Do you know the largest source of climate pollution comes from supermarkets? You might be surprised to learn it comes from how these stores preserve our food.  

Most supermarkets currently use HFCs, refrigerants that are major climate pollutants with thousands of times the global warming potential of CO2. When these refrigerants inevitably leak from cooling systems, they are major drivers of the climate crisis. 

While many groceries are switching to Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), they’re actually trading one harm for another. HFOs do cause less climate change than HFCs, but when HFOs leak into our soil and water, they eventually break down into trifluoroacetate (TFA), a forever chemical linked to reproductive and cardiac issues and cancers. So, this new “solution” actually creates pollutants that risk our health!  

But there's a better choice: natural refrigerants – like CO2, ammonia, and propane. They have a very low climate footprint, are safe, and save money in the long run. 

Green America is working to shift the entire grocery industry to natural refrigerants in all stores and distribution centers nationwide to protect the planet and human health. You can take action with us to urge large chains to do better. 

Unfortunately, many large grocery chains are slow to adopt natural refrigerants. They say that making the switch is too expensive. But there are local and regional grocers disproving those claims by making the shift and saving money over time.  

They are using natural refrigerants as part of their overall commitment to the wellbeing of their communities and the environment, while providing a great shopping experience for their customers. Many of these stores are also strong supporters of organic, regenerative, and local sourcing to provide customers with safe and nutritious foods.  

We’re seeing first-hand how caring for our communities and the planet aligns with making a profit. Click on a region below to find a climate-leading store near you to support. 

Green America investigates refrigerant leaks at major Sacramento supermarkets, revealing progress and ongoing climate pollution risks.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY       

Refrigerant leaks are major short-term drivers of climate change. 

And as a major source of refrigerant leaks, supermarkets can’t afford to ignore how those leaks are their primary source of direct climate emissions. 

Green America monitors refrigerant leaks from stores run by the country’s largest supermarket chains as part of our efforts to encourage these corporations to reduce their carbon footprints. 

We recently revisited supermarkets in Sacramento, California, where we previously discovered refrigerant leaks that we reported to the corporate headquarters of supermarkets and to the California state regulator.  

We found refrigerant leaks in 5 out of 11 stores in 2024, but in only 1 out of 11 stores in 2026.  

In 2024, we found leaks at Albertsons/Safeway, Walmart, Kroger, and Save Mart stores. 

In 2026, we only found a leak at 1 Walmart store. However, that one leak found in 2026 (20 ppm) was greater than any leak detected in 2024. 

The reduction in leaks detected overall could have resulted from increased regulation of supermarkets, pressure from nonprofit organizations such as Green America, and/or supermarkets working to reduce expenses affiliated with refrigerant leaks. 

Green America will continue to investigate leaks at grocery stores in locations around the country and provide reports on our findings. 

INTRO 

Refrigerants are essential to modern life, but the most common refrigerants are greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which intensify the climate crisis. 

These harmful, human-made gases are leaking out of refrigeration systems and rapidly entering our atmosphere. As part of the crucial work of cutting CO2 emissions, we must also address dangerous, extremely potent HFCs. 

Eliminating HFCs and adopting climate-friendly natural refrigerants like CO2, ammonia, or propane is a top solution to address the climate crisis that can prevent nearly half a degree of global warming. Natural refrigerants all have a very low global warming potential (GWP), meaning they contribute very little to climate change. Better cooling can help prevent 460 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years. 

Supermarkets are major drivers of refrigerant pollutants.  A typical supermarket consumes 4,000 pounds of refrigerants each year; a quarter of that amount regularly leaks out due to faulty systems. 

Refrigerant leaks from US supermarkets emit 45 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year—the equivalent of 9.5 million cars on the road.  

To address this issue, Green America is calling on all supermarkets to commit to:  

• Using only natural refrigerant (HFC-free systems) in all new locations; 

• Releasing concrete timelines to phase out HFCs and transition to natural refrigerants in all stores and facilities by 2030;  

• Not adopting HFO refrigerants being pushed as an alternative by chemical companies, which have a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) than HFCs, but breakdown into PFAS chemicals when released to the environment; 

• Rapidly repairing refrigerant leaks and publishing annual leak rates; 

• And ensuring responsible refrigerant disposal to reduce emissions.   

Preventing HFC refrigerants leaks in supermarkets is essential while we urge stores to adopt natural refrigerants as doing both helps protect our climate. But many supermarket chains continue to allow extensive refrigerant leaks. 

FINDINGS 

Green America staff visited 11 stores in Sacramento, California, in February 2026 and took three separate readings of potential refrigerant leaks at each store. 

We visited the same 11 stores in July of 2024.  

Overall, we found the rate of leaks decreased between 2024 and 2026 at the stores we visited, with most stores that had significant leaks in 2024 demonstrating no leaks in 2026. 

The Walmart store where we found a leak in 2026 is using R-407a refrigerant, an HFC refrigerant with a GWP of 2,107, while CO2 has a GWP of one.  This means that every kilogram of R-407a refrigerant that leaks is equal to nearly two tons of leaked CO2. 

