Letter from New OIA President Kent Ebersole

Dear members and fellow catalysts,

I’m so pleased to be able to share the news of my appointment to the role of President for the Outdoor Industry Association with you. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and close partnership with our Board, my dedicated staff and passionate committee members who have supported my onboarding journey over the past 7 months. Like many of you, it’s my passion for the outdoors and desire for value-based collaboration that I believe will set OIA up for success for this year and into the next decade.

I have one crystal clear priority that motivates me every day.  As OIA President, I will ensure that OIA continues to be the industry’s catalyst for meaningful change. We’re an incredibly broad reaching member-led collective that stands for positive progress in every element of the industry. But we have evolved since then to be much clearer about the value of our core pillars.

OIA’s industry-defining research is a force for change allowing you to better understand the markets and the consumers you care about. In 2023, we are launching 3 new research products & services, including new consumer reports, specialty sport reports, and consumer panels.

OIA’s tireless government affairs team is a force for collective action. There are now 16 State Offices of Recreation (OREC), and we look forward to welcoming 2 more states by the end of 2023. We won’t stop until we achieve the creation of 50 bipartisan state offices, working together to protect and sustain our water, air, land, and wildlife for current and future generations. Equally, in 2023 and until it passes, OIA is committed to seeing America’s Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA) through, the single biggest piece of federal legislation that will increase outdoor opportunities by funding infrastructure and economic opportunities for gateway communities and underserved populations across the nation.

OIA is a force for sustainable growth. Since 2019, over 100 members have joined the Climate Action Corps committed to the work of reducing industry-wide greenhouse gas emissions. In 2023 and beyond, we are focused on enlisting at least 80% of the outdoor industry to meet an aggressive but achievable goal of becoming a climate positive industry by 2030. In addition, we are launching a brand-new program and working group, the Clean Chemistry Coalition, to swiftly meet the needs of retailers, manufacturers, and distributors for implementing a thoughtful and phased approach to eliminating PFAS and other harmful chemicals from outdoor products.

OIA is a force for inclusion. Through the Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative, we continue to make multi-year investments in 13 community programs and countless leaders who already know what they need to harness the benefits of spending time outdoors. In addition to our work of shaping equitable access through legislative means, and upholding OREC’s guidance of partnering with tribal members as co-managers of natural resources, OIA is evolving inclusion initiatives through internal culture and collaborations and creating a diverse pipeline of people who can see themselves as our industry’s next product designers, testers and sustainability champions. We know that we will always have work to ensure the outdoor industry represents and serves all backgrounds and voices. But as a catalyst, we are committed to iterating for the vital success of the outdoor industry.

Finally, I see OIA as a force for connection. We are doubling down on valuable products and services and introducing new programs and offerings. We are modernizing operations and changing how we deliver membership experiences so that the information and services you want and need are timely, highly relevant, and personalized to your business. We are doing this so that you, our members, can be catalysts in your own right—sustainability champions, product innovators, community builders, climate change agents, or business leaders.

Notwithstanding the current economic climate, I believe that one of the reasons we lost momentum is because we didn’t connect the dots on how our work supports your business and the communities you care about.  But this is what catalysts do—we “connect the dots, set things in motion, and learn continually”*. The nature of catalyst work is complex and much of it is invisibly and swiftly happening behind the scenes. We are pivoting to meet the needs of your business today but always with an eye on the future horizon.

While OIA has been charting this map for a minute, 30 minutes of years to be exact, we’re going to need your boots on the ground to help tread the path. To those of you who have been members for years and years, thank you for continuing to align your business commitments with our values. For those of you that have recently joined OIA, let me be the first to extend a very warm welcome. Your voice and support are just what this industry needs to make better and do better.

Together, we are a member-led collective and the industry’s catalyst for meaningful change.

