Theodore Roosevelt is heralded as our nation’s first “outdoorist.” His conservation ethic—manifest in the , the forest service and our incredible national parks—is often quoted and celebrated as one of his greatest contributions to our nation’s public good. Dig into Teddy’s private correspondence though and you’ll see that he was equally if not more so proud of his achievements as a father. “Children…make all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison,” he wrote in his 1913 autobiography.

As a father, I certainly share that sentiment with Teddy, but I also realize that his brilliance came at the intersection of his two most important roles. This year, we have a unique opportunity to emulate and perpetuate Roosevelt’s legacy as we celebrate Father’s Day and the National Park Service Centennial. I will spend precious time with my family outdoors, re-gifting to my kids “America’s best idea.” Another dad doing the same this weekend: President Barack Obama.

The First Family will explore Yosemite National Park together. More than any president since Roosevelt, President Obama has sustained and championed conservation and recreation. On behalf of The North Face and as a Yosemite Centennial Ambassador—I’d like to thank President Obama for continuing Roosevelt’s legacy and for supporting the outdoor recreation economy, which, in turn, supports local economies and communities. 

This is more important now than ever. In a typical week, only 6 percent of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own (1) and kids 8 to 18 spend an overwhelming 53 hours a week using entertainment media (2). It is our responsibility—as parents, teachers, mentors, and leaders—to introduce more people to the outdoors so they will forge indelible bonds with their environment and, in turn, become protectors of our parks and wild spaces for generations to come. 

As we know from the , outdoor recreation is a $646 billion industry that employs 6.1 million Americans—more than oil and gas, more than real estate and more than the finance and insurance sectors. And outdoor recreation delivers so much more than dollars and jobs. We know that 142 million Americans—one in two—have meaningful experiences outside each year.  But as we learn more about the power of outdoor recreation to keep people and communities happy and healthy, to reverse the obesity epidemic and slash healthcare costs, to revitalize urban areas and to provide inspiration to at-risk youth, we’re learning that outdoor recreation must be a part of our nation’s dialog and domestic policy. Imagine how different our world might look if every American—not just one in two—had the opportunity to enjoy our natural playgrounds each year.

This is why The North Face supports the Obama administration’s Every Kid in a Park program. Additionally, nearly 90 percent of our 2016 Explore Fund—a grant giving program for nonprofits supporting outdoor exploration—went to organizations that activate youth engagement in parks. 

In tandem with Obama’s other actions, including reforms that would help streamline the permitting process for guides and outfitters who serve as many Americans’ ambassadors to outdoor adventure, our industry is eager to continue inviting new outdoorists into our fold and, in turn, healthy communities into our national economy.

On behalf of longtime and soon-to-be outdoorists everywhere, I encourage each of you to join me in passing one of our nation’s greatest gifts onto our children. 

Happy Father’s Day!

*Todd Spaletto is president of The North Face.

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Twice annually, the $646 billion outdoor industry gathers at , in Salt Lake City, where attendees get a firsthand glimpse of all the trends, colors, fabrics, and styles that will hit the slopes, trails, and streets in the year to come. Trend spotting is one of the show’s rites of passage. Of all the trends I saw there last time, one in particular gives me hope: the growing call for action on climate change.

The outdoor industry has been a leader within the wider business community in terms of sustainability and lowering our carbon emissions. At The North Face headquarters in California, 100 percent of our electricity is provided by renewable sources. We continually seek ways to reduce our carbon footprint and we understand there is still much to be done. We applaud the efforts of other outdoor brands to slash their carbon footprints. It’s the right thing to do for our bottom lines, for the 6.1 million people that are collectively employed in the United States by outdoor brands, and for our children and grandchildren.

Here’s the thing: sustainability itself will not solve the climate challenge. We need Washington to step up too, and recently they did: the Obama administration made the (CPP) official.  It’s the most historic act by any U.S. president to tackle carbon emissions by combining smart energy efficiency initiatives with carbon reduction targets and clean energy generation. The goal is to reduce U.S. carbon emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels, but just as powerful, it’s a signal to the world as we head into the in Paris that the U.S. is very serious about the future of our planet.

The White House estimates the CPP will create 275,000 U.S. jobs—good new-economy jobs hammering up solar panels, making our homes and buildings more efficient, erecting wind turbines, designing the software and hardware that run a smarter energy grid. As a company president, it is very clear to me that the CPP will jumpstart American innovation and entrepreneurialism. (It will also likely lower your energy bills, according to a new study by the Georgia Institute of Technology.) But the CPP is just the start. Now it is time for Congress to step up. History shows that big environmental victories—protecting the Grand Canyon, establishing the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, efforts to reduce acid rain and ozone depletion—only come with bold government action. Before these laws were enacted, our rivers were toxic and our air was choked with soot. These acts didn’t include drastic losses in jobs or hinder economic growth as some had predicted.  

Sadly, there is currently no coordinated congressional action on climate. In fact the Senate just last week, despite a majority of the U.S. public supporting it. The fossil fuel industry continues to block sensible legislation. To overcome this hurdle, the outdoor industry—along with all other business sectors and concerned citizens—must bring the fight to Washington. We must demand action for the sake of our children, for the sake of our mountains and our planet, and for the sake of our businesses. 

For example, as a member of the advocacy coalition (BICEP), The North Face joined leading businesses including Apple, Disney, Ikea, Starbucks, Pepsico, and more in signing the BICEP Climate Declaration. The declaration’s premise is simple: tackling climate change is one of America’s greatest economic opportunities of the 21st Century. We’ve also joined to ensure that our professional athletes and consumers are engaged and taking meaningful action to pass energy and climate legislation that will protect the outdoors for generations by enabling a rapid transition to a low-carbon 21st century economy that creates jobs, stimulates economic growth, and stabilizes our planet’s climate. 

This week in Paris our parent company VF Corp announced a commitment to source 100 percent renewable energy in owned and operated facilities by 2025. And while we still have work to do to reduce our global carbon footprint, we’re moving in the right direction and we’re proud of this bold step forward in tackling climate change and protecting a healthy environment that we depend on.

Outdoor exploration is in our DNA at The North Face. Our athletes have scaled every major mountain in the world and we take pride in self-reliance. We go where few dare. Climate change, however, cannot be overcome through solo effort. Today, our athletes and customers use our equipment in wild lands and national parks created by our government in recognition of their profound value to the American people. Now, those very lands are suffering droughts and fires, beetle-kill, and flooding. We the people set that land aside; now we must act once again, this time to protect that land from the ravaging effects of a warming world.

The world’s eyes will be on Paris the rest of this week, and we’re hoping that our leaders will unite and find common ground to tackle this greatest environmental issue of our time. Climate change touches every one of us and demands that we all be part of the solution. 

If your company has not signed the BICEP Climate Declaration yet, I urge you to . And to learn more about the Clean Power Plan, . To take action to support it, .

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