There are roughly five trillion different hikes you can do in the Bay Area, but last Saturday we chose to spend our morning making the popular Tennessee Valley Trail just a little bit better.
“How the heck could you do that,” you ask. Yep, it is a glorious escape (just 20 minutes North of San Francisco) with stunning Pacific views, hills covered in wildflowers, abundant wildlife, where the roar of the surf can be heard. But everything has imperfections - said someone at some time.
So, we partnered with the awesome folks at Parks Project and Proof Lab to join the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy for some serious trail restoration. We threw on some work gloves (and looked a whole lot cooler), grabbed our shovels, and loaded up the wheelbarrows. Not only did we move 10 cubic feet of dirt/shale around (like a boss), but we helped raise and fill an area that had deteriorated from rain and years of use.
It was an incredible day and we were pumped to be a part of it… and you can too. Start by checking out the Non-Profits on GoodPeople, to see how you can help. Get involved, give back, and leave it better than you found it!
Check out some rad NEW gear from Parks Project in the GoodPeople Marketplace:
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We are saddened by the disaster in Nepal and we are sending thoughts and prayers to everyone over there. It's hard not to feel super helpless, but with U.S. disaster relief teams expected to arrive in Nepal today following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that impacted almost 5 million people and killed over 4,000, we've compiled a list of some of the ongoing relief and rescue efforts that you can donate to, to help the victims of the earthquake:
On the Road: GoodPeople's Summer Spreading the Word
Photo by: Tony Swetz
Well, that crisp smell of fall is in the air and that means one thing for sure ... winter is coming. Love it or hate it, it's on its way. Which also means that we are way behind on our blog here at GoodPeople, but don’t fret, this summer has been too amazing not to share some of the highlights with all of you good people.
Our summer kicked off with a three week surfing/friend’s wedding trip to Bali! Best wedding idea ever? Yeah, we think so.
While there, we met up with the Padma Boys, a local surf crew, who were incredibly welcoming. We got to spend a ton of time in the water trying to sharpen our skills on the waves, but surfing is deceivingly difficult to learn and you really never stop learning. It’s one of the reasons we love the sport so much.
Yes - Bali is an island paradise, but soon our trip became more than just a surfing trip/friend’s wedding. The Padma Boys told us about some of the over development and rapid population growth that they were seeing. It was a worrying thought to lose this natural beauty, and unfortunately it is threatened on another level that is arguably worse than more buildings and people - trash.
We met with Project Uluwatu, a non-profit that is working to keep this legendary surf spot clean and environmentally responsible. With no set infrastructure or governmental aid, the trash produced in Uluwatu had been dumped into the ocean and in nearby ravines and caves. Project Uluwatu works to remove plastics and other rubbish from the beaches and create an eco-friendly environment. It is extremely important that everyone reduces their own plastic use. Seeing trash wash up on a beautiful island beach is an extremely saddening experience, and it can be stopped. Our experience in Bali was both invigorating and eye opening, and we cannot wait to go back!
This year, for The X-Games Austin, we sent our intern Cassy to represent GoodPeople at the largest extreme sports event of the year. Set up with a media pass, Cassy was able to get up close and personal to the action and get some awesome photos for us. This being the first year that The X-Games was held in Austin, some things were obviously different. For the last ten years the event was held in LA and most, if not all the events, were confined to the Staples Center, or very close by. In Austin the events and shows were a little more spread out. The Rally Car events were held almost 30 minutes outside of town, if traffic was good, and it rarely was. With headline acts like Mac Miller, Pretty Lights, and Kanye West, the entertainment was great. The shows got so packed that even a media pass couldn’t get our intern into the Kanye West show! She did manage to see Pretty Lights who put on a great show.
Next up on our schedule was this year’s 10th annual Skate the Lake, put on by B4BC (Boarding for Breast Cancer). We love this event and everyone involved. We rode the entire 28 miles along gorgeous Lake Tahoe, and up to Squaw Valley, all to raise money for breast cancer prevention. We completed the skate and loved every minute. Collectively the event raised over 20k and GoodPeople is incredibly proud to have been involved. We’ve done this event before, and seeing the familiar faces of the regular attendees was great. Catching up with Cali Longboarders, Mitten United, Loaded, and of course the ladies at B4BC, was more than half the fun. We decided to camp instead of finding a hotel or place to crash. It was great, except we spotted a bear en-route to our camp site. Makes you sleep a little lighter than normal!