INTERPRETATION 

The number of leaks at the 11 stores decreased significantly between 2024 and 2026.  We found a total of five leaks in 2024 and only found one leak at a single store in 2026, though that single leak is significant.   

The decrease in leaks detected overall could be due to several factors: 

1. Increased regulation by the federal government and State of California requiring improved refrigerant leak management may have pushed several major grocery chains to increase leak detection in their stores.  

2. Advocacy by nonprofit organizations, including Green America, and consumers has put pressure on companies to increase their leak detection and better address refrigerant leaks. Several major grocery chains have documented that they are prioritizing refrigerant leak reductions in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports in recent years. 

3. The average grocery store leaks 25% of its refrigerants each year, creating unnecessary expenses. Across the grocery sector, tightening refrigerant leaks can save the industry millions of dollars per year. Stores may be proactively addressing leaks to save money.  A number of supermarket chains are instituting infrared leak detectors in stores to find and eliminate leaks more promptly. 

4. Green America and allies reported leaks we found at stores in 2024 to their headquarters as well as to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which regulates and investigates refrigerant leaks in the state. It is possible that these reports resulted in improved leak management at the specific stores we visited. 

METHODOLOGY 

We performed three separate tests of refrigerant leaks at each supermarket we investigated. The most recent testing was performed in February 2026. Prior testing was performed in July of 2024. 

For a detected leak to be considered significant, it needed to exceed 2 ppm.   

At the one supermarket where a leak was detected in 2026, three separate significant readings were obtained. 

Different leak detectors were used in the 2024 and 2026 testing, but both have an accuracy of +/- 1 ppm. 

In 2024, we employed the Bacharach PGM-IR Bagless Portable Refrigerant Monitor, which can detect over 60 different refrigerants, including various chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and HFCs. The machine compares the infrared (IR) signatures of the air sample to the preprogrammed signature for the selected refrigerant. The device has an accuracy of +/-1 ppm for most HFCs and +/-10 or +/-15% for HCFC-22 

In 2026, we employed the Inficon D-TEK Stratus Refrigerant Leak Detector and Portable Monitor, which can detect all CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, hydrofluoroolefins, blends and CO2. The Inficon D-TEK Stratus does not require the user to look for a specific refrigerant. Instead, the device references a library of IR signatures and outputs a ppm value if the intake matches any of the signatures in the reference library. The device has an accuracy of +/-1 ppm or 10% of its reading 

REGULATION 

Increased regulation of refrigerant leaks by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of California could play a role in reducing the number of leaks we detected in 2026. Supermarket chains may be anticipating the impacts of increased regulation and complying in advance. 

The EPA’s HFC Management Rules came into effect on January 1, 2026, and require refrigerant management systems with a charge size of 15 pounds of refrigerants or greater to take proactive measures to address leaks and requires automatic leak detection on systems with a charge size of 1,500 pounds or greater.  However, the current EPA has also proposed delays in the phase out of HFC refrigerants, which Green America opposes, since it will also delay replacing HFC refrigerants with natural refrigerants. 

The CARB Refrigerant Management Program (RMP) has regulated refrigerant leaks since 2009 and “requires facilities with refrigeration systems containing more than 50 pounds of high-GWP refrigerant to conduct and report periodic leak inspections, promptly repair leaks; and keep service records on site.”  

Failure to comply can result in significant penalties. CARB investigations of refrigerant leaks in supermarkets resulted in settlements of $1,014,125 with H-Mart and $1,592,500 with Save Mart respectively in 2024; over $5 million with Albertsons in 2021; and $60,000 with Walmart in 2021.  These settlements may act as a deterrent. At the same time, with thousands of refrigerant systems statewide, increased resources for CARB enforcement of the RMP are likely needed to ensure greater compliance statewide.  

In addition, California’s new Corporate GHG Disclosure Program will require any company with over $1 billion in revenue to report refrigerant leaks across all their locations. The penalty for missing or incorrect reporting can reach $500,000 annually. 

NEXT STEPS 

Green America will continue to investigate grocery store refrigerant leaks in California and other states to assess the leak rates of various supermarket chains and see if state regulation has had any impact. 

Take Action

WASHINGTON, DC – March 4, 2026 – More than 40,000 gardens are now participating in Green America’s Climate Victory Gardens campaign, which promotes gardening practices that build healthy soil and draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Launched in 2018, the campaign was inspired by the “Victory Gardens” campaigns during WWI and WWII that produced 40% of the fresh produce consumed in the U.S. at the time. 

Averaging 2233 square feet per garden with a median size of 200 square feet, the 40,694 Climate Victory Gardens represent an estimated 5,214 tons in sequestered carbon, roughly equivalent to offsetting the emissions of 4,046 cars for one year.  

“People love Climate Victory Gardens because they can be self-reliant, grow incredible food and plants, and feel great about what they’re doing,” said Emma Kriss, Food Campaigns Manager at Green America. “We’re excited about the new programming and resources we have in store for Climate Victory Gardeners in the coming year.” 

The global food system contributes up to 29% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, however, food grown using regenerative methods can be part of the climate change solution, with the potential to sequester vast amounts of carbon dioxide. 

