Thanks to our friends at Bear Productions VT for the excellent video recap of last month's Vermont Outdoor Industry summit gathering. Love the aerial outdoorsy footage.
LINK: Bear Productions VT
Thanks to our friends at Bear Productions VT for the excellent video recap of last month's Vermont Outdoor Industry summit gathering. Love the aerial outdoorsy footage.
LINK: Bear Productions VT
(MONTPELIER, VERMONT) -- Last Wednesday, more than 40 members of the Vermont Outdoor Industry gathered at the Vermont State House, presenting a foundation of economic data and calling for specific actions to help protect and grow this diverse economic sector.
Attended by a group of more than 40 equipment manufacturers, publishers, retailers, outfitters and marketers, the event and press conference was hosted by Pale Morning Media (Waitsfield), Mammut USA (Williston), Outdoor Gear Exchange (Burlington) and Height of Lands Publications (Jeffersonville). Attendees included representatives from Rome Snowboards, Onion River Sports, Turtle Fur, Julbo Eyewear, Press Forward PR, Petra Cliffs, Pinnacle Outdoor Group and others.
“At the national level of the Outdoor Industry, Vermont brands truly stand out with leaders in every category – gear makers, retailers, outfitters, publishers – yet here in Vermont the group remains isolated in silos. Retailers over here, suppliers over there, skiers over here, hikers over there,” said Drew Simmons, president/founder of Pale Morning Media and one of the event organizers. “Nationally, the places where the Outdoor Industry is succeeding the most are the places where those walls and silos have come down, and the Outdoor Industry is recognized as the essential multifaceted economic sector that it is.”
The event included a presentation of current statistics regarding the Outdoor Industry, the Outdoor Recreation Economy, and the Outdoor Consumer, as provided by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA).
The group called for an Outdoor Industry job count within the State of Vermont, modeled after the federal bill recently proposed by Congressman Peter Welch.
The group also requested the creation of an economic focused Outdoor Recreation Director role within the State administration – tasked with promoting and supporting the growth of all Vermont businesses that provide services and products in the Outdoor Recreation Industry as well as being the central point of support at the state level for the diverse constituents, businesses, communities and groups that rely on the continued health of the Outdoor Recreation Industry in Vermont.
“In the past, the Outdoor Industry has been perceived as a bunch of unrelated communities: anglers and skiers, climbers and paddlers. But in the future, to embrace and grow this economic segment, it’s important to see it as the multi-faceted economic driver that it is,” said Bill Supple of Mammut, one of the event organizers. “The first step is to fully understand the size and scope of the Outdoor Industry as an economic sector in Vermont. The second step is dedicating a point person to this sector, to embrace it and bring it together, to retain and grow businesses in the sector, and to help it continue to be a key part of the Vermont brand.
According to OIA,142.6 million Americans participated in at least one outdoor activity within the last year for a total of 12.1 billion outdoor outings. In Vermont, at least 74% of Vermonters are outdoor consumers who participate in outdoor recreation each year.
Other statistics cited at the event included a summary of the Outdoor Recreation Economy in Vermont, which includes $39.7 billion in state and local tax revenue, $2.5 billion in consumer spending, 34,000 direct Vermont jobs, $753 million in wages and salaries and $176 million in state and local tax revenue.
“We’re not lobbyists. We’re not legislators. We’re business owners. And we see the rising prominence of the Outdoor Industry on a national level, every day," added Simmons. "The Outdoor Industry is a non-partisan, broad-based economic driver. It’s geographically agnostic for the most part – as it is comprised of multiple and numerous activity-based communities … some small, some large, some that you’ve probably never heard of. But when they’re brought together, when they’re embraced as a whole, the Outdoor Industry has the potential to be a major economic driver for the entire State of Vermont.”
LINK: 'Small State, Big Stick: Vermont's Outdoor Industry Comes Out Swinging
LINK: 'The politics of playing outside: Why we need more Outdoor Recreation offices"
There’s only one table left in the bar. Typical. And it’s right in front of the band who just started and seems pretty damn loud. So you decide to just hang near the back and sip your beer in your ski boots. Maybe something will open up.
