Posts within ‘Who We Are, What We Do: TBL Culture & People’
May Means Mountainfilm
Colorado may be home to some of the best skiing in the states, but when the temperature warms and the snow melts, we love it for a whole different reason: Mountainfilm in Telluride.
To call Mountainfilm a film festival would be an understatement: it’s as much about the people that attend and the experiences they share as it is about the films that are shown. Each year, activists, explorers and artists of all kinds congregate at Mountainfilm to examine environmental, cultural and social issues in a uniquely creative way — and to be moved and motivated to take their own action.
As a brand that appreciates creativity and is passionate about protecting the great outdoors, we’re excited to be the Official Footwear Sponsor of Mountainfilm in Telluride. As part of our sponsorship, we’re going to be outfitting filmmakers and other Mountainfilm VIPs in our Earthkeepers footwear (made with recycled and environmentally-conscious materials), and encouraging festival-goers to be more eco-conscious in their own lives. If you’re going to Mountainfilm, stop by the Timberland kiosk and make a pledge to reduce your environmental impact — we’ll plant a tree in your honor!
If you’re not traveling to Telluride, stay connected to all the best of what’s happening at Mountainfilm by visiting our Festivals page - we’ll be sharing stories, photos and videos from our experience there.
Timberland Goes Antiquing
Call it a commitment to sustainability — or maybe just Yankee frugality — but at Timberland, we try to repurpose old materials whenever we can, rather than buying or creating new ones. One of the best ways we can do this is to incorporate repurposed and reclaimed materials in the design of our retail stores.
While giving new life to old things is environmentally rewarding (less waste going into a landfill), it’s also a lot of fun! See for yourself what it was like when we went trolling for treasures at the legendary Brimfield Antique Show:
Put your own repurposing skills to work by visiting an antiques show like Brimfield (which opens today) to see what precious pieces await you. To learn more about the materials and methods we use to design our stores in more sustainable ways, visit the sustainable store design section of our website.
Timberland Women Play Favorites
We all know it isn’t nice to play favorites — but nice or not, the truth is that most of us do have a pair (or two) of shoes or boots that get more than their fair share of love and attention.
Even here at Timberland — where we’re surrounded by footwear made to look good, feel good and perform well — we’ve got our own personal can’t-resist picks:
Marketing associate Gillian has a soft spot for the Earthkeepers Deering Boat Ballerina because, ” It’s a trendy looking cross between a boat shoe and a ballerina, with a touch of casual ruggedness—perfect for any outfit, any day of the week.”
Earthkeepers Deering Boat Ballerina
Our senior retail marketing manager Rachel has found a perfect travel companion in the Timberland Boot Company Marge Wood Heel Sandal. “For someone like me that travels a lot, this is the pair I’m going to pack first this season. Handcrafted details, great heel height and a back strap so I can run to catch my next flight—it’s perfect!”
Boot Co. Marge Wood Heel Sandal
The members of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation aren’t the only ones who covet our Formentor boat shoe. Women’s product manager Andrea says, “When I race sailboats, I’m often on the foredeck—by far the most unstable and slippery part of the boat. That’s why I absolutely need to make sure my shoes are really made for performance sailing with the best traction imaginable.”
Formentor Fabric and Leather Oxford
And senior designer Penelope loves the versatility of the Earthkeepers Nevali Peep Toe: “Because it’s a peep toe, it works in warm and cooler temperatures —so it has a longer season in my wardrobe. It works with skirts, dresses and jeans.”
Earthkeepers Nevali Peep Toe
You can see which styles are topping the list for other Timberland women by checking out our staff picks section. To find a new favorite pair for yourself, shop our entire selection of women’s footwear now.
Three Reasons Why We Love Earth Day
What’s to love about a day of community service in honor of Earth Day?
#1. POWER TOOLS
#2. PAINT
#3. WHEELBARROWS
We also love mulch, rakes, hammers and all sorts of other toys of the great outdoors we don’t get to play with during the course of a normal business day.
Timberland volunteers were not the only ones to get out and celebrate Earth Day this week – it looks like our West Coast colleagues at The North Face, lucy and JanSport had a great day doing good work, too:
Yes, it was a lot of fun – and incredibly meaningful for the local community and environmental organizations who benefited from our efforts. Thanks to the Timberland and VF volunteers who took time out this week to make a difference in their world; the sore muscles and sunburned arms were well worth it.
Lace ‘Em Up and Move ‘Em Out: It’s Earth Day!
Okay – so technically Earth Day isn’t until April 22, but why wait? We’re an outdoors brand that cares an awful lot about the environment (it is, after all, our playground), and we’re headed out a few days early to give it some extra TLC.
If you’re thinking that Earth Day service isn’t for you because it’s too unsavory (think smelly roadside trash pickup) or too episodic (you clean up smelly roadside trash today, only to find more in its place tomorrow), here are some examples of the kinds of things our Timberland team around the globe will be doing this week – and month – to celebrate Earth Day and support the notion of environmental sustainability:
- Getting rid of bad seeds: At Pasir Ris Park in Singapore, volunteers from Timberland’s Asian Headquarters will remove invasive species, including Pong Pong fruits and ferns, to help preserve an area of mangrove trees.
