Presenters: Bret Estep, Tenaska Renewable Energy Advisory Services; Michael Sadowski, Advisor to OIA; Sue Long, Sustainability Initiative Manger, REI
Description: Green Tariffs. REC. PPA. What does it all mean? If your company wants to source renewable energy in the United States but finds the landscape of acronyms and complex terminology dizzying, join this 101 session and let us cut through the clutter to bring you the need-to-know basics.
Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of American life that relies on the health and wellbeing of the environment. Widespread access to public lands and waters is critical to maintaining and expanding the many benefits of outdoor recreation. As more and more Americans find refuge outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic, recreation can be a big piece of the economic recovery puzzle.
Americans of all ages and the outdoor industry keenly understand this – as does President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior, Debra Haaland. With her stellar track record on public lands and waters, climate change, and environmental justice, the Senate would do well to swiftly confirm her nomination.
Secretary-designate Haaland will marry outdoor policy with this potential for economic growth. Throughout her career and during her time in Congress, she has demonstrated a sharp understanding of the impact of the $788 billion outdoor recreation economy and the benefit it has to communities. She led the charge on the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act, a bill to cut bureaucratic red tape that prevents Americans from accessing outdoor spaces. She also supported the historic and broadly bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) last session, which provided much-needed funding for public lands and waters. In talking about this bill, she highlighted the close connection between environmental policy and economic recovery, saying “spending time outdoors…creates jobs in the outdoor recreation and restoration economies, but without proper federal funding, the parks, rodeo grounds, and National Parks…are vulnerable, as are the jobs that go along with them.”
In addition to increasing access to public spaces, the conservation and protection of the outdoors is of critical importance. 30×30 – the goal of conserving 30 percent of our lands and oceans by 2030 – is a top policy priority for the outdoor industry and for Haaland, too. As an industry that works closely with the Department of the Interior, it’s encouraging to see that she understands the massive opportunity to fight climate change and protect access, all while conserving public lands and waters. The outdoor industry will gladly work with her agency to develop a cohesive public and private sector action plan.
Addressing climate change is also a top priority for the entire outdoor industry. Businesses that operate in outdoor recreation have been feeling the impact of climate change for years and intimately understand the need for an aggressive, coordinated effort to address the crisis. With Deb Haaland at the helm of Interior, we believe progress can be made while leveraging the outdoor recreation economy as one part of the solution to support the traditional energy communities that will be affected by these changes. In her time in the House of Representatives, she cosponsored the Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act and introduced the Climate Stewardship Act, both of which worked to mitigate climate change by promoting natural climate solutions to keep the planet healthy. She also promised to “continue to push for natural climate solutions” going forward.
To effectively address the growing threat from climate change and protect the environment, we need everyone from Democrats and Republicans in Congress to Fortune 500 companies to park rangers to work together. Secretary-designate Haaland has a history of working across the aisle – she’s gotten more Republicans to sign on to her bills than any other Democrat in the House of Representatives. Her proven willingness to work in a bipartisan manner will be a boon for the outdoors, which after all are enjoyed by Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life.
The American people deserve an Interior Secretary that will fight for all of us. From conservation to economic recovery to climate change, Deb Haaland understands the broad impacts of decisions made by the Department of the Interior. For the good of the environment, the economy, and the people, the Senate should quickly vote to confirm her so she can get to work.
Q&A: Courtney Baltiyskyy, Policy Analyst for the YMCA of San Diego County
Courtney Baltiyskyy, a policy analyst for the YMCA of San Diego County, knows first-hand how the outdoors can immediately change a child’s mood and provide a way forward. Thanks to the Thrive Outside initiative, the YMCA and quite a few other local organizations are working together to make outdoor experiences not a “nice to have” thing in San Diego, but an essential part of every family’s experience. We asked her how the programming is going and what she hopes it achieves.
Tell us a bit about the Thrive Outside initiative in San Diego.
When the Outdoor Foundation put out the RFP for Thrive Outside grants, that brought all of us to the table to figure out how we can speak the same language and work in the same direction to leverage our collective impact. Along with The San Diego Foundation, which is the backbone organization for our Thrive Outside initiative, we’re also working with U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, the County of San Diego Parks & Recreation Department, the Nonprofit Institute at USD, Parks California, and Outdoor Outreach. We want to increase volunteers, advocacy, the number of individuals who have repeat, meaningful experiences in the outdoors, and programming around trauma response and solutions to adverse childhood experiences.
What does your community need most?
