Backcountryoutlet.com Newsletter Articles

How to be a Green Gearhead

In today’s world the term Green has all too often become just another marketing ploy—a way to lure consumers into feeling a little less guilty and marketers to mark up prices. Even at Backcountry.com, where the scent of patchouli lingers in the hall and the fridge is crammed full of organic burritos, hypocrisy is rampant (I wonder what the carbon footprint of driving sixteen hours to go kayaking last weekend was?). We know that the products we sell, and are addicted to ourselves, come at an environmental cost. It takes oil to make my polyester long underwear, and chemicals to get the funk out after wearing it for a week. While we can’t eliminate all of the environmental costs of using and selling outdoor gear, we can try to minimize our impact. We started The Green Goat to call attention to manufacturers that are taking steps to make their products and manufacturing processes more sustainable. As a consumer, you can limit the environmental impact of your addiction too. By asking a few questions before buying a new piece of gear you can make yourself, and the earth, happier with your purchase. Here are some questions to think about:

1. Will the product last?

Ultimately, the item you’re buying will go in a landfill once it wears out, unless of course, you recycle it (see below), or sell it on e-bay to some poor sucker. You can limit this waste by choosing the highest quality gear possible. Companies such as The North Face, Patagonia, Kelty, Arc’teryx, GoLite, Columbia, as well as many other manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on their products. If something breaks, send it in and they’ll either repair it for free or fix it for a small charge.

Recycle your gear!

Patagonia’s Common Threads program recycles old Patagonia Capilene, Patagonia T-shirts, and Polartec fleece from other manufacturers. Simply mail your old garment to Patagonia or drop it off at one of Patagonia’s retail locations. From the retail locations, the garments are shipped to Reno, NV, then to a recycling facility in Japan. The impact of shipping to Japan is not significant, because the container ships usually travel empty to Japan anyway. Your old fleece will be reincarnated into a brand new garment, ready for another lifetime of outdoor adventure.

2. Is the product multifunctional?

I know packs are cool, but do you really need a crag pack, ultra-light pack, overnight pack, and an expedition pack? Can you use your waterproof shell for climbing and skiing instead of buying two? Many pieces of gear can be used for multiple activities. For example, a light windbreaker like the GoLite Ether Windshirt can be used for climbing, backpacking, cycling or hiking. A 4000 cubic inch (69L) pack like the Osprey Exposure 66 Pack could be used for climbing, lightweight backpacking, or even ski or snowboard tours.

3. Is the product the right fit?

There’s no point buying gear you won’t use. If a piece of gear doesn’t fit your needs, it’s more likely to end up in your attic, or in a landfill. From our costumer reviews to our army of Gearheads, our goal is to set you up with a piece of gear that matches your needs. Please take advantage and give our customer service reps another excuse to talk gear.

4. Does the product use “Green” materials?

Organic Cotton-
It takes 5oz of chemicals to grow enough cotton for one T-shirt. 90% of those chemicals end up in streams, the soil, or in our bodies. Conventionally grown cotton accounts for 25% of all insecticides and 10% of all pesticides used globally. According to the WTO, at least 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide ingestion in developing countries, many of them from cotton farming. Organic cotton production has significantly less environmental impact, and is generally more healthy for workers and neighboring communities. In order of cotton to be deemed organic, it must be grown for at least three years without these harmful chemicals. You’ll find organic cotton in our own line of Backcountry.com T-shirts, as well as in apparel by Of the Earth, Horny Toad, Planet Earth, Patagonia, and prAna.

Hemp-
The oldest cultivated fiber known (it’s a weed, man), hemp requires relatively little water to grow and per acre of land, it produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax. It’s extremely durable and very mildew resistant, although it’s not as soft as cotton. If it wasn’t for the antiquated political fury over industrial hemp’s forgetful cousin, we’d all be driving hemp powered cars and reading our NORML newsletters on hemp paper. You’ll find hemp in products from Of the Earth, prAna, and Kavu. The Of the Earth Grocery Bag uses 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton and has the added bonus of replacing the need for disposable plastic grocery bags.

