Adventure With Purpose

Written by the Tellus Outdoor Team
Fort Collins, Colorado

Last updated: September 2026

What Does Adventure With Purpose Mean?

Adventure With Purpose is how we get outside, build a business, make products and give back. At Tellus, we believe adventure and purpose belong together.

Adventure can mean a backpacking trip, a day on the trail, a weekend camping with friends or simply getting outside to explore somewhere new. Purpose means preserving and taking care of these places, so that we have healthy rivers, forests, mountains and oceans for generations to come.

That’s the idea behind Adventure With Purpose.

For us, it means doing the things we love while finding meaningful ways to give something back to the places we explore, the communities we're part of, and the people working to protect and restore the outdoors.

Where Did Adventure With Purpose Come From?

Adventure With Purpose grew out of the idea behind our name. Tellus Mater means “Mother Earth.”

From the beginning, we knew we wanted to build an outdoor company, but we also knew we didn't want Tellus to exist simply to sell more clothing. We wanted to create a social enterprise — a business where our commercial success supports a positive environmental impact.

That led us to GiveBack100, our commitment to give 100% of net profits to environmental conservation and restoration initiatives. We needed language that connected those two sides of Tellus: our love of adventure and our responsibility to the places that make adventure possible.

“Adventure” represents the part we all recognize, getting outside, exploring, traveling, camping, hiking, paddling, skiing and experiencing the natural world.

“With Purpose” represents everything beyond the adventure itself: protecting wild places, restoring ecosystems, supporting environmental organizations, making thoughtful products and looking for ways to leave the world a little better than we found it.

Adventure + Purpose: Two Sides of Tellus

Adventure With Purpose is a reflection of our founders.

Joe is a gearhead. He loves outdoor equipment, the technical side of the industry, camping and backpacking. His passion for the outdoors started with his days as an Outward Bound student and eventually an instructor.

The purpose side is where Melissa’s passions lean. She loves working with our nonprofit partners, learning about the incredible work they're doing, sharing their stories and looking for ways Tellus can create meaningful impact through GiveBack100.

That combination — a love of adventure and a commitment to purpose — is at the heart of Tellus.

What Does Adventure With Purpose Look Like?

Adventure With Purpose can look like a lot of things. We love the image of standing on a mountain after a long climb. But we also believe adventure is much bigger than the classic outdoor-brand picture of the extreme athlete at the summit.

The person planting trees is Adventure With Purpose.

The person restoring a river is Adventure With Purpose.

The person helping restore a coral reef is Adventure With Purpose.

The person collecting native seeds, volunteering in their community or picking up trash along a trail is Adventure With Purpose.

And so is the person hiking that trail simply because being outside makes them feel more connected to the world around them.

There isn't one right way to Adventure With Purpose. We want to broaden the idea of what an outdoor lifestyle can look like and celebrate the people who aren't necessarily standing on the summit but are helping make sure there are healthy places to explore for generations to come.

Adventure With Purpose Starts With the Places We Love

The outdoors gives us places to explore, recharge, challenge ourselves and connect with something bigger than ourselves. It also needs our help.

That's why we work with nonprofit organizations and environmental partners focused on protecting and restoring wild places and ecosystems.

Through our partnerships, we support work such as:

Protecting and restoring forests and watersheds

Conserving land and water

Restoring rivers and ecosystems

Protecting coral reefs

Reforestation and habitat restoration

Supporting local environmental stewardship

We volunteer alongside our partners when we can. We learn from the people doing the work. We share their stories and use our platform to help more people understand what is happening in the places they love. And through GiveBack100, we connect the success of our business to the environmental work we care about.

Adventure With Purpose Is Also How We Make Our Products

We believe purpose should show up in the products we make, too. Every product has an environmental footprint — from the materials and manufacturing processes to transportation, use, care and what happens when the product is no longer wanted.

We're not perfect, and we don't have all the answers. But we're committed to making thoughtful choices and continuing to improve. For us, that means looking for ways to:

Make Products That Last

We believe buying fewer, better things is a meaningful part of a more sustainable outdoor lifestyle. We design Tellus apparel, bags and gear to be durable, functional and ready for long-term use . The longer something stays useful, the more value we can get from the resources that went into making it.

Choose Better Materials

We prioritize recycled and organic materials and work with suppliers that share our commitment to more responsible manufacturing. Many of our fabrics come from bluesign® certified mills and manufacturing partners, and we look for certifications and standards that provide greater transparency around materials, chemicals, working conditions and environmental practices.

Think Beyond the Purchase

Our responsibility doesn't end when a product leaves our store. We're thinking about how long a product can stay in use, how it can be cared for, whether it can be passed along, and what happens when it eventually reaches the end of its useful life.

Tellus Is Adventure With Purpose

For us, one of the biggest ways we Adventure With Purpose right now is Tellus itself. We're building an outdoor company where the success of the business contributes to positive environmental impact.

The idea is simple: as Tellus grows, our ability to fund conservation and restoration grows with it. We're building a business that can enlist thousands of customers in something neither of us could accomplish through our own individual giving.

Adventure With Purpose Means ...

Getting outside and giving something back.

Enjoying the outdoors while recognizing our responsibility to help protect the places that make those experiences possible.

Making thoughtful choices about what we buy and how we make things.

Supporting the people and organizations doing the hard work of conservation and restoration.

Believing that small actions add up to something bigger.

FAQs

What is Adventure With Purpose?

Adventure With Purpose is our philosophy of combining outdoor adventure with environmental and community-minded action. It means enjoying, exploring and experiencing the outdoors while finding meaningful ways to protect and restore the places and communities that make those experiences possible.

How can I Adventure With Purpose?

There is no single way to Adventure With Purpose. You can volunteer, support a conservation organization, pick up trash on a trail, choose durable products, reduce waste, learn about local ecosystems, help your community or simply find a way to give something back while doing something you love.

How does Adventure With Purpose connect to GiveBack100?

GiveBack100 is one of the ways Tellus puts Adventure With Purpose into action. We give 100% of our net profits to environmental conservation and restoration initiatives, helping connect the success of the business to work that protects and restores the outdoors.

How does Tellus make Adventure With Purpose part of its products?

We consider environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle, including material selection, manufacturing, durability and product use. Depending on the product, this can include recycled or organic materials, PFAS-free DWR treatments, working with certified mills and manufacturing partners, and designing products for durability and long-term use.