- Educating future environmentalists: In Milan Italy, Timberland volunteers will partner with Legambiente to teach 200+ children about the importance of respecting the environment. The students will have an opportunity to put learning into practice as they remove graffiti, plant trees and create a botanical garden.
- Making greater use of the great outdoors: In a local community in our own home state of New Hampshire, volunteers will help to transform overgrown and under-utilized conservation land into a public park with areas for playing and picnicing, as well as a trail network.
And, we’re spreading the love. This is Timberland’s first Earth Day as a member of the VF Corporation family, and we’re beyond excited to have several of our “siblings” joining in our longstanding tradition of community service. San Francisco-area employees from The North Face, JanSport and lucy will be volunteering this week for the Alameda Point Collaborative, an organization that provides transitional housing for formerly homeless people and families. And further south, our colleagues at Vans, Reef and Eagle Creek are planning their own Earth Day service celebrations as well.
All told, we’ve got more than 3,500 volunteers doing their part to revitalize nearly 150 communities around the world. That’s a lot of boots on the ground doing a lot of good hard work for our dear Mother Earth.
Stay tuned! We’ll be sharing photos, video and Earth Day event recaps here on the Bootmakers Blog. Want to get in on the action? Visit Earth Day Network’s website to find out about Earth Day events in your area.
If Frogger Wore Boat Shoes, He’d Play This Game
Stay on the boat! That’s the idea behind the Timberland game of the same name, in which you have to navigate one seriously crowded waterway and make it to your team’s boat before time runs out. To play, you’ll need:
- Nerves of steel
- Lightning-fast reflexes
- A pair of virtual Timberland Formentor boat shoes
Then, you’re ready to try your luck at leaping and lunging across kayaks, rafts and sailboats without falling into the shark-infested water. Along the way, we’ll even give you the chance to collect eco-tips you can use to reduce your own environmental footprint.
All aboard – you’ll find the Stay on the Boat challenge and other fun stuff on the Games page of our website. And if you really want to get in the game, check out the shoes, jackets and bags in our Formentor Collection.
Life’s Too Short to Stay Indoors
So says Adam, the global product manager on Timberland’s Men’s Outdoor Team. He knows a thing or two about the outdoors – the Tennessee native grew up boating, kayaking, hiking and backpacking and has climbed 20 of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado.
Adam’s expertise makes him a great asset to our product team, and also makes him the perfect guy to offer some advice for your own outdoor adventures:
- You should be flexible; your gear should be versatile. The outdoors has a way of throwing surprises at you; the better you and your gear can adapt, the better your experience will be.
- To scale a mountain, keep your feet on the ground. I see a lot of people climbing the steep, smooth stuff on their tiptoes. But your goal should be to keep as much of your sole on the ground as possible—so you’ve got traction.
- Just get out there. It doesn’t matter how fast you go or how far you go—just do what you love to do, with the people you want to do it with.
If that’s not enough to make you want to get up off the couch, check out our Men’s collection for spring, including the new Pathrock hiker (it’s versatile — Adam would approve!). And to see what products Adam and other Timberland guys love these days, be sure to click on staff picks.
Shaun Samson Designs Timberland Boots for London Fashion Week
This season, California-born and British-trained designer Shaun Samson has partnered with Timberland to design the footwear for his London Fashion Week MAN Day show. Using our Design Your Own Boot function, the breakthrough menswear designer created three unique styles which mirror the themes of his 2012 collection.
Shaun Samson
Samson picked from hundreds of leather bases, laces, rivets and soles available on our website to adapt the classic boot to sit alongside his collection.
Shaun’s personally-designed Timberland boots
The ease and gratification of the Timberland Design Your Own function meant the design process was effortless. The design possibilities are endless: you choose your own colours, hardware, fabrications and can even take the customisation further with your own embroidered initials.- Shaun Samson
Model wearing Shaun Simson's designs, head to toe
To read our complete interview with Shaun Samson and see his styles (and our boots) in action on the London Fashion Show catwalk, visit treesandboots on tumblr. Want to design your own Timberland boots? Visit the custom footwear page of our website (US here and UK here).
Nothing Screams Romance Like Reusable Shopping Bags
If you haven’t already been to our website and memorized the tips and stats in our Green Guide to Dating and Love, it’s not too late – you’ll find everything you need to know about giving and getting eco-love right here.
Consider it our Valentine’s Day gift to you.
Learn more about how important eco-behavior is to finding and keeping true love by reading the complete results of Timberland’s Eco-Love Survey.
A Few of Her Favorite Green Things
If you’re suffering from post-Sundance depression, don’t despair – you can go back in time with Amanda (even if just for 2 minutes) as she shares with us some of the great green initiatives she spotted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. (Solar powered parking meters – who knew?!)
Need a bigger dose of Sundance? Check out our Festivals page.
