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Good Shopping

By Jan Nesset

I hit the road in early August for Salt Lake City to attend the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show, an annual gathering of 30,000 people clamoring around more than 1,000 booths occupied by outdoor gear dealers, retailers, writers, photogs and advocates.

The show is our best opportunity to check out the latest outdoor gear, identify trends in the outdoor industry and track down national advertisers.

It was no surprise to see so much amazing gear (you'll see some of it in future issues), but what really took our breath was the trend - one dealer I spoke with called it a "wave" - of outdoor businesses to support causes that help either the environment or people. An outdoor business attaching itself to a cause is not new, but to the extent it has overtaken the outdoor industry is. It was difficult to find a dealer that wasn't making an effort to reduce its global footprint through the practice of environmental sustainability and green business practices.

For examples, prAna, an outdoor clothing company, promotes wind-generated power in its Natural Power Initiative. Since 2005, prAna's collective impact has prevented the emission of 22,112 metric tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. Patagonia continues to pledge 1 percent of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. Even Starbucks, serving coffee across the street from the show, saved 78,000 trees and conserved enough electricity to power 650 homes in its first year of making coffee cups of 10 percent recycled material.

The next time you shop for outdoor products, look at the hangtag for a description of how the company supports the environment or a website address where you can get more information.

It may affect how you choose to shop.