REI Cooperative Action Fund Highlights Our Work Through Their Support

REI is one of our outdoor-loving community’s most recognized brands and has embraced a role as one of the region’s most active and powerful voices for conservation. Recent years have underscored the profound benefits of time spent outdoors on human health and happiness, and REI has long been ahead of the curve in advocating for stewardship of public lands and directly investing in those lands, including green spaces right here in the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area (Greenway NHA). Since 1991, REI has been a strong partner of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (Greenway Trust) through their volunteer efforts, important advocacy work, and generous financial support, including a recently announced gift to the Greenway Trust from the REI Cooperative Action Fund.   

The REI Cooperative Action Fund’s mission is to create a more equitable outdoors by bringing together the collective strength of our community. This mission aligns deeply with the Greenway Trust’s commitment to emphasizing strength in collaborative efforts. At the Greenway Trust, we believe that when we are connected to nature, our lives are better. We are healthier, happier, and our communities are stronger. And yet, we recognize that not all people have equal opportunities to access the outdoors and the benefits it offers, and that systemic racism creates many barriers. With this in mind, we are committed to promoting greater equity and inclusion within the Greenway NHA and within our own organization and all aspects of our work, and the generosity of the REI Cooperative Action Fund will support this commitment.  

So, what does this look like in practice?

The Greenway Trust Education Program works to expand outdoor access by offering enriching educational experiences and paid internships, prioritizing students from high-need schools. 

Together with Tribes, agencies, and conservation groups, we support salmon recovery, ecological restoration, and urban forest projects that center relationships with underserved communities and promote equitable outcomes. 

By integrating diverse perspectives into planning and design, we help shape recreational spaces that are accessible and welcoming to people of all interests and abilities. 

Inclusive storytelling and events bring forward diverse voices and underrepresented narratives, creating space for these stories to be shared and celebrated. 

Through our environmental education programs, restoration and conservation efforts, community partnerships, and investments in recreation infrastructure, we believe in the importance of connecting underserved communities with outdoor spaces. Access to nature is a basic human necessity that too many are excluded from, and thanks to the REI Cooperative Action Fund, we will be one step closer to bridging the gap within the Greenway NHA.