Let My Peeps Go

Yvon Chouinard, owner and founder of the outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, Inc., has come out with a new book entitled, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman. Both memoir and manifesto, the book recounts Chouinard's path from "dirtbag" rock climber to retailing magnate, while laying out his principles for running an eco-conscious business.

Sierra contributor Daniel Duane interviewed Chouinard in the March/April 2004 issue of the magazine. Among other things, Duane asked Chouinard why he gives money to grassroots environmental organizations. Answer:

"If you think about all the gains our society has made, from independence to now, it wasn’t government. It was activism. People think, 'Oh, Teddy Roosevelt established Yosemite National Park, what a great president.' BS. It was John Muir who invited Roosevelt out and then convinced him to ditch his security and go camping. It was Muir, an activist, a single person."