Sustainability Spotlight

We’re all about sustainability, from the gear we adventure with to the clothing that keeps our delicate epidermis protected from the elements. And that includes the basey-ist of base layers: underwear. (Maybe you read our posts about the most sustainable men’s and women’s underwear?) Well, that led us to Knickey, who’s doing some pretty cool things with an everyday essential. So we connected with the brand to learn a bit more about Knickey, their line of organic women’s underwear, why organic cotton matters, and how they’ve created the first underwear recycling program on the planet. Read on to learn more!

We love sustainable brands who care about the environment and we love introducing them with you. So we recently chatted with sustainable brand Picture Organic Clothing–a brand that designs dope outerwear for all your winter adventures (and more)–to find out about who they are, what makes them tick, and a bit about their most sustainable products and practices. Read on for our Q&A!

Fleece. It’s everybody’s favorite outdoorsy (and pseudo outdoorsy) material. We love our fleece blankets and zip-ups and sleeping bag liners for how cozy and cuddly and water resistant they are. Fleece hoodies and jackets and gloves are an outdoor staple because they wick sweat and are breathable and fast-drying. But since fleece is typically made out of PET (a type of plastic), and studies show it contributes to micro plastics in our waterways, is fleece all it’s cracked up to be? And is there such a thing as sustainable fleece?

We recently got to chat with Shelby from Authenteco Travel about one of our favorite subjects: sustainable travel. But not just any sustainable travel: fully customized, eco-luxury travel for those who want to treat themselves, but do so responsibly. And that’s exactly what Authenteco specializes in. So buckle up, and let’s chat about what sustainable travel actually looks like, how to tell the difference between authentically sustainable experiences and greenwashing, and then, you know, how to call on Authenteco to treat yo’self when you’re ready for the experience of a lifetime.

We recently connected with sustainable outdoor brand Patagonia to talk about the other thing on everyone’s mind these days: voting. Why? Because the brand co-founded Time To Vote and has partnered with a whole slew of other companies (including outdoor brands like The North Face and Burton) to encourage people like you and me to get out there and vote, but also to encourage companies and brands across the states to give their employees an opportunity to perform their right (and privilege) to play a part in the political process. But what does all that mean and what does voting have to do with the outdoors? J.J. Huggins, part of the public relations and communications team at Patagonia and someone who helps manage Time to Vote filled us in.

Let’s talk about underwear. It’s not weird. We all wear them. Well, most of us wear them. If that’s not you, well, feel free to totally disregard this article. But for the rest of us, underwear is a necessity that many of us don’t give a second thought to when it comes to sustainability. But if you’re seeking out the most eco-friendly sleeping bag insulation, organic cotton jackets, recycled polyester bags, and Bluesign Approved hiking pants, doesn’t it make sense to gird your loins in eco-friendly undies, too? Well, luckily for you, we’ve rounded up 3 of the most comfortable and sustainable underwear for men that you’ll ever own so you can reduce your footprint, all while you keep what needs supporting, well, supported. You know, without all the constant adjusting and itchy fabric and chafing and what not…

While it’s true that most of us aren’t traveling extensively right now, many of us are still tooling around our respective states in our trusty road-trip-mobiles, camping at nearby state parks, or playing outside in our own (sometimes literal) backyards. And it’s probably safe to say that most of us are looking forward to the day in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future when we can hop on a plane and enjoy some proper adventure travel again. Either way, it’s always a good time to talk about sustainable travel. So whether you’re just milling around town, road tripping across the state, or flying off for an international itinerary (one day…), here are some sustainable travel tips for more eco-friendly adventures, wherever they might be.

Leather is everywhere in the outdoor industry: boots, bags, climbing shoes, even decals and zipper pulls on backpacks and jackets. But why? For ages, leather has been the material of choice for sturdy, “natural,” durable gear that lasts. But now that other materials are available, do we really need leather? And is leather sustainable? While many in the industry would say yes, citing that it came from nature and will eventually biodegrade back to nature, leather is far from natural and neither sustainable nor environmentally responsible. But how does it stack up against competitors and substitutes like synthetic materials and faux leather? We’ll break it down and take a look at why you might want to ditch leather.

Sunscreen. It’s a summer staple. A product ubiquitous in beach bags, backpacks, and drugstores the world over. It protects our skin while we’re out in the world exploring and keeps us from looking like leather couches as we age. But could the sunscreen we use be doing as much damage to the environment as it’s doing good for our body’s largest organ? Turns out, a lot of the ingredients in suscreen damages coral reefs (which are not only a natural wonder, but living things, remember), makes ocean life sick, and contaminates waterways. How can we avoid such destruction while still preventing skin cancer? With reef safe sunscreen, of course! We rounded up 7 quality options that are not only reef friendly, but vegan, too, so you can wander (and swim) on!

Lots of brands tout organic cotton as better for the environment than conventional cotton. But what’s the difference? Is organic cotton really that much more sustainable than conventionally grown cotton? We investigated so we could all make better choices when it comes to sustainable apparel. So check out our comparison of conventional cotton vs organic cotton and see for yourself which comes out on top.