Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Outdoor Retailer: Education Recap

Miss an education session from Outdoor Retailer Online? Don’t worry, you can catch them all on-demand.

INCLUSIVITY AT THE FOREFRONT: THE TIME IS NOW FOR BRANDS TO CHANGE

On January 6th, we kicked off Outdoor Retailer Winter Online with a keynote presentation led by Lindsay Peoples Wagner, who is editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue and co-founder of Black in Fashion Council. She shared how the fashion industry is taking meaningful action to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles and how the outdoor industry can avoid performative allyship, increase inclusivity and make employees of color feel seen and heard.

Key takeaways from the discussion included:

  • Giving employees of color real agency within an organization by moving past performative allyship and into active allyship. “It’s more than just having that seat at the table — it’s being put in a position of success to be able to make change.”
  • Prioritizing authentic representation to make all communities feel welcome. “When you talk about inclusivity, at the root is representation — to make people feel seen and heard and say, ‘They may not understand my whole entire life and everything that I’m going through, but they see me, they hear my problems, they understand who I am and what I’m looking for.’”
  • Fighting explicit and implicit bias starts with systematic change. “Systematic changes are the things that fundamentally make you ask, ‘Would a person of color want to stay at this company or not?’”
  • Reflecting your values through budgeting for diversity and inclusion initiatives. “I understand the pandemic has caused budgets to change, I understand that people have had to lay people off — I understand all of these things. But I will say inherently, if anything is important to you it is part of your budget.”

Looking for outdoor-industry specific DEI resources? We’ve rounded up a few great places to start:

  • In Solidarity Network: a resource for job seekers of marginalized identities looking for employment in the outdoor industry.
  • Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge: a program that compels outdoor executives to create, promote, and enforce policies that expand the diversity, equity, and inclusion of their employees, board members, and customers.
  • Camber Outdoors: a community of corporations, nonprofits and small businesses who are committed to accelerating workplace change by creating inclusive cultures, implementing equitable systems and attracting a diversity of talent to their workplaces.
  • REI Product Impact Standards: a set of standards that engage REI’s more than 1,000 brand partners to advance more sustainable and inclusive business practices. See the specific section on Diversity and Inclusion on pg. 13.

WATCH NOW

THRIVING PEOPLE AND THRIVING BUSINESS: OUTDOOR COMPANIES LEADING WITH INCLUSIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE MARKETING

Outdoor brands, advocates, athletes and marketing leaders from Merrell, The North Face, Ruffwear and more joined together to discuss the work they are doing to rethink their marketing strategies, build authentic relationships and incorporate strong representation in their advertising. This candid and transparent conversation dug into the pivotal moments from each participant’s journey and the lessons learned and best practices they’ve developed along the way. Key insights included:

  • Change starts within. There can be no external change at a brand or company without internal change – marketing and advertising must reflect an authentic shift in company culture.
  • Take the time for a “transformational pause.” The work ahead takes time. Ensure your team takes the time to reset and shift priorities to truly do it.
  • Acknowledge and represent all marginalized populations. What does true representation look like for your brand? Partnerships can only advance and accelerate your work.

WATCH NOW

Join Pocket Outdoor Media and Outdoor Industry Association for an uncomfortable conversation about the N word. Register now for the February 16th webinar.

Outdoor Retailer Winter Online Summit Day Education Session Recap

2021 Summit Days education featured in-depth discussions on inclusive marketing, the outdoor recreation economy, climate action, trade and expanding outdoor participation, as well as the catalyst that moves all these issues forward: our shared commitment to advocacy.

In case you missed a session, or want to dive deeper, we rounded up the key insights and takeaways from each Summit Day. Read more below and if you haven’t already, watch the sessions on-demand. They’ll be available in the Outdoor Retailer platform until March 19.

