This year’s election is a bit of a trainwreck. What should be an intelligent discourse has turned into a steaming, stinking pile of rancid shit that an entire nation can’t look away from. There’s a trainwreck happening, and we’re all craning our necks to watch the carnage. But despite the fact that you probably hate the choice you’ll have to make come November, you still have to make it. There’s no excuse for not voting, even if you’re Kelly Slater. Patagonia knows this. That’s why they’re closing every single one of their stores on November 8th.
“During a time of catastrophic environmental crisis, when America needs strong leadership to confront the fundamental threat of climate change, voter turnout threatens to reach historic lows as people are turned off by the ugliness of politics,” said Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario in a press release.
The whole thing is part of Patagonia’s Vote The Planet initiative, which is exactly what it sounds like: a way to encourage people to vote, hopefully for someone who will “champion local environmental issues and engage in civil society.”
Although Patagonia is indeed a business for profit, they’re going about the normally dirty business of doing business a lot better than most companies. “As a business, we have a unique ability to take a stand and choose to prioritize the health of the planet over profit, and I think it’s important we take that opportunity when it truly matters,” Marcario continued. “We want to do everything possible to empower citizens to make their voices heard and elect candidates up and down the ballot who will protect our planet.”
Vote the Planet is a freshly launched campaign that held voter registration rallies at its stores, distributing guides detailing where all the candidates stand on different environmental issues. The company also gave $200,000 to two different nonprofits, one of which registers younger voters at concerts. It’s all in an effort to do one thing: get people to vote. “We want to do everything possible to empower citizens to make their voices heard and elect candidates up and down the ballot who will protect our planet,” said Marcario.
