EOCA’s Earth Day Online Conservation Fundraiser
a Success

Published by Mountainblog on .

eoca

 

Thanks to the generosity of its members, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) raised nearly €24,000 during its recent online fundraiser, held over Earth Day 2022.  As well as raising funds, a number of members also called on people to get involved in protecting their local environments.

Earth Day has been celebrated annually on 22 April since 1970, to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The theme for this year’s Earth Day was ‘Invest in Our Planet’.  Through EOCA, participating companies and outdoor enthusiasts purchasing gear they need for their next adventure, did just that by enabling EOCA to support and invest in a range of conservation projects around the world.

Black Diamond, Cumulus, KEEN, Lesovik, Schöffel, Smartwool, Stanley and Vaude, all generously donated a percentage of their online sales to EOCA during the fundraiser.  Original Buff, S.A. donated items to be sold via Outdoor Gear For Good, a community interest (not-for-profit) company, with profits being sent to EOCA. Finally, Leadership and Sustainability made a generous donation to EOCA to mark Earth Day.  In total, €23,948 was raised to benefit EOCA and its supported projects. (more…)

The North Face Steps Up Its Commitment To Conservation Via EOCA

Published by Mountainblog on .

the north face

 

Once again The North Face (TNF) is getting actively involved in conservation; using the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) to help locate relevant conservation projects tackling habitat clean-ups.  The North Face Explore Fund will support five projects in four countries across Europe to the tune of €218,000 and EOCA is delighted that, for the third year running, TNF has chosen the Association to find, assess and manage the projects on their behalf. All projects have a primary aim of restoring wild spaces by actively reducing the plastic pollution that is endangering them.

 

The projects to be funded are as follows:

Zero Waste Mountain, with Mountain Riders, France: will provide 100 cleaning to resorts in the Alps, Pyrenees and Jura mountains and undertake 180 clean-up events during 2022 and 2023, engaging 6-8,000 volunteers.

The Plasticfree Peaks CleanUP Tour 2022, with Patron, Germany & Austria: will organise 10 x 3-5 day clean-up events across the German and Austrian alps, aiming to 5,000 participants in its clean-up actions.

CleanALP – Protect and clean our mountains, with The European Research Institute, Italy: will hold 40 clean-up events, involving 2,000 people on trails, alpine lake shores, creeks, grasslands, and screes, engaging Alpine huts to build a strategy to reduce of plastic in alpine environments.

(more…)

EOCA Spring Vote Now Open

Published by Mountainblog on .

PROJECT VOTING

 

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is thrilled to announce that its public online vote, to help choose the first conservation projects this year to support is now live!
Companies, members of the outdoor industry, outdoor professionals, enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in looking after our planet is invited to get involved and have their say.
Voting takes place for the next two weeks.

As the days start get longer and warmer, and nature seems to be coming back to life, it is the perfect time to start thinking about how best to use limited funds to make the most, positive impact on our planet.  EOCA raises money from the European outdoor sector to put directly into nature conservation projects around the world, and invites funding applications from non profits twice yearly.  With nearly 500 applications in total each year, competition is fierce.  Having gone through a rigorous screening process, shortlisted projects, any of which EOCA would be happy to fund, are published on its website with a request that the public helps choose which of the vital conservation projects will be funded.

All projects funded will be in line with EOCA’s 2 year focus; Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project – addressing the double threat of climate change and the loss of biodiversity. In addition, all of the shortlisted projects address a threat to a species or a habitat and have a link to the outdoor enthusiast. (more…)

EOCA’s 2022 Sustaining Members Provide Finance
to underpin Conservation

Published by Mountainblog on .

eocaSince the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) launched its Sustaining Membership programme in 2015, a distinguished group of companies have stepped up to provide ongoing finance to support the association’s core costs. This vital support enables 100% of membership fees donated by members to go directly to funding conservation work. It also provides the entire industry with a unique way to give back to nature, enabling businesses to work together to play their part in addressing the urgent issues of climate change and biodiversity loss.

EOCA has successfully multiplied the impact of the Sustaining Members’ donations, by using the funding to enable it to engage with increasing numbers of members. In 2021, EOCA turned this funding into a commitment of €665,000 for conservation projects – raised from membership fees, Summit Memberships and further fundraising efforts thanks to all of its members. (more…)

Success for EOCA’s
Green Friday Conservation Fundraiser

Published by Mountainblog on .

