Nice info seized_up. That took some work.
I'm going to have to play a little devils advocate here though. Gore-Tex is based in Maryland. (Hometown pressure) The fabric that we know them as is a very small part of the pie. They are very important in the medical field, they have military applications. Computer components, and more than likely some parts found in your car.
They even have a motorcycle right in their rain room. They support Klim which is a snowmobile company. Which supports us. So although they may show support of some greenie interests, by no means do they seem biased.
Think of it from a business standpoint. Say you are getting 80% of your business from group X. 20% from Y. You would be more likely to value X's opinion a little more since the are more prominent in your business.
Remember that snowmobilers are a very small group with very little support behind us. We don't pursue causes and expansions the way Greenies do. We ride when we can and complain when we see something closing. We are very reactive, but not very proactive. Quite honestly most of us are hard workers who don't have the time to commit to such things.
Greenies tend to have way to much time on their hands. It is very easy for them to have a vast effect over an otherwise unbiased population. All they need is an article in a paper trying to save a forest an no one is the wiser what else they may be effecting.
Now for my rant. Why as Americans is it so hard to find a common ground on things such as this. Just because I snowmobile doesn't mean I might no like to mountain bike or hike in the summer. How many sledders started off as skiers? Don't get me wrong, I hate seeing land closures. I'm not keeping anyone else off the mountain, but you may have to share it. Isn't that what we were taught to do since childhood.
Now to flip the coin again. We are fools not to admit that we can be our own worst enemy. Parking lot racers, loud pipes, destruction to privately owned property. People that don't enjoy our sport can find us to be a nuisance very easily. And we do nothing to change their opinion.
Sorry, just some thoughts.
Hey it's Friday