Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles

November 6th, 2007 | By Kelsey | No Comments »

I briefly mentioned Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles this weekend. The FC follows a few of their items from design to material sourcing to factory to consumer to recycling. Today, I revisited the site and realized that it was even cooler than I thought it was.

If you click on the pictures, you can view a slideshow or a video. They interview workers and managers at factories, talk about the process of producing the apparel, and even what the factory and the jobs mean to the country and the workers. I was blown away when I discovered this. I didn’t realize that any company had gone to such great lengths to introduce us, not only to the manufacturing process of their products, but, to the workers who make them.

Many of the companies I dealt with during my quest were less than helpful and wouldn’t give the location of their factories. In fact, Deckers sold their inability to divulge the information as attempting to guard their sourcing info from their competitors.

I hope more brands will follow Patagonia’s lead.

The video below is from the factory that makes Patagonia’s Polo Shirts in Thailand.

Patgonia Thailand Factory:

I’ve added a permanent link to the right to the Footprint Chronicles. You can bet that as I continue to write about and make sense of my quest, I’ll refer back to Patagonia and their unique MO.

A big thanks to Kasey at Patagonia’s blog The Cleanest Line for pointing me to the FC.

Same Bangkok, New Perspective

April 29th, 2007 | By Kelsey | No Comments »

6 years ago, Bangkok was my introduction to the developing world. I was half-way through an around-the-world trip in which I spent the first 3 months in Hawaii and Australia – not exactly roughing it.

At the time, my senses were overloaded:

Sight – everywhere people and chaos
Touch – running sweat
Smell – stinky, polluted air
Hearing – horns and tuk-tuks
Taste – dirt and exhaust
Spidey sense – tingling.

I arrived at 6 in the morning and I got the hell out of Bangkok as quickly as possible and tried to locate the most isolated beach I could find.

Now things are different. I’m coming from Bangladesh. Bangkok looks like a manicured, peaceful city with order and luxury. On the cab ride to my hotel I felt lonely, “Where’s all the people?”

In some sense, I know I will miss the crowds of people in Bangladesh. They were my security. And I was their celebrity. I walked around a little tonight and didn’t notice a single person staring at me. Tom Cruise no more, I guess I’ll have to get used to being just another touron.

I catch a flight to Phnom Penh tomorrow evening. I’ll spend the majority of my day tomorrow wrapping up my notes, posts, recordings, audio slideshows from Bangladesh. Expect to see a lot of activity here tomorrow.

Also, I’ve got some cool news for all of you geeks out there. I hope to share it some time this week. Stay tuned…

I’m the Great Touron King

February 22nd, 2007 | By Kelsey | 1 Comment »

“In the land of tourons, I am the Great Touron King.” These were the first of my very own words to make it to print. What follows is the rest of the column, a sort of Touron Manifesto, if you will. This is the common thread that I like to think that runs through all of my writings and all of my travels.

Travelin’ Light: The Land of Tourons
By Kelsey Timmerman

A touron is one part eager tourist and one part well-meaning moron. You yourself have likely been a touron at one time or another.

If you’ve ever…

…set out on a trip over 2 weeks long with 3 pair of underwear…

…thought visiting a nude beach would be a good idea…

…spent an entire flight with your knee jammed into the chair in front of you to keep a six year old from reclining…

… been to a Drag Show with your mother…

…been in a room full of people where You were the only one not staring at YOU…

…stepped out your front door and made a complete fool of yourself…

…you might be a Touron.

Faced with a deluge of new sites, smells, sounds, and behaviors, a tourist turns touron because of an enhanced curiosity and innocent unawareness. The farther behind we leave the familiar, the more touronic we become. (more…)