EOCA Spring Vote Now Open

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PROJECT VOTING

 

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…)

EOCA’s 2022 Sustaining Members Provide Finance
to underpin Conservation

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eocaSince 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…)

Success for EOCA’s
Green Friday Conservation Fundraiser

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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…)

EOCA Vote results: the winners are…

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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!

 

INFO: EOCA

EOCA joins Business for Nature
to Influence Ambitious Outcomes for Nature

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eoca-business-for-nature-300x300

The  European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is delighted to confirm that it has become a partner of Business for Nature, a global coalition bringing together forward-thinking companies and conservation organisations.  Encouraging businesses to act now to reverse nature loss and advocate for greater policy ambition, the coalition is amplifying business voices calling for governments to adopt policies now to reverse nature loss this decade.

Nature is at a tipping point. More than 1 million species are threatened by extinction, 75% of the world’s land and 66% of the marine environment is significantly and potentially irreversibly altered by humans.  Leading companies already recognise this coming emergency, and many are making ambitious commitments and taking decisive action on nature.  But businesses cannot address this global crisis on their own.  To accelerate action, governments must set ambitious nature and climate policies that provide direction and momentum. With the international conferences on nature (COP15) and climate (COP26) coming up this autumn, now is the perfect time to ensure that there is strong and integrated global action to secure an equitable, nature-positive, net-zero future. (more…)

EOCA Commits Funds to Tackle Biodiversity Loss
in Seven Countries

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New Projects EOCA

Following the receipt of over 250 funding applications in November 2020, a comprehensive assessment process, a two week public vote and a members-only vote, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) has now committed over €185,000 to seven new conservation projects, thanks to the continued generous support of its members.

This spring funding round is the first of four over 2 years which will fund projects in line with the ‘Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project’ focus. All projects funded will address the double threats of biodiversity loss and the climate emergency, in various wild landscapes around the world. By being wildly enthusiastic about nature, the outdoor industry can protect wild habitats for nature.

The projects selected for funding by the general public, outdoor enthusiasts, and members of EOCA are: (more…)

EOCA Earth Day Fundraiser Success

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Earth Day Image

 

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is delighted to reveal that its first online fundraiser this year has been a great success.  Following the cancellation of the in-person event of ISPO in January, when the association would normally have held a fundraiser to raise money for its conservation projects, the event was moved online to coincide with Earth Day on 22nd April.  With the support of a number of EOCA members, the organisation has raised nearly €27,000 to add to this year’s conservation project funding total. (more…)

EOCA Launches Online Conservation Fundraiser
for Earth Day 2021

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Earth Day 2021

 

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) has launched its first online fundraiser of the year to coincide with Earth Day (22nd April) and raise funds for vital conservation projects around the world.

The theme for this year’s Earth Day is ‘Restore our Earth’, which fits perfectly with EOCA’s recently launched 5-year strategy which has climate action at its heart, its new 2-year focus addressing the loss of biodiversity, as well as directly linking to the conservation projects it funds.  EOCA members have once again shown their support by donating products for sale or hosting events on their own websites, with 100% of money raised coming to EOCA and boosting the amount the association can use to support projects in 2021. (more…)

EOCA Online Spring 2021 Conservation Vote Starts Today

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EOCA project vote

Thanks to the generous ongoing support of members throughout 2020, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA)  is delighted to be in a position to fund more conservation projects in 2021 than ever before. The association’s annual spring Vote for Conservation will run over the next two weeks, and everyone is invited to help choose some of the projects to be funded. In line with the association’s new two year focus Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project, all projects on the shortlist plan to tackle the issues of biodiversity loss and the climate emergency. (more…)

Extraordinary Success for EOCA’s Green Friday Conservation Fundraiser

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The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA), is celebrating today following an online fundraising event which exceeded all expectations in raising money for conservation.  Together with 17 of its members, the association held an online Green Friday Fundraiser which, thanks to the generosity of the member companies, resulted in more than €50,000 being raised. This has provided a significant boost to the funds available for the association’s conservation projects.

In advance of Christmas, the online fundraiser enabled customers to purchase gifts for themselves and their loved ones, whilst at the same time, making a difference by raising funds for conservation work around the world.  The money raised will all go towards vital conservation projects supported by EOCA, including the six most recently selected, tackling plastic pollution in the environment and at source, in Spain, Italy, Brazil, Columbia, and the UK.

Seven members raised money for the association through actions on their own websites: Montane made a significant donation to the fundraiser, as an alternative to its traditional Black Friday Marketing spend. Cumulus held an online ‘garage sale’, of prototype clothing and modified items which were not suitable for selling through the usual retail channels. All 70 items sold out within 2 hours! Deuter, Gregory, KEEN, and Osprey all donated a generous percentage of their online sales over the Green Friday weekend or for a full week.  La Sportiva who, having raised money for EOCA for the last 3 Black Fridays, doubled the percentage they donated this time to 40% of all online sales over the weekend. Thanks to a month of raising awareness of environmental issues and EOCA’s work prior to the event, the fundraiser was a huge success with a significant donation being made.  In addition to all the events held over the Green Friday period, VAUDE held a separate Advent Fundraiser and donated a percentage of its online sales from that event.

EOCA partner Outdoor Gear For Good (OGFG), sold a large range of items via its OGFG eBay shop, with 100% of sales donated to EOCA to put into conservation projects.   Items were generously donated to OGFG from Berghaus, Craghoppers, Lowe Alpine, Nikwax, Ortlieb, Osprey, Pajak, Salomon, Stanley, Trangoworld and Ternua.  Richard Leedham, Founder of OGFG said “Having only launched the OGFG eBay shop in the spring of 2020, we have been delighted to have already raised over €20,000 for EOCA’s conservation projects this year.  The collaboration of OGFG, generous outdoor brands, and EOCA, with its expertise in directing funds to effective and much needed conservation work around the world, really seems to have generated a lot of interest and resulted in very positive results. We look forward to seeing this partnership grow into 2021 and beyond.”

Joint General Manager Catherine Savidge said, “The success of this Green Friday event, at the end of 2020 in particular, is truly extraordinary.  It clearly demonstrates the will of EOCA members to continue to see the bigger picture and to work with others for a better world.  They gave consumers who are seeing the value of habitats and ecosystems to their own health, and the health of the planet, the opportunity to give back.  This total means that fundraising actions with our members this year has raised over €100,000 – double what we raised in 2019! What a fabulous way to end the year! It puts EOCA in a very strong position for funding more vital conservation projects during 2021. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.”

INFO: EOCA