Let My People Go Surfing Summary

To begin with, Let My People Go Surfing, by Yvon Chouinard starts off with the author looking back on his early life. He describes his family’s resettlement from Maine to California, where prior adventures started to form his love for the outdoors. Chouinard describes how he started climbing as a hobby from being in the Southern California Falconry Club. The hobby involved scaling cliffs, which he later used on the walls of Yosemite, and the mountains of Wyoming. The author also created homemade clothing for falconry, including stitching on thick leather patches for padding while on rappel. Eventually, he made his own climbing gear. He founded and grew Chouinard Equipment Ltd., leading a new movement in “clean” climbing. He sold the items he made such as chocks, carabiners, and ice axes to the world. …show more content…
The author speaks about sustainability and the effort to cause “no unnecessary harm” to the environment. This comes from Chouinard’s experiences in Southern California, where deep marks on Yosemite walls and polluted, dammed rivers helped shape Chouinard’s view. Additionally, the company’s latest business venture, which is focused on food, is discussed in the book. Chouinard promotes his food division, Patagonia Provisions, as a “new vision of agriculture.” Similarly, Patagonia has been a pioneer when it comes to the use of organic cotton. Patagonia also uses plastic bottles that are recycled to make some “fleece” garments. Furthermore, Yvon Chouinard made a business decision to donate one percent of sales to environmental causes, and in doing so has raised sustainability awareness in countries such as the United States, Japan, and Europe. Hence, this novel captures the early outdoor adventures of the author that has helped shape his views on the environment and has motivated him to use his business to make a change and inspire others to protect the