Building on three previously successful campaigns, Rock/Creek and Chaco will donate $20 to Southeastern climbing access for every pair of Limited Edition Chaco Z/2 sandals sold at any Rock/Creek store or online at www.rockcreek.com.

"I've never worked with a retailer more focused on the conservation and preservation of natural space. Rather than talk about what needs to be done, Rock/Creek puts their money where their mouth is and accomplishes amazing things," said Brian Scranton, Director of Marketing for Chaco Footwear. To date, the sandal purchase program has raised over $20,000 for climbing access, including a $10,000 donation to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) in 2007. The 2007 campaign was unexpectedly successful; ultimately three different versions of the sandal were released to meet demand. This year, Rock/Creek and Chaco hope to better last year's unprecedented success. The generated proceeds will again be donated directly the the SCC's efforts to protect climbing access in the southeast.

The initial 2004 campaign raised $3,000 toward the purchase of Laurel Knob, a multi-pitch granite dome in North Carolina. Proceeds from 2005, a total of $8,000, went to closing the note on the Boat Rock bouldering area. Located within Atlanta city limits, Boat Rock provides daily recreational activity for many of Atlanta's urban residents. The area was threatened by development until the SCC purchase was made possible by concerned climbers along with corporate sponsors like Rock/Creek and Chaco.

This year's Chacos are available in two colors: Espresso for men and Blue Ridge for women. They have gone on sale and are currently in stock at Rock/Creek locations in Chattanooga and online at http://www.rockcreek.com/chacos/limited-edition.asp

Rock/Creek and Chaco have a long history of cooperative support for outdoor recreation and conservation. In April, Rock/Creek was approached by Chaco and the Arbor Day Foundation to run a special tree planting campaign. During National Arbor Day weekend, a tree was donated for every pair of Chaco sandals purchased at Rock/Creek. Over 300 trees were planted through Rock/Creek. The promotion, dubbed "Buy One, Get One Tree," ultimately supported the planting of over 800 trees.

This year, Rock/Creek will expand their Triple Crown program to include a Marmot jacket with proceeds benefiting the Triple Crown. The jacket, Marmot's popular DriClime Windshirt, will be embroidered on the sleeve with the Triple Crown Bouldering Series logo and will be offered online at a special price. Like the special edition Chaco Z/2 sandals, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition.

"At the 2007 Triple Crown Bouldering series we offered these jackets to the judges and raffled off a handful" said Chad Wykle, co-founder of the Triple Crown Bouldering series, former Rock/Creek employee, and current Chaco regional rep. "They were immensely popular and many people came up to me after the event asking where they could get one. We figured this was reason enough to test the waters and offer the product to Rock/Creek's loyal customers and create revenue for climbing access"

Only 65 of the jackets are available and in-stock at Rock/Creek's Chattanooga stores. They can be purchased online at http://www.rockcreek.com/marmot/driclime-windshirt.asp. The jacket will be available in four colors; lead/flint or stellar blue/tempest for men and black or blue sky/celestial for women.

About the Triple Crown Bouldering Series:The Triple Crown Bouldering Series consists of events on the first weekend of October, November, and December. The series begins at Hound Ears in Boone, North Carolina. In November, the series will move to Horse Pens 40 in Steele Alabama. The finale will take place at Stone Fort (formally Little Rock City), Chattanooga, TN. More information about the series can be found at http://www.triplecrownbouldering.org/

About Rock/Creek:
Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to making a positive impact on the environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.

Rock/Creek and Keen Donate $4,000 for City of Chattanooga Kayak Purchases after Fire Rock/Creek and Patagonia announce $3100 Grant for LuLa Lake Land Trust $3300 Raised for the Boonies at 2nd Annual Scenic City Marathon Presented By Rock/Creek and Vasque Join Rock/Creek And The AHS for National Trails Day June 7 2008 $20,000 Raised For Access At 2007 Triple Crown Bouldering Series Rock/Creek and Local Outdoor Enthusiasts Improve Sunset Park $4000 Raised At Rock/Creek Stump Jump Recycle Your Old Rope

ASHEVILLE, NC– The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, KEEN Footwear, and Native Energy are proud to announce that travel for Grassroots retail members, totaling 100 buyers, will be offset by Native Energy for this year’s Grassroots Early Show, which was held  June 16th-19th at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Snowbird, Utah.

