All GAM Articles

Parent Issue Authored on Title Body Relevant Lens
A Beginner's Guide to Buying Stocks Whether it’s the ticker running across the bottom of your screen, or the numbers filling up the business section in the newspaper, the stock market is everywhere. For many of us, buying stocks remains a mysterious, and oftentimes overwhelming, thing. But history has shown that, over the long term (ten years or more), the stock market almost… Green Living
Shrink Your Impact, Offset the Rest When Ethan Merlin, a school teacher and Green America member in Rockville, MD, had an opportunity to take a group of students to visit Moscow, he had just one regret: by flying roundtrip across the Atlantic, he and his students would have no choice but to each cause the emission of more than three tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.… Green Living
Three Steps to a Healthy Bathroom 1. Trash Conventional Body Care Products The Problem: More than one-third of all personal care products contain at least one ingredient linked to cancer, and very few products are tested for safety. Some products contain phthalates, which don't appear in the list of a product's ingredients. Instead, they are covered by the general term… Green Living
Go Vegetarian: Eat Less Meat to Cool the Planet Back to the Vote With Your Dollar Toolkit The average American may not have considered the connection between global warming and a cheeseburger, but the United Nations has. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report in February of this year, concluding that livestock is responsible for 18 percent of our world global warming… Green Living
Our Interview with Dr. Bernard Lietaer Bernard Lietaer is the author of the forthcoming Of Human Wealth and The Future of Money (London: Random House, 2001), and has been studying monetary systems for over 25 years. While at the Central Bank in Belgium, he co-designed and implemented the convergence mechanism to the Euro, the European single currency system. He is the co-founder… Finance
Food that Nourishes People and Planet—The Next Climate Solution Back to the Vote With Your Dollar Toolkit Bobby and Diann Johnson grow pecans on a small farm in southeastern Georgia. Rajah Banerjee improves his community by tending organic tea gardens in northeastern India. Ofelia Flores harvests wine grapes on a vineyard in California where workers have organized for a voice on the job. And formerly… Green Living
Simple Steps to a Healthy Bedroom 1. Choose Better Bedclothes — The problem: Toxic chemicals that resist flames, water, moths, stains, soil, and wrinkles are sometimes added to textiles like bedclothes. Labels such as "permanent-press," "no-iron," "water repellent," and "flame retardant" may indicate fabric treatments that off-gas chemicals like formaldehyde and… Green Living
Your (Kids') Guide to Staying On Task Working from home has benefits, but the challenges of turning your home into an office while your kids are in the room adds distractions to an already hectic day. Whether your kids are six or sixteen, here are ways that they can keep themselves busy in a green and enriching way so you can get back to work. For Younger Kids Christy Schwengel,… Green Living
Interview with Faith Leader The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal “They’re making profit because we’re letting them destroy God’s Creation.” The Reverend Dr. Jim Antal is a conference minister in the United Church of Christ, responsible for the 375 UCC congregations in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts conference board of directors recently approved his proposal to divest their funds from fossil fuels and… Finance, Social Justice
6 Simple Steps to a Safer, Germ-Free Home The easiest way to create a germ-free home and eliminate toxic chemicals from your life is to not bring them into your home to begin with. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to start fresh with a new build out of the greenest of green materials, buying as little as possible, and then, always green? Unfortunately, problematic chemicals are already in… Green Living
Meet Our Members: Interview with Brady Quirk-Garvan Brady Quirk-Garvan is a business development associate at Money With A Mission [m], a socially responsible investing firm focused on divesting from destructive industries and making money work for progressive causes.  Quirk-Garvan has lived in Charleston, South Carolina for over 15 years and served as Chairman of the Charleston Democratic… Green Living, Social Justice
Wisdom from the Green Economy: Shift Society's Underlying Values During the last eight years, the Bush administration has levied deficit feeding tax cuts and urged Americans to spend our way out of this economic slump. Can consumers really pull us out of what is now a full-fledged recession by spending? Economists like Boston College professor Dr. Juliet Schor say no. “The economic crisis wasn’t caused by a… Finance, Green Living
Greening Your Final Arrangements Kristi Minahan plans to protect the environment her whole life—and beyond. As a water resources management specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Kristi spends her days protecting her state’s land and water. Though she hopes she has many healthy years ahead, the sudden death of a relative a few years ago got her thinking… Green Living
Tips: A Healthy Lifestyle Starts with a Healthy Kitchen Whether you're on a health kick or just looking for a new home project, Green America is here with tips for a healthy lifestyle that start in the most important room in the house: the kitchen. 1. Avoid Pesticides; Go Organic The problem: Many conventional fruits and vegetables carry pesticide residues. 23 of the world's 28 most… Green Living
Local Currencies to Build Resiliency: Time Dollars What if time really were money? At the Time Bank Store in Dane County, WI, it is. The store is the first of its kind in Wisconsin, and the unusual thing about it is that your US currency is completely useless inside. The Time Bank Store is a project of the Dane County Time Bank—based in Madison, WI, and surrounding communities—which aims to… Finance, Green Living
First Steps to Energy Efficiency Take these actions on energy and save up to 33 percent of your energy use! Turn Off Lights You're Not Using  Take the step: Make a pact with your family to be extra mindful about shutting off lights when they leave a room. A good rule of thumb is that there should be a maximum of one light on in your household per person at any given time.… Green Living
Electric and Plug-In Hybrid FAQs As plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) come to market, many consumers will need some basic questions answered before making the switch. Here’s what you need to know:   How does an EV or PHEV plug in? Would I need a special outlet? All of the EVs and PHEVs coming to market are designed to be plugged into a… Green Living
Finding Peace Through Fair Trade: Mirembe Kawomera J.J. Keki is a Ugandan Jew, a member of the Abayudaya community, a small religious minority in Uganda, where most people are Christian or Muslim. After being elected to his local council by his Christian and Muslim neighbors in 2002, Keki sensed that he had an opportunity to further bridge the religious divides that have long existed in his… Finance
Native American Marketing Images What do Crazy Horse Malt Liquor, Cherokee brand jeans, and Washington Redskins jackets have in common? All of these products are marketed through the use of Native American images—and all of their parent companies have been asked to stop using these images. Companies often attach these images to their products because they feel people associate… Green Living
Heal Your Home Center: Healthy Home Glossary Heal Your Home Center: Healthy Home Glossary Ever wonder exactly what Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) and endocrine disrupters are? Green America's Healthy Home Glossary comes in handy for those who want to learn more about the pollutants so often mentioned on our website, especially within the Healthy Home Tool Kit. Getting familiar with… Green Living
Green America resolves Your Recycling Quandaries Q: If my recycling gets picked up in the same truck as trash, is it really being recycled? A: Probably. In some municipalities, trucks have been retrofitted to collect trash on one side and recycling on the other in separate compartments. In others, the city sends around two different trucks, on the same day or different days. If you’re in… Green Living
Corporations Violating Human Rights in Africa Called to Account in US Courts In addition to putting consumer pressure on multi-national corporations to respect people and the planet in their overseas operations, another tactic for holding large corporations responsible for their international human rights violations is to take them to court. The International Labor Rights Fund and EarthRights International have pioneered… Labor
Heal Your Home: The Case for Precaution Some time ago, Green America published an article called “The Ugly Side of Cosmetics,” in which we detailed why many experts are concerned about the vast number of potential toxins in body care products. That article, printed in our Real Money newsletter, cited studies showing that many of the body care products we use on a daily basis—from make-… Green Living
The Mystery of Deodorant: What's Really In There? Lots of people take pride in how they smell, going to great lengths to ensure there's no funk and thinking if they're not always fresh from the shower, nobody will want to be around them. And so many turn to deodorant, making it a $70 billion per year industry. A study from the University of Bristol… Green Living
Budget for Your Future The road to financial health starts with embracing a “shift to thrift.” By spending less and saving more, you’ll not only save the planet’s precious resources, but you’ll avoid extra debt and pave the way toward a secure retirement. The best way to save more is to take a close look at your finances and create a financial plan.  You (… Finance