Patagonia leads by green example

Nadine Kam photos
Yvon Chouinard, left, with surf legend Gerry Lopez.

Patagonia hosted a grand opening event celebrating its Honolulu store at 940 Auahi St. on Dec. 12.

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard was there to welcome Patagonia ambassadors and surf legends, Mary Osborne and Tom Doidge-Harrison, to the VIP event, which included a silent auction of merchandise donated by the surf ambassadors, including surf lessons with Doidge-Harrison in Ireland.

I didn't know Chouinard would be attending, and it was an honor to meet the outdoor legend and mountain climber who was one of the first, if not the first to introduce the concept of environmentally conscious retail through Patagonia's sustainable practices.

I didn't expect to be interviewing him on the spot, but while I had him cornered at the pupu table, why not?

In spite of the down economy, he said Patagonia has had three of its best years.

"Recessions are good for us, because when people don't have money, they stop buying fashion and start looking for something that will last a long time.

"The younger kids are also hearing our environmental message and are really supporting us."

The Patagonia founder holds court with his many surf ambassadors. Clockwise from top left are Fletcher Chouinard, Gerry Lopez, Kimi Wenner, Yvon Chouinard, Kim Diggs, Keith Malloy and Chris Malloy. In front are Kohl Christensen, left, and Dan Malloy. I don't know who the girl is.

He's a rare retailer, for whom selling is not as much of an aim, as spreading the word about protecting nature and Earth's resources by leaving the lightest footprint possible.

Considering the movement started 40 years ago and it's only been within the last two years that retailers have begun to embrace the sustainability movement, Chouinard said he never thought he would see this day.

He's currently consulting with companies like Wal-Mart toward helping them green their business.

Patagonia's garments are made to last so that wearers don't have to buy new apparel every few years, and the company has a policy of repairing any manufacturing defects (not applicable to normal wear and tear or damage), so people are less inclined to throw a piece out.

"We don't want people to buy something unless they really need it, and if they do buy it, we'll guarantee it for life. If it breaks down because it's our fault, we'll fix it. And if they get tired of it and want to get rid of it, we'll help them find another owner for it," said Chouinard, who's most excited about Patagonia's Common Threads Initiative, which brings the manufacturing loop full circle, from birth to rebirth, in recycling its old apparel to create new products.

A bountiful arrangement of pupu preceded a heavier selection that came later.

All of Patagonia's fibers and materials can now be recycled, from Nylon 6, to cottons, wools, hemp and polyester. Inside the store, there are display containers that show the process of transforming cut-up pieces of clothing into powder, solid and thread forms, to final swatch of new fabric, and you can read more about the company's environmental initiatives at www.patagonia.com under the heading "Environmentalism: What We Do."

I asked him how he thought Hawaii was doing on the sustainability front, and he's direct in his response.

"It's the worst state in the nation for sustainability," he said, taking into account the fuel it takes to fly people in and out of state, and move goods here.

He's not optimistic about the future of fossil fuel, and when I asked him for advice, he said, "Grow taro." At least then we could feed ourselves when the planes stop flying.

If all else fails Hawaii, we should always have taro and poi. The Patagonia grand opening was also marked by a number of environmental, ocean and earth displays and ideas.