The North Face and U.S. Department of the Interior Join Forces to Promote & Protect America’s Public Lands

The North Face ©

The North Face Launches Largest Campaign in Company History; Challenges People to Reimagine Exploration

Commercial Features Remake of “This Land is Your Land” by My Morning Jacket to Drive Donations Benefitting 21^st Century Conservation Service Corps 

ALAMEDA, Calif.--The North Face President Todd Spaletto and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today announced a partnership to protect, preserve and celebrate public lands in support of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC). The North Face is making a donation of $250,000 to the 21CSC and also today launched a new commercial campaign as a key component of the initiative, featuring a new recording of Woody Guthrie’s iconic anthem “This Land is Your Land” by two-time Grammy nominee My Morning Jacket (www.itunes.com/thenorthface). The song is available on iTunes, with more than half of each download going to 21CSC as My Morning Jacket will donate their portion of the proceeds to the initiative. Monies raised will create jobs for youth and returning veterans through 21CSC projects on public lands across the nation – from Golden Gate National Recreation Area to Everglades National Park.  

“This partnership with The North Face and My Morning Jacket is really about inspiring and preparing the next generation of conservation leaders and outdoor stewards,” said Secretary Jewell. “The funding will help put young people and veterans to work restoring and protecting our nation’s land, water and wildlife – whether that’s building trails in national parks or removing invasive species in national wildlife refuges. The 21CSC not only helps meet critical needs on our nation’s public lands, but also provides valuable job training and a connection to the great outdoors that will last these young people a lifetime.”

The commercial features cinematic footage of The North Face global athlete team members and enthusiasts doing what they love – skiing, running, climbing and hiking. The spot will launch on YouTube beginning October 27 and debut on national TV on November 9 (NBC Sunday Night Football) running through the end of December on NBC, ESPN, USA Network, Comedy Central and more. The campaign also will be supported by advertising across digital and social channels such as Hulu, YouTube, ESPN, VICE and Facebook, starting on November 10.

“The North Face exists to inspire people to explore,” said Spaletto. “If you can inspire people to love the outdoors, they will grow to care about their natural world, protecting and conserving the places that many of us know as our playgrounds. We are extremely proud to raise awareness, support the 21CSC and motivate people to reimagine exploration in their own lives.”

Jim James, lead vocalist/guitarist for My Morning Jacket, said, “It is a privilege and an honor to cover Woody's eternal classic ‘This Land Is Your Land.’ I was moved to tears last summer as I stood at the Guthrie Archives in Tulsa listening to him sing this song and singing along, while looking at his original hand-written copy of the lyrics, words that ring with such vital truth and speak so deeply to the soul of everyone who hears them. We are so thrilled to sing these lyrics once again, and have it benefit an initiative we care so deeply about – protecting and preserving our country's vital resources.”
The three-month brand campaign also features a partnership with Outside magazine.

The North Face and Outside created a list of 50 amazing places to explore across the U.S., and explorers will be encouraged to take a photo of themselves recreating at these and other iconic outdoor destinations and share on social channels using #seeforyourself.

More information and a list of the 50 locations can be found at www.thenorthface.com/seeforyourself.

Additionally and as part of the campaign, the company has outfitted a custom trailer to visit retail locations across the country providing consumers The North Face experience and a chance to win gear and offering other discounts on merchandise.

Further, throughout the week of October 27, The North Face “#SeeForYourself” Taxi will roam the streets of New York with the offer of adventure to those brave and spontaneous enough to accept it right then and there. Once unsuspecting riders have hailed the taxi, they will be greeted by a message asking them to put down their phones, put aside the meetings they have scheduled that day and let their curiosity wander. If they decide they are up for an adventure, they will be whisked away to one of three secret locations just outside the city where The North Face athletes will be waiting to lead day excursions in some of New York State’s wildest places.
 
About The North Face
 
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966 with the goal of preparing outdoor athletes for the rigors of their next adventure. Today we are the world's leading outdoor brand, creating athlete-tested, expedition-proven products that help people explore and test the limits of human potential. We protect our outdoor playgrounds and minimize our impact on the planet through programs that encourage sustainability. The North Face products are available at premium and specialty retail sporting goods stores globally and we are headquartered in California on a LEED Platinum-certified campus.

For more information, please visit www.thenorthface.com.
 
About the 21^st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC)
 
Inspired by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s, the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) is a national collaborative effort to put America’s youth and returning veterans to work protecting, restoring and enhancing America’s public lands. The 21CSC builds on existing partnerships with youth conservation corps across the country to help young people – including diverse low-income, underserved and at-risk youth, as well as returning veterans – gain valuable training and work experience while accomplishing needed conservation and restoration work on public lands, waterways and cultural heritage sites. The 21CSC is a central component of the Department of the Interior’s ambitious youth initiative to inspire millions of young people to play, learn, serve and work in the great outdoors.


Contacts

The North Face /Pamela Bennett Ajello, 510-748-2742 o./510-501-5768 c./pamela_ajello@vfc.com
or
United Entertainment Group for The North Face/Lindsey Simbeye, 970-819-1044/ lindsey.simbeye@uegworldwide.com
or
Department of the Interior /Jessica Kershaw, 202-208-6416 /jessica_kershaw@ios.doi.gov
or
Girlie Action Media for My Morning Jacket /Pam Leto, 212-989-2222/pam@girlie.com


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