Just a few weeks back we attended the premiere of Jeremy Jones’ film “Higher.” Held at Squaw’s KT Base Bar, and the place was packed. We ran into a ton of good friends including Roy from High Fives Foundation, Barbara, Meg, and Chris from POW, Jen with Coalition Snow, Rob and Susan from http://www.skiing-blog.com, Asymbol, and JF Pelchat with Now Bindings. All the athletes were in attendance and the stoke for this winter was intoxicating (as was the awesome beer tent!) Watching the film outside in the grass was the perfect setting. The film was insane, chronicling the intense efforts that Jeremy Jones goes through, just to find that next run. Camping out for months at a time, the film showed how Jeremy chose to hike the lines instead of being dropped from a heli. It was refreshing to see a true backcountry experience instead of the seemingly “normal” massive corked rotations set up in the trees. It really showed what true backcountry dedication was, always looking for the steeper and the deeper lines.
As the weather gets colder, and the leaves start to fall, it is somewhat bittersweet to say ‘good-bye’ to such an amazing summer. So many adventures and wonderful new friends we have made along the way, it has truly been one for the books! But in that ‘bittersweet’ feeling, there still is sweet, sweet winter, and here at GoodPeople, we love winter!
If you are as excited as we are for the snow to fall, come join GoodPeople and Coalition Snow on October 25th at the Brava Theater Center as we present the film Pretty Faces! This film “tells the story of a skier girl” and is all about those women who have created their own path, made their own way in the skiing world to reach their goals. Doors for the film open at 6:30! Get your tickets here --> http://www.brava.org/current-shows/current-shows/pretty-faces/#.VDV8ttTF_gV
We are also extremely proud to be a part of the second annual Outdoor San Francisco party coming up November 12th. Held at the Folsom Foundry, this event celebrates San Francisco’s unique outdoor based businesses and charities. Come see us and a ton of other really cool local companies. Plus, there’s going to be some great live music and some incredible speakers!
Stay tuned to us here at GoodPeople because we plan to follow up this summer with an equally amazing winter!
Here at GoodPeople, we are trying really hard to do our part. We’ve built a social marketplace that will empower brands and people to be more sustainable and socially responsible.
GoodPeople fosters a community of people that take risks and companies that push the boundaries with their innovative products. We were quite stoked when Mi Ola was asked to be apart of their online e-commerce community. For us, it was a natural fit; we design functional AND sexy bikinis that stay on and keep up with us as we surf, do yoga, play volleyball, or cannonball into a pool.
Designing an innovative product means lots of product testing, going back to the drawing board, and support from our awesome customers. Mi Ola does cost a little bit more than your average bikini, but then again Mi Ola is not just any bikini. We do not take shortcuts. All of our suits are made in the USA using high-quality materials and sharp tailoring. Our bikinis stay on and are made to last longer.
We have come so far since designing our first prototype bikini two years ago, but we also have so much more ground to cover! We are proud to work with a community of like minded people.
GoodPeople does not measure success in dollar signs. We see happy, healthy people following their passions and giving back to their communities as an indicator of our success. We support sustainable businesses, nonprofits, and a healthy environment. This is the place to share that special part of you the world needs to know about. It is a place where you will be heard. It is a place to meet people like you who embrace this active lifestyle and live the GoodLife.
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At GoodPeople, we understand very clearly that selling more things is not the answer to a more sustainable planet. But the truth of the matter is, that in order for us to live happy and healthy lives, we need to make money to provide for our families and for ourselves. There is no way around it. While we hear all of the warnings in the media about the dire predictions of climate change, nothing seems to be happening to prevent the dangers of a warming planet on its people, animals, and ecosystems.
So what are we waiting for, the oceans to overwhelm our cities or the fires to burn down our forests and homes? The lists of the things that can go wrong on our planet are only getting longer. I’ve had this blog post on my ever-growing to-dos for some time. I was waiting too I guess, until I read this article, Nasa-funded study: industrial civilization headed for 'irreversible collapse'? Catchy title, but unless you believe in creationism and that the Almighty God who created the Earth in seven days is going to save us all, it might be worth taking a read.
In a nutshell, “a new study by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has highlighted the prospect that global industrial civilization could collapse in coming decades due to unsustainable resource exploitation and increasingly unequal wealth distribution.”[i] As a student of sustainability this does not surprise me one bit. The idea that we can grow as a civilization with profit as the driving force behind that growth is flawed and this study shines some light on the need for urgent action.
