President Kim called the Seattle 4 Rotary Club to order at 12:30 p.m. on January 22, 2020 at the Hyatt Olive 8 in downtown Seattle. She introduced visitors and called on Ken Grant to talk about Australia, his native country which has been ravaged by fires. Ken spoke about his native land and introduced a short video, “I Love a Sunburnt Country.” Ken said he appreciated the good wishes of the club toward Australia.
Tom Mesaros provided the Inspiration for the Day. He cited that the topic of the speaker today was really about cooperation. He said that we use cooperatives all the time, grocery stores, health care, insurance, utilities, etc. Tom said that cooperation allows us to create great things including the Seattle 4 Rotary club, and the future is about moving forward every day. He ended his remarks with “Competition makes us faster; cooperation makes us better.”
Trish Bostrom reported that the Seattle Rotary Service Foundation (SRSF) is $22K short of its goal of raising $225K and urged all Rotarians who haven’t participated, to please do so. A reward for contributing could be a run through the tunnel onto the football field at Husky stadium.
Mariah Kimpton reported that membership dues have not increased in five years, but costs like the weekly lunch, rise each year. She said that each Rotarian will receive a survey of alternatives that are being considered because the club leadership does not want to raise membership costs. Mariah reported that one strategy being considered would be to substitute one lunch per month with a less costly evening gathering. During a 10-minute session called Table Talk, each table was asked to discuss how they would feel about this idea.
Greg Gausewitz, Product Sustainability Manager at REI, was introduced by President Kim. Greg makes certain that REI products are supportive of the environment, socially responsible, and have animal welfare in mind.
Greg began his presentation with a quick history of REI. The REI Cooperative began in 1938 in Mary Anderson’s home in West Seattle with 20 members. It has grown to over 18 million members today.
What is a Co-op by definition? Greg said a co-op is responsible to its members and stakeholders. REI’s fundamental belief is that life outdoors is a life well-lived. Being in the outdoors has enormous benefits both physically and mentally. Beyond the products, REI offers education, adventure travel, and many other services outside of just selling products. Over 70% of its profits go back to the outdoor community. REI has $3 billion in sales and $77 million is given back to employees.
When REI opted out of Black Friday and paid their employees for the day off, it was one of the most impactful decisions that REI has ever made.
Greg emphasized numerous times during his presentation, how important sustainability of the planet is to REI. Their large distribution center in Goodyear, AZ generates more electricity than it uses.
Greg said that sustainability efforts must increasingly be part of the brands and products that it allows in its stores and website. REI associates with over 1,000 brands and products that practice sustainability. These include water, climate, wages, and animal welfare. These also include retail and suppliers. This message of sustainability has resulted in increased sales.
Impact to Date: Brands representing sustainability have resulted in and over $2 billion in sales.
Greg answered several questions from Rotarians that focused on fire safety of tents, working with partners, and what REI is doing to reduce the use of plastics in its products.
The next meeting of the Seattle 4 Rotary Club will be held at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle on January 29. Jeff Pyatt said the speaker will be Aadil Palkhivala, world-renowned Yoga Master.
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