Each time I attend an Outdoor Industry-sponsored event — whether Outdoor University or a Retailer show, it becomes increasingly clear that this industry is a passionate steward of the environment. From the “green” materials brands are specifying into products, to choice of educational speakers, to the seminal work of the founding members of The Conservation Alliance, members of the Outdoor Industry, more than any other, understand their role as advocates for environmental sustainability.

At a breakfast meeting on Thursday, Jan. 24, the Conservation Alliance announced the launch of the Legacy Fund and its goal to raise $3.5 million by the Summer ‘09 O.R. show, which coincides with the Alliance’s 20th anniversary. With pledges of $500,000 from Merrill, $250,000 from REI, $1 million from North Face, and $25,000 from Keen, this is clearly an obtainable goal.

In ‘07, Conservation Alliance membership dues funded grants that protected 1,200 acres of Wapack Wilderness in new Hampshire, secured the Laural Knob granite cliff and surrounding forest and wetlands in North Carolina, removed the Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckasegee River in Tennessee, helping restore the natural river flow, and allowed Canada’s Parks and Wilderness Society to add 7 million acres to the Nahanni National Park Reserve.

The Outdoor Industry is about so much more than great products. It’s an amazing industry that can compete mightily for the hearts and minds of consumers while working collectively to care for the outdoor spaces we all love so much.