Kent Ebersole
President
Outdoor Industry Association

Letter to the Industry from Lise Aangeenbrug, OIA Executive Director

Dear OIA members,

With deep appreciation and mixed emotions, I am writing to you today to share that I will be resigning as executive director of Outdoor Industry Association as of August 19, 2022.Despite the many challenges we have seen as an industry and nation over the last two and a half years, the outdoor industry remains strong, and our members remain engaged. The outdoor industry’s trade association is traveling in the best direction possible, which gives me confidence as I leave OIA to take some time to recharge outside and then join the National Park Foundation. Protecting and restoring public lands and waters and ensuring an outdoors for all has always been a major focus and motivation in my career.I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve the outdoor industry and be a part of the accomplishments that the OIA team achieved for our members over the past several years. Like our industry, we had to pivot as the pandemic upended our business and personal lives, but we came out stronger for it.Together, we bolstered OIA’s state and federal advocacy for the outdoors; championed trade and tariff policies that benefit the outdoor industry; represented the outdoor industry at the White House; built partnerships such as the Outdoor Industry Business Certificate programs with universities; enhanced our research capabilities; created and implemented a new community grant program for the Outdoor Foundation; launched and championed the Climate Action Corps; created The Summit, a new industry thought leadership event; and built a new business model that reflects OIA member priorities.  Under the leadership of the OIA Board of Directors and COO Dr. Arlene Charles and powered by a dedicated and talented staff, OIA is poised to continue to deliver member value and bring the outdoor industry together around collective action for business, people, and the planet.It truly has been an amazing two and a half years at OIA and two years prior to that with OIA’s charitable arm, the Outdoor Foundation, working with a range of industry companies, from mom-and-pop shops to large iconic brands. As I transition into a more philanthropic role in partnership with many in the outdoor industry, I would like to thank you all for the opportunity you have given me to serve our industry and lead its work.The OIA Board is actively searching for an interim executive director with strong industry and management experience, and the search for a permanent executive director will begin shortly. We will share more information about that process with the industry in the coming weeks.Please do not hesitate to reach out to me; Arlene Charles, COO; or Phyllis Grove, OIA Board chair, if you have concerns or questions.Sincerely, 

Lise Aangeenbrug Executive Director  Outdoor Industry AssociationAbout the Outdoor Industry Association

Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry. For more than 30 years, OIA has served as the trusted convenor, resource, and voice of the outdoor industry. OIA unites and serves manufacturers, suppliers, sales representatives, and retailer members through its focus on trade and recreation policy, sustainable business innovation, and outdoor participation. The association provides its members with insights, advocacy, and opportunities for action that support the long-term success of outdoor businesses and ensure the outdoor experience for all.  For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org 

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

Remembering Patricia Rojas-Ungar

OIA was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of our former Vice President of Government Affairs, Patricia Rojas-Ungar. She was a passionate and inspiring advocate for the outdoors and our members and she will be sorely missed.

A long-time government affairs executive and devoted wife and mother, Patricia passed away in Washington, DC, on August 26, 2021. She was 47 years old.

Alma Patricia Rojas-Ungar was born December 2, 1973, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to Elvira Guerra and Jaime Rojas. Patricia earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Houston in 2001.

Early in her career, Patricia worked helping children in Brazil, then continued on in Houston working with inner-city youth at I Have a Dream-Houston as a project coordinator. Her interest and passion for the public sector led her to work in both the United States Congress and Senate, followed by a successful career spanning 20 years in lobbying and government affairs where she advocated on behalf of issues close to her heart. She held senior roles in The U.S. Travel Association and the Outdoor Industry Association and most recently was a vice president at Strategic Marketing Innovations, Inc.

Patricia’s efforts earned her recognition as a top lobbyist from The Hill, Washingtonian Magazine, CEO Update and Association Trends. In 2011, she was named by the Washingtonian as one of DC’s Top 40 Under 40.

“During her time at OIA, Patricia brought a clear passion for advocacy to work every day, and it’s no wonder she was recognized by her colleagues in D.C. as a top lobbyist,” said OIA Director of Government Affairs Rich Harper.

We grieve with family, friends and colleagues and send our condolences to her husband and children.

Donations in Patricia’s memory can be made to a GoFundMe to support her children and to the UN Refugee Agency.

You can read her full obituary here.

OIA Elects Three Returning and Two First-Term Board Members

We would like to thank all the member companies who participated in the 2021 election. We are happy to announce and introduce the three returning directors as well as the two new incoming directors, who will officially begin their three-year terms at the upcoming board meeting in July:

  • JONATHAN CEDAR, BioLite CEO and Co-Founder
  • PHYLLIS GROVE, Hydro Flask VP Marketing & eCommerce
  • SARAH MATT, Toad&Co VP Brand, Marketing & Sales
  • BRUCE OLD, Patagonia VP of Global Wholesale
  • JANICE TENNANT, Merrell Chief Marketing Officer

FULL BIOS BELOW

We appreciate the continued service of the existing directors and look forward to bringing on two new directors representing the outdoor industry. It’s more important than ever that OIA represent the breadth of brands, retailers and consumers who love the outdoors.

The OIA board of directors provides guidance for the organization’s overall strategic direction, establishes policies and positions, monitors the association’s financial health, programs and overall performance and prepares the industry and association for the future, ensuring OIA’s success as an organization and for its members. The five directors in the class of 2021 bring the experience, perspectives and skill to help guide our industry out of the pandemic and into a future with thriving outdoor businesses, thriving outdoor communities and a thriving planet.

 

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Jonathan Cedar
BioLite CEO and Co-Founder

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?
Over my first term as an OIA Board Director, I have focused my efforts on strengthening our sustainability pillar and reinforcing financial resilience in the face of COVID and a changing marketplace. If elected to a second term, I would continue to support OIA’s focus on climate action as well as advocate for evolving our service offerings to maximize member value.

