The Conservation Alliance will hold its second Backyard Collective event of 2015 on Thursday, April 23, in Oakland, Calif. The Conservation Alliance is teaming up with Save The Bay to organize a day of wetland restoration at Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline, following a successful event in Santa Barbara on April 16.
More than 250 volunteers are expected to participate with employee representatives from member companies including: Ahnu, CamelBak, Clif Bar, GU Energy Labs, Jansport, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, The North Face, and REI. Conservation Alliance grantees, including and California Wilderness Coalition and EarthJustice, will participate in a lunch-time volunteer fair along with 1% for the Planet.
“Being outdoors is a personal and professional passion for all of us,” said Todd Spaletto, President of The North Face. “We are happy to be here with other local companies, celebrating Earth Day and restoring the shoreline we all appreciate and enjoy.”
The Backyard Collective will run from 9:00 am 1:00 pm on April 23. Following the stewardship activities, volunteers will return for a catered lunch and volunteer fair.
“We are thrilled to convene so many of our member companies in celebration of Earth Day, and to help Save the Bay restore wetlands in the East Bay,” said Conservation Alliance Executive Director, John Sterling. “While we hold this stewardship project during Earth Week, these companies deliver on a commitment to conservation every day.”
The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor industry companies that fund conservation organizations. The Alliance launched the Backyard Collective Program in 2008 to connect individuals in the outdoor industry with the work of organizations that receive financial support from the group. The Backyard Collective moves that action to the field, and gives people a venue to get their “hands dirty” for the sake of conservation.
“Save The Bay is excited to partner with the Conservation Alliance to help restore San Francisco Bay's shoreline,” said David Lewis, Executive Director of Save The Bay. “Our Bay provides so many incredible opportunities for recreation and this is a great opportunity to work alongside fellow outdoor enthusiasts to improve our greatest natural resource.”
“The strength of the Conservation Alliance is unquestionably in its members, and the Backyard Collective is communal ‘muscle’ being put to the best of use,” said Scott Whipps, director of Sports Retail at Clif Bar & Company and chair of The Conservation Alliance board. I think of the BYC events as being a simple way that member companies and participants can create a small legacy by acting locally and giving back,” he added.
In addition to the Bay Area, The Conservation Alliance plans to organize additional Backyard Collectives this year in Seattle, Bend, Portland, and Boulder, as well as one on the East Coast.
For more information about this event, please contact events coordinator, Brook Hopper at brook@conservationalliance.com, or call 805-340-5034.
About The Conservation Alliance:
The Conservation Alliance is an organization of outdoor businesses whose collective contributions support grassroots environmental organizations and their efforts to protect wild places where outdoor enthusiasts recreate. Alliance funds have played a key role in protecting rivers, trails, wildlands and climbing areas.
Membership in the Alliance is open to companies representing all aspects of the outdoor industry, including manufacturers, retailers, publishers, mills and sales representatives. The result is a diverse group of businesses whose livelihood depends on protecting our natural environment.
Since its inception in 1989, the Alliance has contributed more than $15 million to grassroots conservation groups. Alliance funding has helped save more than 44 million acres of wildlands; protect 2,950 miles of rivers; stop or remove 26 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase ten climbing areas.
For complete information on The Conservation Alliance, see: www.conservationalliance.com.
About Save The Bay:
Save The Bay is the largest regional organization working to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay since 1961. Save The Bay engages more than 60,000 supporters, advocates, and volunteers to protect the Bay from pollution and reckless shoreline development and make it cleaner and healthier for people and wildlife. Save The Bay is leading a region-wide effort to re-establish 100,000 acres of tidal marsh that are essential for a healthy Bay. Volunteers from the community, local businesses, and schools work with our science team to perform hands-on restoration of the Bay shoreline. Save The Bay inspires the next generation of Bay activists through our award-winning restoration education programs. www.saveSFbay.org
Save The Bay is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
