Patagonia CEO Attacking Trump Order on National Monuments

On Thursday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that put 24 national monuments at risk of losing their federally protected status. Patagonia’s CEO Rose Marcario is taking a stand against it. “We take this as a sign that Trump and his team prefer to cater to fossil-fuel interests and state land grabs for unsustainable development, rather than preserve a vital part of our nation’s heritage for future generations by protecting federal lands owned by every citizen,” Marcario stated on the company’s website. “As stewards of America’s federal public lands, the Trump administration has an obligation to protect these most special wild places. Unfortunately, it seems clear they intend to do the opposite.” The order asks for review of the designations of monuments that make up 100,000 acres-plus, including Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in Arizona, the Giant Sequoia National Monument in California and the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana.

Total Retail’s Take: Just last month, Patagonia launched a film series featuring the Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah, one of the lands on Trump’s list. Patagonia is all about the outdoors, and this statement is proving the brand’s authenticity. Marcario is speaking to her company’s core customer — outdoor enthusiasts — when she says, “A president does not have the authority to rescind a national monument … We’re watching the Trump administration’s actions very closely and preparing to take every step necessary, including legal action, to defend our most treasured public landscapes from coast to coast.”