The Outdoor Industry Association Sustainability Working Group (OIA SWG) — a collaboration of more than 250 outdoor industry companies working to to identify and improve the environmental and social impacts of their products — has been selected by the White House as a Champion of Change for Corporate Environmental Sustainability.

The White House Champions of Change program highlights the stories and examples of citizens across the country that represent President Obama’s vision of out-innovating, out-educating and out-building the rest of the world through projects and initiatives that move their communities forward.

The OIA SWG grew from the efforts of leading outdoor industry companies that were independently exploring ways to reduce their environmental and social impacts. These companies recognized that they could make meaningful progress by working together on shared issues through their global supply chains.

One of the industry’s most notable accomplishments is the development of the OIA Eco Index, a product sustainability indexing tool that OIA member companies began developing in 2007. The industry developed the Eco Index as an open-source tool to encourage companies and other industries to adopt the tool.

It worked. In 2011, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) — a broader group of companies representing approximately 30 percent of the global apparel and footwear supply chains — adopted the OIA Eco Index as the basis for the SAC Apparel Index to create a worldwide standard that will allow companies to assess product level sustainability.

The OIA SWG continues to methodically examine product-level sustainability issues, seeking solutions in four key areas: 1) index development for apparel, footwear and equipment, 2) chemicals management in the supply chain, 3) materials traceability in the supply chain, and 4) social responsibility and fair labor issues.

On April 12, The Office of Public Engagement and the White House Council on Environmental Quality will host a Champions of Change for Corporate Environmental Sustainability event, at which the OIA SWG’s efforts to spread sustainability practices will be honored. The event starts at 1:30 EDT and will stream live at whitehouse.gov/live.

“OIA member companies have been quietly plugging away on sustainability work for many years,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, OIA president and CEO. “This recognition is a welcome validation of our industry’s commitment to promote socially, environmentally and ethically responsible business practices, which reflect the underlying values of the outdoor industry and our customers.”

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Too much snow. // Photos by Jon Jonckers.

I saw a forecast today that predicted light snow and a high of 18. I thought to myself “Pretty sweet. I’ll take that.” That’s what kind of week it’s been. Thank God for the bus. I’m sick of driving my car in this weather, mostly because of the poor driving from other drivers. What make’s people think that a front-wheel drive Civic is going to get them anywhere on unplowed streets? And what gives with all the delivery trucks without chains? My buddy John hooked me up with the perfect snow bike: fixed gear, knobby tires, and flat handlebar. It eats up snow. But I haven’t been able to ride it much because the streets with little traffic have too much loose snow even for this beast, and the streets with the nice packed powder are filled with drivers who tool around town like they have never seen a snowstorm before. So today I’m happy to be on the bus. “Worry about the direction your schizophrenia medication is going?” is the fast ad I read when I sit down in my seat. I love the bus but that kind of stereotyping gives it a bad name. Check out these cool photos Jon Jonckers sent in.

Notice the deer at the bottom.

The Spokane River of course. Wonder what it will be like in May. Despite all the snow predictions are NOT showing we will exceed last year’s total of 90+ inches. We’ll see.

Somewhere in there is Omega Pacific.

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Through some unusual connections at work and even more unusual
circumstances by email, I landed an opportunity to meet with the head
of the rigging department for the Cirque Du Soleil Show – Corteo.
They’re currently based in Portland, and I happened to be visiting
friends in nearby Vancouver, so he agreed to take me on a backstage
tour.

First off, I should confess, I thought I had a fairly good
understanding of rigging for climbing and mountaineering, and I’ve
been exposed to several search-and-rescue clinics and seminars.
Complex rope work and sound anchors are a critical component for
multi-pitch climbing and difficult mountaineering objectives. But then
I learned the ‘Hollywood’ form of rigging, and I was bowled over.
There’s another world on the stage, and another world above that one
on the catwalk over the stage.

The Corteo show by Cirque Du Soleil is headed over to Seattle next
month – April 24th to May 25th – and it’s definitely worth it. Find
out more info here: www.cirquedusoleil.com

-Jon Jonckers

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