One Planet, One Vote – Patagonia Teams Up with Wilco, HeadCount and League of Conservation Voters

“The environment is where we live, where we work, and where we play,” said Dana Alston, a pioneer in the environmental movement. It is also, we think, any place you love.

Your special place might be Yosemite Valley. Or it might be the smallest pocket park in your neighborhood. The place you work might need cleaner air or more trees; the place you live might need better transportation.

We need leaders committed to the places we live, work, and play – and the places we love.
The “environment” is abstract, and, sometimes, at the polls, it’s ignored. During elections, the “environment” is cast in opposition to other needs, as if “the environment” were a luxury we could put aside.

But, the environment is not abstract: it’s where we live. It’s the air we breathe. It’s the water we drink. It’s the places we go to relax and refresh. It’s the beauty and diversity of our one planet Earth.

A healthy planet is necessary for a healthy business and Patagonia wants to be in business for a good long time. We want to act responsibly, live within our means, and leave behind not only a habitable planet but an Earth whose beauty and biodiversity are protected for our children and grandchildren.

That’s the reason Patagonia has a stake in this election. We plan to bring our deepest values with us into the voting booth in November and elect responsible leaders. We hope you’ll join us.

Here’s what you can do right now:

Share with us the places and things you love in our #becauseilove campaign. Tweet photos of places you love and fill in the blank: “I vote the environment #becauseilove. . ..” Spread the word to family and friends on Facebook. Visit www.votetheenvironment.org.

Vote the Environment photo booths will be in Patagonia US stores. From them, you can tweet a photo of yourself and what you love. Tweets will appear in select Patagonia stores, the Outdoor Retailer Expo, on Patagonia.com and Facebook, and of course on your Twitter stream. In our stores, you can pick up information about your candidates’ environmental records, provided by the League of Conservation Voters. Write your Vote the Environment messages on postcards and we will send to the White House.

Patagonia is going on the road this summer with the acclaimed Chicago rock band Wilco and the voter registration group HeadCount to register voters and help people get informed on their candidates’ environmental voting records.

“Given the current state of American politics, it’s easy to see why people become disillusioned and don’t participate in the system,” notes Jeff Tweedy, Wilco’s lead singer, “But my hope, and my reason for this partnership with Patagonia, is to remind people that they do have a voice, and voting is an effective and undeniable way to be heard. And nature, while powerful, needs our voices and votes to protect and preserve it.”

Twitter users’ Tweets that include #becauseilove will appear on screens at Wilco concerts this summer, starting with the Red Rocks show on Friday, June 22.

Visit iTunes to download a live, exclusive version of Wilco’s “Whole Love,” the title track from the band’s latest Grammy-nominated album The Whole Love. Proceeds from the sale of the song benefit HeadCount. Check the tour schedule to find Wilco concerts near your town.

This November, vote the environment, not last, but first. Vote for the world you want to live in, and the world you want to leave behind.