To mark both Earth Day 2023, and the annual fundraiser held on the association’s stand during OutDoor by ISPO, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) was delighted that a large number of its members used the opportunities to show their support to the association and to nature conservation by raising additional funds. In total, EOCA member companies generously raised around €70,000 of vitally needed funding.
Earth Day has been celebrated annually on 22 April since 1970, to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The theme for this year’s Earth Day was ‘Invest in Our Planet’. Participating companies raised funds to support EOCA and to invest in conservation projects. Cumulus, Jack Wolfskin, Osprey, Terra Nova, and Ternua, all generously donated a percentage of their online sales during the fundraising period. To mark Earth Day and to support EOCA, Marmot sold a range of special T-shirts and hoodies, HD Wool held a bake sale, Lesovik sold ‘No Planet B’ patches, and OUTTRA made a generous donation. The North Face provided funding to a number of not-for-profits across Europe via EOCA to run Clean Up Hikes to mark the event.
Jack Wolfskin CEO Richard Collier said ‘EOCA’s commitment to the environment is fantastic. That’s why we are happy that we could support them by contributing to Earth Day. Together you consistently achieve more.’
From packs, pillows and jackets, to harnesses, hammocks, and footwear there was an array of outdoor kit available in EOCA’s Fundraiser held on its stand at the MOC in Munich throughout OutDoor by ISPO. In addition, Klean Kanteen held a coffee initiative on its stand whereby visitors purchasing a mug with the donation being given to EOCA received a free coffee. In total, 29 EOCA members offered product donations to help raise funds for the association.
In total, over both events, members’ generous support has enabled EOCA to raise around €70,000, which is a phenomenal achievement for the first half of the year.
Catherine Savidge, Joint General Manager of EOCA said, “Earth Day is an important opportunity to recognise and encourage positive actions we can and must all take to protect and conserve our planet. We are very grateful to our members who have this year helped raise additional, much needed funds during Earth Day, and also during the OutDoor by ISPO tradeshow, one of the most important annual events for EOCA. Thank you also to Messe München which generously provides our stand and artwork at the show free of charge.
INFO: European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA)
Following the support of a number of its members, and the generosity of consumers, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is delighted to announce that nearly €50,000 has been raised for conservation as a result of events leading up to and around the Green (black) Friday weekend at the end of last year. Not only this, but the fundraising event held on the association’s stand at the ISPO tradeshow which followed immediately afterwards helped raise another €10,000.
Determined to counter the consumerism associated with Black Friday and make it a force for good, the figures that have come in since the November event have underlined the fact that customers are keen to make sure that the ‘reach’ of their purchases goes further than simply acquiring more material possessions. This could also be seen in the creative way that brands who got involved raised money. As well as raising money through its website, deuter used the date to stage the last event of its Promise Tour at the company’s HQ in Gersthofen to repair outdoor gear free of charge and make it fit again for its next adventure! McKinley made a donation to one of 3 charities (one of which was EOCA) every day during December based on the most creative Winter Wishlist submitted by customers. Other brands which got involved in raising money through online events were Adventure.ie, AKU, La Sportiva, Nikwax Germany, Osprey and Pajak. Added to this was the many items donated to EOCA’s fundraiser on its stand during the ISPO tradeshow, which followed Green Friday, and included Camelbak, whose coffee promotion on its stand to raise funds for EOCA was so popular it sold out of mugs and coffee midway through the show. (more…)
Thanks to the generous ongoing support of its members, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is delighted to be in a position to provide its largest grants ever, to fund conservation projects in important wild landscapes around the world. The association’s annual autumn public vote will run over the next two weeks, and everyone is invited to help choose projects to be funded. In line with the association’s two year focus Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project, all projects on the shortlist will tackle the issues of biodiversity loss and the climate emergency.
Following the rigorous assessment of over 200 funding applications, eight projects that best fit EOCA’s funding criteria, and which the association would be pleased to fund, have been selected. EOCA is now asking outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers to get involved to help chose which projects receive funding. (more…)
The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is one step closer with its application for the 2022 Earthshot Prize. After applying to nominating institutions, positive responses and confirmations of support have been received from two. The Centre for Global Eco-Innovation at Lancaster University and the University of Leeds have both put EOCA’s application forward to the Earthshot assessment panel.
First launched at the end of 2019, The Earthshot Prize will award five, one million-pound prizes each year for ten years. Created by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the environmental competition is described as the ‘most ambitious and prestigious of its kind’. By 2030, the Prize aims to have found at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest environmental problems. It will bring together funders, businesses and individuals alongside the environmental world to maximise impact, take solutions to scale and inspire people all over the world to work together, delivering a decade of action to repair the planet.
