Alliance fundraised to mobilise the local community to protect the farmland, vineyards and wilderness of the Margaret River region from unconventional gas exploration
3000 Acres raised funds to build a large-scale community garden in Melbourne
Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network is sending young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders into remote Northern Territory communities to inform and mobilise locals against fossil fuel and gas extraction on their traditional lands
Project Clean Uluwatu, a group started by expat surfers to deal with wastewater and hard rubbish at Bali’s famous surf break, fundraised to hand control of the group over to local Balinese surfers
Patagonia Environmental & Social Initiatives Manager, Shannon Bourke, said, “We like to think of fundraising as our ‘Earth Tax’ and supporting grassroots initiatives such as these sees donations of any size go a long way to help raise awareness and address important environmental issues. On behalf of Patagonia and the groups we’ve partnered with, we would like to share a huge thank you to every person who made a matched contribution.”
Matt Dell, Director of the Tasmanian Environmental Consultants, said, “The funding secured covers the total cost of an entire vessel for our team to boat and remove marine debris washed onto Tasmania’s beaches. The incredible donation also enables our team to use small drones to help plan our daily onshore activities remotely from boats each morning and map the survey sites once ashore.”
Patagonia’s annual Environmental Grants Program sees 1% of the company’s global sales granted to small environmental activist groups all around the world. A founding member of 1% For The Planet initiative, Patagonia has granted more than $US78 million in cash and kind since 1985.