Green America provides a variety of free resources, including 5 Steps for Starting a Climate Victory Garden, Manuals for Beginners, Seasoned Gardeners, a Tips, Guides & Tools Index, and more.  

On March 5, Green America will hold a Garden Planning Workshop with gardener and forager Jada Bee, which will cover mapping out this season’s garden, turning ideas into organized planting plans and charts, aligning space with goals for food, beauty, and sustainability, and starting the growing season prepared and inspired. 

On March 11, a workshop called Start Your Climate Victory Garden this Spring! will feature author Nicky Schauder and cover the basics of Climate Victory Gardening. 

A playlist of previous Climate Victory Garden webinars is available here.  

To add your own Climate Victory Garden to Green America’s searchable map, visit: https://greenam.org/garden. 

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA 

Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today’s social and environmental problems. http://www.GreenAmerica.org 

MEDIA CONTACT: Max Karlin for Green America, (703) 276-3255, or mkarlin@hastingsgroupmedia.com.  

This work could look like handling pesticides on a cocoa farm or cleaning dangerous equipment in a slaughterhouse.  

The facts: 

• There are 138 million child laborers globally. nearly half of which are performing hazardous work.  

• Nearly 40% of child laborers are in hazardous work.  

• 61% of child labor is in the agriculture sector 

• 57% of child laborers are between the ages of 5 – 11  

Child labor and poverty are inextricably linked. Children are often pushed into dangerous work due to poverty. And, child laborers often miss out on an education which may have enabled them to get out of poverty. It is a vicious cycle and one we have a responsibility to act on.  

Child Labor in the United States 

Child labor is on the rise in the United States.  

• An estimated 300,000 to 500,000 children are working in the US agriculture industry alone.   

• From 2015 to 2022, the number of minors employed in violation of child labor laws rose by 283%. 

• Since 2021, 31 states have introduced laws to weaken child labor protections. 

Meatpacking 

Major U.S. corporations are putting children as young as 13 to work in dangerous jobs they are too young to perform and that are hazardous to their health. In the meatpacking industry, children are working hazardous conditions on cleaning crews in slaughterhouses – surrounded by dangerous machinery that can easily rip off a person’s arm.  

This is exactly the type of work children should never be exposed to – but, the largest meatpackers, JBS, Perdue, Cargill, and Tyson Foods, all have documented cases of child labor in their operations in recent years.   

Fast food restaurants 

Big fast-food companies are employing children as young as ten years old to work hours so long that it negatively impacts their education or in dangerous conditions, including manually operating deep fryers and loading trash compactors. And, there have been nearly six times as many child labor law violations in the food service industry in the last ten years. 

Major fast-food companies, including McDonald’s, Jersey Mike’s, Sonic Drive-In, Baskin-Robbins, and Chick-fil-A, have documented cases of child labor at franchises locations.  

Child Labor in Cocoa 

Child laborers in cocoa carry heavy loads, work with dangerous tools, and are exposed to hazardous agrichemicals – all of which negatively impact their health. 

Child labor takes a big toll on the health and development of children. A 2020 study on the prevalence of child labor in the West African cocoa sector found: 

• More than 40% of children interviewed reported feeling very tired or exhausted because of child labor. 

• 34% of children were in very bad pain. 

• 25% felt very sick. 

• 12% had to receive medical treatment. 

 Of the children surveyed, 50% were only 5-11 years old. 57% of the child laborers were boys and 43% were girls. 

Looking for better chocolate options?

While the major chocolate companies still have work to do to address child labor in their supply chains, many smaller brands already offer fair trade chocolate options—which means they have long-term, direct relationships with their farmers and guarantee a minimum price. Check out these brands. 

The Chemical Industry is promoting a false solution to climate change and this time it is double the trouble: driving climate change and forever chemicals.

At Green America, we’re sadly familiar with corporations offering solutions to the climate crisis that benefit their bottom line more than our health and our planet. In the 1980s, chemical manufacturers fought regulation of their ozone-depleting coolants before offering hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as more “environmentally safe” replacements. But as we now know, HFCs are a potent form of greenhouse gas and because of their use in cooling systems worldwide, they are some of the biggest drivers of climate change. 

This is why Green America is working hard to convince large grocery store chains to replace HFCs with natural refrigerants in their cooling systems. Unlike HFCs, natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia, and propane have a low environmental impact and are proven to work well in supermarkets nationwide and around the world.  

But while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the use of HFCs, it is now attempting to weaken those rules in ways that might delay the adoption of natural refrigerants and relax restrictions on artificial ones. And the chemical industry is acting on that opportunity. 

Chemical manufacturers are pushing supermarkets to use hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) or HFO/HFC blends, rather than natural refrigerants. They claim HFOs, which do have a lower climate impact, have a lower environmental impact overall than HFCs.  

However, there’s a big catch—HFOs can break down into per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” polluting the groundwater we drink and the soil we grow our food in. They have been linked to reproductive problems, cardiovascular issues, certain types of cancer, and other medical issues. And they may also still transform into greenhouse gases contributing to climate change as well. The climate impacts of HFO/HFC blends in particular are much higher than those of natural refrigerants. 

