The refrigerator is stocked with fresh veggies, the pantry is full of whole grains, and the windowsill is glowing with sun-kissed tomatoes and herbs. Yet the pots and pans hiding in the cabinets threaten to derail all your carefully laid efforts to eat healthy.
What’s the Problem with Nonstick?
Nonstick cookware is popular because it’s…
We spend 90% of our time inside, where the concentration of air pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoors. One 2019 study from the University of Colorado found roasting meat and vegetables for just a few hours can produce higher amounts of air pollutants than the streets of Delhi, India, one of the most polluted cities worldwide…
When it comes to eating green, making sure your leftovers don’t go to waste is important. But not all storage containers for those leftovers are created equal. Avoid harmful chemicals entering your food by choosing safer storage and cooking options.
Avoid plastic containers (plastic numbers 1-7)
You might have heard of BPA (p. 14), a…
It’s hard to grasp the sheer volume of plastic in our lives, and many people are wondering, is it really safe? Since 1950, more than 8.5 billion tons of plastic have been produced. In the seven or so minutes it will take you to read this article, there will be seven million more plastic water bottles on the planet. Half of plastic produced is…
Fridges tend to last a long time, which is great for sustainability in your home. But if you’ve heard about Green America’s Cool It! campaign and the not-so-cool greenhouse gases hidden inside of refrigerators you might be wondering if your fridge could be a climate problem.
Our campaign targets grocery companies that own millions of fridges…
Our kitchens should be a safe space where families create and serve healthy meals, but all too often there are toxic chemicals and other hazards lurking. When our kitchens are healthier, so is our planet.
The kitchen, after all, is closely linked to the climate, and our choices in the heart of our homes can be actions against climate change.…
The global gender pay gap will now take 136 years to close. In early 2020, the World Economic Forum (WEF) had estimated that it would take 99 years to close the gender pay gap. But after just a year of the pandemic, WEF calculated that women were set back by nearly four decades. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other women of color who were already…
Picture a farmer. Are you seeing a gruff white man steering his tractor between perfectly aligned Iowa corn rows? If you were to look at US Census of Agriculture data on farmer demographics, you might even be convinced that this is what farming in America looks like.
The US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service…
“The Atlantic Slave Trade permanently altered shark migration in the Atlantic Ocean,” Arielle V. King, 23, begins her TikTok.
The video, viewed nearly 600,000 times on her account @ariellevking, explains how sharks following the slave ships, feasting on the Black bodies thrown overboard, forever changed their movements.
TikTok - Make Your…
While there are different diets that reduce meat intake, from vegetarian to flexitarian, veganism has the lowest carbon footprint, and is about kindness to animals and the planet. Veganism is about refusing to eat, wear, or otherwise consume animal products. As a lifestyle that is about caring for others, why is it met with vitriol?
The…
In a social justice workshop conducted by Ilsa Govan, an anti-racism facilitator at Cultures Connecting, a Korean American woman shared that when she was a child, kids teased her about the foods she ate. All the white women in the workshop responded with things like, “I love your food,” “it’s great when you bring your food for lunch”—meaning, “I’…
Maybe you’ve seen the phrase “climate anxiety” pop up all over the internet. Maybe you’ve felt it yourself.
Since 2019, the term has been recycled by news outlets and Instagrammers to describe the very real emotional reaction many people are experiencing as a result of the climate crisis. According to a 2021 study from the University of Bath,…
1844A Creek Indian mother and grandmother,Sally Ladiga, fights for her land and wins aSupreme Court case.
1924Zitkala-Ša of the Yankton Dakota Sioux leads avoting registration drive for Native Americans.
1961Armed, women of the Northwest Indian Nations made up half of arrested protesters duringfish-in protests.
2021Attorney and member of…
Women are more likely to be displaced in a climate disaster. Transgender people are more likely to be incarcerated. Communities of color are more likely to live in polluted neighborhoods.
Tragically, these statements are true today. But they don’t have to be the case in the future.
In a crisis of climate or capitalism, no one is safe. But…
Whether you are gift-shopping for an advanced green-thumb or a hopeless horticulturist, here are some rad(ish) green gardening gifts to jumpstart them into next spring.
