For the past several years, we have offered our travelers the choice of a snazzy new Zephyr Adventures (soft, comfortable and perfect for active travel) t-shirt or, if they have enough t-shirts in their collection already, a donation to one of three non-profit organizations that are near and dear to our hearts.
As you know, there are countless numbers of good causes out there that need support. In 2021, we focused on the following:
The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness comprises nearly 1 million acres of pristine wildlands bridging the Custer Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests in Montana and Wyoming – and includes our home range near Red Lodge, MT.
The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation supports the stewardship of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and fosters the appreciation of wild lands.
As a tour company that loves to bring people on biking and inline skating trips, we greatly appreciate the work that the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has accomplished throughout the United States.
Since 1986, Rails-to-Trails has worked to bring the power of trails to more communities across the country, serving as the national voice for the rail-trail movement. With an impressive 24,000+ miles of rail trails nationwide and more than 8,000 miles ready to be built, their focus is on linking these corridors—creating trail networks that connect people and places, bringing transformative benefits to communities all across the country.
And we would be remiss to not also support an organization that focuses on what covers 71% of our beautiful world – water! The Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges.
They create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it.
Of course, there is no wrong answer but it is interesting to look at which options people choose each year. Here’s the breakdown for 2021:
- Zephyr Adventures t-shirt – 39.51%
- Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation – 24.88%
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy – 22.55%
- Ocean Conservancy – 13.17%
In 2019, 40.2% of people chose to donate rather than snag a new Zephyr t-shirt. In 2021, that number bumped up to 60.49%.
The option of t-shirts and donations is something we will gladly continue to offer moving forward!
I still favor the tee shirt but the Beartook conservancy is a close second