NEW NAME, SAME COMPANY

 Yup, nearly two years in and the name is changed. It had a little to do with a naming issue and another group, but a whole lot to do with communicating the mission…

 In 2017, I noticed a disturbing trend in our public lands – more news stories coming out of wanton destruction and vandalism, careless behavior that if not illegal, was certainly unethical, and a massive increase in litter. I had a decent social media following that I would share these things with, but I wanted to do more. As outdoor popularity outpaced awareness, I wanted to build something that would both promote wilderness ethics and be able to raise funds to help public lands with their sever need for help.

Since inception, I have always set out to promote wilderness ethics and stewardship. I knew what messaging to create, but also needed a name for this new venture.  In early 2018, after toiling for a few nights thinking of a company name, we (my wife and I) decided on Entrada Outdoor Co. Entrada to represent our love of the desert southwest (being a layer of sandstone), as well as a play on words for entrance or a beginning; a new beginning to have a strong emphasis on wilderness ethics, if you will.

 We also settled on the tagline of “Adventure Responsibly” as a way to sum up clearly and concisely what we are all about. Promoting wilderness ethics and helping to educate those who may not be as familiar with the outdoors before an adventure. It had a good ring to it: Entrada Outdoor Co. - Adventure Responsibly. And so, we started. 

 A few months ago I got some feedback from a good friend that stated if they didn’t know me, they would have no idea what Entrada Outdoor does, means or stands for. They explained that while the message was good, having the Entrada Outdoor name underneath  phrases like Don’t Be A Trash Hole, Clean Up Your Sh*t or Leave It Better gave it a vibe that some random company was trying to make a catch phrase vs make actual change or do some good. 

 And so, I took that feedback and asked others for their sincere and honest opinions. Turns out, that sentiment was felt by others as well. People like the name, it just didn’t make sense as to what the company actually does or stands for. We then went back to work on something that would be a good name for the business and clearly define who we are and what we’re about. While we initially liked Entrada for the southwest feel and vibe, there was growing worry that it pigeonholed into being a southwest focused company – I wanted to make sure this was for all public lands, just not the ones I loved here in the SW. I thought about Leave It Better Co., but a day-care business already had that, along with a farming community and recycling business. I thought about another cal-to-ac tion phrase of Part-Time Crusader Co. and I even thought about something along the lines of Meander Outdoor, Saunter Co. or possibly another layer of sandstone...which brought things right back to square one. 

And then there it was, staring at me the whole time: Adventure Responsibly. Adventure Responsibly was the obvious choice to take on as the new name. In a lot of ways, this makes much more sense; I already had that phrase as a registered trademark and secured, and people have already started to tag that in their social posts creating more of a movement around that phrase. The call to action is now boldly out front as the name- while Entrada Outdoor was a bit arbitrary, there’s no mistaking who or what we are about as we move forward as Adventure Responsibly.

Of course nothing has changed when it comes to promoting wilderness ethics, stewardship and education- that’s what this is all about, after all. Leaving it better and being part-time crusaders is all in our DNA, made clearer by the Adventure Responsibly name. 

 We’re excited for this change and can’t wait to help others, well, Adventure Responsibly. We also have things more dialed in than ever before:

 -Our name is the mission: To Adventure Responsibly is to promote wilderness ethics, outdoor education and commit to action through stewardship. We understand that outdoor popularity has outpaced awareness and are here to add a voice to change this issue.

-We celebrate all Public Lands and their beauty and work to make designs in that vein. Be it National Parks or regional areas, there’s some place special for everyone and while important to protect them, it is equally important to enjoy them

We deeply aspire to the words of those before us, namely:

-Robert Baden Powell’s invitation to “Leave It Better”

-Edward Abbey to be “Part-Time Crusaders”

Our new site is adventureresponsibly.co (that’s not a typo, it’s just .co with no m)