When HFOs enter the environment, they transform into trifluoroacetate (TFA), a form of “forever chemical” that may be linked to human health impacts. Other countries have quickly responded to the potential dangers—Germany’s chemical regulator is seeking to classify TFA as “reprotoxic, meaning it can harm human reproductive function, fertility and fetal development.” And both Denmark and Germany have set limits on the amounts of TFA allowed in drinking water. 

While the full scope of TFA’s effects is still being studied, as a form of “forever chemical,” the chemical industry’s determination to promote HFOs despite the potential impacts on our health and the environment is deeply troubling. As with other “forever chemicals,” TFA is difficult to remove once it’s been introduced to the environment, and it’s currently unregulated in the U.S. on a national scale.  

Additionally, HFOs still may end up contributing to the climate crisis, despite chemical producers’ claims they are “better for the environment.”  A 2021 study by the University of New South Wales found that once in the atmosphere, some HFOs may turn into a potentially potent form of HFCs “with over 14,000 [times] the global warming power of carbon dioxide.” 

This means that Green America’s campaign urging the adoption of natural refrigerants in supermarkets’ cooling systems is an opportunity to not only reduce greenhouse gases affecting our climate but also to help avoid the proliferation of other problematic “forever chemicals” spreading through our soil and water.   

Chemical manufacturers stand to profit immensely if the HFOs they make are used in the supermarkets and grocery stores we buy our food from. Time and again, they’ve proven that we can’t trust them to do the right thing for our health and a sustainable environment on their own if they think it won’t increase their profits.  

And while the EPA had previously sought to greatly reduce our exposure to “forever chemicals” in our drinking water, the current administration is not only deliberately walking back those efforts, but they’re also relaxing a decade’s worth of reporting requirements, making it easier for companies to avoid responsibility for the “forever chemicals” their products leave behind. 

We need to demand that supermarkets and grocery stores stand with their customers and reject the false climate solutions being pushed by chemical manufacturers by using safer, natural refrigerants like CO2, ammonia, or propane. Doing so will also create more jobs in U.S. industries and for HVAC professionals, helping to grow the economy while protecting the environment. And using natural refrigerants can save grocery stores money, since these systems reduce energy use and cost over time.  

It’s not unreasonable to expect companies to better understand the potential harm their products might cause. Despite what the chemical industry may claim, it’s not “good business” to chase short-term profits at the expense of our health and our planet. 

CEPN's Toward Zero Exposure (TZE) program unites leaders in the electronics industry working to reduce worker exposure to hazardous chemicals by focusing on the elimination or substitution of priority chemicals in the electronics supply chain.

In the 4th year of the TZE program, founding Signatories Apple, Dell Technologies, HP Inc. and Fairphone have furthered their efforts to improve worker chemical safety in the following ways:

• Over 800 facilities in the Signatories’ manufacturing supply chains are estimated to have already substituted the 1st Round of Priority Chemicals.

• Well over 100,000 employees work in production in those facilities.

• More than 200 distinct supplier companies have been influenced to improve worker chemical safety by TZE Signatories.

• Signatory and program influence extends to facilities in at least 29 countries.

“We are honored to collaborate with our Founding Signatories, whose leadership and dedication have accelerated the Toward Zero Exposure program,” said Pamela Brody-Heine, Senior Director of CEPN. “They are raising the bar for chemical safety across the electronics supply chain—and helping better protect workers—and we look forward to welcoming more companies committed to this shared vision.”

Read more in the 4th Annual Toward Zero Exposure report and learn more about the Clean Electronics Production Network on the organization’s website.

About CEPN

The Clean Electronics Production Network—part of the Center for Sustainability Solutions at Green America—addresses complex workplace health and safety challenges in the electronics supply chain. The Network unites diverse stakeholders, including electronics industry brands and suppliers, labor and environmental advocates, governments, and other leading experts. In August 2021, CEPN members launched the Toward Zero Exposure program to integrate and accelerate the work being done by leaders in the electronics industry with the tools developed by the Network.

Contact: Pamela Brody-Heine

pbrody-heine@cleanelectronicsproduction.org

Washington, DC – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced Thursday its approval of Verizon’s acquisition of Frontier Communications, after the telecommunications giant committed to a series of investments that align with the state’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies and laws. This is a historic win for diversity advocates and consumers who have been outspoken for months about the benefits of DEI programs for consumers, employees, and profitability. This resolution punctuates the business incentive of DEI and represents the first time a state agency has successfully held a major corporation accountable for retreating from DEI commitments and secured concrete, enforceable solutions with independent oversight. 

Verizon committed $500 million to hire small businesses through California’s small business program and established a $10 million partnership with California State University to create recruitment pipelines for underrepresented communities. CPUC will hire an independent compliance monitor to ensure the company continues to comply with these diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.  

