Tompkins
Conservation
All across the world there are projects that we especially admire and can at least serve to help raise awareness of the work that they do. One of the greatest of these projects is the world leading conservation initiatives of the Tompkins Foundation.
Doug Tomkins was of course the founder of the outdoor clothing brand North Face and then, with his wife Kris, the global fashion brand Esprit. In the late 80’s Doug and Kris took the decision to sell their stakes in the businesses and in 1993 launched the Tomkins Foundation with the proceeds. His Foundation For Deep Ecology and his Conservation Land Trust, through which he directed his philanthropy towards protecting South America’s endangered wildernesses, remain beacons of best practise and provide the model for similar projects the world over.
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- Tompkins Conservation
With great admiration for their achievements, The Rumi Foundation first partnered Doug and Kris Tomkins in June 2013 when we hosted a dinner in London to bring together a collective of like-minded people to discuss conservation best practise and reflect on what we all might do towards creating a better and more sustainable world. Guests included the then Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change and also the founder and Executive Chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt.
Sadly, in December 2015 Doug Tompkins died as the result of a tragic accident whilst kayaking. He was 72.
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- Tompkins Conservation
In November 2016 the Foundation hosted a memorial event to reflect on and celebrate the huge impact Doug Tompkins has had on the world and our guests reaffirmed their commitment to the work that Doug and Kris have inspired.
You can read about these initiatives in more detail here: