Good for Business, Good for the Planet
Rick Ridgeway
Thursday, 02 Feb 2017 at 8:00 pm – Great Hall, Memorial Union
Rick Ridgeway is Vice President of Public Engagement at Patagonia, a maker of high-performance outerwear whose mission to protect and preserve the environment is at the core of its business operations. This year Patagonia pledged to donate every cent of its Black Friday profits - a total of $10 million - to grassroots environmental organizations. Ridgeway, one of the world’s foremost mountaineers, has held numerous leadership roles at Patagonia during his long history with the company. He is responsible for many of its key sustainability initiatives, including the Footprint Chronicles, designed to bring transparency to the supply chain; Worn Wear, which encourages reduced consumption through its repair-and-recycle program; and the Responsible Economy Campaign. Murray Bacon Center for Business Ethics LectureRidgeway also co-founded the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, whose Higg Index helps quantify sustainability and set industry benchmarks for reducing environmental impacts. Patagonia's many other practices include donating 1 percent of its sales to green causes, collaborating to develop new materials and technologies that reduce the industry's carbon footprint, and protecting wildlife corridors across North America and globally.
In addition to being a successful businessman, Rick Ridgeway is recognized as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers and adventurers who has climbed new routes and explored little-known regions on six continents. He was part of the 1978 team that were the first Americans to summit K2. Ridgeway has also produced and directed several documentary films and written dozens of magazine articles and six books, including Seven Summits, The Shadow of Kilimanjaro and Below Another Sky. National Geographic recently honored him with its “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure†award.
Before joining Patagonia, Rick Ridgeway was owner and president of Adventure Photo & Film, a leading stock photo and film agency.
Cosponsored By:
- College of Business
- Green Umbrella
- Murray Bacon Center for Business Ethics
- Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.
Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.
Lecture Etiquette
- Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
- Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
- Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
- Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.