KEEN has committed its support to the PDX 2 Gulf Coast Project with a
$20,000 donation, which includes a matching fund for the first $5,000 in
individual donations raised. PDX 2 Gulf Coast is a project which aims to learn more about the Gulf of
Mexico oil spill, teach others about its  impact on the Gulf
community, and inspire people to prevent similar environmental disasters.

PDX 2 Gulf Coast will send about 20 Oregonians – scientists,
environmentalists, community organizers, educators, students, government
officials and artists – to the Gulf Coast on a 10-day trip in August to
observe and document the oil spill crisis. Both during and after the
trip, the team will share their experiences through powerful and diverse
multimedia materials, including photographs, music, artwork and video
and blogs, that will inspire individuals to make the personal changes
necessary to use less oil.

Keen's donation will fund the
production of community and high school curricula for Oregon and beyond
in conjunction with Northwest Earth Institute, as well as an online
comic (and the resulting book) featuring the stories of those affected
by the spill and lessons that can be shared. A KEEN employee will take
part in the trip to represent the company on the ground.

“We can't change what happened in the Gulf, but KEEN can help prevent a future disaster by strengthening our commitment to making considered decisions in how we run our business and by supporting organizations like PDX 2 Gulf Coast,” said Linda Tom, KEEN marketing manager who oversees corporate giving programs. “Through the art and educational materials produced by the PDX 2 Gulf Coast project, we’d like to help individuals connect the dots on how they can make changes to lighten our collective impact on the earth.”

Added project director Mike Rosen, “Assistance from KEEN has helped significantly in furthering the goals of the project. The only positive outcome that can result from the Gulf Coast catastrophe is large-scale motivation to see ourselves as the cause and to make a commitment to remedy this. Our trip will present us with the opportunity to document the impacts of the ongoing spill in ways that will be clear, informative and engaging. Our partnership with KEEN will help us deliver this communiqué for change to a wide and diverse audience that is hungry for this message and ready to respond.”

More information is available at www.pdx2gulfcoast.com.