By Grey Gowder, Executive Director, Carolina Ocean Alliance “What is your water?” asked Dr. Wallace J. Nichols. This was far from the first time the founder of the Blue Mind movement asked this question. “What are your foundational memories of water, of the waters that shaped you?” For residents of the South Carolina Lowcountry, we…
Category: Sustainability
The Ultimate Guide to Retail Sustainability Requirements: How Fishing & Outdoor Brands Can Meet the Sustainability Expectations of Walmart, REI, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Bass Pro Shops
When I first launched Emerger Strategies in 2016, my clients were pursuing sustainability for altruistic reasons, such as doing their part to minimize their contribution to climate change and plastic pollution, and for business reasons such as reduced costs and meeting consumer demand. However, in the last five years, much has changed with the increase…
EP 98. REI’s Product Impact Standards: What Brands Need to Know — Brent Kawamura of REI
Brent Kawamura’s path to sustainability wasn’t a straight line — it started with an Environmental Science degree, wound through LEED-certified building projects, and landed him in Product Sustainability at REI. Along the way, fishing has remained the thread that keeps it all grounded. In this episode, I interview Brent to pull back the curtain on REI’s Product…
EP 97. Riverhorse Nakadate — Water Lines, Wilderness & a Life Connected by Water | The Sustainable Angler
What can I say? When I grow up, I want to be Riverhorse. For those of you who don’t know him, Riverhorse Nakadate is an angler, surfer, writer, musician, adventurer and someone I am proud to call a friend. You can find his words in the The Flyfish Journal, Fretboard Journal, and on Patagonia’s Cleanest…
10 Years of Sustainability Consulting for Fishing & Outdoor Brands | Emerger Strategies
In 2016, I started Emerger Strategies with a simple bet: that the brands making the gear we love could also help protect the places we love — and that doing right by the fish could make them stronger businesses, not just better-intentioned ones. Ten years later, I’m still betting on that. And I’ve got a…
Journal Entry: Tarpon Fishing in the Keys
May 31, 2026 My alarm sounded at 4:30 AM and I gladly jumped out of bed. Any other day, I might lay in bed for a few minutes, but not today. Ben Young, Paul Puckett, and I were set to leave at 6 AM for a twelve hour drive down to the Keys. It is…