Catherine Savidge, General Manager at EOCA, said ‘We are delighted to receive the support of our application from the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation at Lancaster University and the University of Leeds. To receive recognition of the work already carried out by EOCA with its members and projects over the last 16 years, and to have confidence shown in the association’s future potential by highly regarded institutions outside of our industry is a great accolade.’ (more…)
Thanks to the generosity of its members, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) raised nearly €24,000 during its recent online fundraiser, held over Earth Day 2022. As well as raising funds, a number of members also called on people to get involved in protecting their local environments.
Earth Day has been celebrated annually on 22 April since 1970, to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The theme for this year’s Earth Day was ‘Invest in Our Planet’. Through EOCA, participating companies and outdoor enthusiasts purchasing gear they need for their next adventure, did just that by enabling EOCA to support and invest in a range of conservation projects around the world.
Black Diamond, Cumulus, KEEN, Lesovik, Schöffel, Smartwool, Stanley and Vaude, all generously donated a percentage of their online sales to EOCA during the fundraiser. Original Buff, S.A. donated items to be sold via Outdoor Gear For Good, a community interest (not-for-profit) company, with profits being sent to EOCA. Finally, Leadership and Sustainability made a generous donation to EOCA to mark Earth Day. In total, €23,948 was raised to benefit EOCA and its supported projects. (more…)
Once again The North Face (TNF) is getting actively involved in conservation; using the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) to help locate relevant conservation projects tackling habitat clean-ups. The North Face Explore Fund will support five projects in four countries across Europe to the tune of €218,000 and EOCA is delighted that, for the third year running, TNF has chosen the Association to find, assess and manage the projects on their behalf. All projects have a primary aim of restoring wild spaces by actively reducing the plastic pollution that is endangering them.
The projects to be funded are as follows:
Zero Waste Mountain, with Mountain Riders, France: will provide 100 cleaning to resorts in the Alps, Pyrenees and Jura mountains and undertake 180 clean-up events during 2022 and 2023, engaging 6-8,000 volunteers.
The Plasticfree Peaks CleanUP Tour 2022, with Patron, Germany & Austria: will organise 10 x 3-5 day clean-up events across the German and Austrian alps, aiming to 5,000 participants in its clean-up actions.
CleanALP – Protect and clean our mountains, with The European Research Institute, Italy: will hold 40 clean-up events, involving 2,000 people on trails, alpine lake shores, creeks, grasslands, and screes, engaging Alpine huts to build a strategy to reduce of plastic in alpine environments.
(more…)
The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is thrilled to announce that its public online vote, to help choose the first conservation projects this year to support is now live!
Companies, members of the outdoor industry, outdoor professionals, enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in looking after our planet is invited to get involved and have their say.
Voting takes place for the next two weeks.
As the days start get longer and warmer, and nature seems to be coming back to life, it is the perfect time to start thinking about how best to use limited funds to make the most, positive impact on our planet. EOCA raises money from the European outdoor sector to put directly into nature conservation projects around the world, and invites funding applications from non profits twice yearly. With nearly 500 applications in total each year, competition is fierce. Having gone through a rigorous screening process, shortlisted projects, any of which EOCA would be happy to fund, are published on its website with a request that the public helps choose which of the vital conservation projects will be funded.
All projects funded will be in line with EOCA’s 2 year focus; Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project – addressing the double threat of climate change and the loss of biodiversity. In addition, all of the shortlisted projects address a threat to a species or a habitat and have a link to the outdoor enthusiast. (more…)
Since the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) launched its Sustaining Membership programme in 2015, a distinguished group of companies have stepped up to provide ongoing finance to support the association’s core costs. This vital support enables 100% of membership fees donated by members to go directly to funding conservation work. It also provides the entire industry with a unique way to give back to nature, enabling businesses to work together to play their part in addressing the urgent issues of climate change and biodiversity loss.
EOCA has successfully multiplied the impact of the Sustaining Members’ donations, by using the funding to enable it to engage with increasing numbers of members. In 2021, EOCA turned this funding into a commitment of €665,000 for conservation projects – raised from membership fees, Summit Memberships and further fundraising efforts thanks to all of its members. (more…)
Following the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA)’s fundraising event for the Green (Black) Friday weekend at the end of November, the association is delighted to announce that nearly €57,000 was raised, which will help support urgent conservation projects funded in 2022. In the wake of the opening of COP15 in China last October and the COP26 Conference in Glasgow in November, there has never been a better time to proactively ensure as much as possible is being done to direct funds to where they are needed the most, combatting both the effects of climate change and the dramatic loss of biodiversity this planet is facing. (more…)
After two weeks of voting, the EOCA Autumn 21 public vote ended. We are delighted to inform that a total of 67,283 votes were cast to decide where EOCA funding was to be spent.
The worthy winners of the vote are:
Blue renewable energy to restore coral reefs in Indonesia, by Gili Eco Trust
Details of these 3 projects are now on the Current Projects section of EOCA website, and we look forward to being able to report back to you on the progress they make. A huge thank to all of you for supporting EOCA in its vote!