THRIVING PEOPLE AND PLANET: HOW PUBLIC POLICY CAN BUILD AN OUTDOORS FOR ALL

Leaders from all sectors of the outdoor community, including Secretary-Designate of Interior Deb Haaland, discussed how public policy can increase outdoor participation in diverse communities and how increasing participation, in turn, supports outdoor policy and benefits such as youth development, environmental stewardship, overall health and wellness and more.  Key topic areas that surfaced:

  • As highlighted by Haaland, the outdoor industry has many opportunities to expand equitable access to the outdoors, particularly with BIPOC communities, through advocating for legislation, administrative action and other public sector measures.
  • The Thrive Outside programs in San Diego and Oklahoma City have very different approaches to youth outdoor engagement, but both have been successful in advancing their advocacy and policy efforts.
  • State offices of outdoor recreation play a critical role in the work to increase outdoor participation and pass policies to ensure and grow thriving outdoor communities.

WATCH NOW

THRIVING PEOPLE AND THRIVING PLANET: THE 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A SHARED OUTDOOR FUTURE

Outdoor recreation advocates, sportsmen and sportswomen, tribal leaders and equity experts convened to explore how we can work together to support public and private land conservation traditions in the U.S., address climate change, honor the sovereignty of tribal nations and ensure equitable access for current and future generations. Takeaways included:

  • Our economy, our businesses, and our communities are dependent on the health and well-being of public lands and waters and natural spaces across America.
  • As outdoor industry businesses, intact and conserved outdoor spaces are fundamental to our existence. Investing in America’s natural infrastructure — can help the U.S. economy recover from the current economic crisis.
  • Our success will depend on our honoring tribal nations who have stewarded lands and waters since time immemorial, on supporting private landowners committed to conservation on their property, on collaborating with outdoor recreation interests and historically underserved communities, and on heeding scientists

WATCH NOW

THRIVING PEOPLE, THRIVING PLANET AND THRIVING BUSINESSES: BIDEN, CONGRESS AND THE OUTDOOR RECREATION ECONOMY

Representatives of the outdoor industry and Congress came together to highlight the exciting opportunities we have to advance priorities for the outdoor recreation economy under a new Congress and administration. From combating climate change to promoting diversity and equity in the outdoors to preserving our public lands and waters and supporting a stable and predictable federal trade policy, the outdoor industry is in a unique position to work with friends and allies in support of our policy agenda. Highlights included:

  • Outdoor companies will help the U.S. be a leader on climate. With this Congress and administration, every bill will be a climate bill. Every agency will be a climate agency.
  • Investment in green infrastructure is critical to preserving our public lands and spurring economic recovery. Green infrastructure is critical infrastructure.
  • In the face of uncertainty due to trade wars and a global pandemic, outdoor companies have been resilient and, with a balanced trade agenda, are set up for growth and success.

WATCH NOW

THRIVING PEOPLE AND THRIVING BUSINESS: OUTDOOR COMPANIES LEADING WITH INCLUSIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE MARKETING

Outdoor brands, advocates, athletes and marketing leaders joined together to discuss the work they are doing to rethink their marketing strategies, build authentic relationships and incorporate strong representation in their advertising. This candid and transparent conversation dug into the pivotal moments from each participant’s journey and the lessons learned and best practices they’ve developed along the way. Key insights included:

  • Change starts within. There can be no external change at a brand or company without internal change – marketing and advertising must reflect an authentic shift in company culture.
  • Take the time for a “transformational pause.” The work ahead takes time. Ensure your team takes the time to reset and shift priorities to truly do it.
  • Acknowledge and represent all marginalized populations. What does true representation look like for your brand? Partnerships can only advance and accelerate your work.

WATCH NOW

Thrive Outside Profile Series: Kristen Ragain

Q&A: Kristen Ragain, manager of philanthropy and community partnerships for REI Co-op

REI Co-op has donated $1 million to the Thrive Outside initiative in hopes of helping kids in urban centers around the U.S. have repeating outdoor experiences in slices of nature close to home. As manager of REI Co-op’s philanthropy and community partnerships programs, Kristen Ragain works to support programming that ensures that every person can benefit from time outdoors. We asked her why it’s so important to support this, and how she thinks the average American’s outdoor experience could change once life begins to return to normal.

