A tale of two advocacies

Start the year with a bang by giving not just once, but twice.

Columbia Sportswear enables outdoor enthusiasts to give twice with their “Give 2 Gear” initiative. Give 2 Gear is a drive designed to outfit the local guides of Palawan and Mayoyao (Ifugao) in full Columbia Sportswear ensembles and train them in the science of outdoor adventure — all these after avid outdoorsmen visit www.columbiaadventure.com and forward special-edition e-cards to their friends.

“The more e-cards sent out means that Columbia Sportswear will pledge to outfit and train more local guides from Palawan and Mayoyao. So yes, every click counts,” says Dino de Leon, brand manager for Columbia Sportswear.

But local guides are not the only ones set to benefit from the Give 2 Gear project. Forwarding the e-cards 20 or more times entitles the sender to limited Columbia Sportswear freebies and discounts. Participating Titanium members are entitled to receive Columbia Sportswear beanies and a 25 percent discount on selected items. Meanwhile, non-Titanium participants receive water bottles and a 15 percent discount.

“Columbia Sportswear patrons share the same mindset, and that’s enjoying the best of the outdoors while working for its preservation,” says De Leon.  “And these people are the ones who know firsthand that a lot of endemic species and local destinations need all the help they can get.” He cites the Palawan Hornbill and Mayoyao in Ifugao as examples.

“The Palawan Hornbill, for instance, is already a likely candidate for extinction,” says De Leon. The Palawan Hornbill’s population has been reduced by 20 percent in the last 10 years, a situation that prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify the endemic bird as “vulnerable.” Meanwhile, Mayoyao Ifugao’s unique convergence of nature and history can’t change the fact that it’s barely known by Filipinos and tourists alike. “It (Mayoyao) boasts of amphitheater rice terraces and it’s the site of the last battle between the Japanese and Filipino soldiers, but close-to-nothing publicity has turned Mayoyao into a no-man’s — tourists, that is — land.”

The Give 2 Gear project aims to turn this all around by giving due recognition to local guides — the very ones who hold the lore and legacy of Mayoyao and the Palawan Hornbill in their hands. “The local guides are the unsung heroes of outdoor adventure. They know the terrain and its inhabitants best, but their efforts are often overlooked,” asserts De Leon.  “By gearing them up in complete Columbia Sportswear outfits and making them undergo courses in outdoor adventure, we want to make them feel that people do recognize the value of what they are doing.” De Leon adds that the special edition e-cards, which feature top-notch photography of Mayoyao and the Palawan Hornbill, can go a long way towards raising awareness about them.

To learn more about Columbia Sportswear and its products, visit the website at www.columbia.com or any of the following Columbia Sportswear branches: Greenbelt 5, SM Megamall, SM Cebu North Wing, SM The Block, Mall of Asia, Lim Ket Kai Mall, Festival Mall and Gateway Mall.