Environmental Philosophy

Yvon Chouinard is an extremely progressive and educated man. His philosophy has a main focus on not harming his surrounding he aims to preserve the environment to make is last though generations. Although he is a reluctant business man he embraced business to make it his own. As said in part of Patagonia’s mission statement “use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”( Chouinard 187). He developed his own way of business that can grow without stomping on other companies. He’s philosophy is simplistic and easy, he doesn’t want to manipulate his customers he only wants to produce quality and useful products. Patagonia’s environmental philosophy is laid out in a simple list. Beginning with “1. Lead and examined life.”(Chouinard 188). Chouinard explains this as taking the small step of looking one step closer into the actions your taking. By only examining the effects of your actions. The next is to “clean up our own act.”( Chouinard 188). He has a belief that we as people and especially as a company should lead by example. Is almost seems like common sense, if you believe in something and act on that belief you can only hope others will follow. As these are only two of five elements of Patagonia’s philosophy a trend is already set in place. A trend that includes, environmental protection and conservation, positive influence to produce a happier community, and simply not causing harm. This was a very surprising section to read coming from a businessman. What I have seen from other companies and businesses does not reflect a positive influence. I understand now why Chouinard refers to himself as a reluctant businessman. This section has inspired me to push myself to take these extra steps to true sustainability. He emphasizes that slow but steady and aware decisions to make a more sustainable lifestyle is what makes good choices. He bases his business off of his identity which is a focal point of this class. What I understand from what he has told us about his identity is that he is a simple man. He enjoys being in nature and exploring all of its offerings. He wants his equipment and clothes to be simple, good quality, and extremely functional. There is no need for flashy or gaudy fashion that won’t last against his active lifestyle. In his active lifestyle his priority is nature and the environment. The environment earns his highest respect. He appreciates all the rocks he climbs and all the waves he surfs. Patagonia’s environmental philosophy sprout from Yvon Chouinard’s morals and beliefs. He is a man who loves nature and wants to cause no harm to it, Its as simple a that. He appreciates the works of his employees and cherishes those who buy the products made with quality inspection. He wants his customers to share his beliefs and ideals. He also has a large emphasis on people being happy, he has the belief that a person does not need to sacrifice their personal life to be able to be a productive worker who produces high quality products. Its important to remember your responsibilities as a mother, father, hiker, climber or surfer. Happiness is one of the most important parts of running a good company and that is how Patagonia likes to run theirs.

Blog #7 Patagonia

In the book “let my people go surfing” written by Yvon Chouinard a story is told of a young and fragile business. In the first section read I already have a deep understanding as to who Chouinard is as a person. He truly says it himself in the sub title “The Education of a Reluctant Businessman”. In the first section he speaks on the topic of minimalism and I found this to be very interesting. I have always admired those who practice minimalism. I wish to accomplish true minimalism one day to become the eco- friendly person I want to be. I admire Chouinard and respect him for wanting to incorporate minimalism into his business and work ethics. I share the opinion of business with him. Although he does not wish to be a businessman or want to have a large company it is inevitable in our society today. He is ignorant to his growing business and it is growing right in front of him. This is what I admire about him, he isn’t interested in the money or the fame of the company. When he comes up with new ideas for a product it is not because he is looking for what “the people” want it is what he needs when he is living his life hiking and adventuring. He comes up with ideas that benefit him and hope others will find it useful. He has a genuine appreciation for others similar to him in the world, environmentally friendly and appreciative. The work ethics he has in place are also admirable. He proves that hiring friends and family isn’t a bad thing and giving people flexible hours and the freedom to be who they are in a work place can be productive. All in all Yvon Chouinard is a man that is very admirable and respectable whether you agree with his morals or not. He is a man or his word and will not go back on his morals and that is why he deserves respect.

Blog#6 Reddit article

In the article titled “Humanity has wiped out 60% of animal populations since 1970, report finds…” found on Reddit. In this article the author uses pathos in the beginning to make the reader feel terrible about the decrease in the growth of our natural world. The article speaks on the loss of nature and animal life and how it is affecting our growing population. Its states that we are destroying our planet at a quick rate and we are the people who can fix it. As I read further into the article I discovered that this article seems to be trying to convince people to not eat meat. The author does use some evidence as to how eating meat is leading to the destruction of our natural environment. But, logos in this situation should be very prevalent by using facts or statistics to prove the point that eating meat can lead to putting our world in danger. I also found it interesting that the only numbers shown in this article are percentages. To me this seems to be the author trying to insert fear into the reader by using percentages as a way for the reader to only receive a very general assumption of where our earth is. This article seems to have a lot of things to say but not much evidence to back it up. Although I do agree with what they are saying I have reasons as to why I believe in the decisions I make. This article shows someone who is telling people what to do but has no reason why.