Why is it important to REI to support Thrive Outside?
As one of the leaders in the outdoor industry, we knew it was important for REI to support this effort from the very beginning. The average American spends 95 percent of their life inside and this contributes to so many different challenges our society faces. At the co-op, we want to help reverse this trend. Connecting youth and families to the outdoors is one critical way to help do that. The 2019 Outdoor Participation Report shows people are connecting to the outdoors less and less [Editor’s note: Americans took one billion fewer outdoor outings in 2018 compared to 2008] so we appreciated that Thrive Outside supported the idea of repeating and reinforcing outdoor experiences. Having a progression plan in place and a sense of reinforcement allows for a community to grow and connect. It will be really exciting for all of us in the outdoor industry, and others, to start seeing the results of Thrive Outside so we can all learn from it and use that information for our philanthropic and community engagement work.

What are your hopes for what some of those outcomes may be?
My hope is that participants in the program see the outdoors as a daily/regular part of their lives and spend time in close to home nature which can improve overall health and wellbeing.

During the Covid-19 crisis we are seeing that more people than ever before are seeking refuge,solace and wellbeing in close-to-home nature. Hiking and biking on local trails and parks, paddling, and walks in natural areas have been supportive and healing for many. the Outdoor Foundation, with Thrive Outside, and also the broader industry, has a huge opportunity here to come through COVID and help people reimagine that daily connection to the outdoors and how important it is for our health and wellbeing both as individuals and as a collective community and society.

Do you think we might see a bigger shift toward those close-to-home spaces?
I think we’re going to be seeing people looking to recreate in nearby outdoor places, especially in the next 18 months or so. Maybe someone who was really into backcountry trips is now taking up local trail running, or maybe someone who used to do a lot of indoor yoga and fitness is now doing those things outdoors. I think across the board there are going to be more people spending time in local parks, trails, and waterways. It’s an interesting time for the organizations that are stewarding these places, because they’re seeing an increase in participation and usage, and obviously a decrease in funding. Outdoor places need to be maintained and experiences for connecting youth outdoors need to be cultivated and supported. Hopefully, this is an opportunity to raise awareness that we can’t take these things for granted and we need to increase support for the organizations that are doing what they can to create equitable access to the outdoors for all people.

What do you think, an equitable outdoors looks like?
It is important to work towards the Trust for Public Lands’s goal that everyone should be within a 10-minute walk to a great place to get outside. But, many also know that just because access to the outdoors is available, not everyone feels safe in the outdoors or a sense of belonging in nature. This is a significant barrier. So, equitable access to the outdoors needs to be about ensuring access and working towards a reality where everyone can feel safe being themselves and find their place in the outdoors.

What drives your passion for this work?
As a child, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, assuming that everyone was able to experience the outdoors as my family did through hiking, camping, climbing, biking, etc. As I grew up, I realized this was not the case and was inspired to work for environmental nonprofits and, now, REI, which works to connect all people to the outdoors. The outdoors is good for us. What could our planet be like if nearby access to nature and the outdoors was a basic human right for all? This idea, this question, is what gets me out of bed every day ready to support, advocate and work for equitable access to the outdoors no matter one’s race, orientation or economics.

Webinar: Climate Action – Ambition, Collaboration and Practical Steps To Guide Our Industry’s Path to Climate Positive

 

 

DOWNLOAD SLIDES Learn More & Join the Climate Action Corps

The launch of the Climate Action Corps one year ago kicked off our industry’s bold and collaborative mission toward climate positive by 2050 or sooner, and is now nearly 100 companies strong. The climb to “climate positive” is an adventure like no other, the next decade of which is critical. Outdoor companies who excel in this race to the top will be rewarded by customers, employees, consumers and investors. Those who don’t will lose out. But what does “climate positive” even mean? How can we get there? This session will open with a powerful call to action for why and how the outdoor industry can (and must) lead by example despite volatile times from business strategy expert and sustainability guru Andrew Winston, followed by practical, achievable steps you can take in your day-to-day outdoor business to transform the status-quo by reducing what you emit, removing even more, and advocating for policies that matter most.

