Environmental Champion: Richard Ridgeway
Veteran Explorer, Entrepreneur, and Conservation Advocate: Rick Ridgeway's Life and Legacy
Rick Ridgeway, a globally recognized mountaineer, businessman, author, and filmmaker, has dedicated his life to exploration and advocating for nature conservation. His work often includes bringing others along on his adventures through books and documentaries, emphasizing the importance of respect for nature and the need for conservation. Throughout his career, Ridgeway has served as the Vice President of Environmental Affairs at Patagonia Inc., co-founded the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and joined the board of the Turtle Conservancy.
Born to Explore - Roots in Southern California
Growing up in the rural Southern California of the 1950s, Ridgeway spent much of his youth exploring the Santa Ana Riverbed with friends. As the region developed, he found escape in the hills surrounding the Los Angeles Basin. Driven by an insatiable curiosity and a love for adventure, he eventually started driving his motorcycle into the wilderness for longer hikes. This eventually led to climbing, where he invested in essential equipment like ice axes and crampons, teaching himself how to use them.
Climbing Pursuits - Conquering Everest and K2
A National Geographic piece about the first American climb of Mount Everest captivated Ridgeway, inspiring him to learn winter climbing skills in the LA mountains. His mother's concerns led her to send him to an outdoor education school for a taste of formal mountaineering training before graduation. In 1976, Ridgeway joined the American Bicentennial Everest Expedition, and in 1978, he and three other teammates were the first Americans to summit K2, the world's second-highest mountain and most dangerous. This marked the third ascent of the mountain, the first without oxygen, and the first climb of the Northeast Ridge, a feat yet to be repeated.
No Turning Back - Conservation Becomes Center Stage
The K2 climb significantly boosted Ridgeway's self-confidence and ignited a passion for preserving the wilderness he had grown to appreciate. Over time, he found himself increasingly bothered by human interference in nature and grew determined to protect and safeguard wildlands.
One of his most fulfilling experiences came during an expedition to follow the migration of the endangered Tibetan antelope, or chiru. In 1995, Ridgeway and a team of fellow climbers, including Galen Rowell, Conrad Anker, and Jimmy Chin, embarked on a 275-mile trek across Northwestern Tibet to learn and document the chirus' migration. The publicity generated by the expedition led to the establishment of a protected area in the region and a decrease in poaching, helping secure the future of the chiru population.
Business Ventures - Combining Passion with Profit
As Ridgeway continued his explorations, he ventured into the business world. He worked at the Kelty Pack Company for 25 years, contributing to marketing and product development. Then, in 1987, he founded Adventure Photo & Film, becoming the world's largest stock photo and film agency specializing in nature and adventure images.
Throughout this time, Ridgeway developed a friendship with Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, Inc. When Ridgeway sold Adventure Photo & Film in 2000, Chouinard offered him a position overseeing Patagonia's global environmental initiatives. Recognizing the urgent need for sustainability in the apparel and footwear industry, Ridgeway spent the next years advocating for sustainable practices and co-founding the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
Today, Ridgeway devotes his time to various conservation and sustainability organizations, including the Turtle Conservancy, where he serves as a board member. Based in Ojai, California, he works alongside over 600 turtles and tortoises across 30 different species. His memoir, Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map, traces five decades of adventure and conservation.
The Future of Conservation - Ridgeway's Optimism
Recently retiring from Patagonia, Ridgeway has several conservation projects in the works, including creating new national parks in Chile and Argentina and protecting wildlife and wildlands in Madagascar and Mexico. As he looks to the future, he remains optimistic about the human race's ability to overcome the crises faced by the planet.
As climate change continues to dominate headlines, Ridgeway shares a piece of advice from his good friend, celebrated conservation biologist George Schaller: Support Nature Conservation. Ridgeway's work in conservation, sustainability, and his tireless efforts to protect the world's wilderness provide a shining example of what can be accomplished when passion meets persistence.
- Rick Ridgeway, in his pursuit of nature conservation, co-founded the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, focusing on sustainable practices within the apparel and footwear industry.
- In the realm of environmental-science, Ridgeway's memoir, Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map, offers an account of five decades spent in exploration and conservation efforts.
- Demonstrating the interconnection between 'climate-change' and 'climate justice', Ridgeway encourages public support for nature conservation as a solution to mitigate the global crises brought forth by climate change.
- Looking ahead, Ridgeway plans to apply his dedication to nature conservation by creating new national parks in Chile and Argentina and protecting wildlife and wildlands in Madagascar and Mexico, advocating for a sustainable 'lifestyle' at home and in the garden that embraces long-term sustainability.
