Mountain Equipment Co-Op Wants to Keep Canada Wild

By: Meirav Even-Har, Toronto

Canadian summers are marked by time spent outdoors. We are lucky to have a mostly uninhabited country with plentiful waters, mountains, forests and a national parks system that includes over 40 designated areas. Approximately 10% of Canada's "wild" is currently protected to ensure Canada's wildlife and native flora thrives with little to no human interference. For a company such as Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), helping preserve Canada's "wild" is part and parcel of doing business. It makes business sense and is rooted in its mission.

MEC is a retail co-operative that sells outdoor gear, including clothing and accessories. It also provides services such as courses and equipment rentals. While sales and service are offered exclusively to members, a lifetime membership is only $5 Canadian.

In line with its business, MEC's sustainability goal is to "promote a culture of recreation and activity in Canada; and increase conservation of ecologically and recreationally important places." [1] To fulfil its goals, MEC seeks to promote a healthy lifestyle for Canadians by helping conserve the outdoors and encourage more people to enjoy it. The Big Wild is a business- and NGO-led initiative that encourages activism to help achieve the goal of protecting Canada's public land and water forever.

The Vision Behind The Big Wild
"Do something small to save something big," reads The Big Wild website. Founded by MEC and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), The Big Wild aims to engage Canadians around the goal of protecting public land and waters. Since its inception in 2008, over 80,000 external actions have been recorded so far, surpassing MEC's target of 75,000 by 2011. Actions toward The Big Wild's conservation goal include campaign emails to politicians, email sign-ups, and purchases of MEC merchandise, from which a portion of profit is donated. [2]

A Big Wild Achievement
Expanding Nahanni National Park Reserve (Northwest Territories): the Nahanni is special- habitat to approximately 200 species of birds, over 700 species of vascular plants, and 48 species of mammals, including the threatened woodland caribou and grizzly bear. For years CPAWS, the Dehcho First Nations, Parks Canada and other organizations have worked toward the permanent protection of the South Nahanni watershed. [3]

Success was achieved in 2009, after thousands of Canadians joined in raising funds, sharing stories about the Nahanni and making their voices heard through online petitions. "The recently expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve and World Heritage Site now protects over 30,000 square kilometres along the Northwest Territories' South Nahanni River, making it Canada's third-largest National Park." [4]

The Work Carries On...
MEC continues its efforts toward achieving its goal of helping protect Canada's natural areas. The company works with local organizations such as conservation authorities and NGOs throughout the country. It also maintains its ongoing partnership with CPAWS to mobilize Canadians to email politicians asking for the protection of specific areas.

From New Brunswick in the east, to the Yukon in the west, MEC's 2011 activities toward keeping wild Canada wild are truly impressive. The co-operative demonstrates that environmental activism has its place even in the business community. [5]

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To learn more about The Big Wild click HERE

To read more about MEC's 2011 sustainability work click HERE

NOTES
[1] MEC: 2011 Accountability Report, Community - What Matters and Why http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Sustainability/AccountabilityReport/Community.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674180686

[2] MEC: 2011 Accountability Report, Community - Conservation
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Sustainability/AccountabilityReport/Community.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674183538

[3] The Big Wild: Successes http://www.thebigwild.org/successes

[4] Ibid

[5] MEC: 2011 Accountability Report, Community - Conservation
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Sustainability/AccountabilityReport/Community.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674183538

Image: Nahanni National Park Reserve. By Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce (Creative Commons via Flickr)