Keynote: The Big Pivot – Sustainability and Climate Action in Volatile Times, Andrew Winston, a globally-recognized expert on building resilient, profitable companies that help the world thrive.

Additional Speakers:

Reduce: Tackle the major sources of emissions in a bottle, a boot and a snowboard (Michael Sadowski, independent advisor to OIA’s Climate Action Corps)

Remove: Two outdoor companies’ approaches to carbon removal (Mike Gass, Timberland, and Matt Thurston, REI)

Advocate: Why the unique voice of the outdoor industry business community matters (Katherine Hamilton energy policy guru and thought leader, co-host of The Energy Gang podcast).

Moderator: Amy Horton, Outdoor Industry Association

COVID-19 Stimulus Package Highlights

The following provisions are related to small businesses and access to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) second draw loans. For additional information on obtaining PPP loans, view OIA’s webinar from March 2020 with Small Business Administration.

Additional expenses are now allowable and forgivable with PPP funds:

  • Covered worker protection expenditure. PPE and adaptive investments to help a loan recipient comply with federal health and safety guidelines or any equivalent state and local guidance related to COVID-19 during the period between March 1, 2020, and the end of the national emergency declaration.
  • Covered property damage costs. Costs related to property damage due to public disturbances that occurred during 2020 that are not covered by insurance.
  • Covered supplier costs. Expenditures to a supplier pursuant to a contract, purchase order, or order for goods in effect prior to taking out the loan that are essential to the recipient’s operations at the time at which the expenditure was made. Supplier costs of perishable goods can be made before or during the life of the loan.
  • Covered operations expenditures. Payment for any software, cloud computing, and other human resources and accounting needs.
  • These forgiven loans will not be counted as taxable income.

Specific Group Insurance Payments as Payroll costs:

  • Clarifies that other employer-provided group insurance benefits are included in payroll costs. This includes group, life, disability vision and dental insurance.
  • This provision applies to loans made before, on, or after 12/22/2020 (enactment date), including forgiveness of the loan.

PPP Second Draw Loans:

  • This “PPP second draw” loan will be for smaller and harder-hit business, with a maximum amount of $2 million.
  • To be eligible to receive a PPP loan, you must:
    • Have fewer than 300 employees
    • Have used (or will use) the full amount of your first PPP loan
    • Demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts in the first, second, or 3rd quarter of 2020 relative to the same 2019 quarter.
  • Eligible entities must be a business, certain non-profit organizations, self-employed individuals, sole proprietors, independent contractors and small agricultural co-operatives
  • Loan terms:
    • Seasonal employers may calculate their maximum loan amount based on a 12-week period beginning February 15, 2019 through February 15, 2020
    • New entities may receive loans of up to 2.5x the sum of their average monthly payroll costs
    • Businesses with multiple locations that are eligible entitles under the initial PPP requirements may employ not more than 300 employees per physical location
    • Wavier of affiliation rules that applied during initial PP loans apply to a second loan
    • An eligible entity may only receive one PPP second draw loan
  • Loan forgiveness: borrowers of a PPP second draw loan would be eligible for loan forgiveness equal to the sum of their payroll costs, as well as covered mortgage, rent, and utility payments, covered operations expenditures, covered property damage costs, covered supplier costs, and covered worker protection expenditures inured during the covered period. The 60/40 cost allocation between payroll and non-payroll costs in order to receive full forgiveness will continue to apply.
  • Guidance to prioritize underserved communities: directs the SBA Administrator to issue guidance addressing barriers to access to capital for underserved communities no later than 10 days after enactment
  • Application of Exemption Based on Employee: extends existing safe harbors on restoring full time employees (FTE) and salaries and wages.
    • Specifically, applies the rule of reducing loan forgiveness for the borrower reducing the number of employees retained and reducing employees’ salaries in excess of 25 percent.

