In an effort to be transparent with our valued customers, we wanted to offer a place for customers to ask our president questions about RAMP skis, snowboards, and longboards. If you have a question for Mike that you want addressed in his weekly blog, please email [email protected] and include "Ask Mike" in the subject line.

Hello friends of RAMP,

I often get asked about our green programs, specifically how we donate money from each sale of skis and boards to carbon offsets. When we founded the company, we were fortunate to have a board member/founder like Gary Hirshberg. He founded Stonyfield Farms—a very successful company built on the principal that if you use best practices in every area possible, people would be naturally attracted to you brand. Of course a big part of it is having great product, and he did. At RAMP, we are making product that is getting into the top levels of performance and durability in our industry. Our return rates from 13-14 and our magazine test and demo results both showcase this evolution.

In a previous blog I talked about our various green programs.

One of them being carbon offsets. We make a donation that is equivalent to 300 pounds of carbon offset for every ski and snowboard we sell. We make the donation two-thirds to Native Energy that manages the offsetting and one-third to REVERB that is actively helping the music business green their tours. Both of the websites are very interesting to review. We just gave Native Energy our choices of the energy projects we want to support with our donation. One is with a project involving the Ute Indian Tribe, the other is a Dairy Farm in Vermont. More than 60 community-scale NativeEnergy Help Build™ projects have been made possible due to investments from business and individuals, reducing 2 million tons of greenhouse gases. That’s a big commitment, and we’re proud to partner with them to help green our Earth.

REVERB educates and engages musicians and their fans to take action toward a more sustainable future. RAMP teams up with REVERB music partners during the summer. For example, we often join the Dave Matthews Band Eco-Village that highlights eco-friendly companies and educates consumers to take a stand for sustainability.

We are proud to be doing our part. Thanks for listening. Let me know your thoughts. Comment below or email me questions ([email protected]). Be back next week.

Mike Kilchenstein, CESnow