Wondering how to responsibly dispose of cereal and chip bags, candy wrappers, make-up containers, and other single-use packaging items? Send them to TerraCycle!
Founded in 2001, TerraCycle offers national mail-in recycling programs for all kinds of hard-to-recycle plastic waste. The company helps "upcycle" some items like…
There are a lot of claims made about bioplastic products. Some are true, some are partly true, many are misleading, and most are unsubstantiated. It’s a bit of a Wild West scenario in the world of bioplastics: producers are trailblazing into new terrain in search of petrochemical plastic alternatives; everything from corn to mushrooms to manure…
Socially conscious investors have been making investments in companies that make equal rights for women a priority. A growing body of research confirms that doing so is
a smart financial decision.
Experts have found there is a relationship between women’s participation and the economic success of both companies and overall economies, which means…
Would you like to get a solar power system on your roof without having to pay a single cent up front? Leases are making it possible for people in several states to go solar with no money down.
The single biggest barrier to going solar has always been the high upfront costs of purchasing solar panels, says Solar City founder Lyndon Rive.
“So…
Community-owned solar gardens make renewable energy accessible to all.
Glenn Sliva works as a consultant for some of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world, like Chevron, Exxon, and BP. As a reservoir engineer, he calculates the amount of oil and gas in the ground at a given site, so he’s intimately aware that fossil fuels are, as he…
Many socially responsible mutual funds screen for diversity and/or equal employment opportunity (EEO). In fact, in US SIF's Mutual Fund Performance Chart (the association for socially responsible investment professionals and institutions), there are 17 mutual fund companies that have funds that either seek investments with positive…
The farm only has two full-time paid staff, and the rest are volunteers. Some volunteers help grow food and tend to the plants, and others help with promotion, communications, volunteer coordination, events, and workshop coordination. Pictured: Common Good City Farm youth education coordinator (volunteer) Chris Soriano and executive…
Bangladeshi workers seek living wages and safe working conditions in the factories of Walmart suppliers
There are 3.4 million garment workers in Bangladesh employed at 4,200 factories, supplying clothing for Walmart and other major US retailers. Safety conditions in these factories are often so poor, about 100 workers per year die in factory…
Highlighting the work of "Growing Power" in Chicago and Milwaukee
“Right now, there are 23.5 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, who live in what we call ‘food deserts,’” First Lady Michelle Obama stated in February,in support of her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity.
A food desert is a community where…
Back to the Vote With Your Dollar Toolkit
All across the country, people are creating healthy, vibrant, local, and sustainable food systems. Help change the system in your area in the following ways:
1. Start your own garden (and raise your own chickens for eggs). For urban gardening advice, see our interview with "Garden Girl"…
Ever wonder what to say when you encounter someone who claims climate change is not real? You might refer them to the Oscar-nominated short film "Sun Come Up," which deals with the plight of the villagers on the Carteret Islands in the South Pacific, who are losing their island as it sinks into the ocean. Green American's Tracy Fernandez Rysavy…
Find product safety ratings at CosmeticDatabase.org.
Find research on individual ingredients at Toxipedia.org,
and always avoid these nine worst toxins.
Download an 8x10 poster of these nine toxins »
1. PARABENS: They’re in adult and baby shampoo and many other products, and they are estrogen…
Over her distinguished career as a scientist, professor, and author, Dr. Devra Davis has racked up her share of laurels. With a Ph.D. in science studies and a post-doctoral Master’s of Public Health in epidemiology, Dr. Davis has worked for the National Academy of Sciences, and as a senior advisor in the US Department of Health and Human Services…
Four decades ago, the socially responsible investing (SRI) movement began with dialogue. By calling on companies to not do business in South Africa because of the government’s policy of apartheid, a group of concerned investors helped spur a movement of shareholders who regularly demand that companies put people and the planet on par with profit…
Our allies at the Environmental Health Trust have a wealth of resources available to keep you informed about the potential health risks of cell phones. Check out the links below to find out more from their Campaign for Safer Cell Phones, and download some clever stickers (courtesy of the Environmental Health Trust and Jeanne Chinard) that you can…
Ninety-one percent of Americans and nearly 5 billion people worldwide use a cell phone. Increasingly, cell phones are becoming a vital part of our lives, functioning as our primary mode of personal and business communication as well as our calendars, cameras, MP3 players, and address books. It is hard to imagine a world where we didn’t have all…
This article is an expanded Web version of a piece that first appeared in the print edition of the Green American.