Blog #5 Backpacks vs. Briefcases

In the essay “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Towards Rhetorical Analysis” Laura Bolin Carroll analyzes the breakdown of rhetoric. This essays offers detailed knowledge on ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos is the credibility of the authors of the piece and the author. This is determined by uses of proper wording and what their credentials are. Then pathos is used for persuasion, Many authors will insert pathos to make the reader or viewer feel sympathy or guilty for whoever the piece is about. This also works to get the reader more willing to spend money on a product or donate money to a cause. Logos is the logic and reasoning. This provides a logical explanation for why the reader should do something. All of these rhetorical tools help the author with persuasion. When all of these tools are out to use they are able to persuade and convince a reader of almost anything, if done well. Another point brought up in this essay was that we use these tools all the time when looking at people. Our brains like to analyze a person to see if we will like them. It is very interesting to me that we use the tools subconsciously to analyze a situation we are placed in. After reading this essay I feel more aware of my subconscious rhetorical tools. These tools are very useful in context of certain situations. Now knowing about these tools it makes reading advertisements or listening to a commercials different. Now I can break down the meaning behind everything I see. These tools will also help my in my college writing when I need to start writing persuasive essays.

Blog #4 The Cleanest Line; A Very Real Possibility

In the article ” A Very Real Possibility” written by Robbie Philips we are taken on a journey of climbing. Robbie and his friend Ian climb the wall of a fantastic mountain in Cochamo. We follow their thrilling journey of solving problems that arise and the joy of being in nature. A point that was brought up in this writing was that Philips felt very free without his technology. I find this to be very important for more people to talk about. He mentions that the world continues without an alarm to wake you up or posting on social media. In this writing he talks about conquering many challenges and struggling to overcome many obstacles to achieve the goal he wants. This brings another very important lesson for any of the readers which is that goals are challenging to achieve and you will only achieve them if you work hard and use your skills. I find this to be very important because I have noticed more and more that me and my friends are in the generation of instant gratification and it is causing problems when we are met with challenges. Philips ends his piece with a final sentence “Also, that is worth pursuing.” He is referring to the real possibility that he could fail and not achieve his goal. This stood out to me because I thinking of myself of a perfectionist and I do get upset when I do not accomplish goals in the way I intend. This just brings another note to the reader that even if you are not perfect it this the effort that is that most important aspect of what you are doing.

Blog #3 The Cleanest Line; “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow”

In this article written by Eliel Hindert titled ” Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” Hindert goes into detail about how he likes to live his life. He’s the person who likes to keep moving forward and experience new opportunities. He says he lives on the road or at least feels the most at home on the road. he lives his life by trying new things and capturing them on camera. He has an interesting view on capturing his life and sharing it with the public. He wants people to feel like they are going on these insane trips with him. Whether that be to climb the tallest mountain or camp in the snow for a week. Hindert wants to explore every inch of Earth. He now is creating a show where he sets a goal for himself and he records himself accomplishing that goal. Like I said before, he wants the viewer to experience these incredible moments with him. He has become an inspiration for others to follow in his footsteps. That could mean going on extreme trips around the world or simply tackling a personal goal the viewer has. Its important to remember that Hindert is passionate about these adventures. Sometimes when someones life becomes publicized that could mean they are asking for attention but not with him. He had been doing this before any show came along. He has a true love for what he does and I believe that’s why he is so successful in life. To find true success you must be motivated and in passionate with the decisions you make. He is an incredible person who has turned something he loves into something he profits from in more than happiness. This could be an important note that, to profit in true money you must profit in happiness.

Blog #2 The Cleanest Line; What was left

In an article titled ” What was Left” written by Anne Gilbert Chase, a heart wrenching story unfolds as Chase shares a story of three friends who conquered Mount Nilkantha in India. This article starts with an adventurous outlook. Three friends whose goal it is to conquer this mountain after their failed first attempt. We follow them up the mountain and feel their success as they reach the summit. The main part of this story comes in on their way back home. With the excitement in the air the friends are eager to tell their loved ones back home all about their journey. As they were making their way home they received the heart wrenching news of their good friends who had died in a ski tour. In the article, Chase then goes into detail about who their friends where who had passed. But what I would like to focus on is what I believe to be the moral of this story. What I had gathered for this article sprouts from how the three friends handled the death of the good friends. They were sorrowful and devastated by the news they had received but make the decision to live in light. They looked on the happy side and focused on getting home. They wanted to enjoy what was happening in the moment and all they could think about was getting home. This stands out to me because I am the type of person who focuses on the negative sometimes and this will remind me that no one wants to live in the dark. If you focus on the light good things will come.

Blog #1 Academic Writing

This blog will focus on the main topics illustrated in an essay written by L. Lennie Irvin “What is ‘Academic Writing?'” Irvin revels to the reader many great points to becoming a successful writer in college. He explains many points starting from what is Academic writing to diagnosing the prompts given by professors. There is a large emphasis on improving and practice. He claims that no one is born a perfect writer and clearly wants the readers to understand that it takes practice to become a good writer. Irvin gave clear examples to what he understands a professor would want to see from a student and is sure to explain the “real” meaning to a prompt. From what I can see this was a piece meant for informing the general college student on how to understand a situation in the context of writing, and create a piece that will meet and hopefully exceed the professors idea of what the assignment was meant to accomplish. I agreed with all the points made in this piece. He made this very easy to understand and allowed the piece to shine on its purpose of education. This was very helpful for me and I was able to learn about the ” ins and outs” of college writing. As a freshman, this was very useful and I will be using it to refer back to throughout college. The prompts given by some teachers are often times given in a coded language. Irvin makes these coded words understandable. By simply stating and clearly listing the meanings behind the words that could be seen as confusing. Overall, this piece was very helpful for a freshman college student who is not clear on the expectations of writing assignments from their professors.