 

Following the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA)’s fundraising event for the Green (Black) Friday weekend at the end of November, the association is delighted to announce that nearly €57,000 was raised, which will help support urgent conservation projects funded in 2022.  In the wake of the opening of COP15 in China last October and the COP26 Conference in Glasgow in November, there has never been a better time to proactively ensure as much as possible is being done to direct funds to where they are needed the most, combatting both the effects of climate change and the dramatic loss of biodiversity this planet is facing. (more…)

EOCA Vote results: the winners are…

Published by Mountainblog on .

After two weeks of voting, the EOCA Autumn 21 public vote ended. We are delighted to inform that a total of 67,283 votes were cast to decide where EOCA funding was to be spent.
The worthy winners of the vote are:

 

Blue renewable energy to restore coral reefs in Indonesia, by Gili Eco Trust

 

 

 

 

Details of these 3 projects are now on the Current Projects section of EOCA website, and we look forward to being able to report back to you on the progress they make. A huge thank to all of you for supporting EOCA in its vote!

 

INFO: EOCA

EOCA joins Business for Nature
to Influence Ambitious Outcomes for Nature

Published by Mountainblog on .

eoca-business-for-nature-300x300

The  European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is delighted to confirm that it has become a partner of Business for Nature, a global coalition bringing together forward-thinking companies and conservation organisations.  Encouraging businesses to act now to reverse nature loss and advocate for greater policy ambition, the coalition is amplifying business voices calling for governments to adopt policies now to reverse nature loss this decade.

Nature is at a tipping point. More than 1 million species are threatened by extinction, 75% of the world’s land and 66% of the marine environment is significantly and potentially irreversibly altered by humans.  Leading companies already recognise this coming emergency, and many are making ambitious commitments and taking decisive action on nature.  But businesses cannot address this global crisis on their own.  To accelerate action, governments must set ambitious nature and climate policies that provide direction and momentum. With the international conferences on nature (COP15) and climate (COP26) coming up this autumn, now is the perfect time to ensure that there is strong and integrated global action to secure an equitable, nature-positive, net-zero future. (more…)

EOCA Commits Funds to Tackle Biodiversity Loss
in Seven Countries

Published by Mountainblog on .

New Projects EOCA

Following the receipt of over 250 funding applications in November 2020, a comprehensive assessment process, a two week public vote and a members-only vote, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) has now committed over €185,000 to seven new conservation projects, thanks to the continued generous support of its members.

This spring funding round is the first of four over 2 years which will fund projects in line with the ‘Wild for Nature: EOCA’s Landscape Legacy Project’ focus. All projects funded will address the double threats of biodiversity loss and the climate emergency, in various wild landscapes around the world. By being wildly enthusiastic about nature, the outdoor industry can protect wild habitats for nature.

The projects selected for funding by the general public, outdoor enthusiasts, and members of EOCA are: (more…)

EOCA Earth Day Fundraiser Success

Published by Mountainblog on .

Earth Day Image

 

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is delighted to reveal that its first online fundraiser this year has been a great success.  Following the cancellation of the in-person event of ISPO in January, when the association would normally have held a fundraiser to raise money for its conservation projects, the event was moved online to coincide with Earth Day on 22nd April.  With the support of a number of EOCA members, the organisation has raised nearly €27,000 to add to this year’s conservation project funding total. (more…)

EOCA Launches Online Conservation Fundraiser
for Earth Day 2021

Published by Mountainblog on .

Earth Day 2021

 

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) has launched its first online fundraiser of the year to coincide with Earth Day (22nd April) and raise funds for vital conservation projects around the world.

The theme for this year’s Earth Day is ‘Restore our Earth’, which fits perfectly with EOCA’s recently launched 5-year strategy which has climate action at its heart, its new 2-year focus addressing the loss of biodiversity, as well as directly linking to the conservation projects it funds.  EOCA members have once again shown their support by donating products for sale or hosting events on their own websites, with 100% of money raised coming to EOCA and boosting the amount the association can use to support projects in 2021. (more…)