#OptOutside on Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, has come to represent the biggest shopping day in the United States. During this holiday time to reflect and give thanks for all we have and those we love, Americans have largely turned their sights indoors.

But as you may have heard, REI – one of the biggest outdoor retailers in the U.S. and a partner to many of our region’s nonprofits – is asking people to #OptOutside and choose the bounty of the outdoors this Black Friday. REI will close all 143 stores, including their headquarters and website on the biggest shopping day of the year, and instead pay their employees to get outside and enjoy nature.

Access to the Outdoors

As Americans in other parts of the country are enduring “real” winter weather this Thanksgiving, it will be easier for San Diegans to heed this call and #OptOutside.

Thanks to the numerous outdoor spaces in the region, our natural environment defines us and makes San Diego one of the most livable and desirable places in the world.  Cultivating these special places and ensuring all San Diegans have access to them is a core value for The San Diego Foundation.

Did you know…

San Diego is one of only a few biological hotspots in the world, partially defined by a high percentage of animal and plant life found nowhere else on the planet?

And that more than 45 percent of the land in our county is designated as open space thanks to the hard work of many local nonprofits and philanthropists.

This Thanksgiving there are many more choices to #OptOutside in San Diego:

• Join San Diego Audubon Society at a local birding site;
• Explore part of the San Diego River Park Trail;
• Take a walk on one of eight trails at San Elijo Lagoon;
• Visit Elfin Forest Interpretive Center in Escondido for a free wildlife exhibit, Connecting to the Wild;
• Take a walk to Monument Mesa at Border Field State Park with views over the breathtaking Tijuana River estuary; or
• Visit Logan Heights and check out the newly-opened Community Space and Garden

Free days outside are a much better deal than you’ll find anywhere else on Black Friday!

Opening the Outdoors to All San Diegans

The San Diego Foundation Opening the Outdoors program supports local nonprofits across our region that are protecting these special places and getting people outside, especially youth in park-poor communities.

As this year closes, think about supporting the Opening the Outdoors initiative. Also, stay tuned for more in the new year as we partner with local nonprofits and mapping experts from GreenInfo Network to encourage more San Diegans to #OptOutside.

Support Opening the Outdoors