Hello
Everyone,
Today
we would like to introduce an important, environmentally conscious and eco-friendly
corporation whose brand is well known and respected Worldwide; Patagonia. They
are a very popular company whose headquarters reside in Ventura County making
them a valuable asset within our local community. According to their website, Patagonia’s
Mission Statement, is to “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm,
use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
Their core values,
“reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the
minimalist style they promoted. The approach we take towards product design
demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility.”
Patagonia
originally started as a small company that produced tools and hardware to assist
climbers on their exploits. The company evolved into a global business that now
also makes clothes suitable for all kinds of outdoor adventurers. Climbers, skiers,
snowboarders, surfers, as well as the average everyday person can enjoy something
from their catalogue. Their simplistic yet functional designs appeal to
everyone from all walks of life. They connect not only to nature but also to
people.
Being
such an environmentally sound organization, Patagonia tries to leave a very
small imprint. They are conscious of their overall effects as a company and try
to give back as much as they can. They say, “For us at Patagonia, a love of
wild and beautiful places demands participation in the fight to save them, and
to help reverse the steep decline in the overall environmental health of our
planet. We donate our time, services and at least 1% of our sales to hundreds
of grassroots environmental groups all over the world who work to help reverse
the tide.”
With
their continued activism and participation, Patagonia organizes several local
events through the year. They are currently sponsoring the 22nd
Annual 5k Salmon Run which is to be held this Sunday, November 8, 2015 in Ventura,
California. The race will start at Patagonia, Inc. Located at 235 W Santa Clara
St., Ventura, California 93001.
The
event will help raise funds to benefit SOAR, another local non-profit
organization seeking to improve our local community. Patagonia says, “We’re
very excited to announce that registration is now open for the 22nd annual 5K race,
to be held November 8, 2015. For over twenty years, the Ventura community has
embraced and supported the Salmon Run, enabling us to directly benefit
non-profit organizations focused on addressing environmental concerns right in
our own backyard. We hope you can join this year’s race and be part of
extending the Salmon Run’s mission for many more decades to come. This year's
race beneficiary will be SOAR. SOAR is a non-profit grassroots group of
citizens in Ventura County, California who are dedicated to keeping Ventura
County from following the same urban sprawl pattern that has plagued the rest
of Southern California. SOAR has over one thousand active members with a
presence in each city of the county.”
Registration
for the Salmon Run is presently offered online at RunSignUp.
Since
this event usually fills up quickly there are no plans for day-of registration
this year. Everyone that plans to participate must register online prior to the
race. Please also note that last year’s race SOLD OUT. Patagonia recommends
that you register early online to guarantee a spot in this year’s run.
For
more information on Patagonia please check out their website at
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In
case you’re interested in a little bit of info about SOAR, we have pulled some
information from their website that we would like to share. If you are
unfamiliar with this organization we hope that you find this introduction
useful.
Who is SOAR?
“SOAR
is a series of voter initiatives that require a vote of the people before
agricultural land or open space areas can be rezoned for development. The first
SOAR initiative was approved by the voters in the City of Ventura in 1995.
Since 1995, nine SOAR initiatives have been enacted protecting open space and
agricultural land around all of the major cities in Ventura County as well as
in the county’s unincorporated areas. The County SOAR initiative blocks the
Ventura County Board of Supervisors from rezoning unincorporated open space,
agricultural or rural land for development without a vote of the people. Eight
city SOAR initiatives require city councils to obtain the approval of their
citizens before allowing urban development beyond a City Urban Restriction
Boundary (CURB), or, in the case of the City of Ventura, before rezoning
agricultural land within the city’s sphere of influence. No other county in the
United States has more effective protections against urban sprawl.”
They
continue to say that, “The history of wasteful sprawl development in Southern
California over the last several decades, often over the strenuous and vocal
objections of residents, is testament to the fact that local elected officials
have been more responsive to development pressure than to the core values of
their citizens. The fact that the largest source of campaign funds for local
elected officials in Southern California is pro-development money was a primary
reason that Ventura County citizens recognized the need an extra level of
review for urban sprawl development proposals.” They strive to further protect
these beautiful hillsides and valuable farmlands within Ventura County.
They
have had several accomplishments which they describe as having, “dramatically
halted the traditional urban sprawl expansion pattern that has plagued Southern
California. Located just north of Los Angeles County, Ventura County has been
able to hold onto much of its natural open spaces and greenbelt buffers between
cities, and slowed the loss of agricultural land to far below the rates
experienced in other parts of Southern California, such as Orange County and
the San Fernando Valley. Cities here have become more focused on
re-development, infill and renewal of decaying urban cores. Major urban sprawl
projects like the Hidden Creek Messenger project proposed for the open space
between Moorpark and Simi Valley have been stopped as a result of SOAR.”
For
information on SOAR please visit their site listed below.
**
We would like to note that all of the information above is pulled from their website.
We apologize for not properly citing writing credit to the original author.
Please don’t sue us!! Love not lawsuits!
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