It was a big day out there. One of the biggest of the year, actually. Maybe even all time. No lunch breaks for anybody today, no downshifting, no rest breaks, and no need. Ropes were dropping, lines were sparking off in every direction, and all the favorites were paid a respectful visit: the 19th, Octopus’ Garden and even The Church. As with all great days, you spent most of in a tiny group, often alone, not seeing much of a crowd until … well … now.
You see a friend at the end of the bar. You’ve known him for years. Longer, actually. Half-full beer in hand, he’s giving a detailed blow by blow of his epic day. How it started before dawn. How he got the invite for an early tram. How he ducked a rope at just the right time and was the second person up the headwall. How he got it all fresh and got it all first.
It’s undoubtedly true of course. There’s no question in your mind that everything happened just as he said. It was a great day, after all, and he summed it up very well. He was standing in just the right spot at the end of the bar, where plenty of folks could hear him. He had a loud voice, deep and confident and easy to understand. And he was dutiful to the details: the snow, the slopes, the rollers and the rocks. But the longer he talks, the more you realize that you have little interest in hearing his story.
You wobble away to a spot behind the fireplace where you come across another group of skiers you know. In truth, they look exactly like the crowd you left behind at the end of the bar: same gear, same flushed cheeks, same goggle lines and same end-of-the-day smiles.
They see you, invite you over and ask you how your day was. They laugh at your story about the moose. And then they start into stories of their own, each one unique and unexpected, each one building on the one before it, each one making you that much more excited for what tomorrow might bring.
And after several hours of storytelling … you’re still listening.
In late November, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) unveiled a new 'climate change' platform: a fresh twist to their national position statement that could easily be interpreted as totally new, long overdue, overshadowed by sibling issues, or potentially controversial.
Or maybe all of the above.
OIA is the Boulder-based organization that is the title sponsor for the Outdoor Retailer trade show, as well as the trade "voice" for all the brands and individuals that see themselves as part of something called the Outdoor Industry.
Historically, the Outdoor Industry has been anchored by human-powered outdoor recreation. And among this crowd of enthusiast-driven businesses, climate change is one area where just about everybody gets along, as hunters, anglers, paddlers, skiers and afternoon hikers are all continuing to see the aggregate effects of global warming as it impacts their individual passions.
On the other hand, for a trade organization comprised of both independent and publicly-traded companies, it can be a bit dicey to step into the capitalist kitchen, particularly over the holidays.
To shed some light on the new OIA Climate Change platform, I was lucky enough to catch the attention of Alex Boian, OIA Senior Director of Government Affairs.
While I feel like it was a cool and interesting bit of news last month, I’m sure that this announcement took a long time to put together and hammer through the details. How long has it been in the works?
AB: Outdoor Industry Association first began actively engaging on the climate change issue about seven years ago. We partnered with Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP) on our advocacy efforts around this important issue and continue today to be the only member trade association of the organization.
The OIA Board of Directors decided last April at the OIA Capitol Summit to reengage and redouble our efforts around climate change policy and so an updated position statement was appropriate. OIA government affairs and corporate responsibility staff jointly developed a draft statement for the OIA policy advisory councils and BICEP to review and comment on. After input from those councils, the statement was sent to the OIA Board’s Government Affairs and Corporate Responsibility Committee for review and approval.
Going a little deeper … how long has the OIA had a “platform” at all?
AB: Whether it was through our initial engagement and now through our renewed commitment to the issue, or through the exhaustive efforts of the OIA Sustainability Working Group to provide the industry with tools and best practices to measure the impact of their products, OIA has been engaged on the issue of climate change, in some way, for almost a decade.
And when was the last time a major thing like Climate Change was added to the OIA platform? Has it ever happened?
AB:This past year has been a very exciting one for OIA, from a government affairs standpoint. In addition to reengaging on the climate change issue, OIA also launched a local recreation advocacy program, a pretty significant addition to our government affairs’ advocacy efforts. We also laid the groundwork for a collaborative process with OIA’s CR department to frame out and build a regulatory/compliance program for the industry.
Do other trade groups have a climate platform? i.e., is this rare or totally normal?