High school science teacher and Green America member Joshua Barclay’s super energy-efficient home started off as a simple science experiment, trying to answer the question: Can solar panels power a home, even in cloudy Michigan…
Our demand for electricity is at the heart of the nation’s single greatest source of the pollution that causes climate change. Fully half of our electricity in this country is generated by coal-fired power plants and coal power by itself is responsible for 40 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity can be difficult to think about…
The chart below explains where our energy comes from and what each type’s impacts are on people and the environment. Energy sources in red or yellow have significant environmental and social problems, while sources in green are key to a green energy future. Almost all types of energy generation end up doing the same thing: they turn the arm of a…
Community investing banks don't promote the reckless practices that brought down the economy, and they use your dollars to provide much-needed services to underserved communities.
With big changes occurring at two of the country’s largest and best-known community investing banks, socially responsible investors may be wondering how the current…
To curb the climate crisis, increase national security, and avoid economic disaster as peak oil looms, it's time to accelerate energy efficiency.
Back in 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter gave a speech to the American public in which he laid out a brave, ahead-of-its time energy policy. He exhorted Americans to deeply conserve their use of gas…
A certified Passive House will cut down the energy used to heat a home by a jaw-dropping 90 percent.
Jim Conlon lives and breathes energy efficiency—as president of Elysian Energy, he oversees hundreds of energy audits every year and provides energy-efficiency consulting to green builders in the greater DC area. What’s got him excited…
Which is best for people and the planet?
And how do we make truly healthy food accessible to all?
You walk into the grocery store, wanting to buy some Granny Smith apples for a pie you’re planning to bake. You find there are two types—organic apples from across the country, or apples from a local farm that uses chemical pesticides and…
Maria Rodale is the Chair and CEO of Rodale Inc., a multimedia company focusing on healthy living on a healthy planet. The company includes the nonprofit organic research arm, the Rodale Institute, which has been running what may be the country’s longest side-by-side comparison of organic and chemical growing methods. Rodale’s grandfather, J.I.…
If you’ve ever carried a balance on a credit card, you may be well acquainted with how much the fees and penalties added to that balance can cost you. And you weren’t alone: In 2008, the “big 4” mega-banks—Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo—charged their customers $15.1 billion in credit card penalties and overdraft fees…
Sustainability has always been an important value at Food For Thought, the gourmet organic food company Timothy Young started over ten years ago. All of his products—from strawberry preserves to corn muffin mix—include certified organic fruits and vegetables. Social justice has also been a strong part of his mission, so when he saw the…
Use the following "Web exclusive" articles from our Fall Green American magazine to help you walk more, bike more, and reclaim the streets:
• Calculate how much money you’ll save by walking, biking, or taking transit to
your most frequent driving destinations by using our Car-Lite Worksheet.
• Read how Mollie Gore helped create…
Van Jones is working to combine solutions to America's two biggest problems: social inequality and environmental destruction.
In 1996, Van and Diana Frappier co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, headquartered in Oakland, California. Named for an unsung civil rights heroine, the Center promotes positive alternatives to violence and…
Learn more about how to get serious about the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) with our Web exclusives to our Fall 2007 Green American, Getting to Zero Waste:
Exclusive Interviews
Green American editor Tracy Fernandez Rysavy talks to leaders in the environmental justice movement:
Her interview with Van Jones…
Biodiesel is clearly a win for the planet—using it results in 52% fewer lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline, 41% fewer than diesel, and 41% fewer than the much-touted corn ethanol when it’s made from soybeans. But some people wonder whether a massive switch to biodiesel would be sustainable: would it use up food crops and drive up…
In 2004, Felix Kramer gathered with a group of engineers and car junkies in a friend’s garage. Their goal: to make a hybrid car that would plug into the wall, giving it a greater ability to run on electricity.
The concept had been pioneered by University of California Davis professor Andrew Frank years before, and with the help of student teams,…
In the closing hours of the first DC Green Festival® in 2004, regional manager Alix Davidson was approached by an incredulous staff person at the Washington Convention Center. “Where’s your trash?” he asked. The convention center’s staff was expecting the tens of thousands of tons of trash routinely generated by large events. The Green Festival…
School is your child’s second home, a place where they spend one-third of their day. Yet, student, faculty and staff health is compromised and adversely affected everyday by toxic chemicals found in cleaning products, pesticides, and food served in the school. As schools become increasingly laden with toxic chemicals, the issue of chemicals…
In 1998, a group of scientists, lawyers, and environmental advocates gathered at the Wingspread Cnference Centerin Racine, WI, to discuss the case for exercising precaution in the face of scientific uncertainty.
