Environment news :Oboz Joins The Conservation Alliance

Oboz Footwear Joins The Conservation Alliance
Organization of outdoor industry businesses supports grassroots groups that work to protect the environment

(Bozeman, MT, March 5, 2013)—Oboz Footwear is pleased to announce it has joined The Conservation Alliance, a membership organization of outdoor industry businesses whose livelihood depends on protecting the natural environment.  Oboz joins 185 member companies that make up The Conservation Alliance, which disbursed $1.3 million in grants in 2012 to conservation groups working on grassroots environmental protection.

“We are pleased to now support The Conservation Alliance and the great work they do,” said President John Connelly. “It adds our voice and support to fellow businesses in our industry, and we know our dues will be put toward the most worthy conservation projects around the country.”

As a member of The Conservation Alliance, Oboz will be able to play a role in selecting grant recipient projects that most closely fit The Conservation Alliance’s funding criteria.  Currently, 25 grant proposals—narrowed from a field of 70 submissions—are up for a membership vote that determines the final 15 to 18 recipients that will receive funding for the Winter 2013 Funding Cycle.

“The Conservation Alliance expects to distribute $1.5 million dollars this year,” said John Sterling, Executive Director of the Conservation Alliance.

Sterling continued, “We are thrilled to welcome Oboz into The Conservation Alliance. By joining, Oboz expresses a strong commitment to protecting wild places throughout North America. Oboz’ participation, along with all our new members, has helped increase our ability to fund the best projects in 2013.”

Joining The Conservation Alliance adds to the initiatives Oboz set in place at its founding to reduce its impact and give back to the environment:

•    For every pair of shoes or boots it sells, Oboz plants a tree through Trees for the Future, an international aid organization that assists communities throughout the world with beneficial tree planting.
•    Oboz offsets all of its energy use through Native Energy, including the transportation of its footwear from the factory to its distribution center, and finally, to retailers.  All Oboz’ business travel and commuting costs are also offset with carbon credits.  Additionally, clean energy from the Judith Gap Wind Farm in Montana provides all the power for Oboz’ office in Bozeman, Montana.
•    Oboz also supports the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, which received a $50,000 grant from the Conservation Alliance in 2012. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition was founded in 1983 to help guide the healthy and wild management of the vast Yellowstone ecosystem, which comprises 20 million acres of wild country. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has over 27,000 supporters worldwide.
•    Finally, Oboz makes sure that no shoe goes to a landfill before it has been well used.  Shoes that cannot be sold—whether they are samples, returns, or single shoes—are donated to a variety of organizations that outfit needy feet.

For more information about Oboz’ environmental programs, visit http://obozfootwear.com/ethics/#one-more-tree.

About The Conservation Alliance
The Conservation Alliance is an organization of outdoor businesses whose collective contributions support grassroots environmental organizations and their efforts to protect wild places where outdoor enthusiasts recreate. Alliance funds have played a key role in protecting rivers, trails, wildlands and climbing areas throughout North America. Since its inception in 1989, the Alliance has contributed nearly $11.2 million to grassroots conservation groups. Alliance funding has helped save more than 29 million acres of wildlands; protect 2,700 miles of rivers; stop or remove 25 dams; designate five marine reserves; and purchase nine climbing areas. For complete information on The Conservation Alliance, see www.conservationalliance.com.

About Oboz
Oboz (www.obozfootwear.com) creates ‘True to the Trail™’ outdoor footwear inspired by the wild environs spanning the region from the company’s Bozeman, Montana home. ‘The Oboz’ is a place for exploration, play and work, as well as a state of mind that has deep respect for the area’s rich natural heritage. Oboz shoes—which debuted in stores in 2008—are designed to have meaningful innovation, steadfast performance and recognizable quality. Oboz plants a tree for every pair of shoes it sells through Trees for the Future (www.treesftf.org), an international organization that improves livelihoods in developing countries through beneficial tree planting.

Media contact for Oboz:
Boo Turner, Footloose Communications / boo@footloose-communications.com / 206.554.1596 cell

Media contact for The Conservation Alliance:
Julie Evans, Verde PR & Consulting / Julie@verdepr.com / 970.946.0856
John Sterling, The Conservation Alliance / john@conservationalliance.com / 541.389.2424