Each year, Grassroots hosts a unique Early Buying Show, a preview of Top Brands in the industry.  As a group of independent  retailers, Grassroots has committed to offsetting the travel of its buyers and KEEN as the newest partner to the group stepped up to cover the cost.

Keen, a vendor member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, made the $1200 investment to Native Energy on behalf of Grassroots in an effort to make the Early Show a more sustainable event.  KEEN and the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance acknowledge that offsetting travel is not a total solution, and strive each year towards making the Early Show a more sustainable event.

Native Energy is known for its transparency, and the entire offset purchase amount will go toward a Native Energy project called “Farmer-owned Distributed Wind Turbines.” This project was chosen because it benefits independent farmers who have been working family-owned, heritage farmlands for multiple generations. To read about the details of this project, visit: http://www.nativeenergy.com/projects.html

Native Energy was also selected because of the depth of resources it offers to businesses of all sizes. The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance and KEEN are actively encouraging the membership to incorporate other sustainability services from Native Energy into their retail businesses as well as communities and events, as the organization takes collective steps toward educating its membership about sustainable business practices. The Early Show will include an educational overview on Native Energy for its membership to facilitate this connection.

Grassroots chose to host the event at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Snowbird, Utah once again this year and has committed to the location into 2011. Snowbird is known for its sustainability efforts, and was honored by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) in 2007 with its prestigious Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence. What’s more, this spring Snowbird was also honored with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Achievement Award and the State of Utah’s 2007 Earth Day Award. To read more about Snowbird’s environmental platform, click here http://www.snowbird.com/environment/index.html

About KEEN Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at KEEN encompasses a broad range of activities from community partnerships, operational and product-related sustainability initiatives, to managing the expectations of the KEEN Workplace Code of Conduct.  The KEEN vision is to be an outdoor brand that delivers industry-changing, high-quality products for all outdoor enthusiasts, and to demonstrate integrity and leadership, especially on social and environmental commitments, while promoting a more inclusive outdoors community.  KEEN is a young company, founded in 2003; its employees are committed to making CSR integral to the brand, and to being transparent with its customers and stakeholders along the way. To read more about KEEN and their environmental initiatives, click here http://www.keenfootwear.com/about.aspx

Rock/Creek and Keen Donate $4,000 to benefit Outdoor Chattanooga’s OutVenture program.

After a devastating fire that destroyed the City of Chattanooga’s kayak fleet, local retailer Rock/Creek and footwear manufacturer Keen put together a matching grant for $4000 to help benefit Outdoor Chattanooga’s OutVenture program. With the donations, the City of Chattanooga will begin to rebuild their kayaking program.

Sometimes the unexpected happens, and when it does, it is the unexpected partnerships that play an important role in rebuilding a community. Such was the case in April of this year when an electrical fire in the “Red Barn” at Greenway Farms turned into a big loss of outdoor equipment for Outdoor Chattanooga’s OutVenture program. The Saturday morning fire set the barn ablaze and with it went Outdoor Chattanooga’s OutVenture kayak fleet. When the fire was finally controlled a total of 31 boats plus essential equipment such as paddles, personal flotation devices (PFDs) and helmets, were lost.

After the fire, fears began to surface about having to cancel the 2008 kayaking and canoing programs. That fear was becoming a reality when local business leaders from throughout Chattanooga offered a helping hand. After hearing of the fire, Rock/Creek co-owner Dawson Wheeler contacted Outdoor Chattanooga and offered to donate $2,000 to help replenish the supply of equipment. As the extent of the disaster started to be uncovered, it was clear that Rock/Creek’s donation would need to be matched by another company to ensure that the summer’s programs could continue. Rock/Creek approached Keen, a footwear company based in Portland, OR, about matching the donation to the program. Joining forces with a footwear company to replenish lost kayaking equipment may seem like an odd partnership, but Keen’s staple shoe, the Venice H2 Sandal, is highly popular with many professional boaters. Immediately, Keen agreed to match Rock/Creek’s $2,000 donation, increasing the combined donation from the two companies to $4,000. To prevent any loss of time, and with the kayaking season quickly approaching, Rock/Creek also offered to allow Outdoor Chattanooga and OutVenture to borrow their rental kayaks and kayaking equipment.

Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield thanked Rock/Creek and Keen: “The community’s response to the loss at Greenway Farms has been overwhelming. On behalf of the City, thank you for the generous donation and continued support of the OutVenture program.” Dawson Wheeler echoed the mayor’s sentiment, thanking Keen and others from the local community for their help: “While we are happy to do what we can for, more importantly we want to serve as a model for other organizations and individuals who will hopefully find a place in their budget to support low-impact outdoor recreation initiatives such as OutVenture.”

Rock/Creek and OutVenture’s relationship did not begin with this year’s unfortunate incident. Rock/Creek employees have often assisted instructors in kayaking and canoing classes hosted by OutVenture. Classes that teach individuals how to roll an overturned kayak are held on Tuesday nights. For more information, contact Outdoor Chattanooga’s OutVenture at (423) 842-6629.

Outdoor Chattanoooga was formed in 2004 after a series of public meetings hosted by the city. The OutVenture program followed shortly after and specializes in community outreach programs that aim to get people active in the local environment. One such program, that was on the verge of being canceled after the fire, is the Rapid Learning Whitewater Kayak Camp that teaches Chattanooga’s youth the fundamentals of safe and enjoyable whitewater paddling. OutVenture offers both day and weekend trips. More information about OutVenture’s programs can be found at http://www.outdoorchattanooga.com/

Rock/Creek has been working closely with Chattanooga’s outdoor community for more than 20 years. In addition to the Company’s efforts with public entities such as Outdoor Chattanooga, Rock/Creek has also awarded grants to locally run private groups. Recently, Rock/Creek, in conjunction with Patagonia, donated $3,100 to the Lula Lake Land Trust. This donation supports an expanding trail network that will ultimately link lands protected by the land trust with Cloudland Canyon State Park. Rock/Creek aims to support responsible, minimal impact access to the outdoor world that will help to educate tomorrow’s stewards of the planet. Rock/Creek’s environmental statement can be read at http://www.rockcreek.com/customer_service/environmental.asp.

About Rock/Creek:

Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to making a positive impact on the environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers’ Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.

About Keen Footwear:

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at KEEN encompasses a broad range of activities from community partnerships, operational and product-related sustainability initiatives, to managing the expectations of the KEEN Workplace Code of Conduct. The KEEN vision is to be an outdoor brand that delivers industry-changing, high-quality products for all outdoor enthusiasts, and to demonstrate integrity and leadership, especially on social and environmental commitments, while promoting a more inclusive outdoors community.
http://www.keenfootwear.com/about.aspx

We received some stellar news from Patagonia ambassador Sonnie Trotter this morning:

Well, I don't have much time right now, but I just wanted to say thanks to all ya'll over there in Ventura, working hard to spread the Patagonia name, product and love. Yesterday I sent the original Rhapsody, the world's first E11 (5.14b/c R). Because of weather, it took longer than I expected, but I am glad the struggle is over. It's a mixed bag of emotions. We came here and climbed and waited, and waited and climbed, we ate food, drank, and waited some more, then climbed a little less. It felt more like an alpine expedition rather than a rock climbing trip. Yesterday the conditions were absolutely perfect, cool and very, very windy. Steve House "loaned" me his pair of lucky SENDER pants and I wore them for the ascent. I owe him for that. I needed every advantage I could get my scrappy fingers on.

Sonnie spent four weeks in Scotland to complete the climb. Fourteen of those days were on the rock where he took 24 fifty-foot falls during the process. This is the first repeat of the route which was established by Dave MacLeod in 2006. Head on over to Sonnie's blog Roadlife to read all about his time in Scotland and his incredible perseverance on Rhapsody. [Photo: Hot Aches Productions. Hot Aches was there to film the climb. As you can see from the angle of this shot, the footage will be sick. Check out their blog for more photos and stories from the trip, and stay tuned for news on the film.]