Fetzer Vineyards and Leave No Trace team up on Facebook Causes

In honor of Earth Day 2011 and its 25 years of sustainability initiatives, Fetzer Vineyards is donating up to $10,000 to the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.

A commitment to environmental stewardship prompted an innovative partnership between the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and Fetzer Vineyards. Between the months of March to May, for every person who joins the Leave No Trace Cause or “likes” the Fetzer Facebook page, Fetzer will donate $1 to Leave No Trace. The contribution will support Leave No Trace’s work to reach hundreds of thousands of people this year, with vital environmental education to help them enjoy the outdoors responsibly.

Fetzer Vineyards, based in Mendocino County California prides itself on its earth-friendly winery and sustainable winemaking practices. In keeping with its mission, Fetzer Vineyards has chosen Leave No Trace as its Cause to celebrate Earth Day, 2011, as well as 25 years of pioneering environmental responsibility. Furthermore, in April, Fetzer will be releasing a limited edition 2010 Chardonnay Earth Day bottle, featuring a striking new label depicting the beautiful California landscape, designed by a renowned artist Anne Kessler.

“Not only has Fetzer made an important contribution, they have also printed information about the Leave No Trace program on 700,000 bottles of their special Earth Day Chardonnay being sold this year,” says Susy Alkaitis, Leave No Trace’s Deputy Director. “So help kick off this great campaign by joining the Leave No Trace Cause and ‘liking’ Fetzer on Facebook.”

For more information about the Leave No Trace Cause, visit http://apps.facebook.com/causes/4551

About the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics:
The award-winning Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is the international leader in sustainable recreation practices. The nonprofit organization teaches children and adults vital skills to minimize their impacts when they are outdoors. Leave No Trace is the most widely accepted outdoor ethics program used today on public lands across the nation by all types of outdoor recreationists.

About Fetzer Vineyards:
Fetzer Vineyards was founded in 1968 in beautiful Mendocino County and has been a pioneer of California winemaking. Their history is one of ever-evolving quality and innovation and a progressive, hands-on approach to earth-friendly practices. At Fetzer they’ve always believed that the more they refine their winemaking practices to be in harmony with the environment, the more they improve the quality of their wines – and of everyday life. Find out more about Fetzer Wines and “like” them on www.facebook.com/fetzer.

Partnership At Its Best

In case you missed this great interview with Ayinde Summers from the Greening Youth Foundation, here it is:

Partnerships with organizations such as the Greening Youth Foundation provide essential opportunities to combine Leave No Trace with personal and professional development. The Greening Youth Foundation provides interactive, hands-on programs for young people to develop a deeper relationship with nature, with others and with themselves, resulting in healthier individuals, communities and environments. Leave No Trace skills and ethics play a critical role in their work.

After a Leave No Trace training with these young adults, Catherine Smith talked with Ayinde Summers, the Senior Director of Programs and Training from Greening Youth Foundation, about the relevance of Leave No Trace in his work, what he is trying to accomplish with his program, and why his long-term personal membership to Leave No Trace is important to him.

Ayinde Summers: Leave No Trace is important because it allows us to have something to hold onto around culture. The simple principle of leaving things as you found them allows for future generations to have similar access.

Catherine Smith: For high school kids and young adults, what is most compelling about Leave No Trace?

AS: A lot of people are not having intentional conversations with young people about the Leave No Trace ethics and principles that are really kind of basic. Adults get it, but with all the media kids have access to… you don’t see them outside. You don’t see children riding bikes. So Leave No Trace actually engages them outside and they have conversations and actually interact with people in that context.

CS: What teaching technique works best with that age group?

AS: Experiential education. I may be partial.

CS: What do you typically teach this age group about Leave No Trace?

AS: I love the ethic. So when I introduce the theme (of Leave No Trace), I talk about it just as ethics. So then there are tons of principles to pull from. Being outdoors, Leave No Trace is a wonderful ethic to connect to multiple cultures, to multiple groups and greater understanding of the world.