Increased Ability for PPP Borrowers to Request an Increase in Loan Amount due to Updated Regulations:

  • Requires SBA to release guidance to lenders withing 17 days of enactment that allows borrowers who returned all or part of their PPP loan to reapply for the maximum amount applicable so long that they have not received forgiveness
  • This section allows borrowers whose loan calculations have increased due to changes in interim final rules to work with lenders to modify their loan value regardless of whether the loan has been fully disbursed, or if Form 1502 has already been submitted

Eligibility of 501(c)(6) and Destination Marketing Organizations for Loans Under PPP:

  • Expands eligibility to receive a PPP loan to include the following organizations –
    • 501(c)(6) if:
      • The organization does not receive more than 15 percent of receipts from lobbying
      • The lobbying activities do not exceed $1 million during the most recent tax year that ended prior to February 15, 2020
      • The organization has fewer than 300 employees
      • Professional sports leagues or organizations with the purpose of promoting or participating in a political campaign or other political activities are not eligible under this section
    • Destination Marketing Operations if:
      • Sections 1-3 above, and
      • The destination marketing organization is registered as a 501(c) organization, a quasi-government entity, or a political subdivision of a state or local government

      Prohibition on use of Loan Proceeds for Lobbying Activities:

      • Proceeds of the covered loan may not be used for lobbying activities, as defined by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, lobbying expenditures related to state or local campaigns, and expenditures to influence the enactment of legislation, appropriations, or regulations

      Limitations on Eligibility:

      • Businesses or organizations that were not in operation on February 15, 2020 are not eligible for a second draw PPP loan
      • This was the case for initial PPP loan
      • Eligible entities that receive a grant under the Shuttered Venue Operator Grants will not be eligible for a PPP second draw loan

      Direct Appropriations:

      • $284.45 billion for PPP, including:
        • $35 billion for first-time borrowers
        • $25 billion for second draw PPP loans
        • $15 billion for PPP loans issued by community financial institutions
        • $15 billion for PPP loans issued by certain small depository institutions
      • $15 million for the Minority Business Development Centers program
      • $50 million for PPP auditing and fraud mitigation
      • $3.5 million for Debt Relief program

Audio Outdoorist: Climate Klatch — Episode 2

Welcome to a new Audio Outdoorist series we’re calling the Climate Klatch. A klatch is an informal gathering, usually involving conversations and coffee. In this series, we’ll deliver monthly conversations about climate action. Our goal is to keep you in the know on what’s happening in the outdoor industry and the broader world around the ever-evolving topic. These are meant to be high-level, bite-size insights and updates. Listen while you sip your morning jo, on your commute to work — if you’re still doing that these days — or while you’re getting ready in the morning or taking a short break midday.

In the second episode of our new series that’s all about climate action, Amy Horton, OIA senior director of sustainable business innovation, and Greg Gausewitz, product sustainability manager for REI, chat about the recent release of REI’s updated Impact Standards and how the retailer hopes the new sustainability and DEI standards will drive meaningful shifts among outdoor brands. He previews what REI vendor meetings will look like now that the new standards are out, and he explains why the OIA Climate Action Corps is a great way for brands — whether they sell to REI or not — to affordably and authentically forge a path toward climate positive

THRIVE OUTSIDE PROFILE SERIES: David Buteyn

David Buteyn

Teacher, John Rex Middle School, Oklahoma City

Where the Oklahoma River runs through downtown Oklahoma City, there’s an incredible opportunity for kids to get outside and learn how to paddle. Thanks in part to a Thrive Outside grant from the Outdoor Foundation, RIVERSPORT Foundation (formerly the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation) partners with local schools to offer outdoor programming that is often the highlight of students’ days.

David Buteyn, a history teacher at John Rex Middle School, frequently bikes with his students to the riverfront for paddlesports and makes sure his students take full advantage of the Boathouse District. He’s seen first-hand how much of a positive impact regular outdoor time has on his students. We asked what makes this time so influential.

Tell us a little bit about the outdoor electives you run at John Rex Middle School.

