What: The brand’s latest shot at President Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, accusing the government of lying about its intentions when it reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by nearly two million acres back in December 2017.
Who: Patagonia
Why we care: In December, the government said the reason it shrunk the national monuments was to transfer use rights back to the state of Utah and that oil and gas drilling was not the priority. Patagonia had launched an awareness campaign, declaring “The President Stole Your Land.” Now the brand is adding to that accusation, posting on its website and social channels, “The President Stole Your Land and You Were Lied To.”
You Were Lied To.
It Was Always About Oil, Coal, Gas and Uranium.https://t.co/n3gnxmg50B pic.twitter.com/8Pv2Pi7TOU— Patagonia (@patagonia) March 29, 2018
In a blog post on the company’s site, Patagonia VP of environmental activism Lisa Pike Sheehy writes, “Looking over the maps of the original monuments when compared to the redrawn versions that exist today, it’s obvious that the design of each was motivated by access to these resources, and many of the decisions that were made were put in motion long before the administration ever opened up a public comment period.”
It’s the company’s latest move to try and raise awareness that this was never about states’ rights and was always about the government doing the bidding of the oil and gas industries.
Read more about Patagonia’s resistance and awareness campaign and how it’s helped boost business in my profile of CEO Rose Marcario for Fast Company‘s 2018 Most Innovative Companies issue.
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