In response, a coalition of national advocates issued the following statements:  

Nadine Smith, President and CEO of Color Of Change: 

“This announcement is a powerful reminder that when communities organize and state leaders do their jobs, corporations can be held accountable to the people they serve. A $500 million investment in diverse suppliers is not just a win for equity, but it’s also a signal that public institutions can and should demand real commitments that expand opportunity for working people and Black communities. Color Of Change has been proud to stand alongside state officials pushing for accountability, and we will continue to mobilize to ensure corporate promises translate into lasting impact.”  

Alphonso David, President and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum: 

“This decision shows what is possible when regulators center the public interest and resist political agendas. The California Public Utilities Commission made clear that growth and consolidation cannot come at the expense of working people, low-income families, rural communities, or tribal nations. By attaching enforceable conditions around affordability, broadband access, workforce and supplier diversity, and small-business participation, California affirmed that economic opportunity and consumer protection are not competing values—they are mutually reinforcing. This is exactly the kind of accountable governance the Forum has been advocating for, and it sets an important standard for how businesses, state, and local governments can navigate the current political climate.” 

Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow: 

“Verizon’s shareholders applaud the California Public Utilities Commission’s decision. We have analyzed data from over 1,600 companies spanning five years and know that greater workforce diversity leads to financial outperformance.  Investors have long asked Verizon to be a leader in this area; this decision will ensure that we build a culture that attracts and retains the best and the brightest employees who can rise through the ranks based on merit without bias. We see this as an example that will raise the bar for Verizon’s competitors and for all public companies.” 

Glenn Harris, President of Race Forward: 

“At Race Forward, we have always known real change can happen when public institutions have been transformed for equity and are in partnership with community to ensure the policies of corporations and other institutions are inclusive.  We commend The California Public Utilities Commission for its win in holding a major, national corporation accountable to its stated commitment on diversity, equity, and inclusion and to federal and state law.  This win signals that progress is still possible even in the face of pushback and opposition. We work with members of our Government Alliance on Race and Equity on systemic transformation by building capacity across sectors to advance equity and justice in policies and practices so all people have the opportunity to prosper. 
 

Lisa Graves, Founder and Executive Director of True North Research: 

“This is an important win for diversity, equity, and inclusion. California has shown that states can stand up for workers and consumers and resist Trump’s efforts to undermine employees' and customers' rights. More states and companies should follow suit to show they won’t be bullied into abandoning equal opportunity.”  

Roberto Thornton, Managing Director of Investments & Impact at Adasina Social Capital:  

“Verizon’s agreement with the California Public Utilities Commission to recommit to diversity in supplier sourcing and community training —  aptly announced on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday — reaffirms a truth we have been amplifying at Adasina Social Capital: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not just a moral imperative, but a strategic business asset. California’s response to this matter represents exactly the regulatory oversight we need nationwide. This news is a win for California, a win for Verizon, and a win for the future of DEI.” 

Dan Howells, Climate Campaigns Director of Green America: 

“The California Public Utility Commission's action shows Verizon - and companies like it - can be held accountable when they don't value the public they serve. Now instead of backtracking on diversity, equity and inclusion, Verizon will move forward with policies that benefit everyone. This sends a message to companies that want to participate in the 4th largest economy in the world: they need to respect the diversity that is the United States.”

WASHINGTON, DC — January 14, 2026 — Whole Foods Market has approved Green America's Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI) as a regenerative agriculture certification program, expanding market opportunities for farmers and suppliers committed to soil health and climate resilience. The leading natural and organic foods retailer is adding SCI, a leading nonprofit regenerative agriculture program, to its roster of approved certifications, welcoming more growers and brands into the regenerative marketplace while strengthening accountability and transparency.

SCI joins Regenerative Organic Certified, Regenified, Ecological Outcome Verification, and Certified Regenerative by AGW in Whole Foods Market’s roster of trusted certifications. Under Whole Foods Market's Regenerative Agriculture Claims Policy, SCI-verified products may make regenerative product claims and display the distinctive Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified™ label, helping shoppers easily identify products sourced from regeneratively grown ingredients.

What sets SCI apart is how it combines deep farmer relationships with innovative technology to deliver lasting outcomes and powerful data for brands and retailers investing in regenerative supply chains. SCI works side-by-side with growers, providing hands-on agronomic support while streamlining administrative complexity through leading program equivalencies and real-time data tools. And because all products undergo third-party certification from SCS Global Services, supply chain partners and CPGs can invest with confidence, knowing the claims they’re backing are credible.

Launched in 2019 through collaboration among 150+ farmers, soil scientists, food companies, and NGOs, SCI has refined its approach across over 165 farms managing 350,000+ acres in 27 states. The program's Soil & Climate Health Commitment & Verification Standard translates on-the-ground regenerative practices into measurable, credible outcomes. Through comprehensive soil health testing, independent third-party audits, and rigorous verification, SCI ensures the integrity of the process, so consumers can trust that “regenerative” delivers real results on the land and in the products they purchase.

Adam Kotin, SCI's Managing Director, said the Whole Foods approval validates the program's approach. "We've designed a transition program that meets farmers where they are while providing clear and rigorous implementation of milestones and audits that meet the true third-party certification standards that retailers and consumers expect," he explained. "Our commitment to program equivalency and use of technology streamlines the processes for farmers and supply chains, making it more cost effective and efficient for program participants. That flexibility is absolutely critical for farmer adoption, and farmer adoption is how we create real impact and scalability across the supply chain."

