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.

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.

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.

Sustainability in the outdoors doesn’t end with recycled products or Leave No Trace principles; equality is just as big a part. And no one knows that better than Pamela Slaughter, Founder of People of Color Outdoors and a nominee for the first-ever Facebook Community Awards. So we sat down to chat with her to learn a bit about what she’s doing to encourage people of color to get outside and play and why that matters. For all of us. Read our Q&A with her now.

You know we’re all about supporting and promoting sustainable brands here at Terradrift. You know, the ones fighting to create whole lines of sustainable products, but also focusing on better manufacturing and overall global responsibility. So we recently chatted with Beyond Clothing about sustainability, the outdoors, and all things technical apparel so we can all learn more about how they’re doing right by the planet.

You know we’re all about supporting sustainable brands here at Terradrift. We’re also all about making gear last and keeping it out of the landfill, which is a major win for sustainability. Well then, there couldn’t be a more perfect brand to highlight in this here Sustainability Spotlight series than Nikwax. We’ve used their stuff to clean and maintain our gear for years, so we thought it was high time we sat down with Heidi Dale Allen, the brand’s VP of marketing, so we could hear more about how Nikwax is keeping it clean and advocating for keeping the gear you already have in use for longer. Read on, son!