CS: What are your desired outcomes for the kids? Do you hope they become more interested in Leave No Trace and teach it?

AS: This has never been done before with this particular group of young folks. Typically what I do is get our students to a place where they can take it back to their communities. Leave No Trace is the last thing we train them in before they go into the Wilderness because I want it to be fresh in their minds. I want them to see that in every area it really works, so, again, they can take it back to their communities.

CS: Why is Leave No Trace important to you?

AS: I’ve been doing wilderness work for about ten years and the impact I’ve seen is sad. To walk across a mountain ridge that my mother or father may have walked across and it looks completely different because there is a Cheetos bag or a tire with chrome and aluminum is sad. So for me, it’s an ethic that I hold near and dear.
I’m a member of Leave No Trace because the organization’s impact has been great. The communities, the outreach on the internet has been good…Being able to get people to come together around a subject, particularly this environmental issue, is really important.

Membership Benefit: Leave No Trace partners with The Clymb

Get 70% off premium outdoor and sports gear, and earn $10 for Leave No Trace.

ALL Leave No Trace members have been invited to join The Clymb, a private member network where you can access insider pricing on the planets most sought-after outdoor brands.

Not only do you get discounts up to 70% off of outdoor and sports brands, but your first purchase earns $10 for Leave No Trace.

To kick things off, the Clymb has partnered with Patron Corporate Partner, Keen, to bring access to discounted footwear.

Take advantage of your participation in the Leave No Trace community, and check it out!

Partner Highlight: Kathryn Beals

Discovering the art of Kathryn Beals, Small Business Partner of Leave No Trace. [Submitted by Kathryn Beals.]

Background: I grew up in a small fishing town on the northwest coast of British Columbia. As a kid, my parents took me camping frequently and taught me to love the outdoors. I met my husband Travis ten years ago and we moved to California in 2003. We are both long time promoters of Leave No Trace ethics and have lead backpacking trips in the Sierras and Rockies. In 2008, we hiked the West Coast Trail of Vancouver Island and the high Sierra section of the PCT. The places we see on our treks provide the inspiration for my paintings.

What is your motto? I don't have a motto, but I always strive to communicate my love of the backcountry in my work. In my paintings, I try to balance the look of a favorite place with the feeling of being there. Tents are a focal point in many of my paintings because I want to give the viewer an emotional and symbolic connection to the landscape. As an artist specializing in commissioned paintings, I try to get a sense of the story behind each photograph so I can help people capture the memory of special places.

What does your company do for the environment? I select eco-friendly materials and methods in all aspects of my business. I paint with acrylic paints, which do not require the use of toxic solvents, as oil paints do. I use sustainable packaging materials whenever possible when shipping my paintings. My art cards are printed on 100% recycled paper with vegetable inks.

What does your company do for the community? I donate spare art supplies to local public schools, and I donate paintings and gift certificates to local animal shelters. I also run an art technique blog, howipaint.com, featuring some of my current paintings in progress with advice and instructional videos for beginners. I am a self-taught artist and I hope to inspire and encourage people of all ages to learn to paint.

Why does your company partner with Leave No Trace? (Why we love you.) It is a privilege to work with Leave No Trace, since I have long supported their approach to wilderness preservation through access and education. I donate 10% of profits from my card sales to Leave No Trace. I hope that my paintings can inspire people to visit the backcountry and have the experiences that have taught my me why Leave No Trace ethics are so important. Having grown up camping, my husband and I are glad to say that trails are cleaner now than we remember as kids. We believe that Leave No Trace is responsible for this improvement and we want to do our part to help.

