Outdoor Retailer Industry Lunch: Historic Investments In Climate Change, New Opportunities For Environmental Justice

With continued discussion of the Build Back Better plan in Congress, policymakers are responding to the outdoor industry’s call to make historic investments to combat climate change, which is a major existential threat to the outdoors, our communities, and the outdoor recreation economy. These proposed funds are committed to build resilience, promote natural climate solutions, support a Civilian Climate Corps, and accelerate the transition to renewable energy. It is imperative that the passage and eventual implementation of Build Back Better also addresses two other related threats to our industry: the disproportionate impact climate change has on minority and marginalized communities and the need to ensure that the outdoors are open, safe and accessible to all Americans. Join us for an informative discussion with key stakeholders, industry leaders, and representatives from Washington, D.C., on how combating climate change, prioritizing climate action, and ensuring more diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors are intertwined and how you and your business can play a key role in the future of an equitable and healthy outdoors.

Moderator: Rebecca Gillis, State & Local Government Affairs Manager, Outdoor Industry Association 

Panelists:

Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, U.S. Representative for California’s 44th congressional district

Clarence Edwards, Legislative Director, Sustainable Energy and Environment, Friends Committee on National Legislation  

Angelo Villagomez, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress 

Taishya Adams, National Policy and Education Director, Outdoor Afro

 

Takeaways from the session include:

  • There is intersectionality between investments in climate sustainability and the potential follow-on impacts on environmental justice and outdoor accessibility across the nation. These topics are intertwined with broader conversations about equity in the outdoors, and amongst outdoor industry stakeholders.
  • Other current policy options and efforts in the Biden Administration to further invest in pivotal environmental justice issues include the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Justice40 initiative. The proposed Civilian Climate Corps has a potential role to play in not only on-the-ground conservation and climate mitigation work, but also localized efforts to build out more accessible green space for individuals in nature-starved areas – paving the way for increased equity in the outdoors.
  • Storytelling across diverse communities is an important mechanism for increasing effective advocacy for climate investments.
  • While sometimes daunting, it is critical to talk about climate impacts, environmental justice, and outdoor accessibility to audiences who may have been intimidated or felt unmotivated about climate action and equity.

Outdoor Retailer Education Session: Ask OIA Anything On Trade

OIA’s international trade program is dedicated to promoting a stable and predictable trade environment for outdoor businesses of all sizes, from domestic manufacturers to those that utilize global value chains to bring product to market. Members of OIA’s Trade Advisory Council (OIATAC) meet regularly to provide advice and guidance on new initiatives to help the bottom line of outdoor companies and to collaborate and exchange new ideas and best practices as they navigate tariffs, supply-chain disruptions, shipping costs and other challenges to their businesses. Watch our presentation from Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2022 to learn from OIA’s outside trade counsels from Sorini Samet & Associates and members of OIATAC on the latest federal trade updates, challenges to outdoor supply chains and how OIA members are responding.

Moderator: Richard W. Harper, Jr., Director of Government Affairs, Outdoor Industry Association 

Panelists: 

Ron Sorini, Principal, Sorini, Samet & Associates, LLC

Ben Christensen, Vice President of Operations, Simms Fishing Products 

Sara Bowersox, Senior Manager of Global Trade Compliance, Keen Footwear

 

Takeaways from the session include:

  • There is broad, bi-partisan support for getting even tougher on China with regard to trade. Punitive tariffs are likely to remain in place for some time.
  • While Congress and the administration focused on domestic priorities in 2021, there’s a chance we’ll see movement on some outstanding trade items early in 2022, like renewing the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and a package of miscellaneous tariff bills.
  • Outdoor companies are dealing with unprecedented challenges in bringing products to market, from high freight costs to congestion at US ports. Work on addressing these issues has gone up considerably. Some have found success in broadening partners in freight and logistics, adding more options.
  • Looking at the year ahead, outdoor companies are looking for any opportunity to help with their bottom line, from leveraging any duty savings, streamlining supply chains to developing multiple vendor relationships.

Outdoor Retailer Industry Lunch: Engage Into Action With The Outdoorist Oath

The recently announced “Outdoorist Oath” is a new way for ALL people to engage in supporting a thriving planet and thriving people. Watch our panel from Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2022 to learn more about this action plan to advocate for the planet, inclusion, and adventure. This session provides an in-depth look at why The Oath is necessary and what the founders, Teresa Baker, Jose Gonzàléz and Pattie Gonia with support from their executive director, Gabaccia Moreno, are aiming to achieve through the Oath. Learn more about how you can engage with the Oath now and in the future.

Moderator: Jacob Fisher, Program Coordinator, Outdoor Foundation

Panelists:
Teresa Baker, In Solidarity Project Founder, Chief Trouble Maker and Oath Co-Founder
Jose Gonzalez, Founder at Latino Outdoors, Educator, Creative, Facilitator and Oath Co-Founder
Pattie Gonia, Professional Homosexual, Intersectional Environmentalist, Drag Queen and Oath Co-Founder
Gabaccia Moreno, Conservationist, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, and Oath Executive Director

Outdoor Retailer Industry Lunch: State of the Outdoor Market

Get a clear view of current activity in the outdoor market and what the future has in store for outdoor market players. Watch our presentation from Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2022 to learn about participation in outdoor activities, sales trends in outdoor, supply chain disruptions and the impacts of Covid-19 on participation and consumer perspectives. Hear what the data is telling us about supply and demand, and how the pandemic has affected all aspects of the outdoor market and participation habits. Learn about increased diversity across the participation base, the new consumer journey into the outdoor market and what opportunities the U.S. Census 2020 projections revealed. This timely and informative conversation will delve into trends spanning business, participation, consumer behavior and more, and how they all impact the outdoor market.