There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty here around water. We see a lot of parents who don’t know how to swim, so they’re afraid for their children to be near the water. But with increased resources and system changes, we can help mitigate that fear, provide access to swim lessons through scholarships at the YMCA so that teachers and parents are more comfortable taking their kids to the beach, and just generally offer water safety awareness so that families know when it’s safe to go to the ocean.
We’ve also been able to address justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in access to the outdoors. Outdoor Outreach, for example, one of the organizations that has benefited from Thrive Outside funding has been working with youth ages 15 to 24 who are leading these conversations. They’re discussing their experiences and helping in the decision-making process as we explore new programming and outdoor outreach, and they’re compensated for their time or given access to scholarships. One of the things they’re asking for is more resources around mental and emotional health. They’ve seen their friends and peers take their lives far too often and far more frequently than we’ve ever seen. They’re also asking to help make systematic change to keep our environment as pristine as when their grandparents saw it years ago.
How have you seen outdoor experiences influence kids you work with?
I’ve seen such a transformation in kids. I’ve worked with kids who had ADHD and were on the autism spectrum, and getting into the outdoors, even if it was just on their school campus, opened them up to such a different sensory experience and really set them up for success. My drive for the Thrive Outside initiative and the partnerships we have is really to make sure that all youth have an opportunity to do that. In the current landscape, there are just too many who disproportionately don’t have the opportunity to experience the outdoors. I spent a few years in the Peace Corps, teaching in Ukraine, and I would also use the outdoors there as a tool to take a break from the classroom during the warmer months. Ukrainian school days are extremely long and rigorous—7 or 8 hours of instruction, plus tutoring—and taking a break outdoors was a great way to unlock learning.
How have the outdoors influenced you personally?
I spent a lot of time in the outdoors through Girl Scouts more than any other agency. My mom was our leader, and I had the same group of friends in Girl Scouts from Daisies all the way until we were seniors in high school. We went on regular camping trips or ski and snowboard trips, and even as adults, with our own families, we’re all still very close. I went to Girl Scout resident camp in the summers and that helped me get out of my comfort zone and try new things. It has inspired me to make sure that my own kids have those experiences and have really mindful moments in the outdoors, as well as to think about how we can be stewards of the environment in a really intentional way.
What’s your vision for the ultimate outdoor access for kids growing up today?
When we consider the broad spectrum of where youth and families are already engaging, I would hope that the outdoors is a component of each of those touch points. So if a family is going through counseling services, the outdoors is a touch point. If you’re going to school, the outdoors is a regular touch point. When people are going to community-based organizations for out-of-school programming, the outdoors should be a huge touch point. I would want to see outdoor experiences intentionally being a part of each experience that a youth or a family has, so that it’s seamlessly integrated into their identity development.
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.
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
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:
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:
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.
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.
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:
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
Outdoor Recreation Is an Economic Force; Accounts for Over 2 Percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product
November 20, 2020
How is the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) study different from the OIA economic study?
The featured BEA measures include gross output, a measure of outdoor recreation goods and services produced by domestic industries; and value added, a measure of the contribution of outdoor recreation industries to gross domestic product (the primary measure of economic activity in the nation). OIA’s study measures consumer spending on all gear-related expenses and associated travel for outdoor recreation, including spending on imported products.
How does the $842B nominal gross output ($788B real gross output*) contribution line up with the OIA’s $887 billion consumer spending on outdoor recreation?
Both are true, they just measure different economic contributors. The BEA satellite account measures gross output while OIA’s study measures consumer spending on all gear-related expenses and associated travel for outdoor recreation.
It is important to note; the BEA estimate only includes the wholesale and retail mark-ups applied to imported products while the OIA’s figures report all consumer spending.
* Current-dollar estimates are valued in the prices of the period when the transactions occurred—that is, at “market value.” Also referred to as “nominal estimates” or as “current-price estimates.” Chained-dollar (Real) estimates are calculated by taking the current-dollar level of a series in the base period and multiplying it by the change in the chained-type quantity index number for the series since the base period. Chained dollar estimates correctly show growth rates for a series but are not additive in periods other than the base period.
What is the methodology of the OIA Outdoor Recreation Economy Report?
BEA’s analysis for the time period 2012-2019 was just released on November 10. We have not had an opportunity to review the methodology at this point, but what we do know is that our economic report is based on consumer spending, while the BEA’s numbers are focused on measuring gross output and value added.
Essentially, our economic report – which is basic economic input-output modeling – starts with the consumer and works down to the manufacturing/imports point. The BEA goes the opposite direction, starting with production in manufacturing and other industries and works up to the consumer. This approach uses different data sets and methods which accounts for differences, too.