John Strohfus, Founder & CEO of Field Theory Foods and an SCI-verified farmer managing 1,000 acres in Minnesota, has helped build regenerative supply chains for brands such as PACHA, Seven Sundays, and Simple Mills. He describes SCI as “the most approachable regenerative certification available today.” Having worked with multiple programs, Strohfus noted that SCI “meets you where you are, measuring on-farm progress rather than imposing prescriptive requirements with steep initial barriers to entry. The Whole Foods Market approval opens premium market access for our farm, as well as the growers and brand customers Field Theory works with. It’s uplifting that they recognize the work SCI does every day, working in partnership with farmers doing real work to improve soil health and create these regenerative supply chains.”

Ann Marie Hourigan, Quality Standards Principal Advisor for Agricultural Programs at Whole Foods Market, welcomed the addition, “We are delighted to recognize the Soil & Climate Initiative as a rigorous third-party verification that supports Whole Foods Market's commitment to regenerative agriculture. SCI's holistic program provides consumers with the confidence that regenerative claims are backed by tangible improvements on the land.”

Products using SCI-verified ingredients can carry the Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified™ label on packaging at Whole Foods Market stores, joining brands like PACHA and Root Chips already on shelves.

Brands, suppliers, and farmers interested in enrollment can contact SCI here: www.soilclimateinitiative.org

ABOUT SOIL & CLIMATE INITIATIVE

Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI) is a nonprofit originally launched in 2018 (formerly the Soil Carbon Initiative) in collaboration with farms, companies, NGOs, and soil scientists. Its mission is to accelerate the transition of agricultural acres under regenerative management by supporting and engaging every link in the supply chain. SCI offers a holistic suite of regenerative transition services, such as farm planning and agronomic support, soil testing, supply chain engagement, reporting, and third-party verification. These efforts help drive measurable improvements in soil health outcomes, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water quality, climate resilience, food security, farm profitability, and the overall well-being of rural communities. Alongside its sister programs—the Soil & Climate Alliance and the Nutrient Density Initiative—SCI is helping build an ecosystem that scales soil health, climate resilience, and nutrition from the ground up. www.soilclimateinitiative.org

ABOUT SCS GLOBAL SERVICES

SCS Global Services is an international leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, and standards development. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies, and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a California-chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. SCS is also a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business.  www.scsglobalservices.com

ABOUT FIELD THEORY

Field Theory is helping redefine how brands and consumers think about ingredients—and the food system as a whole. They specialize in connecting brands with supply chain transparency and are charting a new path forward within food and agriculture. Starting with soil health, crop diversity, and regenerative growing practices, they are pioneering both bulk ingredients and consumer packaged goods. Field Theory has built a trusted network of regenerative agriculture–focused growers for many crops, including sunflowers, buckwheat, oats, Kernza®, and more. As an industry leader in regenerative farming, Field Theory is proud to bring some of the first-ever verified regenerative products to market through the Soil & Climate Initiative program. www.fieldtheoryfoods.com

ABOUT WHOLE FOODS MARKET

Founded in 1980, Austin-based Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer and the first certified organic national grocer in the United States. Part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Market serves customers in more than 545 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. www.wholefoodsmarket.com

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Soil & Climate Initiative 
Max Karlin 
703-276-3255 
mkarlin@hastingsgroupmedia.com

Major beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch, are using harmful pesticides like glyphosate and 2,4-D in their barley and hops. These chemicals threaten human health, devastate pollinator populations, and contaminate our water systems.

We’re calling on The Children’s Place, Carter’s, and H&M to take the next step in sustainability by committing to reduce their use of polyester.

We got Comcast to make progress on its use of clean energy! Thanks to over 8,800 Green Americans demanding Comcast increase its use of renewable energy, the company has listened to us and made this big progress on clean energy. 

Comcast is one of the largest communications companies in the US.  It owns Universal and NBC -- giving it a huge climate footprint.  A large portion of its climate emissions come from its electricity use. Comcast uses millions of megawatts of energy each year to power servers, buildings, and amusement parks. 

We profiled Comcast in our Clean and Just Energy is Calling Report and scorecard and shared these results with company executives, hosted a petition to the company signed by 8,815 people, reached out to their board, raised the issue of their energy use at their annual general meeting of shareowners, and promoted social media posts and videos to encourage the company to move forward on clean energy. 

Comcast’s move to clean energy follows successful campaigns by Green America that got Amazon, T-Mobile, and Verizon to commit to 100% renewable energy. 

Comcast’s electric energy usage accounts for 72% of the company’s scope 1 and 2 climate emissions (scope 1 emissions are those directly produced by a company, such as fuel burned in company vehicles, and scope 2 emissions are those that are purchased, like electricity).  Comcast’s total emissions from electricity resulted in 1.15 million mtCO2e in 2023, the equivalent to nearly 270,000 cars on the road for a year. So getting the company to move forward on clean energy has a big impact. 

