Recycle, Reuse and Pass on the Passion

In the introduction to this issue of our newsletter, we told you about our partnership with Osprey Packs to "Pass on the Passion". Under the Osprey program, you can get a 10% rebate on a brand new Osprey pack by sending your old (clean and usable) pack to The Mountain Fund. We'll get your old pack back into service for someone who needs it at home or abroad. You'll also be keeping your old pack out of a landfill and help the planet at the same time.

We also told you about the need for the ClimbHigh women to have sleeping bags in this issue. Now that ClimbHigh has made the effort to blaze the trail and find employment and training for these Ugandan women, we need to help outfit them for the task. As was the case with your pack, you are keeping your old sleeping bag out of the landfill and helping our planet too.

Building on the two ideas above, The Mountain Fund has reserved the URL's for www.Gear4Good.org and www.Gear4Good.com. With help from our industry partners, we aim to offer up the opportunity to have all of your used outdoor gear wind up supporting good causes and getting a second life with people who really need it.

In the U.S., there are dozens of at-risk youth outdoor programs who can use packs, sleeping bags, boots, outerwear, hats and gloves. Porter programs in Nepal, Peru and Tanzania always need good sturdy gear. Search and rescue teams in developing countries need the same.

Turn your out-of-date apparel into something good - yes, send us that green and pink Gore-tex jacket you wore in the '80s along with that screaming yellow Colorado suit you used to ice climb in. Last year's hot trail running shoes are much needed by porters, as well as those way out-of-date plastic boots you are still climbing in.

The Mountain Fund will find second homes for your used gear, and if we can't, we'll list it on our E-bay charity auction site and turn it into cash to support all of our programs.

We are actively seeking industry partners to help us launch a full-scale program to recycle the tons of used outdoor gear that is going to landfills instead of to good causes. If your company would like to pioneer this project with us. Please contact mtnfund@mountainfund.org