Rick Crawford
Since Earth Day is this weekend, we thought it would be good to interview our friends over at RepYourWater as there are few companies that do as much to protect what they love than RepYourWater, which was co-founded and is led by Corinne and Garrison Doctor. More on that in a bit, but first I think it’s important to understand why I am interviewing people for “The Sustainable Angler,” so for those of you reading “The Sustainable Angler” for the first time. Fisheries around the world are currently facing three very real threats, which are: Policy, Population and Pollution (GHG emissions, plastics, etc.). I call these threats the “3 P’s” and I have been interviewing a variety of stakeholders in the fly-fishing industry through my blog series, “The Sustainable Angler”, whose intent is to educate and create more awareness about what I believe to be a fixable problems.
RepYourWater is an apparel brand dedicated to providing uniquely designed, top quality gear for anglers and hunters while increasing support of local conservation and inspiring exploration. Corinne and Garrison care deeply about conservation, as well as the impact climate change is having on our fisheries and wild game. They don’t just talk the talk though. They walk the walk by donating 3% of their annual sales to their 17 nonprofit conservation partners, and working hard to minimize the environmental impact of their operations by significantly reducing GHG emissions and diverting waste from the landfill, among other initiatives. I also happen to know that the Doctor’s don’t like to toot their horn, but that’s what I am here for, so I am glad to share the news that RepYourWater just won the “Larry Fischer Award for Outstanding Corporate Contribution” to support Backcountry Hunters and Anglers mission just last week! Congratulations for some well-deserved recognition and to Corinne and Garrison for truly building a purpose-driven brand that is solving environmental problems and I hope you enjoy the interview!
Tell me a little bit about yourselves….
We are both from Boulder, Colorado but met out in Portland, Oregon where we were attending Lewis and Clark College and trying to figure out if steelhead actually exist.
Corinne: Since I grew up here in Colorado, I was always hiking and camping with my family whenever the weather allowed. When Garrison and I started dating we spent a lot of time exploring outdoors around Portland and when we came back to Colorado during the summer he was eager to show me his favorite fishing spots. It didn’t take long for me to take to the idea of hiking along a riverbank in pursuit of trout instead of just along a trail.
Garrison: Growing up in Colorado I have been camping, fishing and exploring the mountains of Colorado and the west for as long as I can remember. Both of my parents are artists and so my artistic inclinations were nurtured early on and carried all the way through to my Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art. The combination of my passion for the outdoors and art shaped me into who I am and fueled the creation of RepYourWater.
How did you get into fly fishing and starting RepYourWater?
Garrison: I have always been obsessed with fish. I really do not know why. No one in my immediate family is a fly fisherman, so fishing was not a family pastime. But my parents were supportive of me fishing when I was little and I became pretty adept with my first spinning rod. Then when I was about 10 years old I went camping with my dad on a high mountain cutthroat lake here in Colorado. The water was gin clear and I could see the gorgeous cutthroat trout cruising the shore line. The only problem was that they wanted nothing to do with my lures. However, there was a fly fisherman there who was having a great day dry fly fishing. I begged him for a fly rod every day after that until he gave in and I have been a passionate fly fisherman ever since.
Corinne: I was always a nature geek and loved all animals and observing the outdoors. I went fly fishing for the first time with Garrison when I was about 21 on a summer break from college. He was a very patient teacher, but I like to think I was a quick study and now more than 10 years later I love travelling the country and the world for amazing fishing opportunities.
Garrison: As I mentioned earlier, RepYourWater is an amazing opportunity for me to combine my passions for the outdoors, fly fishing, hunting and art. In 2009 I had lost my job doing freelance, high end architectural renderings due to the recession, so I was doing a little bit of guiding and working odd jobs. I saw a hole in the market of hats and shirts while spending a lot of time in shops. I noticed you could really only wear a hat that showed off your favorite rod or wader company or a specific shop in a specific town. There wasn’t anything that showed “I love fly-fishing in Colorado.” So an idea was born from there. We tossed around a few ideas and designs over a couple of weeks and RepYourWater was born in 2011 and it has grown from there over the years.
I know conservation is a part of who you are as individuals and core to your business, but how did you decide to start donating to conservation?
As soon as RepYourWater was more than an idea and we were actually going to produce and sell products, we knew it had to be more than just that.
It couldn’t only be a hat with great designs; it had to mean something, especially because of the industry we were selling in: an industry that is dependent on the wild, unpolluted, beautiful places that support healthy wildlife.