“We believe existing environmental regulations and other decisions, particularly those based on risk assessment, have failed to protect…
1. Get Rid of Conventional Cleaners
The problem: Many household cleaners contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, harsh acids, and hormone disrupters, which may be linked to: cancer, endocrine disruption, and eye, throat, and lung irritation.
The solution: Use nontoxic,…
Those of us who are lucky enough to earn at least $20,000 a year will spend more than a million dollars in our lifetimes. So, what do all of us “millionaires” want for ourselves and the world? What are those millions going to be purchasing?
Every dollar you spend is an opportunity to “vote” for the kind of world you believe in. One measure of…
This year is an important election, with many important issues on the line that Green Americans care about. So make sure you vote and help others vote too!
1. Ensure you're registered to vote at I Will Vote. In some states, you need to be registered 30 days prior to take part in the election so do it now.
2. Encourage others to…
Twenty-five years ago, power generated by wind turbines and solar panels was so futuristic that it was called “alternative” energy. But the day is coming soon when green energy won’t be alternative at all because we’ll be getting a major portion of our energy needs met renewably.
You can help lead the way by choosing green energy sources,…
If have questions about recycling, we have answers. Here are some of our most commonly asked questions.
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…
Jon Ellenbogen says the best payback for the new solar power system on his house is that he stands taller: "I love watching the meter run backwards during the day because I'm making more clean energy than I'm using. I'm proud to tell people about it—they think it's so cool!" Many homeowners like Jon and his partner Rebecca Sachs want to help…
In a globalized economy, it can be difficult for consumers to track the supply chain behind the shoes and other products they buy. Unfortunately, oppressive labor conditions and the problems of sweatshops and child labor still exist.
Child Labor at Puma
In June of 2008, for example, China Labor Watch reported on poor conditions at a factory…
Above: RMG workers held a protest rally against the retrenchment and forced resignations of workers and firing of pregnant women caused by factory closures during COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka on June 26, 2020. Photo by Mamunur Rashid.
Across the world, workers are standing up for their rights; speaking out against injustice; and fighting for…
Biking or walking isn’t as scary as it seems—in fact, 40 percent of trips taken in the US are fewer than two miles from home, according to the League of American Bicyclists, so integrating more biking and walking into a daily routine is often convenient and manageable.
When starting to bike or walk more, however, you don’t have to quit driving…
1. Avoid Vinyl (PVC) Siding
The problem: Home siding can be the single largest use of PVC plastic in a home. Vinyl siding often contains DEHP, an additive and a phthalate. The manufacture and incineration of PVC releases dangerous pollution. May be linked to: endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, cancer…
Take these actions and save up to 56 percent of your energy use!
Replace Your Light Bulbs
Take the step: Replace the incandescent light bulbs in your house, even if they haven’t yet burned out, with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Why: You’ve been hearing about the wonders of CFLs for years now—they last ten times longer and use…
James Hoggan is a Canadian public-relations expert who is also known for his commitment to ethics and integrity in PR. He is the chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and founder of DeSmogBlog.com, which works to “expose misinformation campaigns polluting the public debate about climate change and the environment.” He’s also the author of Climate…
This is a tale of two T-shirts, one from the popular mall store Forever 21, and one from Green America Green Business Network member Blue Canoe. The shirts are both blue and made of 100-percent cotton. They both have cap sleeves, slight tapering at the waist, and come in sizes XS-L. But that's where the similarity ends.
The Forever 21 shirt…
Personal finance expert Tony Steuer will help you prepare your money for nature’s worst.
Caption for header image: Neighborhoods in Houston and its suburbs faced extensive damage from flooding after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Credit Karl Spencer via iStock.
Tony Steuer is a financial preparedness advocate, insurance expert, and author of…
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What We Do
Economic Action for People and the Planet
Clean Energy
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Two years ago, the computer manufacturer NEC Solutions launched a new product for environmentally conscious computer users. NEC’s PowerMate eco computer was described at the time as “the first all-in-one, fanless ecological PC … specifically [designed] to address the growing environmental problems associated with traditional PCs.”
The PowerMate…
