Cruising across the country in a big, yellow RV starting in July, KEEN focuses national campaign on raising awareness for preserving public lands and bringing more than 100,000 signatures to Capitol Hill.

PORTLAND, Ore. (July 23, 2015) – On July 29, a bright yellow, renovated 70s RV will hit the road for a two-month cross-country trip with two goals: raising awareness for preserving public lands and celebrating the places we play.

KEEN Footwear is launching the Live Monumental™ campaign to create lasting change and rally support for the protection of places millions of people play. As part of this campaign, KEEN aims to collect more than 100,000 signatures on a petition on livemonumental.com to demonstrate massive support from around the country for the designation of new national monuments. The KEEN team will personally deliver the signatures to the Obama Administration in Washington, D.C. in September on a giant scroll to encourage the Obama Administration to designate five new national monuments and protect 3 million acres of land for the enjoyment of all.

“There are nearly three acres of public land for each person in the USA. Through the Live Monumental summer road trip and digital campaign, we will bring the KEEN brand promise of building stronger communities and a healthier planet to life by advocating for new national monument designations to preserve some of those lands for their recreation and conservation value,” said Linda Balfour, Brand Marketing Director at KEEN. "We invite you to join the movement to protect the places we play."

National monuments comprise some of America’s most celebrated icons – from California's Giant Sequoia National Monument to New York's Statue of Liberty to Wyoming’s Devil’s Tower – the country’s first national monument. Through the Antiquities Act created by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, with the stroke of a pen, the president of the United States can protect natural, historical, and cultural wonders by designating them as national monuments. The Live Monumental campaign seeks to protect public lands through the designation of five new national monuments: Mojave Desert, CA, Owyhee Canyonlands, OR, Birthplace of Rivers, WV, Boulder-White Clouds, ID, and Gold Butte, NV.

Getting the wheels rolling in KEEN’s hometown of Portland, OR, the RV will make its way down the west coast, across the Rockies, through the Midwest, and onward to the Southeast and Washington, DC, stopping in towns and cities along the way to raise awareness, gather signatures, and celebrate.

A central stop of the tour will be the annual Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, UT in early August, where KEEN will host a monumental celebration at KEENfest to engage the outdoor community, harness support for the protection of the places we play, and collect signatures on the petition. The crown jewel of the Live Monumental campaign will be presenting the scroll of signatures to government officials on Capitol Hill in September.

How can you get involved?

Stay in the loop via KEEN’s interactive experience on livemonumental.com. Besides offering all the latest Live Monumental campaign news, including upcoming road trip stops, the site allows supporters to add their signatures to the Live Monumental campaign petition. Supporters are also encouraged to help spread the word about the campaign through social media by tagging posts with #LiveMonumental.

For more information, watch the Live Monumental video here. Take action now to create lasting change and protect the places we all play. #LiveMonumental.

About KEENInspired by a love of the outdoors, KEEN, Inc., a manufacturer of hybrid outdoor and casual products, including footwear, clothing, and accessories, is dedicated to creating quality products that support the lifestyles and outdoor adventures of active people around the world. KEEN products can be found online and through more than 5,000 retail locations in more than 60 countries, as well as in KEEN Garage retail stores in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The company’s operations and culture reflect a stand-out commitment to building a strong community and a healthier planet so that all can create, play, and care. Learn more at http://www.keenfootwear.com.

MEDIA CONTACT | Keith Cozzens | Verde Brand Communications | keith@verdepr.com | 970.259.3555 x122