To learn more about Kathryn Beals, you can visit any of her websites:
www.bealsstudios.com <http://www.bealsstudios.com>
Landscapes: www.kathrynbeals.com <http://www.kathrynbeals.com>
Art Blog: www.howipaint.com <http://www.howipaint.com>

To learn more about Small Business Partnerships, please visit us online: http://lnt.org/support/small_business.php

Alzar School: Leave No Trace Partnership Highlight

Lower Salmon River

Through the challenge of the outdoors, the Alzar School seeks to educate and develop future leaders. Currently students attend the school for multiple weeks on domestic and international expeditions, but we will begin full year academic programs for high school students in the Fall of 2012.

One of the many reasons the Alzar School includes Leave No Trace curriculum into each expedition is because we enjoy the conversations that spring from applying Leave No Trace practices. Throughout the course of an Alzar School expedition, students become well versed in Leave No Trace practices as they interact with the natural environment around them and complete environmental service projects. Students have the opportunity to earn the Leave No Trace Trainer endorsement as part of their successful participation in our courses. Many of them go on to hold awareness seminars or to teach Leave No Trace principles at summer camp settings.

An Alzar School student pulls invasive weeds

Students have worked pulling invasive weeds, cleaning river banks and access points, and this summer will earn academic credit for an “Environmental Advocacy Practicum.” On this course, students will learn about the effort to protect Idaho’s wild salmon as they float the Lower Salmon river. Exploring a river canyon on a multi-day raft supported trip requires students to use all of the 7 Leave No Trace principles, and especially challenges them to consider how the principles are applied differently based on the ecosystem. As an end project, they will produce a video encouraging support for the Lower Salmon’s designation as federally protected “Wild and Scenic.” All of this leads to questions about the environment. Discussions stem from these activities about why invasive weeds are bad, access to certain areas and debates on how, why, and if we have a responsibility to act in order to protect them. It is these discussions we find are so important and powerful.

- Kristin Bierle, Executive Director, Alzar School

Partnership Highlight: KEEN and Leave No Trace

KEEN’s Hybrid.Care steps into the International Community with Leave No Trace

For the sixth year, KEEN Footwear’s Hybrid.Care program has extended major support for Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics’ work to build community networks and state-by-state advocacy. KEEN signed on in 1995 to help build Leave No Trace’s State Advocate Program. Since, KEEN has not only supported the volunteer State Advocates but has played a primary role in Leave No Trace’s successful work to build communities of educators and activists around the country.

This year, KEEN not only extends support for community networks but is also helping Leave No Trace develop its first international pieces to support the Center’s growing need for global education. Thank you, KEEN.

About KEEN

KEEN Inc., manufacturer of hybrid footwear, socks and bags, is an outdoor brand that delivers innovative hybrid products, enabling all outdoor enthusiasts to live an active lifestyle. Founded in 2003, KEEN strives to demonstrate integrity and leadership, especially on social and environmental commitments, while promoting an inclusive outdoors community. Through its giving program Hybrid.Care, the company provides support to a variety of social and environmental organizations around the globe. To learn more, visit www.keenfootwear.com.

Join Today!: 20% Off Annual Dues for New Community Partners

Calling all guide & outfitter services, nonprofits, schools, outdoor programs, clubs, boy and girl scout councils, retailers and parks, municipalities & agencies!

The Center is offering a limited time 20% discount to all new community partners.

Why partner with Leave No Trace? Because partners of the Center are conserving the environment, today. Set an industry standard to prevent environmental impacts before they happen by integrating Leave No Trace information into your program!

Join today and save 20% on your first year of partnership. That's as little as $80* for nonprofits, schools & educational institutions, and $120* for guides & outfitters and retailers.

Benefits of Partnership:

• Exclusive use of the Leave No Trace logo
• Two links on the Leave No Trace website: on both your state's community page and the partner page
• Priority FREE visits by the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers – great for staff training,
• Optional partnership highlights in our e-news and social media platforms
• Sample of FREE educational materials
• Eligibility to apply for grants and scholarships for additional Leave No Trace training and educational materials

Contact Catherine at Catherine@LNT.org or 303-442-8222 x109 to become a partner today!