Comcast’s definition of clean energy includes large-scale hydropower and nuclear.  These are not renewable sources of energy, and each has significant downsides.  That’s why we’re urging Comcast to adopt a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030, and ensure these purchases ensure energy justice, as an important step in reducing the company’s climate footprint in line with the progress we need on climate change to keep overall temperature increases to less than 1.5 degrees C.  

Green America is building on our climate success of moving the entire telecoms industry to clean energy by taking on one of the largest climate polluters: refrigerator gases.

We and our supporters are getting major supermarket chains to deal with their polluting refrigerants, and Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Kroger are all making progress as a result. But now, Trump's EPA has proposed new rules attempting to stall this progress. So, Green America is pushing back and submitted the following comments:

November 17, 2025 

Administrator Lee Zeldin 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

RE: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005 

Via: Regulations.gov 

Dear Administrator Zeldin, 

Green America is a national nonprofit organization working with consumers, businesses, and investors to create a green economy.  We have 250,000 individual members and 500 business members nationwide. 

Green America is writing in opposition to the EPA’s proposed rule: Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Reconsideration of Certain Regulatory Requirements Promulgated Under the Technology Transitions Provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005). The proposed rule will create unnecessary delays in phasing out climate warming refrigerants and harm American innovation and job creation that is being created by the current implementation of the AIM Act. 

In the retail sector, changing the January 1, 2027, GWP limit on retail refrigeration equipment to 1400, from its original limit of 150 or 300, depending on charge size and equipment configuration, and delaying the enforcement of stricter limits to January 1, 2032, will dramatically increase climate emissions from refrigeration and increase the risk that stores will adopt refrigerants that produce PFAS substances.  Furthermore, the delay is unnecessary in light of transition efforts underway by retailers and will disrupt plans that are in place by US manufacturers and HVAC companies to scale up production of natural, ultra-low GWP refrigerants, equipment, and services in time to meet the deadlines of the original rule.   

Green America works to encourage the supermarket sector to transition to ultra-low natural GWP refrigerants to reduce the sector’s substantial climate footprint and create U.S. jobs in the transition to these refrigerants. As you know, climate change is already creating a detrimental impact in the U.S. resulting in catastrophic fires, storms, hurricanes, droughts, and rising sea levels. And the growing impacts of climate change, including the number of storms, each causing over a billion dollars of damage, are causing increasing economic harm to business, investors, and consumers.  

The need for the AIM act and EPA regulations to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) is clear. For example, a typical supermarket consumes 4,000 pounds of refrigerants each year with a quarter leaking out due to faulty systems. 

Refrigerant leaks from US supermarkets emit 45 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year (the equivalent of 9.5 million cars on the road).  

Green America urges supermarkets to address the climate impact of refrigerants by:  

• Using only HFC-free, natural refrigerant systems in all new locations; 

• Releasing concrete timelines to phase out HFCs from all facilities by 2030;  

• Rapidly repairing refrigerant leaks and publishing annual leak rates; 

• And ensuring responsible refrigerant disposal to reduce emissions.   

In addition to their strong environmental benefits, utilizing natural, ultra-low GWP refrigerants provide cost savings, including significantly reduced operating costs through higher energy efficiency.  National and local supermarkets are successfully adopting natural, ultra-low GWP natural refrigerants as a result. 

ALDI US announced in 2024 that all its stores will use natural refrigerants in refrigeration systems by 2035.  While this was the first such commitment for a major U.S. supermarket chain, other large grocery chains have made progress in transitioning to natural and low-GWP refrigerants: 

• Walmart – announced a phaseout of all HFCs by 2040. 

• Trader Joe’s -- announced in 2023 that all its new stores will use CO2 refrigerants. 

• Kroger – announced in 2024 that, starting in 2025, all its new stores will use CO2 refrigerants.  

In addition, many local grocery stores and regional chains have made progress in adopting ultra-low GWP refrigerants: 

• DeCicco & Sons: This small, family-owned New York-based grocer installed its first HFC-free system using CO2 in 2016 and has since expanded the technology to other locations, noting significant energy cost savings 

• Midwest chain Coborn’s installed new sustainable refrigeration systems in two of its locations, which will lower the electricity consumption and CO₂ emissions at the two stores by 3 million kWh and 934 tonnes, respectively. Together, the new refrigeration systems will save roughly 1,160 tonnes of CO₂ emissions 

• Healthy Living Market & Café: This Northeast-based company has incorporated CO2 refrigeration systems in its newer stores to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. CO2 refrigerant systems and other efficiency upgrades are expected to save $86,400 per year in electricity costs.  

• Sprouts Farmers Market:  piloted sustainable technology in its stores, including a Woodstock, GA, location that features a CO2 ejection refrigeration system.  In 2024 the company transitioned 32 stores to refrigeration systems with lower global warming potential (GWP). 