This study looked at our current civilization, as well as the great civilizations that gave birth to the world we know today, the Roman Empire, Han, Mauryan, and Gupta Empires. All of them, no matter how mighty, collapsed. The main interrelated human-nature dynamics that lead to their demise were Population, Climate, Water, Agriculture, and Energy. When these factors are combined with “two crucial social features: "the stretching of resources due to the strain placed on the ecological carrying capacity"; and "the economic stratification of society into Elites [rich] and Masses (or "Commoners") [poor]" These social phenomena have played "a central role in the character or in the process of the collapse," in all such cases over "the last five thousand years."[ii]
[iii]
This is what a population curve looks like. Where do you think we are at this moment?
Some pretty heavy stuff and exactly what our planet is dealing with at the moment. When I went to the Bainbridge Graduate Institute to earn an MBA in Sustainable Business, the school’s founder Gifford Pinchot III used to say, “the planet is going to be fine, it is the people we need to worry about.”
We can continue to wait for these changes to happen to us, or we can learn and make our own changes that protect the people, trees, and animals that make this planet such an amazing place to be a part of.
Here at GoodPeople, we are trying really hard to do our part. We’ve built a social marketplace that will empower brands and people to be more sustainable and socially responsible.
For brands, we are creating a marketplace that highlights brand’s sustainability efforts while encouraging brands to embrace these changes with partnerships with organizations like B Corporation. This marketplace will use carrots and not sticks to reward companies taking action, while staying inclusive to allow all brands to join the community and work with them to move in a more sustainable direction.
We do this by focusing on selling products with the least amount of impact and brands that give back to the communities and planet that support them. We also help promote companies that are already operating in this manner like Niche Snowboards, INI Cooperative, and, IRIS Skateboards, to name just a few. Our marketplace will allow users to filter by sustainable and social impacts thereby giving consumers a choice to vote with their dollars and purchase products made from recycled materials like t-shirts from old film, for example. Nice one Soul Poles, I had not heard of that technique before.
The Niche Crew - Milesport and Niche Snowboard testing the 2015 boards at Brighton.
INI Cooperative - Mindfully manufactured snow, skate, and surf apparel that's focused on function, authenticity, and street-influenced style which are the core principles of INI Cooperative.
IRIS - IRIS Skateboards are the original recycled skateboard. Each deck is made from recycled skateboards while the grip tape is made from crushed class. Ouch in a good way!
We have a saying here, “We are not perfect, but we are GoodPeople.” That goes for our brands as well. Not every brand can be as sustainable as Patagonia and requiring them to be so would be hypocritical on our part as GoodPeople has plenty of work to do on our sustainability efforts as well. Sustainability is a path and not a destination that we are happy to be walking down.
There really is no time to wait. It will take more than just people buying sustainable products. It will take a community passionate about giving back and engaging with organizations like B4BC, The High Fives Foundation, and Sustainable Surf who are creating opportunities to engage people and brands to do good.
Sustainable Surf: The Ecoboard Project is just one way they are a catalyst that is transforming surf culture and industry into a powerful community that protects the ocean playground.
Civilization collapse sounds like a really scary thing to me. We don’t have the luxury of waiting anymore. We are Building an Army of GoodPeople. We are looking for people and brands that live and breathe active lifestyles. People looking for a new way to connect with other GoodPeople and find better products. And people that care about protecting the planet and the communities that make our lives possible.
Our soldiers don't carry guns. They carry surfboards, skateboards, and skis. GoodPeople are not looking for a fight, only an adventure. They are certainly not perfect, but they are GoodPeople.
We won't ask you to cut your hair or take a drug test, but we want you!
We look forward to meeting you.
Cheers,
Denny
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What can be better than that?!? The answer....NOTHING. That's why we are raising money to support Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) and their mission to educate and prevent breast cancer. Please take a look and help spread the word!
We're hosting a party in San Francisco with GoodPeople as guest bartenders and raffles items from our brand partners. Click the banner below to get more info:
Lifestyle brand "Cuipo" Save Rainforests.....and Our Souls?
Cuipo was founded on the idea that people and not governments are key to creating the groundswell movements needed to protect the rainforests, an ecosystem essential for our planet’s survival. They’ve partnered with One Meter At A Time so that every Cuipo product you purchase buys one square meter of rainforest. We chatted with Matt Genova, Cuipo’s Sales Director to find out about him and what inspired Cuipo to take on such an big mission.
No brainer…PBR!
Surf or Snow?
Surf
How young is your brand?
2 years young!
What is the driving purpose behind your brand?
To Save Prime Rainforest around the world
How does your brand Go Big and Do Good?
Everything we sell saves prime rainforest. 20% of the world’s fresh water and oxygen comes from the rainforest. 50% of Earth’s plants and animals live in the rainforest. 70% of the plants used in cancer fighting medicines come from the rainforest. All around, think we can make the connection that what we do is pretty unique and entirely awesome.