Wool-
Wool has been used in clothing for over 12,000 years, and for good reason—it naturally regulates temperature, wicks moisture, resists mildew, resists odor, and is flame retardant (key for sustainable bon-fire jumping). However, not all wool is created equal. The environmental impact of wool depends on grazing practices at the source ranch and how the wool is processed at the textile factory. The Patagonia Wool 3 Zip Neck Shirt is treated with a gentle, biodegradable eco-wash, not the chlorine wash that some other manufacturers use. Ibex, SmartWool, and Patagonia buy their wool from sheep ranches that use responsible grazing practices. Recently, all New Zealand sheep ranchers (where Ibex, SmartWool, Patagonia, and Icebreaker get there Merino wool) pledged to phase out the cruel practice of mulesing. You’ll find wool in products from Ibex, Icebreaker, SmartWool, Patagonia, and Horny Toad.

Recycled Materials-
Using recycled materials cuts down on the need to use virgin materials and keeps waste out of landfills. Of course, there is a hidden cost to recycling—the energy used for transportation and chemicals used in processing all have an environmental footprint. However, in many cases, recycling is still more efficient than using raw materials. Patagonia has been using recycled soda bottles to make their Synchilla line of fleece garments for years, and has expanded the use of recycled material throughout their product line.

The use of recycled materials isn’t limited to clothing. This spring, Osprey came out with the Resource Series. Each pack in the series uses fabric made from at least 70% recycled materials. Osprey makes the pack body out of Recycled PET (the same stuff Patagonia Synchilla fleeces are made of), and molds the buckles out of reground plastic scrap. More environmentally friendly practices are being applied to shoes as well. Teva, Keen, Patagonia Footwear, and Simple all offer footwear that uses sustainable materials. For example, the Simple Loaf-Off Road Shoe features bamboo liners, natural latex footbeds, and soles made of recycled car tires and natural crepe.

Other Materials-
While apparel and footwear are obvious products to incorporate green materials, some hardgoods manufacturers have started to use more environmentally conscious materials as well. For example, the Arbor Pin Longboard uses sustainably harvested maple, koa, and bamboo wood in the deck. The fastest growing woody plant species on earth, bamboo can be harvested in three to five years, versus 10-20 years for most softwood species. Arbor even blends bamboo with organic cotton in their T-shirt line, to produce shirts that naturally resist odor. Other manufacturers are finding innovative uses for coconut shells. The Cannondale LE Bike Jersey and Golite’s Drimove Short Sleeve Shirt both use carbon particles derived from coconut shells. The technique produces garments that wick sweat, resist odor, and protect from UV rays better than ordinary polyester. Horny Toad’s Felix Shirt uses fibers derived from sustainably harvested beech trees.

5. What else is the manufacturer doing to limit its environmental impact?

Using eco-friendly materials doesn’t make a company “Green”. The best companies have adopted sustainable practices throughout their entire operation. For example, in 2005, prAna made the commitment to offset electrical energy usage at 250 prAna retailers across the country, their corporate headquarters, and the homes of their full time employees by buying Green-e certified tradable renewable energy certificates. Other outdoor companies are stepping up to the plate as well. GoLite has publicly pledged to become both carbon neutral and a zero waste business by 2010. La Sportiva has been using wind power since 2005, and has recently teamed up with Eco-Cycle to work toward the goal of becoming a zero waste company. Patagonia takes environmentally consciousness farther than anyone in the industry. Patagonia gives environmental grants to grassroots organizations and started the Conservation Alliance in 1989. Because Patagonia realizes that no matter how hard it, or any other company, tries, they can never completely eliminate their environmental impact, the company pays a self-imposed environmental tax—1% of sales go to environmental causes. In 2001, Craig Mathews and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard started 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that pledge to pay the 1% enviro-tax. Backcountry.com vendors Fox River, Sigg, and Mountain Khaki all have taken the 1% for the Planet pledge.

Author’s Rant

It’s no surprise that outdoor-oriented companies have led the charge towards greener business models, manufacturing techniques, and materials. Their (and our) costumer base has a much deeper connection to the natural world than most of the population. While the term ‘Green’ may be being subverted by main stream marketers, the trend is a testament to a shifting consciousness and impact companies like Patagonia have made on the larger market place. Industry leaders like Patagonia, GoLite, and Of the Earth may make mistakes and fall victim to hypocrisy at times, but they are making the learning curve less steep for others, and proving economic and ecological principles can coexist. Ultimately, the wave of companies looking to attain “Green” status is fueled by environmentally conscious gearheads like you and me. Each purchase you make (or don’t make) tells manufacturers what is important to you. With some foresight, you can turn your buying power into a statement of values, and that’s what truly green consumerism is all about.