The North Face Rolls Out 'PlanetExplore' Online Community

The North Face, a supplier outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, announced the Bay Area launch of PlanetExplore, a new online community that connects people to the outdoors in meaningful ways by serving as a hub for outdoor activities and events in their community.

"PlanetExplore is a virtual community board for outdoor exploration," says Steve Rendle, president of The North Face and VF Corp.'s Outdoor Americas coalition. "It creates opportunities to connect individuals to outdoor activities within their communities to help develop the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists."

As part of PlanetExplore, The North Face has partnered with organizations that promote outdoor participation, such as Outward Bound, Children & Nature Network, Sierra Club, Conservation Next, and American Hiking Society.

According to a study by The Outdoor Foundation, more than 85 percent of the U.S. population will be living in urban areas in the coming years. "Since we are becoming a more urban nation, we support the fact that PlanetExplore will increase access to unstructured outdoor activity in urban areas," says Christine Fanning, executive director of The Outdoor Foundation. "It's a wonderful resource to connect people to the outdoors."

The Outdoor Foundation study also points out that 90 percent of adult participants in outdoor recreation were introduced to outdoor activities between the ages of 5 and 18. PlanetExplore engages the community, with a focus on youth, by generating awareness and access to outdoor activities by providing information on events and the ability to connect with others in outdoor pursuits.

"It's important that children learn to connect with nature and the outdoors at an early age as a growing body of evidence indicates that children who participate in unstructured outdoor activities are healthier, happier, and better learners, and these assets can carry into adulthood," says Richard Louv, chairman of the Children & Nature Network and the author of seven books, including his most recent Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. "I'm confident that PlanetExplore will become a catalyst for children and their families to get outdoors and get moving for all the right reasons."

"Partnering with The North Face on PlanetExplore allows small nonprofits like ours to get our message to a bigger community of active outdoors people and engage them in our work." says Roger Miller, Executive Director of Bay Area Wilderness Training, a Bay area PlanetExplore partner that has helped get over 10,000 youth into the wilderness since 1999.

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