*Annual dues depend on annual budget/revenue. More information here ( + ).

Partnership Highlight: Sauce for a Cause

Company: Sauce For A Cause (aka. SFAC)
Website: www.sauceforacause.com
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Motto: All Natural Gluten-Free Gourmet Sauce for an active Lifestyle!

Mission: “To simply create the best all-natural, gluten-free, gourmet sauces, while improving the well-being of the world around us."

Why Sauce For A Cause: Sauce For A Cause makes the best all natural, gluten-free, gourmet sauces. Our sauces include: Tangy Tangerine BBQ, Mango Mint, Not Your Traditional Ketchup, and Gourmet Mustard. Each of these sauces is a unique recipe created by the founder, Alex Mitchell.

Sauce For A Cause began in Boulder, CO in the kitchen of Alex Mitchell. He was just finishing up his degree in Art History and wondering what adventure was to come next. He always loved to experiment in the kitchen. He has especially loved making barbecue sauce ever since his grandfather taught him how to make it as a kid. (Since then no one has been able to stop Alex from putting barbecue sauce on almost everything he eats.) Upon graduating, he decided to perfect his barbecue sauce recipe. Experimenting in the kitchen led to other yummy sauces. After being put through more taste test sessions than they could imagine, Alex decided to take his family and friends seriously when they told him he was really on to something. That is when he decided to start bottling it. Being the paragliding, world traveling, ambitious person he is, Alex did not take presenting his sauce to the world lightly. Less than a year later, we are proud to present you with Sauce For A Cause.

What does Sauce For A Cause do for the environment? We strive to find the best packaging we can. The bottles are an innovative package that is eco-friendly, space saving, and great for taking anywhere you want them to go. The packages are more like a pouch, made from recycled materials and could be reused in all sorts of creative ways.

Not only is it important to us to bring you the best products, but also to make a true difference. That is why Sauce For A Cause donates fifty-percent of its proceeds to five carefully selected causes: Life Straw, Friends of the World Food Program, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, Cancer and Flight for Life Colorado.

Sauce For A Cause & Leave No Trace: Sauce For A Cause Is honored to work with Leave No Trace. We are strong supporters and believe strongly in the program, and the partnership with the REI peak program. As a past instructor of the peak program and Leave No Trace, trainer Alex Mitchell is all about getting kids playing outside and away from video games. Everybody should know the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace!

Interested in learning more? Visit the Sauce For A Cause website, or join them on Facebook!

For more on Partnerships with Leave No Trace, visit our Partnership page or contact Sara@LNT.org.

International Highlight: Ireland Takes on Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace has a growing international presence with dozens of partner organizations using and incorporating Leave No Trace around the world, as well as a few countries that have actually formed Leave No Trace organizations, and countless groups using and incorporating elements of the program to complement their environmental efforts.

In its third year of work, one branch, Leave No Trace Ireland, has exhibited a remarkably vibrant program, successful in both field and event-based education. Program coordinator, Beverley Pierson is hard at work organizing communication and educational efforts around the country. The organization is publishing skills and ethics booklets for the general public, attending outdoor events, delivering Leave No Trace Trainer Courses and Awareness Workshops and developing educational partnership with a growing list of outdoor organizations and agencies.

Pictured above, Leave No Trace exhibited at the National Ploughing Championships, an event that draws 80,000 people in Athy, Ireland. You can find more information about Leave No Trace Ireland at: www.leavenotraceireland.org and more about other international partners at www.lnt.org/support/international.php.

Partnership Highlight: CLIF BAR GreenNotes

What is it?

From the makers of the natural and organic CLIF energy bar, CLIF BAR GreenNotes is a program that marries the power of music with a passion for the environment in the interest of protecting the places we play for our and future generations. Proceeds from their benefit album, titled “Protect the Places We Play”, go to relevant nonprofit organizations including Leave No Trace whose missions fulfill this goal.

