REI: Our new commitment to the climate

[REI_Co-op]

The climate crisis is the greatest threat to the future of life outdoors. We’re committing to cut our carbon emissions 55% by 2030 and to become climate neutral today through carbon credits. Learn more about our new commitments by heading to the Co-op Journal.

Please join us in the fight for the future of the outdoors by:

1. Voting for the future of the outdoors
2. Holding REI and other businesses accountable
3. Reducing your personal carbon footprint
4. Setting your own ambitious target
5. Spreading the word

[Dad_Aint_Hip]

How about getting your MarCom department to create a frame for Facebook profile pictures for this campaign?

[REI-JenK]

@Dad_Aint_Hip we've passed your suggestion along and will loop back if we're able to bring that frame to life! Thanks for the suggestion!

[REI-JenK]

@Dad_Aint_Hip unfortunately we couldn't make this happen however you've planted a seed for some future opportunities that our social team is considering!

[Dad_Aint_Hip]

Thanks for following up, though!

[Robpen]

Hats off to REI for stepping up to their responsibility for corporate sustainability in such a public way.  I just had a few suggestions for your communications to consider so that all your users will better understand your commitment and think about theirs:

* It's still confusing to many people what carbon neutral means, wondering why you're already carbon neutral now but you're still aiming to reduce 55% in the next decade

* Clarify what you mean by greening your supply chain; is it the energy used by those factories or also embedded energy of materials and buildings?  We've working with Nike on greening their supply chain, and it's...complicated.  Many Asian factories produce products for multiple manufacturers and so the accounting is messy / complicated

* Also briefly explain carbon credits (which is something all of us (at least here in Western Washington) can do 

* It seems like your focus is more on fuel-switching and carbon credits more than deep efficiency improvements, which is generally more cost-effective and reliable and has the side benefit of support more local jobs

* Encourage members to opt out of paper mailings and make it easy for them to do so

Again, you're doing a terrific job, one of the industry leaders along with Patagonia, and I'm proud to support you with my business.  Thank you.

[REI-JohnJ]

@Robpen 

Thank you for this thoughtful response. We will be sure to pass your feedback along to our sustainability team. We appreciate you taking the time!

[JSA]

Hey there REI_Co-op! Hoping you’re doing well and staying safe!!!

Let me introduce myself, I’m Jesús Solana a 20 years old Mexican that’s in love with nature and the feeling of being outdoors, most of my hobbies are meant to be in the outdoors and sadly This year I couldn’t get much time cause the pandemic, and I really mad and sad just thinking on the way we a treating our planet! So I decide to create a project call “@react.mx” with my best friends, first for a collaboration and a project for COCA-COLA Mexico, then just to make a better world! Right now we are redoing and recreating react to be better than ever and with this we are creating 3 projects one is meant to be the recollection of trash on parks, lakes and open spaces, the second is on the reforestation of natural parks and biosphere reserves, and the last one is meant to grow up the population of bees cause right now as you might know this little friends and in the list of danger of extinction.

So now that I wrote you all of that hahaha it’s time to really tell you why I’m writing you!

During this semester of university I’m working with @thetreeschool for my social service of this semester, and for me to get some activities done I wanted to do a conference by zoom or an Instagram life, with you that knows more than anybody else about the meaning of being outdoors and the damage we as humans are doing. And I would love to have a talk with you hoping we can do this conference, the conference is not just for Mexico, it will be for Colombia and the US, the @thetreeschool community extended for all this 3 countries!

Then I will be creating a podcast for my own project @react.mx and I would love to you being a part of this journey!

Thanks and hope you can read this and participate!!!

[REI-JenK]

@JSA thanks so much for posting this to our community, and for your commitment to having a positive impact on our planet! Unfortunately we are not able to participate in the conference you describe - perhaps instead there are community members you can connect with? Good luck with your project and podcast - it's inspiring to see individuals finding ways to improve our outdoor spaces!