We have an elective program every day except for Wednesday. I typically do the physical education ones, like biking and boating. At the beginning of the year, we run a boating elective where I’ll take about 10 to 15 students and we bike together to the Boathouse District, which is an Olympic training site with a lot of resources for the kids. We’ll paddle around for 30 to 40 minutes, then bike back to school.

Getting the opportunity to kayak on the river is really, really cool. We also have after school programs a lot of kids participate in right after dismissal, where the kayak coach will take them down to the water and they’ll do things like weight lifting, training, cardio, and, of course, paddling. They get involved in regattas and races. We don’t have a lot of the traditional sports other middle schools have, so our hope is to give kids the opportunity to get involved in something that helps them stay in shape, get outside, and get interested in kayaking and the outdoors. One of our long-term goals is also to help students use these skills to qualify for college scholarships.

Does this outdoor time have a positive impact on your students’ academics?

We require our students to be caught up on their schoolwork in order to participate in electives, otherwise they have to go to study hall. That means they’d be catching up during that last hour of the day instead of going to their elective. They get to choose at the beginning of the year what their electives are, so no kid wants to be stuck in study hall. These are things they enjoy and want to participate in. So that has been a really good incentive for these kids to stay up in their schoolwork. We don’t want that to hang over their heads, but at the same time, it’s important to get their work done. This is the thing that keeps them honest and accountable.

How else have you seen these outdoors programs influence your students?

This program definitely has a positive influence on their mood. We have some students who come from rough backgrounds, like any teacher would. It’s night and day—we’ll go on a bike ride and I’ll ride up next to a kid, and they’ll have a smile on their face, the wind in their hair, and all of a sudden they’re having a good time. We’re outside of school, and they become different people at that point. It’s really cool to have those types of experiences and conversations with kids when we’re out in the world and they’re having a good time and they’re with their friends. Not every teacher can have that sort of openness with their students, and I’m really thankful that I’m a person the kids can come to, whether it’s inside the school walls or outside.

How has your own outdoor experience growing up influenced you?

Getting outside has always been a passion of mine. I have a twin brother and we’re very active people. We played sports in the street and I started snowboard lessons when I was in kindergarten. I’ve been shredding ever since. I played rugby in college, so I knew when I started teaching that I wanted to incorporate sports or physical education in some way to what I was doing. Because I grew up being comfortable on a bike and a kayak, it was a natural fit for me to lead this program when the opportunity came up for me. It can be stressful to lead students on bikes through the city, but for me it was a perfect fit so I could take my passion for the outdoors and show them how much fun we could have.

How do you hope that these outdoor experiences will influence your students later in life?

Especially at their age, these kids are just so natural with technology. They’re so immersed in their phones and their computers. They’re looking at their Chromebooks a lot of the day at school, too, so I think it’s really cool to be able to take them away from the apps and the screens, especially during the school day. As they go into high school and college and become adults, I would hope that they would develop a passion similar to mine—wanting to go break a sweat, wanting to be outside and run around and have some fun. You’re never too old to have some fun outside.

New ban on products made with forced labor in Xinjiang, China

The Trump administration announced last week that it would ban all inbound shipments containing cotton or any cotton products – including textiles and apparel – originating from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) due to forced labor and human rights concerns.

The XPCC is a paramilitary organization that is responsible for most of the cotton production and harvest in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (“XUAR”) of China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that XUAR’s cotton harvest accounts for more than 80 percent of China’s overall cotton production.

This action is the latest in the administration’s effort to combat forced labor and other human rights violations in the Xinjiang region, home to China’s Muslim Uyghur community.

In September of 2020, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced it would detain imports suspected of being made with forced labor from the following entities in XUAR:

  • Xinjiang Junggar Cotton and Linen Co. and its subsidiaries – Cotton
  • Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. – Computer parts
  • Yili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co. – Apparel products
  • Baoding LYSZD Trade and Business Co. – Apparel products
  • Lop County No. 4 Vocational Skills Education and Training Center – All products
  • Lop County Hair Product Industrial Park – Hair products

In July of 2020, the administration listed the XPCC as a specially designated national (SDN) under U.S. sanctions laws enforced by the Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) by the Treasury Department; this bars all transactions that benefit the XPCC or its subsidiaries and affiliates with a 50-percent-or-greater controlling share by XPCC. The Commerce Department has also placed companies connected to the Xinjiang region on its Entity List subject to technology export controls.

