Elon Musk dreams of Mars—a new frontier to colonize, a red wasteland to bend to his will. But Yvon Chouinard? He chose Earth—the battered, gasping orb beneath our feet. And what did he do with it? He returned it as if to say: Here, you deal with it. I’m done pretending I can save it for you.

In 2022, Chouinard looked at Patagonia, his billion-dollar company, and walked away. He didn’t sell it. He didn’t go public. He gave it away, almost defiantly, declaring, “Earth is now our only shareholder.” Bold words, yes. But did anyone really listen? Look around. The world keeps turning, its gears jammed with the same greed and indifference that made Patagonia necessary in the first place.

Perhaps Chouinard always knew it wouldn’t be enough. Born in 1938 to French-Canadian immigrants in Maine, he grew up on the fringes, a boy who didn’t even speak English. He became an easy target when his family........

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