Patagonia authors Yvon Chouinard and Vincent Stanley to discuss green business practices on Sept. 27

On several occasions in the past decade, Yale Divinity School has sponsored events that engage the question of humanity’s responsibility toward the environment.  On Sept. 27 that tradition will continue as authors of The Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned from Patagonia’s First 40 Years, take center stage at a meeting of the YDS Board of Advisors.

Authors Yvon Chouinard and Vincent Stanley will be featured during a conversation on environmentally responsible business practices scheduled to be held in Levinson Auditorium at Yale Law School, a venue chosen in anticipation of a large turnout.

In their book, Chouinard and Stanley draw on their 40 years’ experience at Patagonia, Inc. and efforts by other companies to provide advice on how to create responsible, green business practices during difficult economic times.  The motto of Patagonia, a manufacturer of outdoor clothing and gear, is, “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Chouinard, a noted alpinist and environmentalist, is the founder and owner of Patagonia.  In 2007 Fortune Magazine named Chouinard “the most successful outdoor businessman alive today.”  Stanley, Chouinard’s nephew and one of Patagonia’s original employees, is co-editor of the company’s Footprint Chronicles, which tracks the environmental impact of products and addresses pressing social and environmental issues.  Stanley is married to Board of Advisors member Nora Gallagher.

The conversation is free and open to the public, but the event will also be webcast live, 4:30-6:00 pm on Sept. 27, through Yale’s Livestream channel at http://new.livestream.com/yale/Patagonia, which will provide interactive opportunities for viewers.   Moderating the conversation will be Robert Massie ‘82 M.Div.— author, environmental leader, and Episcopal priest.   Massie has taught courses in ethics and directed the Project on Business, Values, and the Economy at Harvard Divinity School from 1989-1996. He is associated with three well-known influential sustainability organizations: Ceres (a coalition of investors and environmental groups), the Global Reporting Initiative, and the Investor Network on Climate Risk.

The Responsible Company, published by Patagonia Books, recounts how Patagonia gained the confidence to make its work progressively more responsible and ultimately share its discoveries with many other companies, such as Wal-Mart.

Promotional material for the book says, “The Responsible Company shows companies how to reduce the harm they cause, improve the quality of their business, and provide the kind of meaningful work everyone seeks.  It concludes with specific, practical steps every business can undertake as well as advice on what to do, in what order.”

Co-sponsoring the event with Yale Divinity School are the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Yale School of Management.

Find the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/279984582102874/