Although Patagonia groups our grantees into seventeen specific categories internally, we use five broad categories when speaking to customers because they are the most popular search terms for environmental issues. By grouping our grantees into these categories we can connect our customer audience with organizations they are interested in supporting. Here is how we define these broad categories:  

Land

Sustainable agriculture and food systems, mineral extraction, terrestrial ecosystems and land use, healthy forests, pollution, toxic and hazardous wastes.

Water

Freshwater and inland ecosystems, coastal and marine ecosystems, pollution, toxic and hazardous wastes.

Climate

Energy extraction, climate and atmosphere, renewable energy, transportation.

Communities

Indigenous populations/communities, civil democracy, environmental justice, sustainable communities.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity and species preservation.