The outdoor industry has a proud history of leading with our values and being rewarded by our customers for doing so. As a board member, I would leverage my experience founding two mission-driven organizations, BioLite and Climate Neutral, to coach the continued development and refinement of our Climate Action Corps with a focus on enabling our member companies to achieve quantifiable carbon reductions that are both believable and motivating for our collective consumers.

The pandemic has accelerated changes in how consumers interact with brands and retailers, and OIA needs to evolve our service offerings in ways that support the new landscapes our members are navigating. Some areas I believe OIA can help member brands navigate include evolving strategies for go-to-market, collecting market intelligence, developing and retaining talent and building a more inclusive industry for both our teams and customers.

Background:

Jonathan Cedar is CEO and co-founder of BioLite, a social enterprise on a mission to empower people and protect the planet through access to renewable energy. To date, BioLite has reached over 2 million people living in energy poverty with our clean cooking, charging and lighting products. Our unique business model, called Parallel Innovation, invests deeply in renewable energy technologies and then commercializes those products in both outdoor recreation and emerging markets. The income from our recreation market sales generates the investment capital needed to reach scale in our emerging markets, putting the company on a path to lift 20 million people out of energy poverty by 2025.

Jonathan is also the co-founder and a board director at Climate Neutral Certified, a nonprofit that seeks to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy by enabling consumers to make climate-responsible purchasing decisions. To date, Climate Neutral had certified over 300 brands, representing over $4 billion in annual consumer spending and avoiding more than 1M tCO2e in 2020.

Before starting BioLite, Jonathan was a senior design engineer at Smart Design, a New York-based product development consultancy, where he led teams that created consumer durable products ranging from housewares to biomedical devices. Before working as a product designer and entrepreneur, Jonathan began his career in the outdoor industry-leading youth backpacking expeditions, working as a ski patroller, ski instructor and environmental educator on an ocean-going research school ship. Jonathan holds a BA in engineering and environmental science from Dartmouth College.

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Phyllis Grove

Hydro Flask VP Marketing & eCommerce

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?
Over my first term as an OIA Board director, I have enjoyed working with the OIA staff and board to deepen and expand engagement with our members and support our work to progress Thriving Business, Thriving People and a Thriving Planet. My 20+ years in marketing leadership positions, including leadership roles at outdoor brands Hydro Flask, KEEN and Mountain Hardwear, have helped inform my contributions to OIA’s strategic plan evolution and the organization’s strengthened focus on our members. I believe my customer orientation combined with my marketing and strategic leadership experience will be an important match for the OIA Board as we continue to focus on adding member value and finalizing the strategic plan for our next five years and beyond.

For the last two years, I have chaired the OIA Board’s Nominating & Governance Committee. My experience leading and developing teams has helped the committee work to continually improve the board’s capabilities and diversify its composition. As a lifelong hiker, I find inspiration and rejuvenation in the outdoors and am passionate about making a national impact: encouraging more people to recreate outside, protecting the outdoors and supporting the outdoor industry.

Background:
Phyllis Grove is a seasoned executive with marketing, e-commerce and general management experience and has been the VP of Marketing & eCommerce at Hydro Flask for the last five years. She decided to align her work with her love for the outdoors during the second phase of her career. She first joined Mountain Hardwear as the global head of marketing and later was the VP of Marketing for KEEN. She loves working in an industry and for brands committed to helping people lead happier, healthier lives by spending time outdoors.

Phyllis has demonstrated success understanding the customer, building brands, growing businesses and developing high-performing teams. Prior to joining the outdoor industry, Phyllis worked in a variety of industries, including consumer packaged goods, food, consumer electronics and natural products. Phyllis built her strategic marketing foundation at Procter & Gamble and Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream. Her other functional roles include leading product management and heading a business team at Kensington Technology Group. She received a Bachelor of Science in business administration, with a concentration in marketing and international management, and a minor in French from Georgetown University.

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Sarah Matt
Toad&Co VP Brand, Marketing & Sales

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?
After 15 years at leading New York City B2B and B2C marketing agencies, in 2013 Sarah turned to independent consulting and relocated to Santa Barbara, California. Sarah wanted to apply her experience in positioning and marketing Fortune 500 companies to ones similar to the company she had grown up in–an entrepreneurial, fourth-generation family beer business. While enjoying a diverse and engaging client roster, Sarah was hired by Horny Toad to rebrand and subsequently relaunch the company as Toad&Co. Sarah officially joined the Toad&Co team in 2015 to lead the marketing momentum behind its re-launch. Since joining, Sarah has overseen e-commerce and wholesale sales and today sits on the executive leadership team as VP of brand, marketing and sales. Sarah’s passion is people–from consumer understanding and brand connection, to volunteering with the community foodbank and Women’s Economic Ventures Group, to her strong commitment to friendships and family. Sarah’s strong belief that our outlook drives our outcome, combined with a solution-oriented, hard-working disposition and personable approach is what she attributes her success to.

