Yarn and Yvon Chouinard

This box that had been sitting in the corner near the bikes. I thought it was BF's motorcycle gear again. Finally yesterday I told him to open it and toss out the box (because I'm kind of a neat freak and I don't like the clutter). So BF, with a big smile on his face, proceeds to open the box. He peeks inside, says "Oh yeah, this is all mine!"

And proceeds.

To pull out.

Yarn.

I shrieked. It was *my* box and he was just playing along. So Mia, BF says thanks for the yarn, he's kind of got his hands full, so he's giving it to me. Do you mind? BF thinks the Rowan Linen Drape colors work better with my skin tone, and the Fleece Artist Merino has enough yarn for socks for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are so very kind!

Thursday after work Frank and I rode into downtown L.A. for Yvon Chouinard's lecture at the Center Library/Mark Taper Forum. I have to say that riding a motorcycle into downtown Los Angeles traffic is a fairly hairy thing to do. We had 2 people cut us off, and BF was really good with his brakes. The first guy was apologetic and waved to us. The second person was on her phone and couldn't be bothered to signal or acknowledge us. *sigh* If they only knew what it's like to be exposed.

Anyway, Mr. Chouinard's "lecture" was sponsored by USC School of Business, which accounted for a lot of attendees in suits and ties, or backpacks. There were few other scruffy people we identified as climbers. There was a woman 2 rows in front of the amphitheatre who knit throughout the lecture. I was actually riveted by what she was doing because I'd never seen anyone knit Continental (I know; sheltered child). She had the new Bryspun circulars as well, and she knit pretty quickly!

Mr. Chouinard started off talking about his beginnings making climbing equipment in Yosemite, then expanding, then growing the company. And then he talked about business' responsibility to society and the environment. He focused mainly on Patagonia, the outdoor apparel side of his business, not Black Diamond Equipment, which is outdoor equipment. If you're familiar at all with Patagonia you'll know that it's pretty expensive. And here's the reason why: when they set out to make a 100% organic tee, it's not just that the cotton that goes to make this is organic. It has to be grown on a sustainable farm, and not be sprayed with harmful pesticides that soak into the ground and render the topsoil useless forever. It has to be harvested by people who need the money, or by machines that do the least amount of damage to the plant. It has to be cleaned, woven, and spun into fabric with the least amount of waste that will be harmful to the environment. The fabric has to be dyed with environmentally friendly dyes, by a factory that recycles its waste water and does not use chemicals. So you see, when you buy a $28 cotton tee, you'll know it's made in the purest way possible.

Mr. Chouinard came off as a very friendly, very open kind of guy. The kind of guy who's not much into business and financial details. The kind of guy whose passion for nature became a successful business inititative. The kind of guy who looks at the process to get the best possible solution for his products. He also has a good philosophy regarding his employees. He hires friends, people he trusts, people who if they leave at 2p to go surfing, leave having finished their work. I was quite impressed with him.

And of course, I had to get my book signed! One of his favorite stories is about the Great Wall of China. The ancient Chinese built this architectural wonder to keep out the invaders, but still they got in. By bribing the gatekeeper. This is my favorite picture in his book, Let My People Go Surfing : The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, of Yvon Chouinard scaling the Great Wall, which he rates as 5.8. And he still goes climbing when he can.