Helly Hansen Welcomes Kim Wooldridge to the Team

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 5 May, 2006 : - - Oslo, Norway aEUR" Surfer Kim Wooldridge from Australia is the first surfer to join the Helly Hansen Global team. Here she will join a group of top athletes all living the dream and taking their passion and sports to new levels.

Kim is a veteran surfer that keeps ripping it up on waves all over the world. Her cutbacks are known to be as fierce, or even more so than some of the top guys.

Kim has been held responsible for pushing womenaEUR(tm)s surfing up to the level where it is today.

The girl from Austinmer in NSW has been surfing since she was five. The last 13 years she has been touring the world as a pro. Helly Hansen is excited to have such a strong surfer and personality on board to help us continually improve our watersports products.

Kim works hard to get more people involved in surfing and is a strong advocate for female surfers of all ages. We are really looking forward to working with her.

Have a look at Kim's website .

Helly Hansen has manufactured technical outdoor apparel since 1877.Today the brand is recognized as a global leader in technical apparel and shoe designs for a range of alpine and water sports activities. Helly Hansen products are distributed in more than 40 countries. For more information or to locate a dealer visit www.hellyhansen.com.

This surfer loves eco frinedly sandals so I was elated to come across these on one of my favorite blogs:

These are so stylish and eco friendly. What more could a gal ask for?

Read more about these Eco Friendly Sandals here.

Patagonia Helps Underwrite Cost of Paper

Ventura, CA aEUR" March 17, 2006. Patagonia, Inc., the outdoor apparel company, announced today their partnership with SURFER Magazine to move the magazine's paper content from virgin to partially recycled fiber. Patagonia will help support the transition by sharing in the increased cost of paper for each issue of the magazine. Beginning with the June 2006 issue, which goes on sale May 1st, SURFER Magazine will be printed on 25% post-consumer waste recycled paper.

aEURoeWe hope to see recycled paper become the industry standard for surf publications,aEUR noted Rob Bondurant, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Patagonia. aEURoeWe applaud SURFER for taking this step. When they came to us with this idea, we backed them 100%. Although the initial costs of moving to a more environmentally-sensitive alternative can add up, weaEUR(tm)ve been able to prove that every choice that weaEUR(tm)ve made for the environment has more than paid itself backaEUR In 1984, Patagonia became the first company in the U.S. to use recycled paper in their mail order catalogs.

SURFER Magazine has the largest worldwide distribution of any surf publication. It is distributed to over 70 countries worldwide, and prints over 480 million pages annually. aEURoeThe environmental impact will be significant,aEUR explains SURFER publisher, Rick Irons. aEURoeWe have estimated that by using 25% recycled paper in each issue, every year weaEUR(tm)ll save 4,431 trees from being cut down, 13 garbage trucks of solid waste from heading to the dump, and 29 homes could be powered for a year by the energy saved.aEUR With paper costs increasing just under a penny a page, prices are being raised one dollar per issue at newsstands aEUR" with SURFER and Patagonia making up the remaining difference.

SURFER Magazine first utilized recycled paper for the November 2005 issue at the request of guest editors Jack Johnson, musician, and Chris Malloy, Patagonia Ambassador. aEURoeThe response from our readers was overwhelmingly positive,aEUR noted Rick Irons. aEURoeNo one is more closely tied to the environment than surfers. By choosing recycled paper we are reducing our readeraEUR(tm)s burden on the environment and honoring their requests to be more environmentally conscious.aEUR

Patagonia, with sales last year of $240M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. Its Environmental Grants Program has contributed over $23M to grassroots environmental activists since the program began in 1985, and its Environmental Internship Program allows employees to work for environmental groups while receiving their full paycheck. Incorporating environmental responsibility in to product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically grown cotton in its clothing line. In September 2005, the company became the first in the U.S. to launch a garment take-back recycling initiative with their Common Threads Recycling Program. PatagoniaaEUR(tm)s 2006-07 aEURoeOceans as WildernessaEUR environmental campaign focuses on the threats that unsustainable fishing practices, habitat destruction and contamination pose to the marine environment.

Upon its inception in 1960, SURFER Magazine brought a unity of voice and vision to an otherwise niche and fragmented sport. Today the publication is widely recognized as "the bible of the sport," the driving force in the surf world, and a shaping force of the surf lifestyle at large. SURFER has the largest worldwide distribution of any surf publication and is distributed in over 70 countries worldwide.

Press contacts:

PATAGONIA, Coley Malloy, (805) 667-4878, coley_malloy@patagonia.com
PATAGONIA, Jen Rapp, (805) 667-4768, jen_rapp@patagonia.com