What GreenNotes does for the community:

GreenNotes supports emerging musicians - passionate about the environment in their own right – who may not yet have the resources, expertise, or funds to integrate environmentally friendly touring practices. By helping artists reduce the environmental impact of their tours – and sharing their experience with audiences along the way - we hope music fans will be inspired to take action in their own lives and communities.

What GreenNotes does for the environment:

GreenNotes provides artists with the resources and the technical assistance required to integrate several eco-friendly touring practices. These include: fueling their buses with biodiesel, printing on recycled paper using soy-based ink, selling organic cotton t-shirts at shows, working to provide locally and organically grown foods backstage, and buying renewable wind energy credits to offset their remaining carbon dioxide emissions (CO2, a greenhouse gas, is the major cause of global warming).

How can you get more involved:

Take Action! Check out some simple steps you can take to reduce your own footprint and help protect the places where we all like to play.

While you’re at it, check out some free music! You can get two free tracks from the “Protect the Places We Play” album by visiting the GreenNotes site. Artists featured on the album include: Martin Sexton, Michael Franti, John Butler Trio, Brett Dennen and Missy Higgins. Proceeds from the sale of the entire album on iTunes go to benefit environmental nonprofits – including Leave No Trace!

Partnership Highlight: Crazy Creek Sells Commemorative Chair Benefiting Leave No Trace

To Recline or Not To Recline? That is the Question.

Longtime adventurer, Leave No Trace friend, and Crazy Creek founder Rob Hart died in February in a skiing accident near his home in Montana. Rob was a fixture in the high mountain Himalayan climbing community and led expeditions all over the world. His inspiration for Crazy Creek Chairs, over two decades ago, was simply to provide a warm, dry and comfortable place to put his butt on (in his own words).

Hart was a staunch supporter of the Leave No Trace program and his company supported the organization since the moment Leave No Trace, the organization, was formed in 1994. To honor him and his important role within the Leave No Trace program, his colleagues at Crazy Creek created the Special Addition “Chair Man” Leave No Trace Chair. The lightweight, comfortable chairs are being sold in our store with a percentage of proceeds benefiting Leave No Trace programs. To honor the launch of this program, we are giving a 20% discount on the chair through the end of September.

We greatly miss Rob’s lively, often hysterical, wry conversation and commentary, and are honored to continue our partnership with Crazy Creek in his memory and belief of Leave No Trace.

Welcome to the New Partners of Leave No Trace!

The beauty of the partnership community at Leave No Trace is that there is a place for virtually any entity to support the organization. The result? One diverse community of partners at the Leave No Trace table - from environmental and recreational groups, to food companies, outdoor industry partners, guides and more. We're one interesting and passionate bunch here at Leave No Trace - and here are the newest groups to join the Small Business Partner community.

5430 Sports
5430 Sports is a leading developer and organizer of sport-based events. With a focus on multisport endurance races, 5430 produces high quality, premiere races for the beginner, as well as elite competitors.

Catamount Lodge and Forest
The Catamount property in upstate New York provides opportunities for families and groups to stay overnight, host events and enjoy the outdoors, all while enjoying the beauty of the region. Near to Carry Falls Reservoir and the South Colton, outdoor opportunities abound from hiking and fishing, to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Grand Trunk
Grand Trunk’s goal is to create products that are useful whether you are camping, traveling, care about the environment, hanging in your backyard, or playing at the beach. These versatile hammocks are the creation from these inspirations, and are both useful and inspiring.

Ledo Environmental
Looking to dispose of waste properly? Check out the Biffy Bag from Ledo Environmental, an environmentally-friendly solution to packing out your waste.

Interested in a partnership with Leave No Trace? Check out our Partners page for more information, or contact Sara (sara@LNT.org) or Catherine (Catherine@LNT.org).