Every year at the OutDoor trade show, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) holds a fundraiser on its stand to raise money for future projects. The figures for each show have been increasing annually and, as 100% of all money raised wil go directly into hands-on conservation projects, this year EOCA is aiming to raise enough funds to support an entire additional project – equivalent to €30,000.
Many members have already generously donated a large number of products for which EOCA will ask donations on its stand throughout the 4 days of the show, including packs, tents, clothing, travel barbeques and pack towels, to name but a few. Several members have branded specific products for sale, including Original BUFF® whose hard working designers have come up with a limited edition EOCA BUFF® specifically for the occasion. Camelbak has branded its best selling Chute bottle with the EOCA logo, which it will be selling throughout the show with all proceeds going to EOCA. Not only this, but there will be five Camelbak water stations strategically placed around the show to ensure hectic exhibitors and visitors alike never go thirsty!
Stanley (a brand of PMI) will be keeping visitors cool by selling its Classic Vacuum Pint for a special price, with all proceeds going to EOCA and Klean Kanteen has branded its special multi-use durable pint to get rid of the need for plastic. Available throughout the show and at the OutDoor Party on the Friday night.
In addition to the sales throughout the show, the official unveiling of the projects EOCA is going to fund this year will take place just before the start of the OutDoor Awards on the Trend Show Stage in A2 on Wednesday at 17.30. With the 2015 Conservation Champions being announced on the main stage during the Friday night party, the show is going to be very busy! Tanya Bascombe, Joint General Manager of EOCA commented, “As always, our members have been incredibly generous in the items they have donated for our fundraiser, and we are extremely grateful to every one of them. We are also thrilled that so many have also organised special EOCA products this year or an event. OutDoor as a show is a great platform for EOCA, and if we can make some serious money for conservation at the same time, then everyone wins!”
Finally, footwear for the miles each participant will be putting in round the showground this summer is a vital consideration. KEENis coming to the rescue in order to raise money for EOCA’s conservation projects with its annual Hybrid.Care event – starting at 17.00 on its stand in A1 on Friday. Different KEENs from sandals to trail shoes will be on sale at amazing prices. This increasingly popular sale was a total sell out in just minutes in 2014 so early attendance is advisable! Obviously a good pair of socks will be essential to go with a new pair of KEENs, and the Smartwool Sock vending machine, which has so far raised well over €6,000 for EOCA, will be back in action for its fourth time in the last 3 years. Vouchers are available at the EOCA and Smartwool stands and purchasers can choose the sock that works best with their favourite activity.
The advice from EOCA? Take part in everything and grab a bargain in the full knowledge that monies spent are contributing to the conservation of the planet’s precious landscapes, and may even help to fund an entire extra project in 2016. Just don’t put socks and sandals together!!!
Many thousands of outdoor enthusiasts have joined European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) members to choose six vital conservation projects for EOCA to fund this spring. In total, nearly €180,000 has been pledged to projects in six different countries, with all funds coming from membership fees and fundraising monies raised from the European outdoor industry. EOCA holds two funding rounds per year, with the second one taking place in the autumn.
During March, EOCA held its annual spring public vote. A shortlist of around 20 projects were showcased by National Geographic Germany, The Great Outdoors (UK), NORR (Germany), Alpin (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), and Hike & Trekking, Bike & Trekking, and Sport Partner (Netherlands). Readers of the magazines, outdoor enthusiasts and supporters of the projects were all invited to vote for their favourite project in three categories and the project with the most votes in each category is now being funded. In April, a private vote for members only was held, with three more projects being chosen for funding. (more…)
Top quality Italian footwear manufacturer Calzaturificio Zamberlan S.r.l. has been dedicated to mountain boot maufacturing for 85 years, and along with it has been passionate about the mountains and its wild landscapes. Company owner Marco Zamberlan said, ”The mountains are part of our DNA at Zamberlan. We need to take our responsibility to protect wild landscapes seriously, and what better way to do that than by working with and actively contributing to EOCA?”
