By: Jingwei Zhao

The owner of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, gave away his 3-billion-dollar company to help stop climate change. This is one of the biggest donations to climate change yet. Chouinard has always shown an appreciation for the outdoors. In fact, in the 1960s, he and some of his friends started a business for rock climbing clothing. Later, he founded a company you might know, Patagonia. Despite the companies growing success, Chouinard remained committed to the environment. He even changed the clothing material to make it more environmentally friendly, using recycled cotton which in comparison reduces CO2 emissions by 80% in comparison to new cotton. In fact, he encourages people to only buy his clothes if needed.

Chouinard gave away 98% of his company on September 15th to the Holdfast Collective, which battles climate change and protects the environment. The other 2% percent is known as the Patagonia Purpose Trust group, which keeps the company running like how it used to. I still find it a bit shocking that Chouinard decided to give his entire company away, but I believe that he made the right choice.

If I were the owner of the company, I would have kept the company for at least a few more years. Even though climate change is currently very serious, I would not necessarily donate nearly my entire company to it. There are other organizations that also have an important purpose, such as ones that focus on supporting children.

However, I would keep some of the money for myself so I can go on vacations to places like Hawaii with my friends or keep it as a backup for paying taxes. Like Yvon Chouinard, I want to live a simple life that does not require too much money to achieve. However, I would want a bit more luxury and style than the average person, such as a higher-quality PC or a better piano. I may also donate some money to the Make-A-Wish foundation because I want to help children with illnesses or diseases to survive and get a chance to live.