Page 71 - EarthHeroes

Europe. The company is currently suing President Trump for allowing protected wild land in America to be sold to coal, gas and mining companies.
Recently Yvon has turned his attention to agriculture. Modern food production has a major impact on the environment. Close to 30 per cent of the world’s habitable, or useable, land and 70 per cent of its water is used for animal pasture and farming. And due to modern agriculture’s use of pesticides, biodiversity – or variety in animal and plant life – has plummeted. Patagonia has started a food business called Patagonia Provisions to lead the way in new farming methods that care for the soil, reduce pollution and which could even reverse climate change if they were introduced worldwide.
Today, Patagonia is still a family-run business, but Yvon is less involved and spends most of his time pursuing his hobbies. His old blacksmith’s workshop can be found at the company’s headquarters and he likes to go there to practise his old skills sometimes. He often gives his designers ideas for new products, like a surfer’s cap he dreamed up recently while out on the waves.
Yvon loves to spend time with his grandchildren or on the river teaching young people how to fish. He believes it’s crucial for children to grow up with nature in their lives. Because we protect what we love, and if we love nature then we’ll work to protect it – just as he has spent a lifetime trying to do.
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