The sentiment is echoed by Kendal Mountain Festival , one of the world’s largest film festivals and which was awarded ‘Tourism Event of the Year’ by VisitBritain in 2014. “As the festival grows and visitor numbers increase, it is only right that the landscapes we love to come and see in film, read about in books and talk about with our friends and colleagues is looked after,” said Clive Allen, Festival Director. “Kendal Mountain Festival inspires people to get outdoors and push their own boundaries and, collectively, we must do everything we can to ensure we protect the places they want to go to. Getting involved with EOCA means we have a very positive and tangible way of doing that.”(more…)
The total amount collected by EOCA (European Outdoor Conservation Association) from the recent ISPO trade show in Munich came to record €8556 this year. Not only this but four new companies signed up either at the show itself or immediately afterwards, bringing the total number of members of the growing conservation organisation to 125.
In terms of fundraising, socks were the name of the game this year! The eagerly anticipated Smartwool Vending Machine which has now seen service over 3 trade shows in the last 18 months and raised nearly €6,500 in total for EOCA’s conservation projects, spent most of the show being restocked as vouchers to select pairs of socks were purchased by the handful. In addition, the EOCA Happy Hour saw TekoSocks being sold faster than they could be displayed – all in aid of raising money for conservation projects in 2015. In all, over 600 pairs of socks were sold, raising over €3000 throughout the four day show. (more…)
ISPO 2015, Tanya Bascombe (General Manager EOCA) updates us on the latest EOCA achievements: new members, public vote project and the important aims reached during the last months.
Interview: Jessica Ceotto
Video shooting and editing: Matteo Menapace
Not only has the association recently been joined by the likes of retail giant Amazon EU Sarl, it starts the year with a huge boost from the support of its first seven Sustaining Members, pledging to fund the sustainable growth of the organisation with an extra €10,000 per year for the next three years.
Adding to this, many of EOCA’s members have donated products to help the association raise vital funds during ISPO for its projects this coming year. Smartwool will again be hosting the ever-popular and innovative Smartwoolsock vending machine – ensuring that everyone who donates €5 at the EOCA or Startwool stands will be able to select a toasty pair of Smartwool socks of their choice to keep them going during the four days of the show and well beyond. Many other members have donated items which will be available on the EOCA stand for the duration of the trade fair (or until they are all gone!), including gloves, footwear, headtorches and packs.
Saturday evening at 18.00 sees EOCA’s third annual Happy Hour to which all members, exhibitors and visitors are invited. Free beer, Glühwein and snacks are available, thanks to sponsorship by ISPO (Messe München). Both Goal Zero and Teko will be on hand with their Switch8 Rechargers and socks to help raise additional funds for conservation projects.
Joint General Manager Tanya Bascombe said,” ISPO is always an exciting time for us as an organisation. There is an air of expectancy at the beginning of the year and following the growth of EOCA in 2014, we are definitely looking forward to the opportunities that the next 12 months will bring for conservation!”
The seven EOCA Sustaining Members financing the running of the association on behalf of the industry are: OutDoor (Messe Friedrichshafen), Pertex, KEEN Footwear, Nikwax, ISPO (Messe München), Patagonia and the European Outdoor Group (EOG), which is also the Founder Member of the Association.
The New Year has started with a huge vote of confidence for the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) thanks to the new membership of its first online retailer, Amazon EU Sarl.
Looking for a way to give back to the environment, whilst also encouraging its customers to go out and explore, EOCAwas approached by the retail giant at OutDoor last July. A Senior executive of Amazon EU Sarl said, “Amazon offers its customers the broadest selection of sports and outdoor products, giving enthusiasts the tools and kit they require for their outdoor passions. As part of the industry, it was only natural for us to join the collaborative effort to put back into the environment our customers value so much”.
Tanya Bascombe, Joint General Manager of EOCA added, “We are thrilled that EOCA has been recognised in this way. Amazon is an extremely well known brand, used by many of our members as a platform to sell their products. Getting involved in the outdoor industry’s only conservation association shows that Amazon is taking its responsibilities to the longevity of this sector seriously and we look forward to working with them over the coming years”.
