Patagonia Launches ‘Dating Site’ for Outdoors Activism

Enter your skills, search for movements you’re passionate about, and connect with groups that need your specific help.

Patagonia’s latest product isn’t for sale. The southern California-based outerwear behemoth now wants its legion of followers to be activists on their own time.

To that end, today the brand launched Patagonia Action Works, an online tool for activists and would-be volunteers to connect with organizations fighting for environmental issues. And to help lift the program off the ground, Patagonia will embark on a two-month nationwide tour to help mobilize local groups and individuals.

Patagonia Action Works

“If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that things aren’t going very well for the planet.” The foreboding words of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard kick off a teaser video that announced the initiative today.

Though grim, Chouinard’s warning may serve as a rallying call of sorts to spur the Patagonia faithful into action. Historically, the brand has favored a change-through-education approach with its customers. From Capitol-bound petitions to traveling repair clinics and full-page “don’t buy our stuff” ads, Patagonia has done most of the heavy lifting.

That is, until now. With Patagonia Action Works, individuals take the reins and connect with organizations for direct action.

Users sign up at the Action Works page. There, they can find environmental initiatives happening near their city. Or, Patagonia offers a searchable database of organizations separated into “grant categories,” including Biodiversity, Climate, Communities, Land, and Water.

Though the brand already has a large cache of partner organizations, environmental groups can also sign up with Action Works to reach volunteers.

In all, the platform will provide people opportunities to take action, both in their community and in larger campaigns. Action Works will have petitions, a calendar of events, local volunteer postings, and a donation portal.

“This platform makes it easy to connect with organizations in your neighborhood who are working every day on local issues,” said Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario. “We have decades of experience with these groups, and our collective grassroots actions can add up to the change we need to make a better world.”

What types of organizations will you find? A quick search brought up groups like Snowriders International, the Colorado Water Trust, Twin Cities Trout Unlimited, Surfrider Foundation, and the Everglades Foundation just to name a few.

Patagonia Action Works Tour

To help kick off what Chouinard calls the “dating site” for activists, Patagonia will travel to 10 cities across the U.S. The brand hopes this national tour “unites community members with environmental organizations.”

Beginning Feb. 9, the tour will hit Santa Monica, Calif.; Burlington, Vt.;  Portland, Ore.; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; New York City; Chicago; Reno, Nev.; Seattle; and Boulder, Colo. Check the Action Works page for info on the stops and to learn more.