Sustainability Spotlight

The term “sustainable” can feel like a pretty loaded word these days. I mean, literally everyone is slapping it on their products in an effort to get eco-conscious shoppers to buy their stuff. But a freakin’ ton of sustainability verbiage is total greenwashing (aka: B.S.). Here’s how to identify clothing and gear that’s ACTUALLY more sustainable and how different sustainability can look from brand to brand or item to item.

I hate cruises. They just aren’t for me. I find them boring, they don’t offer the adventure I crave, and the cruise industry as a whole is supremely unsustainable. So I surprised everyone–myself included–when I agreed to go on an HX Expedition cruise to East Greenland. Here’s why I gave the line a shot, including what sustainability had to do with it (and what I thought about the experience).

We’re all about sustainable apparel here at Terradrift. Also, comfy clothes. (Heels and dresses? What are those?) So from the first time we touched the supple softness of carbon neutral brand tentree’s comfortable and sustainable apparel, we were hooked. So we connected with them to hear more about how they plant trees for every product sold, use climate-friendly materials, and recycle and re-sell clothing for the sake of circularity. So check out our Q&A with tentree to learn what the brand is all about and how every new T-shirt or pair of joggers has the potential to do good.

When it comes to the outdoors, unequal access and the lack of inclusivity has long been a problem that needs rectified. So we recently chatted with Breanne Acio, CEO and co-founder of Sēkr, to chat about inclusivity and preservation in the outdoors, including Leave No Trace, canceling campsite reservations, and finding dispersed campsites, and what on earth they have have to do with each other.

We recently connected with experienced outdoorist Sonya Staples, Co-founder of Staples InTents, to talk about how anyone can get involved in Overlanding (and do it more sustainably). And just in time for their special event, no less: The Gathering, a weekend of outdoor adventure, nature, and skill-building in Colorado designed specifically for black and brown folks, who are frequently underrepresented and excluded from outdoor activities (Aug. 18-22). And since we can totally get behind people and projects that promote equality in the outdoors, we invited Sonya to tell us a bit about her and her husband Nacota, their journey, and how to be a more sustainable overlander. So read on for the 5 easy and useful tips!

You’re probably familiar with the concept of synthetic shirts, packs and more being made of recycled water bottles, milk jugs, etc. (like Shredly mountain bike apparel, many UPF sun shirts, even sunglasses), but Patagonia has a whole line of clothing and gear made of recycled fishing nets saved from an environmentally disastrous watery grave! It’s the Patagonia NetPlus line. And here’s why it’s a big deal.

Not a teacher? Then don’t even think about volunteering for a week in a school or orphanage abroad. That’s just one of the guidelines Susan E. Gibson, Author of “How To Be An Amazing Volunteer Overseas: Stories from the Field, Rules of the Road” presents in her book. Because volunteering abroad is not just about visiting a new destination and getting warm fuzzies from doing good. Sometimes volunteering is harder work than you anticipated. Sometimes it does more harm than good. And sometimes it’s extremely beneficial to the local community. So for this Sustainability Spotlight we sat down with Susan and asked her to summarize, in a nutshell, how to volunteer abroad (the right way).

Winter is coming. And that means it’s time to bundle up. Preferably with a cozy puffer jacket that feels like it’s wrapping you in a fluffy, warm hug. But many (dare say even most) puffy jackets are insulated with duck or goose down, which isn’t a vegan-friendly material (read about why we don’t use down in this article). Fortunately, there are brands like Save The Duck making quality outerwear using sustainable, non-animal materials that can totally stand up to the rigors of winter and the great outdoors. So we sat down with the brand for a chat so they could tell us all about who they are and what drives them to craft such impressive coats, vests, jackets and more.

Circularity. You might have seen it pop up every once in a while on Terradrift, our Instagram page, or over on YouTube. It’s a term we use fairly frequently. But you might not know precisely what it means. Or maybe you have a pretty good idea, but are foggy on a few of the details or aren’t really sure what it has to do with sustainability. So allow us to clear up a few deets regarding what circularity means and what the flaming Brazillian Jiujitsu it has to do with your outdoor clothing and gear.

Just about everything we do, everything we buy, sustainable or not, has a carbon footprint, meaning it creates harmful greenhouse gases of one sort or another. That includes the manufacturing of your favorite recycled rain jacket or vegan hiking boots. But while these gases can’t be avoided, they CAN be offset and balanced. Meaning a company, brand, heck, even an individual (yes, even you, dear friend), can put in the effort (and the cash) to make that foot print a little lighter. Think, oh, I dunno, footprints on the beach getting erased by the tide. Once a company (or, you know, you) offset 100% or more of those harmful emissions via sustainable endeavors that create carbon-positive effects, you can proudly call yourself carbon neutral. And that is a solid mark of a sustainable brand. But it can be an expensive, time consuming, and highly complicated achievement to reach. Which is why Climate Neutral exists: to help more brands and companies, large and small, reduce their footprint by becoming carbon neutral. So we quizzed Climate Neutral’s CEO, Austin Whitman, on the company’s mission and how they plan to achieve it. Read on to get the scoop.