Patagonia launches major voter education campaign

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Sep 12, 2016

Patagonia has launched a non-partisan campaign called Vote Our Planet that encourages voters to elect environmental supporters and vote pro-environment this November.

Patagonia has already contributed $1 million dollars to the campaign. Major goals include getting individuals registered to vote, informed about local and national issues, and then inspired to go out and rally for change.

“We can’t let the ugliness of our politics turn people away from voting when the future of our planet is at stake,” stated Lisa Pike Sheehy, Patagonia’s VP of Environmental Activism.

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She continued, “We’re giving voters resources that will inspire and empower them to take action and voice their support for a healthy planet – whether we’re fighting to protect our own backyards or electing leaders who will fight for the future of our planet at the international level.”

Patagonia's 29 US retail stores will be holding two-part activations to get customers registered to vote and educated on issues they will be eligible to vote for. Patagonia will provide voting guides that will explain regional issues and national issues on consumers ballots in the respective markets.

Sample issues covered at the events in Patagonia retail stores include plastic bag bans in California, solar power initiatives in the Reno, NV, GMO pesticide testing in Hawaii, and public lands protection in Montana.

“In the United States, only 60 percent of eligible citizens voted in the 2012 presidential election and of those, many voted only for president and left the rest of the ballot blank,” said Patagonia founder and owner Yvon Chouinard.

He continued, “Many young voters feel disenfranchised and disillusioned by politics. But if they voted in full force, and voiced the urgency of the environmental crisis, politicians would have to take their issues seriously.”

Issues Patagonia will focus on include pollution regulations, solar power initiatives and pipelines.

The first series of events will take place at Patagonia's retail stores on September 27th which is National Voter Registration Day.