Book Review: Let My People Go Surfing

Book Review: Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

I picked this hardcover up recently at Chapters in their discount area (for a paltry $5.99) and really, really enjoyed it. It's the story of Yvon Chouinard, avid outdoorsman (climbing, surfing, fishing) who went from being a vagrant climber to the reluctant business owner of Chouinard Equipment (which later became Black Diamond) and Patagonia (the makers of high end outdoor clothing). It is the story of a boy from Quebec who never sets out to do anything except escape to the outdoors for fun and how he eventually becomes the owner of one of the most ethical companies in the world (Patagonia). I found it fascinating from beginning to end.

There's a little bit in this book for everyone. There is the classic "poor boy gets accidentally rich" storyline. There's also the "little company does the right thing and is still successful" storyline which describes Patagonia's attempts to become environmentally responsible, before such phrases as "environmental" were even part of our vocabularies For instance they were the first company in the world to commit to changing their cotton clothes (non-organic cotton is produced with so many toxic substances it's not funny) over to organic cotton - they had to almost create the industry out of nothing! Lastly, there is the story of how their company has made a difference by contributing large amounts of their profits to small lobbyist groups which has resulted worldwide in thousands of hectares and many sensitive habitats from being compromised by industry. All of this is pretty inspiring stuff.

If you have ever shopped at MEC, pretty much everything ethical that they do was pioneered by Patagonia. Chouinard is honest, he knows that Patagonia, like all businesses pollutes the environment. But unlike most companies, reducing that pollution is in the founding principles of the company. Chouinard comes across as authentic; he really puts his ethics above making profit and this is a rare thing indeed. The book chronicles the development of Patagonia's principles and gives concrete examples of how they can be applied in almost any environment. The title refers to one of the principles; employees who work for an outdoor company need the flexibility to take time off during the week to enjoy the outdoors. Thus, employees at Patagonia have a set number of hours to work - but they can work them around good surfing, fishing, etc. This inspires huge loyalty among the workers which further increases productivity. There are many cases like this strewn liberally throughout the book.

In the end I was left with a question: Why can't all companies and organizations be as ethical as Patagonia? What's stopping my workplace, my camp, my school, my household from doing the same things. Let My People Surf is not only a biography of a man and a company, it's a challenge to do the right thing and reduce our harm to the environment and people we work with. An excellent, enjoyable, and easy read. 4.3 ninja stars out of 5.