In addition, the Senate may consider the House-passed Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R.6210/S.3471) before the end of the year. As currently drafted, the bill includes the following provisions:

  • A requirement for the administration to develop an action plan to address forced labor in the XUAR.
  • A prohibition starting 120 days after enactment of the importation of all goods produced, in whole or in part, in the XUAR, based on a presumptive link to forced labor – unless the importer can provide clear evidence to the contrary.
  • A requirement that SEC-reporting companies include new disclosures about any nexus to the XUAR.

It is possible that the bill’s provisions could be amended before a final vote in the Senate. We will keep you posted on any developments.

To learn more about this important issue and the impact on outdoor companies, check out this OIA webinar from September.

Webinar: Understanding and Integrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: An Inside Look at the Latest Course in the Outdoor Industry Business Certificate

Speakers: Lise Aangeenbrug, Outdoor Industry Association and Andrés Esparza, Western Colorado University

Take the first step in a life-long path towards a better understanding of what it means to belong to a diverse community and the strength, power, inspiration, and opportunity that such a community can provide for the greater outdoor industry. Learn about the new course currently being offered as a part of the Outdoor Industry Business Certificate (OIBC) program from instructor Andrés Esparza. Learn more about the course objectives, and what you can expect to learn by taking the course. Hear from OIA executive director Lise Aangeenbrug on why knowledge on these principles is critical to a successful career in the outdoor industry. You’ll also have a chance to ask them questions in a live Q&A session.

Help Victims of Hurricanes Eta and Iota

On November 3, Hurricane Eta made landfall off the coast of Nicaragua as a category 4 hurricane, before slowly moving across much of Central America. The constant heavy rains and 140+ mph winds caused catastrophic, life-threatening flash floods, mudslides, and devastating infrastructural damage.

Devastatingly, on November 17, the area was struck once again by Hurricane Iota, a second category 4 storm, causing further catastrophic damage to many of the same areas still reeling from the storm weeks prior. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost everything they own, and hundreds are feared dead.

As one example, the community of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, home to more than 60,000 people, 95% of the buildings lost their rooves and many were completely decimated. Community members and relief workers alike are sleeping in tents and under makeshift tarps. Hundreds of thousands are without food, water or other essential supplies, as reported by one of LifeStraw’s non-profit partners.

To aid in relief efforts, LifeStraw has teamed up with a number of nonprofits, including Food for the Poor, Global Citizen USA, ANF Nicaragua, Feed the Hungry Nicaragua, and Global Response Management. LifeStraw will be sending water filtration supplies to these organizations to assist in disease prevention.

Emergency relief efforts are ongoing, and it will take months, if not years, to rebuild many of the communities affected by these two hurricanes. The outdoor industry has a lot if can offer to support these efforts. The following items have been identified by our partners as critical needs:

  • Tarps and tents
  • Sleeping bags
  • Sleeping mats and cots
  • Mosquito nets
  • Mosquito repellant and mosquito afterbite
  • Solar lanterns
  • Flashlights and batteries
  • MREs (with expiration beyond May 2021)
  • Disaster cleanup gear: shovels, rain boots, raincoats, work gloves, masks, buckets
  • First aid items
  • Life preservers
  • Hoses
  • Stoves (kerosene and LPG)

If interested in donating, please contact LifeStraw’s Social Impact Manager, Tara MacDowell, at TLM@lifestraw.com, who is coordinating relief shipments and distribution. If you would like to support LifeStraw’s relief efforts, we have also created a non-profit, Safe Water Fund to support additional supplies and donations of water filtration: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/hurricane-eta-emergency-relief