Building on the massive growth of membership in 2013, 2014 has been another incredible year for the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA). Big strides have been made in what the European outdoor Industry has achieved in the name of conservation.
By the OutDoor show in July, OutDoor (Messe Friedrichshafen), Pertex, KEEN Footwear, Nikwax, ISPO (Messe München), Patagonia and the European Outdoor Group, which is also the Founder Member of the Association had pledged to become the first 7 Sustaining Members of EOCA, underlining their unwavering dedication to the protection of the environments the industry and its customers depend on. Their support of the background working of the Association will ensure that EOCA can build on its growth in a sustainable way, ensure that 100% of membership fees continue to go directly onto conservation projects and enable a second annual funding round to take place.
For the first time in the history of the Association, EOCA had enough money to stage a second funding round in September. This attracted a record number of applications, drew tens of thousands of votes from around the world for conservation projects, and brought the total number of consumers reached during both voting rounds this year to over 18 million, enabling a total of €280,885 to be spent on conservation projects.
Other notable achievements for the Association during 2014 include:
200,000 unique visits to the EOCA website in 2014
90,000 votes for projects on the website during the Spring and Autumn funding rounds
Over 120 articles in trade and consumer press about EOCA over the year
‘EOCA Friends’ database quadrupled during March public vote
21 new members in 2014, including George Fisher, the first UK retailer
1 in 3 European Outdoor Summit attendees donated to EOCA, on top of their delegate fee
First 3 EOCA films: one to attract new members, one to raise awareness amongst consumers and one about Sustaining Membership
And totals to date since the start of EOCA’s work:
€1,540,664 spent on conservation since 2006
64 projects in 36 countries supported
468,946 trees planted
over 220km of trails restored and maintained
nearly 30,000 hectares of wilderness permanently protected
over 100 tonnes of litter removed from mountains and waterways
Tanya Bascombe and Catherine Savidge, Joint General Managers of the Association are thrilled, “Things have continued to work really well for EOCA this year. It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to award more money to conservation this year. The awareness within the industry, and amongst consumers is most obviously increasing, and conservation organisations are spreading the word as well. The Association has continued to grow in size and we are thrilled that we already have an exciting new member announcement ready for the beginning of 2015!!”
Well the first ever autumn vote closed last night at midnight. Many thanks to everyone who got involved. In total EOCA received 36,100 votes to choose which of the shortlisted projects will receive funding.
Dear EOCA friends, after the first update, it has been a very exciting weekend with another 3,000 votes cast over the 3 categories, bringing the total to 14,535!
One week to go, so have a think about how else to rally your supporters – remember anyone with an email address can vote – be creative because everything can change in just a couple of hours!
Alpine Category – total 4483 votes
Rwanda Chimpanzees – 11%
Red Panda Nepal – 29%
Mountain Forests – 10%
Red Panda Darjeeling – 4%
Roaches Footpaths – 39%
Wildfjords – 7%
Above all – have fun – this is a great opportunity to help the environment!
What are you waiting for? Help EOCA, go on www.mountainBlog.it and vote now!
Our Vision: The outdoor sector and the millions of people who enjoy the great outdoors are active champions for the conservation of nature and wild places*
* EOCA defines 'wild places' as non-urban environments and ecosystems occurring in as natural a state as possible, given the area's location and use. This may include for example moorland, hills, mountains, coasts, rivers, forest, grassland, peatland, lake and ocean areas.
There are currently over 150 members of this not-for profit Association, stretching from Norway to Italy, and Spain to Poland. As a charitable organisation directly funding specific conservation projects with money raised from the European outdoor industry, EOCA enables the industry to work together to make a real difference. ( more.. )
INFO-CONTACTS
European Outdoor Conservation Association
Registered as a not-for-profit association in Kanton Zug, Switzerland
Registration no. CH-170.6.000.188-3