{GBN} signifies a Green Business Network member. Green America's directory of certified businesses are small and micro-businesses that have passed rigorous…
Buying household essentials individually can add up fast—in packaging waste and actual dollar cost. Yet according to a study from Portland State University’s Food Leadership Center, shoppers can save an average of 56% by purchasing natural and organic foods in the bulk foods aisle of a grocery store. Bulk buying is exactly what it sounds like—…
The bad news: wasteful and throwaway packaging is bad for human health, human rights, communities, wildlife, and climate and we’re using more and more. The good news: we’ve made big strides in sustainable packaging. It is possible for customers and workers to be healthy and safe without excessive waste and other negative impacts. It’s time to…
Begin your environmental education journey by checking out these green books that have quickly become modern classics.
Women are already bearing the disproportionate brunt of climate change—so it makes sense to listen to the women at the forefront of climate change work, sharing stories and solutions for environmental issues. All We Can Save (…
Ordering a coffee includes confronting a long list of lingo—if you’ve ever stood in front of a Starbucks menu scratching your head, you get it. Among these phrases are “fair trade” and “direct trade” which are terms to describe how a coffee bean is traded, but discerning the difference can be just as confusing as choosing between a café au lait…
When my colleagues and I talk to Green America members, whether they started their green journeys last year or 30 years ago, we see a pattern: times of transition lead to new ways of thinking. And that’s when people often adopt greener ways of living, by taking eco-friendly and socially just actions. When someone discovers a new food sensitivity,…
First time here? Check out the most recent and updated version of this article: Bottled Water VS. Tap.
Water is life. Some of us drink it straight from our faucet without a second thought. Others go to great lengths to buy enough jugs or bottles from the store to always have on hand. Safe water isn’t straightforward— but the best-for-you, best…
The pandemic keeps evolving and “new normal” is an ever-changing concept. What we can look to are the lessons learned from the pandemic to build a better normal, while still remembering and honoring what was lost.
Keeping the momentum going during the post-pandemic years will be crucial to building that better—greener—normal. These four…
Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright serves as the director of environmental justice for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. As a native to New York City, Rogers-Wright grew up seeing the vast discrepancies his community navigated compared to the more affluent communities where his white peers lived. His childhood experiences catapulted Rogers-…
Throughout this pandemic, many of us have spent more time at home than ever before. For those who work remotely, our homes became our place of work, school, entertainment, and refuge from covid-19. Those of us who continued working on location were at home more during time off. Before the virus spread, the average American spent 99 hours in…
Fighting for food justice is an ongoing American battle as we take action to end hunger and food insecurity. The Food Research & Action Center reports that 10% of households in the United States experience food insecurity. While it can be difficult to address such a large-scale issue, confronting hunger in your own community can lead to a…
The state of the fashion industry is harrowing, to say the least; can online thrifting help abate this crisis?
The fashion industry is currently responsible for roughly 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions, making it one of the world’s largest air polluters. It is also the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply. It takes…
Bringing an outside caregiver into your home is such a personal decision and can make you feel vulnerable. Whether the person is there to work with your kids, an elder, or a family member with a disability, it can feel awkward to have a stranger there doing the job. Imagine being on the other side—domestic workers are often women, immigrants, non…
As your clothes tumble around in the washing machine, water washes away your shirt’s dirt, smells, and tiny pieces of microplastics. Microplastics, plastics less than 5 millimeters long, can be shed off clothes in the form of microfibers of non-biodegradable material such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, or spandex. When water empties from the…
In 2019, meat alternatives went from a fringe food to a mainstream trend. “Meatless” beef—practically indistinguishable from actual beef—made its way to fast food establishments to appeal to meat-eaters as the climate-friendly burger. But with all these choices, what’s the difference, and are they truly planet-friendly?
We compiled a shortlist of…
Ever since the creation of Bitcoin in 2009, the cryptocurrency market has staked its claim as the 21st century gold rush. Investors have made and lost millions in the digitized crypto trade, and as of 2021, over 100 million people are using cryptocurrencies.
Whether you’re hoping to strike it rich, or you think that crypto investors are…
We all know that supporting small businesses is key to strengthening our communities. According to the Small Business Administration, they create 1.5 million jobs annually and account for 64% of new jobs created in the US. But how can we support green and local businesses without overconsuming? Check out our list of tips for some ideas on how to…
When Gambian immigrant Mariama Jallow aspired to launch an African hair shop in Maine more than five years ago, she lacked a cosmetology license and other means to start a business in an unfamiliar country. Today, however, thanks to assistance from a community development financial institution (CDFI) called Coastal Enterprises, she runs Mariama’s…
The Black Lives Matter protests after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, inequities exposed by the covid-19 pandemic, and a rising sense of urgency on climate and environmental issues have made people reevaluate their priorities and question the systems they are a part of. One of those systems is the financial system, which attracted…
Breaking up with a megabank is easy. And it can make your life easier, too.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, Michael Butler sold his car to pay his medical bills, and racked up 1,400 miles on his Nikes walking to and from work for nine months. His mother saw an ad for HOPE Credit Union {GBN} and encouraged him to apply for a car loan, even though he…
Since 2018, professionally managed assets in the U.S. using socially responsible investing (SRI) strategies have grown by 42% and now total $17 trillion, according to the United States Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment.