AB:There are of course, dozens, if not hundreds of local and national advocacy organizations working on climate change. Within the outdoor industry, Protect Our Winters has been a leader on this issue and among the groups outside the industry, the Sierra Club has been working on the issue for many years. OIA, however, is unique in that we represent outdoor industry businesses that will uniquely be impacted by the worsening effects of climate change. We look at our work on climate change not only as the right thing to do from a values standpoint, but as a business imperative. Climate change is an existential threat to the outdoor industry.
I am unaware of any statements several other groups that we work with on our public lands or trade agendas have published on this issue.
So, is adding a Climate Change aspect to the OIA platform "long overdue" or "ahead of the curve”?
AB: Our recent climate change policy position statement is an evolution of our work on this issue, but some might argue that our reengagement and renewed commitment is long overdue. As many policymakers have said, we are nearing the point of no return on climate change and so hopefully the work of OIA and our partners, and organizations across the country and around the world, makes a difference.
Is there an expectation that this will be controversial in any way?
AB: As we have seen, the issue of climate change is controversial for a small minority of U.S. policymakers, some of whom we work with on our public lands and trade agendas. I have also received questions from some parts of the industry as to why OIA is investing time and resources on this issue and I anticipate like nearly all policy matters of significance, that the issue itself and OIA’s engagement will be controversial, but the OIA Board and staff believe this is the right thing to do.
I’m sure as with all things policy related, every word is chosen carefully. And the "carbon sequestration part” is one part that catches an eye. This seems like a pretty major deal … that in addition to preserving land for access, the OIA position is to conserve open lands specifically to offset carbon emissions. Is this as unique as it seems, and will it help set OIA apart from other groups (like the Conservation Alliance) who are also advocating for public lands?
AB: Yes, the wording was carefully chosen to focus on ambitious and meaningful, but practical and achievable goals. Some say we didn’t go far enough and perhaps should have stated some aspirational goals, but we believe the statement strikes the right balance among the multiple interests across the industry.
Carbon sequestration is, of course, a long-standing proposed tool to reduce carbon pollution and help mitigate the effects of climate change. The strategy relies on healthy forests and protection of green spaces, so presented an elegant, if not obvious, harmonization with our public lands agenda.
OK … so you also have a line in here about encouraging “ market-based instruments” for carbon reduction, which at the moment means either a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system. Does this line mean that OIA doesn’t have a preference between those two, or does it mean something else?
AB: The statement itself and the use of “market-based instruments” acknowledge that some form of carbon pricing is likely necessary to address carbon emissions in a meaningful way. We have been and will continue to work with the outdoor industry to analyze and understand the pros and cons of both cap-and-trade and carbon taxation. The language is intended to give the OIA policy professionals the flexibility to explore both options, and perhaps new ideas that are presented, to get to a balanced and desirable solution. It is important to us, though, that these instruments do not harm the outdoor recreation economy, or more generally, the larger U.S. economy and that any legislation or regulation in this area be focused on incentive-based solutions versus punitive measures.
As a policy wonk, what do you think is the most interesting part about this whole thing?
AB: There are several fascinating policy elements around the climate change issue in a macro sense – the politics in Washington, D.C. and states across the country - and also specific to the outdoor industry. One of the elements I find interesting around the issue generally is how the consistent and tireless efforts of advocates for climate change policy is finally paying off and we are seeing tangible, substantive results. I think the COP21 agreement in Paris is obviously a huge and historic milestone that reflects that progress. It is fascinating to also see how entrenched special interests in Washington. D.C., primarily those representing the fossil fuels industries have been so successful at delaying real policy solutions and obfuscating the issue in the face of what seems to be overwhelming scientific evidence and agreement among objective, third party researchers. When 98 percent of the scientific community agrees and presents verifiable data that climate change is real, is worsening, yet can be mitigating through a variety of policy tools and proactive actions by nations down to individuals, it is very compelling. The willful cognitive dissonance occurring among a small minority of policymakers is absurd to the extent of being harmful.
Specific to the outdoor industry itself, many brands and organizations have been working for years to fight climate change and come up with some real solutions. For many in the industry, environmental responsibility is in their DNA and climate change policy has been an important aspect of that. OIA has worked to reflect that through our Corporate Responsibility department and the Sustainability Working Group, but from a government affairs, policy perspective, I look forward to reengaging on the issue and bringing the industry’s unique perspective and voice to the debate in D.C. and across the country!