Presenter: Kelly Davis, Research Director, Outdoor Industry Association

Audio Outdoorist: Maine Senator Angus King and L.L.Bean Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman

In today’s episode, OIA government affairs director Rich Harper speaks with King and OIA Government Affairs Committee Chair and L.L.Bean Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman about why they support federal investments in national, state and local parks as means for driving sustainable economic growth, and they discuss how government and outdoor businesses can work together to pass equitable climate-smart legislation like the Outdoors For All Act to ensure our planet, its people and the outdoor industry continue to thrive.

Help Our Community Rebuild: Support the Boulder County Wildfire Fund

On December 30th, 2021 the most destructive wildfire in Colorado state’s history, the Marshall fire, destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and burned more than 6,200 acres in Boulder County, home to OIA’s headquarters and many staff members. Our deepest condolences go out to all of those affected.

Like many of you, we are eager to help those impacted by the wildfire. Join us in supporting Community Foundation’s Boulder County Wildfire Fund. As Boulder County’s trusted philanthropic partner for over 30 years, Community Foundation Boulder County is working closely with government and nonprofit partners to coordinate, align resources and fill gaps to support those most impacted by the wildfires. We chose to support the Community Foundation’s fund because it is community-led, centrally located, and has already stepped in to provide immediate support.

Due to the generosity of tens of thousands of donors to the Wildfire Fund, Boulder County will distribute up to $5M in financial assistance to those whose homes have been destroyed or damaged and an additional $500K to support the needs of evacuees from the fund. Learn more about the fundraiser and donate today.

Happy Holidays from OIA Executive Director

Dear Outdoor Industry Colleagues,

As 2021 comes to a close, I want to extend my deep gratitude to you—our members, partners, and industry peers who are united by a love of the outdoors and the outdoor industry. Together, we are navigating COVID-19 and ensuring the outdoors and our outdoor businesses thrive through our work on outdoor recreation and trade policy, sustainable business innovation, and outdoor equity and participation.

New research from our team—including the 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, a special report on the new outdoor participant, and our holiday season purchasing behavior special report—provides an unprecedented look into how Americans’ relationship with the outdoors has shifted. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, more Americans have turned to the outdoors for their health and recreation than ever recorded, some for the first time and others for the first time in many years. These new participants are likely to be female, young, living in an urban area, and more diverse.

This new data shows that our industry has an incredible opportunity to be inclusive and grow the outdoor economy, while expanding and diversifying our partnerships that amplify the importance of advocacy to protect our public lands and waters and tackle the impacts of a changing climate.

On the advocacy front, we galvanized policymakers and our members to promote policies and programs that create jobs, invest in recreation infrastructure, support predictable and balanced trade, and foster responsible recreation, protection, and care for our natural resources and our environment. In November, I joined President Joe Biden and a group of bipartisan lawmakers and business leaders at the signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes significant funding for outdoor recreation.

We are grateful that the outdoor industry has a seat at the table during this process and thankful that our voices were heard. The Summit in Washington, D.C., planned for May of 2022, will build upon OIA’s 2021 momentum with more opportunities for advocacy and engagement. This event will convene outdoor business executives, community partners, and policymakers to collaborate and commit to act on the most pressing issues—and greatest opportunities—affecting our industry: climate change, inclusion, and outdoor equity, with an intentional focus on their intersections within the outdoor economy.

OIA members also made major strides to address the climate crisis. The OIA Climate Action Corps, a collaborative group of 100 outdoor industry businesses working to accelerate science-based climate action and influence policy, set a bold aspiration to become the world’s first climate positive industry by 2030. This new goal seeks to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with outdoor gear and to harness the power of nature to remove more carbon than its members emit. The Corps also released its year-one progress report, demonstrating accountability toward our shared industry-wide climate positive goal and emphasizing progress over perfection. As we close out the year, OIA is helping Corps members collaborate to implement renewable energy in the U.S. and across our shared supply chains, in addition to other collaborations.

The Outdoor Foundation announced its second cohort of Thrive Outside Communities, welcoming the communities of Maine, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and the Twin Cities region to the Thrive Outside family. This expansion of communities is possible through the generous donations of OIA members. Outdoorists and community partners across the country celebrated National Thrive Outside Day, with inclusive and accessible outdoor programming and engagement opportunities in our eight Thrive Outside Communities.

As we look to the New Year and the work ahead, it’s clear that a strong and well-supported trade association is critical to accomplishing our shared goals. Thank you to those who stepped up to Leadership- and Support-level membership during the past year.

Our work continues, and we urge you to join us for what’s next. I hope to see you at Outdoor Retailer Snow Show next month, where OIA will host live education sessions designed to inform and enlighten, as well as illustrate how you can get engaged in this work in 2022.

Together We Are a Force,
Lise Aangeenbrug
OIA Executive Director