If your brand were a donut, what kind would you be?
A Bacon Maple Twist
If your brand was a dog, what kind would you be?
Labrador- Loyal, Hardworking and never bites.
What is your favorite shitty TV show?
Moonshiners
What websites (other than goodpeople.com) do you check out regularly?
Ummmmm…let me erase my History then answer this. Let’s go with www.theinertia.com ,escapekit.ca, mocoloco.com, fastcompany.com, huffingtonpost.com/green, and my fantasy football sites!
Who is your favorite instagram profile?
Draw between @mycuipo @punkerpat and @pfeifferlab
What music is in your iPod right now?
Action Bronson, Ben Harper, G Love, Jack White, Divine Fits, Johnny Cash, Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Jack Johnson, Social Distortion, Misfits, Phish, Dispatch…I’m a mixed-up hodge podge. I’m old but try to stay hip with my kids.
What song will play that would embarrass you?
"Price Tag” by Jessie J….I have no excuse.
Do you have a nickname? If not, do you want one?
Nope and nope.
Who is inspiring you at the moment?
Yvon Chouinard- Founder of Patagonia…he was the first and still the best.
What is your brand’s home town?
Newport Beach, CA
What makes you different?
We are the only environmental cause-brand that actually OWNS the property we protect. The only “true” way to keep the property pristine in perpetuity.
Best accomplishment:
Making a “real” difference in the world thru the actions of an amazingly talented group of likeminded people for future generations.
Hobbies:
Hanging with my sons, Burritos, Wings, Beers, Beach, Baseball
Biggest fail:
If you’re not failing, you’re not trying.
Favorite Quote:
"Do or do not…there is no try”…Yoda
Words to live by:
“There is no sustainability as far as any human, economic endeavor. We’re polluters here and we recognize that. All you can do is work towards minimizing the damage that you do”…Yvon Chouinard
Well said Yvon. And well said Matt! We’re so stoked to be working with Cuipo, hope you guys are too. You can check out all their whole line here.
We brought you Outdoor SF and it rocked! But once per year isn't enough. So we decided to launch a Meetup for monthly happy hours. Come hang out and meet other outdoor/action sports people!
These are exciting days at GoodPeople with incredible new brands joining up everyday. Today it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Matt Miner, co-founder of Bosky Optics, and the cutting edge work he’s doing with goggles and sunglasses. Between plant based biourethane frames and hemp ventilation systems, Bosky is changing the way we see things. Matt took some time during the crazy conferences of SIA and OR to chat with GoodPeople, here’s what he had to say:
How long has Bosky been around?
1 Year
What is your brand’s home town?
Portland, Oregon the greatest city in the U.S
What is the driving purpose behind your brand?
Designing and creating performance ski snowboard goggles and sunglasses made from environmentally conscious materials to give people the chance to see the environment better through a lens.
What makes you different?
We think outside of the box and go against what people find as regular. Being different is interesting especially when you are in uncharted territory. I’m different because I want to help people think differently about environmental issues through changing the products they use.
How does your brand Go Big and Do Good?
By reinventing optics for the everyday adventurer while eliminating environmentally toxic materials that are present in other sunglasses and ski snowboard goggles. By having gear that is more in line with the places we explore.
Who is inspiring you at the moment?
I would have to say Patagonia, their company does a lot with sustainability efforts in their products. Their founder has also spear headed a massive preservation project in Patagonia.
PBR or Fat Tire?
PBR is always a good fall back when you don’t have enough for Fat Tire.
Surf or Snow?
Surfing in Oregon is a let down compared to California, but do we make up for it with our mountains.
What is your favorite shitty tv show?
Hmm… I would have to say Robot Chicken. Shitty as can be but so funny.
What websites do you check out regularly?
Freeskier, POW, Quirky, Oregon Feild Guide, and GoodPeople!
Who is your favorite Instagram profile?
I would have to say extreme athlete Dean Potter, a professional wingsuit maniac! Do check him out.
What music is in your iPod right now?
Ungodly amounts of electronic music! There are so many free mixes in the podcast section on iTunes
What song will play that would embarrass you?
Hahaha, Heat of the Moment by Asia
Hobbies: mountain biking, snowboarding, mountaineering, skydiving, electronic music and of course friend making and retaining.
If your brand were a donut, what kind would you be?
Jelly donut with peanut butter on top, yes it exists.
If your brand was a dog, what kind would you be?
Jack Russel they have so much energy and they like to climb trees.
Best accomplishment: So far in my life I would have to say being apart of Bosky!
