Great news, REI released our fourth annual stewardship report today. You may be thinking, “So what?” Well, as REI's director of corporate social responsibility, I think it’s a big deal, and I'd love to hear what you think.

REI reports on the environmental and social impacts of our business for 3 reasons. 
 
• To be accountable to our members, employees and the public for how we run our business.
• To keep an internal focus on measuring impacts and making better decisions
• To communicate about what we’re doing, share information and engage others. 
 
Here's a look at our environmental results.
 
Since our first report in 2006, we’ve come a long way in both our ability to measure impacts and use the data to drive our business decisions. We have found many ways to reduce the negative consequences of our operations. For example, we have improved our energy efficiency, reduced waste and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.  More importantly, we’re starting to change the way we do things so that our business becomes part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. This includes putting our purchasing power behind market changes for renewable energy or FSC-certified forests. The best news is that we’re finding that this focus improves our financial performance, too. 
 
Here's a look at our social results.
 
The 2009 report also shares information about our efforts to deliver social benefits. REI invests millions of dollars and actively participates in mobilizing hundreds of thousands of volunteers in our communities to take care of the great places we all love. We strive to deliver a great employment experience and were named again to Fortune magazine’s list of best places to work. We want to ensure safe and fair workplaces for the people who make our products, and we report on the results of factory audits.
 
We’re really only at the beginning of the massive change that industry needs to make in order to protect our future, economically, environmentally and socially–a realization that keeps us very humble about the progress we’ve made so far.
 
In the coming weeks, I look forward to sharing some of the amazing stewardship stories occurring across the co-op, including our opportunities for continued change.
 
Now we need your help.  We’re asking you—members, employees, nonprofit partners and interested individuals—to read the report (or at least the parts you’re interested in) and offer comments, feedback, critical thoughts and opportunities for improvement. The REI community is an amazing place, and we want to engage you, your talents and passion to help the co-op make a difference out there.
 
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