What is the difference between gross output and value added (or GDP)?
Gross output (GO) is the measure of total economic activity in the production of goods and services. It is a much broader measure of the economy than gross domestic product (GDP), which measures final output (finished goods and services).
This article was published Thursday, Nov. 5. For updates as of Nov. 10 and a deeper dive into these insights, watch our Post-Election Analysis webinar.
At the time of publication, the Associated Press has declared a presidential victor in all but a handful of states, leaving pivotal Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania up in the air. A few key Senate seats, including two in Georgia and one in North Carolina and more than 30 House seats, are also too close to call. But with help from our D.C.-based consultants at Forbes Tate Partners, we’ve gamed out the various potential scenarios to explore what the White House and Congress could look like, who are likely to be key players on our issues, what can we expect between now and inauguration and how the outcomes might influence our work moving forward.
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Democrats Poised to Hold the House, But Republicans Gain More Seats Than Expected
What Does This Mean: Democrats will retain control of the House but fell well short of expectations to pick up between 10 and 15 seats. In fact, Republicans may still gain some seats, narrowing the Democratic majority. While we believe the House will remain active on climate issues in the new Congress, it’s possible that, combined with Republicans likely retaining the Senate, Democrats might temper their ambitions when it comes to putting together a climate package. Likewise, while we could see additional protections for public lands and waters, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will have to be mindful of what she brings to the floor given her possible reduced majority. On trade, the House will likely continue to prioritize labor and environmental protections in any trade deals, as well as—for the first time—binding climate provisions.
While we believe the House will remain active on climate issues in the new Congress, it’s possible that, combined with Republicans likely retaining the Senate, Democrats might temper their ambitions when it comes to putting together a climate package. Likewise, while we could see additional protections for public lands and waters, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will have to be mindful of what she brings to the floor given her possible reduced majority.
Republicans Likely to Hold Senate
What Does This Mean: While control of the Senate is still officially undecided, it is likely that Republicans will retain control. One or both of the Senate races in Georgia could go to a run-off in January, and the Republican candidate would be favored in both races. Democrats picked up seats previously held by Republicans in Arizona and Colorado, while Republicans flipped Alabama. As we saw with the Great American Outdoors Act, we could still see movement on recreation and conservation issues with a Republican Senate, though it will be tougher to pass more robust climate initiatives. Passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) suggests that a Democratic House and Republican Senate could work together on international trade issues.
As we saw with the Great American Outdoors Act, we could still see movement on recreation conservation issues with a Republican Senate, though it will be tougher to pass more robust climate initiatives. Passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) suggests that a Democratic House and Republican Senate could work together on international trade issues.
Biden Has a Clearer Path to Victory
What Does This Mean: While the race has not yet been officially called (though that could happen as soon as today), indications are that Biden will win the presidency by successfully flipping Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Aggressive action on climate will remain a top priority for his administration, but if Republicans maintain control of the Senate, Democrats will likely set aside more ambitious plans. The Great American Outdoors Act shows how Republicans and Democrats can work together on conservation issues and additional public lands and waters protections. On trade, Biden will prioritize “Made in America” and a more multilateral approach to trade disputes, relying on dialogue and negotiation rather than punitive tariffs. That being said, China Section 301 tariffs are likely to remain for the foreseeable future. Biden and the Democratic House will push Senate Republicans on strong labor and environmental and climate provisions in any new trade deals, using USMCA as a model.
New Faces Likely, Whoever Wins
What Does This Mean: Obviously, with a Biden presidency, we will see new leadership at Interior, Commerce, the Office of the United States Trade Representative and other agencies, with dramatically different priorities on issues affecting the outdoors and the outdoor industry. Should Biden win, his nominees for those positions will be released over the next several weeks. With a Republican-controlled Senate, he may be compelled to send over more moderate nominees.
Republicans have term limits on their chairs. Democrats do not, and they appoint committee chairs and ranking members based on seniority.
House Natural Resources
House Ways & Means
Senate Energy & Natural Resources
Senate Environment & Public Works
Senate Finance
Prospects for a Lame Duck
We have seen early signals that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker Pelosi will push for a Covid-relief package in the lame duck session, in addition to an omnibus spending bill to keep the government open through the end of the fiscal year. It is unclear, however, if an outgoing President Trump will have any interest in working with congressional leadership on either issue. It is possible that Congress could pass a short-term spending bill and consider the broader spending bill and Covid relief when the new Congress is sworn in in January.