Biggest fail: There are a few, but I would have to say geting 2nd degree burns while bombing hills on my drop deck longboard
Fav Quote: Be the change you want to see in the world-Gandhi
Words to live by: The future is pointless if the present is secondary
Top 5 highlights for GoodPeople at Winter X Games Aspen
Things have been busy for the past week with the GoodPeople crew hitting the road for the X Games. Especially because they just announced a deal for 5 more years of the event in Aspen. This year we got hooked up with Press Passes and had a front row seat for the most insane tricks we've ever seen! We want to give you a feel of what it's like to be behind the scenes and up-close at one of the worlds best winter sports event. So here are the top 5 highlights from our weekend in Assssspeen!
1. Repreve, Elena, and the X Games turn the pipe green!
Going green is here to stay. Giving back socially and environmentally is not marketing, it's a way of life. It's necessary and improves everyone's lives in the process. Repreve and Elena Hight did an amazing job bringing this to life by "turning the pipe green"! Repreve is a company that recycles plastic bottles to make new clothes. Combined with Volcom, Elena's jacket was made of 100% recycled plastic bottles!
2. Gretchen Bleiler Retires from competition
The living legend, Gretchen Bleiler, announced that she would be retiring after this X Games and moving on to other things. We had a chance to hang out with her after her last half pipe run ever, and she was happy and ready for the next steps. And guess what the first thing on her plate is? A trip to Baldface Lodge up in BC to shred some pow!
3. Matt and Kim are seriously GoodPeople.
They went huge in Aspen putting on one hell of a show and then shredded Ajax the next day! Even though Kim had never snowboarded before, she picked it up super quick thanks to hanging with Hannah Teter and the Burton Crew.
Here's a link to some unedited GoPro footy from the show!
4. We were stoked on Danny Davis's switch method! He's bringing style back to the pipe.
5. Riding Buttermilk with GoPro crew and Grete Eliassen
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In between praying for snow in Tahoe and catching some insane powder days in Colorado, we caught up with Flylow founder Dan Abrams to see how things were going. We're so stoked to have Flylow on GoodPeople because we think they are making some of the coolest products for the backcountry/freeride community. Dan and co-founder Greg Steen have a great thing going and we wanted to know more about what it takes to create such a sick line of outerwear that has the mobility of mountaineering gear but the style and fit of freeride apparel.
Here's what Dan had to say:
PBR or Fat Tire?
PBR.. I was in high school when Fat Tire came out, can't really drink it anymore. no comment on the quality. I love New Belgium's Ranger IPA.
Surf or Snow?
Snow. I like to surf, but I am more for the mountains and longer rides then surfing can provide.
What is your favorite shitty tv show?
Right now, Battlestar Galactica.
What websites other than GoodPeople.com do you check out regularly?
opensnow.com/dailysnow/tahoe
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Who is your favorite instagram profile?
Garrett Grove
What music is in your iPod right now?
I just bought James Brown's Motherload album
What song will play that would embarrass you?
Tom Cochrane - Life is a Highway
Hobbies:
Mtn Biking, skiing, wake surfing, waterskiing, playing music
How long has Flylow been solving the world's backcountry gear problems?
8-9 years
What is the driving purpose behind your brand?
to make the best outerwear for hunting powder in the mountains.
If your brand were a donut, what kind would you be?
Old fashion
If your brand was a dog, what kind would you be?
New Mexican Street Mutt named Bill.
How does your brand Go Big and Do Good?
We make gear the bridges the gap between backcountry and freeride. We are solid company that does not aim to grow super fast, just very well. We want to create jobs in the ski industry that will last.
Who is inspiring you at the moment?
Always Yvon Chouinard
What is your brand’s home town?
The Rockies... We have 4: Jackson, WY. Seattle, Denver, Tahoe City, CA.
What makes you different?
Our blend of design and materials... may be that Greg and I own, design and actually ski in the gear. Not sure all of those other companies have folks that do all of it and still love to shred above all.
Best accomplishment:
Marrying my wife.
Biggest fail:
no failures, only learning experiences.
Favorite Quote:
"Well it really doesn't matter which way I want to go, because the night has fallen and I am a long long way from home"---Stevie Ray Vaughn
Words to live by:
"No problems, only solutions"... spoken by 'Happy' (Feliz) the police chief in the ski town of Moena, Italy that throws the best freeride festival in the world, Scufonera, in the Dolomites...get there.
***Big thanks to Dan for hanging out, we're looking forward to finding some freshies with you guys sometime soon! If you want to check out more of their collection, click here.