Background:
I believe Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has an opportunity to drive greater awareness of its principal beliefs and purpose among its members, as well as a broader consumer audience. The result of such efforts would be (i) a deeper engagement in existing member organizations, (ii) expanded membership within and outside the industry and (iii) potential restructured revenue opportunities. I would leverage my career in consumer insight, brand positioning and marketing to understand key connection points to help shape the OIA message and communications strategy. As an industry, we have benefited from the global COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to everyone being outside. Now is the time to intersect and build on that momentum to drive inclusivity, accessibility and our next generation of ambassadors to continue to scale environmental awareness and a sustainable lifestyle. OIA has a tremendous opportunity to be at the forefront of this movement, and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to it.

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Bruce Old
Patagonia VP of Global Wholesale

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?

I have just completed my first term as an OIA Board member, where I continue to serve on the Sustainable Business Innovation (SBI) Committee. Within my first term and alongside other committee members and OIA staff, I participated in the development and go-forward plan for our industry’s position on climate via the Climate Action Corps. This key initiative for OIA, with over 100 member companies participating, puts our industry and members in a leadership position relative to measuring, planning and reducing our emissions. I also led and participated in task forces focused on the following areas: programs to grow member value, funding for deeper or additional programming from OIA and oversight on the health of the Association in and out of this pandemic time.

My recent work at Patagonia has encompassed areas like the establishment of our Justice and Antiracism Strategy, navigating pandemic impacts and developing the next generation of industry leaders. If elected to a second term, I will use my experience and expertise to help with the following key areas for our members:

Participation – We need to expand our outdoor experiences for everyone. Inclusivity and encouraging the enjoyment of the outdoors or outdoor sports at all levels will have a positive effect on all our businesses.

Diversity and Inclusion – Many of us are learning the upsides that come with creating outcomes based on belonging and equity. This work and our industry embracing these changes will be imperative for our customers, businesses and members.

Climate and Wilderness protection – With more participants enjoying the outdoors, we get more help and support protecting it. It’s also critical for the industry to have a point of view here, which we are doing at OIA through the Climate Action Corps.

The Pandemic – While some retailers and brands in our industry have weathered the pandemic well financially, there are many challenges ahead as we confront the next chapters. OIA needs to play a large part in helping our members navigate what’s next.

Background:
Bruce Old works at Patagonia where he oversees the Wholesale Sales, Operations, and Service teams. His first job at Patagonia was in the Retail stores where he started as a shipping coordinator, and he has held about 15 or so different roles across the organization since those early days. Bruce’s roles have always been focused on the customer experience – spanning our Patagonia dealers, our retail stores and our digital channels. He and his family live, work and enjoy our public lands while based in Reno, Nevada.

Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. A certified B Corporation, Patagonia’s mission is to save our home planet. The company is recognized internationally for its commitment to authentic product quality and environmental activism, donating 1% of sales annually, contributing over $100 million in grants and in-kind donations since 1985.

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Janice Tennant
Merrell Chief Marketing Officer

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?

I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for this OIA Board position. It has been a lifelong passion of mine to increase participation of diverse populations in the outdoors by combining my degree in physical and health education from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, with my over 15 years of brand marketing experience across such well-recognized brands as Tropicana, Quaker Oats, Huggies and Merrell.

If elected as a new OIA Board member, I would bring to the board a consumer-driven strategic marketing perspective to help the organization assess and research the changing landscape, identify key strategic pillars of growth and develop action plans to help drive both growth and greater awareness of OIA. With a proven track record of doing this successfully for consumer brands and nonprofit organizations, I know I can help OIA navigate today’s complex issues of diversity, equity and inclusion; climate change; and funding alternatives. However, since many of you are not familiar with me, I leave you with these words:

“Working with Janice, the team feels inspired to push ourselves to the limit of creativity and solutions that solve true business issues.”  — Shelbie Stewart, former SVP, Executive Group Director, Geometry Global

Background:
Janice Tennant is chief marketing officer at Merrell who believes that everyone should have the right to experience the joys of the outdoors. For over 15 years, she has tapped her passion for consumers to grow globally recognized brands at PepsiCo, Kimberly-Clark and Wolverine Worldwide. With a commitment to building a marketing culture of curiosity and innovation, she continues to find new ways to empower the next generation of marketers through the labyrinth of the digital world by creating brands with purpose that drive more meaningful consumer connections.

Janice holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel-Hill, and a B.A. and B.P.H.E. from Queen’s University in Canada. On weekends, you will find her hiking across Michigan with her two boys with the goal of passing on the joy of the outdoors.

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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