With SRI—which also refers to sustainable, responsible, and impact Investing—on the rise, robo-advisors,…
If money talks, then divestment walks. At least it does in the fossil fuel divestment movement that has prompted large and scalable campaigns against organizations that ally with oil and gas. Since 2012, investment activists and college students have been pressuring universities, religious institutions, and philanthropic foundations to divest from…
1. If you want to:
Get problematic industries like tobacco, fossil fuels, weapons, and others out of your portfolio
Invest in forward-thinking companies on the cutting edge of green technologies, like renewable energy, water purification, and responsible waste management
Try: Screening
What is it?
Screening is making the…
You know by now that socially responsible investing (SRI) does make a difference in the world, but perhaps you’re wondering what kind of difference it will make in your portfolio. Will you sacrifice financial returns if you align your investments with your values?
The evidence, amassed through hundreds of studies, shows that historically,…
If you ask multiple financial advisors for generalized advice on money matters, they’ll likely tell you that every person’s finances are different and ever-changing based on goals and plans. If they’re advisors who specialize in socially responsible investing (SRI), they’ll also agree that no matter how much money you have, you can use your money…
The increased national attention to racial justice movements following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the summer of 2020 sparked a flurry of pledges from companies promising to do better on racial justice issues. Now, shareholders are increasingly asking for reports on how racism affects company proceedings—and making sure last…
We’re all yearning to get outside. After a year indoors, the sun coming out as hundreds of millions American receive covid-19 vaccines holds promise of reuniting with loved ones and feels unbelievably hopeful. We are getting outside, too.
In the past year, gardening became a national pastime. Green America saw Climate Victory Gardens swell…
In 2018, Dewayne Johnson, a groundskeeper for a school district in the San Francisco Bay Area, filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, claiming that exposure to the common weed killer caused him to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The jury ruled in Johnson’s favor in the first of many trials filed against Monsanto for failing to inform the public of…
Jessika Greendeer says the key to farming is getting along with her coworkers. She’s not talking about people. She means the animals, the living soils, and the plants that coexist on the land she works. As a farmer, she doesn’t see herself as in charge of the land, just as a steward of it. The way she manages her farm—regenerative agriculture—is…
Whether it is a beach, mountain trail, campsite, or local park, being in a green space has the power to nurture human health. Spending at least 120 minutes per week in nature can lower risks for cardiovascular disease, mental distress, and myopia among children according to an article published in the 2019 issue of Nature. Simply, living near…
Eco-friendly lawns are patches of green space that have the potential to promote clean air, carbon sequestration, and serve as pollinator havens, but only when we abstain from unsustainable products and practices. As you nurture your backyard, watch out for these everyday climate culprits.
1. Lawnmowers
Lawnmowers are mini tractors…
The American dream’s stereotype is a house with a white picket fence, with a lush green lawn for playing fetch with the dog and seeing baby’s first steps.
Except today’s American dream is green—and having a large expanse of lawn just isn’t. Across the country, people are realizing that a traditional grass lawn isn’t sustainable. The…
As the last of the snow thaws in western Michigan, cherry trees herald the return of spring with a bold display of pink and white blossoms. Some see this spectacle as a unique photo opportunity, but Gabrielle Cerberville sees a seasonal vegan treat.
Cerberville is a graduate student at Western Michigan University on the weekdays and a…
Starting a garden can seem like a daunting prospect, but like anything, you start with just one step. We asked Climate Victory Gardeners to share what they wish they knew when they started to inspire your journey—their answers are surprisingly simple.
On Taking Care of Soil:
“It’s all about the soil, not just the soil, but the life in…
For those who have spent the past year staying safe at home, the chance to get outside is more alluring than ever. While we continue to practice covid-19 precautions even as vaccinations roll out, the good news is you can get out and stay safe at the same time. We put together this list of natural sunscreen, bug spray, and hand sanitizer to help…