Because our model features a lot of regionally specific gear, we did not want to just donate a percentage to a single non-profit or some such but push back to regional non-profits and causes. This was right around the time that Upslope Brewing started donating 1% of their craft lager sales to Colorado Trout Unlimited so we made some calls to Upslope and CTU and started a similar model where we push back a percentage of Colorado themed gear to CTU. We now have gear for every state and a great list of over a dozen conservation partners spread across the country.
Can you tell me more about your new 3% to conservation initiative?
We used to donate “at least 1%” of all proceeds to our conservation partners but more than that off of certain products. This created a logistical and accounting nightmare, so we decided to streamline to a 3% across the board. We wanted to continue to donate more than the 1% that has become somewhat of a standard and increase our donations to local conservation partners.
What effects of climate change are most concerning to you?
As mentioned above, we are based out of Colorado here in the high desert of the mountain west we have seen decreased snowpack and increased volatility in our weather first-hand in recent years. This is definitely a concerning trajectory for our local fisheries, but also an indication of the larger climate change issue that we face and that will affect our ecosystems and fisheries.
On a more global scale, we recently had the opportunity to travel to Patagonia, a spectacular place and landscape, but also one that is showing tangible, visible signs of climate change. The glaciers are retreating at an alarming pace, and water levels and availability are changing.
We love bird watching as well as fishing, so we took the time to track down the spectacular and critically endangered Hooded Grebe that is endemic to southern Patagonia while we were there. This is a bird that is disappearing as we speak. Population estimates from the 90’s were in the 5,000 range, but when we saw them the biologists estimated the total population at just over 700. They are declining for a few reasons, ironically one of them being competition from introduced Rainbow Trout, but the primary one that was cited by everyone we talked to in the area is that the small alkaline lakes that they nest on are disappearing. The lake we found them on was visibly low and dropping. Seeing a species that may well vanish within our lifetimes was both spectacular and immensely sad.
What is RepYourWater doing to address climate change?
While we are a small company within a relatively small industry, we feel strongly about trying to address climate change. We have worked to greatly diminish the waste that we send to the landfill out of our headquarters by implementing extensive recycling and composting practices. We are also working to offset the CO2 emissions from our headquarters by taking advantage of wind energy available through our energy provider.
What have been the greatest benefits of sustainability for your business?
The greatest benefit for us from a business perspective is that so many of our customers connect with our efforts. In a highly competitive world and industry, putting our money where our mouth is means a lot to our customer base.
What have been the most challenging obstacles RepYourWater has faced in implementing a sustainable business model?
As a small company without deep pockets or funding it is intimidating to start addressing sustainability. But we have noticed how important it is to our customers, as well as us personally, so we have taken one step at a time to become more sustainable. By biting off a little at a time we have been able to make great and lasting changes to our operations.
What is something you wish other companies knew about sustainable business?
Starting with relatively small and attainable goals and growing from there is doable. As you continue to work towards sustainability it will increase employee commitment, customer loyalty and brand standing.
How is RepYourWater using its business to effect positive change?
Our customer base and social media following is primarily under 35. We feel strongly that spreading the message of conservation by promoting our conservation partners and diverting dollars directly to them is setting an example for that younger demographic.
Take Action
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Corinne and Garrison for taking the time to be interviewed, and for also all that they do to give back to conservation and reduce their environmental impact. RepYourWater is certainly a company that has chosen to take a triple bottom line approach to business, and by measuring and improving their social and environmental bottom lines, they have enhanced their economic bottom line. For example, their social bottom line is measured by volunteering for Colorado Trout Unlimited and donating 3% of annual sales to its nonprofit conservation partners in 2017. RepYourWater’s environmental bottom line is being measured by reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and diverting waste from landfills in 2017.
So if you are a business that wants to protect what you love and act on climate too, consider taking the following steps:
- Create baseline data of energy, waste and water
- Develop strategies to divert waste and minimize energy and water consumption
- Calculate and reduce GHG emissions
- Support nonprofits that are working to find solutions to threats such as climate change, plastic pollution and that take a science-based approach to conservation
If you are inspired and want to make an impact on a personal level, visit RepYourWater’s site for some top quality gear that gives back to conservation and don’t forget to visit their “Calls to Action” page to contact your elected officials and voice your opinion on important conservation issues. To learn more about some of our favorite products, click the pictures below:
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RepYourWater is also about to release their 2017 Annual Sustainability Report with more details on exactly how they improved their social and environmental performance, as well as announcing their 2020 Sustainability Goals, so stay tuned!