Additional small grocery chains taking action to lower their climate footprint from refrigerants include:  

• Ralph’s Supermercado y Mayorista in Puerto Rico;  

• Raley’s, Stater Bros. Market, and Erewhon in California;  

• PCC Community Markets in Oregon;  

• Kwik Trip and Caputo’s in Minnesota;  

• Weis Markets in Pennsylvania;

• Cingari Family Markets' ShopRite stores in Connecticut ;

• Big Y Foods in Massachusetts 

The Food Industry Association and the National Grocers Association are ignoring this progress and have voiced their support for the EPA’s new rulemaking to reconsider the Technology Transitions Rule, claiming that the current regulations place an undue burden on grocery stores, and in particular smaller stores. 

Furthermore, industry trade groups allege that CO2 (R-744), ammonia, and other low- or ultra-low GWP systems present significant drawbacks.  Per the EPA: “These food retailers asserted that R-744 technologies in their current state expend a significant amount of energy to function at a cooling level comparable to commonly used HFCs.”  Also, these trade groups allege “that such technologies are unreliable, that leaks are difficult to detect and repair, and that such leaks can be catastrophic to the system's performance.” 

However, the examples above demonstrate that large supermarket chains, smaller regional chains, and independent grocers are all successfully making the transition to ultra-low GWP systems, with many of these grocery chains using CO2 systems, and that these energy efficient systems result in cost savings over time, including lower energy bills. The adoption of CO2 and other natural refrigerants also avoid a significant drawback of HFOs (Hydrofluoroolefins) as a replacement for, or addition to, HFCS.  While HFOs have a lower climate footprint than HFCs, HFOs can ultimately create PFAS substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” that can pollute groundwater, and ultimately impact human health. 

Research demonstrates that CO2 systems can use significantly less energy than HFC systems and that these CO2 systems, with their high heat transfer properties, are ideal for systems with long pipe runs, such as grocery stores. 

The ability to transition to natural refrigerants in grocery stores is also made clear by the evidence from Europe where 90,700 food retail stores are using transcritical CO2 systems (as of December 2024), representing a market penetration of 30%, up from 22.9% in 2023.  

There is also growth in North America, where transcritical CO2 installations increased by 40% from 2023 to 2024.  There, a total of 4,100 stores using such systems in 2024, with 2,800 in the US. This growth may now be slowed if the EPA reconsiders the timeline for adoption of non-HFC systems. 

In regard to concerns raised that “that future regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) could require retailers to change systems again from certain compliant fluorinated refrigerants to others,” the simple solution for retailers is to transition directly to natural refrigerant systems that do not produce PFAS substances. Significantly, the EPA’s proposal to change the January 1, 2027, GWP limit on retail refrigeration equipment to 1400, from its original limit of 150 or 300, would allow for the installation of HFC/HFO blends that have a GWP of up to 1400.  While these blends have a lower climate footprint than HFCs alone, these refrigerants are not a true climate solution as compared to natural refrigerants with ultra-low GWP that are available and being installed nationwide. As noted above, HFOs can lead to the production of PFAS substances that pose a significant public health risk. 

The AIM Act was passed with broad bipartisan support.  It was also passed with strong industry support, including support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Chemistry Council, and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). The AIM Act received such strong support because it is developing climate-friendly HFC alternatives, creating jobs, and ensuring U.S. competitiveness in the global market. The current EPA implementation of the Act is fully in line with this bipartisan mandate. 

The AIM act and EPA implementation of the Act are succeeding as intended, and there is no reason for the EPA to reconsider regulatory requirements at this time.  

Thank you for your consideration of these comments. 

Sincerely,  

Todd Larsen, Executive Co-Director 

Dan Howells, Climate Campaigns Director 

We cannot do this work alone. Help support our work and make a difference »

Whether it’s diet and exercise, getting up earlier, or saving money, the best results come when you make an intentional commitment – if only to yourself.

The same is true with aligning your money with your values. It’s all too easy to tell yourself, “I’ll look for a better bank later” or “I’ll apply for a new credit card tomorrow.”

We get it: Life is busy, and unless something must be done now, it often doesn’t get done. Making a commitment can help change that. Sign one or more of our pledges today to align your money with your values in banking, credit cards, insurance, and investing.

Pledge to switch to a better bank or credit union

Pledge to take charge of your credit card

Pledge to move to climate smart insurance

Pledge to move your investments (Coming Soon)

Back to the Action Center

For many of us, it's easier to commit to exercise when you do it with others who can both encourage you and hold you accountable. The same is true for moving your money.  

If you want to align your money with your values in banking, credit cards, insurance, and investing, you don’t have to go it alone.  

Green America, together with GreenFaith and Third Act, has created a 12-part curriculum that will walk groups through aligning their money with their values one step at a time – together.  

Your first step is to form a cohort of people interested in moving their money. Start with your church, synagogue or mosque, or with a nonprofit or club you participate in – or with friends and family.  

Gather a group of at least four people (including yourself) and fill out our Join a Cohort form. We will get back to you with our curriculum, resources, and personalized advice to get you started.  

>>FORM A COHORT<<

Our curriculum includes 12 sessions in four units on banking, credit cards, insurance and investing, as well as introductory, closing, and work sessions. The Facilitator’s Guide will walk you through each session step by step, with resources including slide decks and links to further information.  

Each session begins with a grounding and objectives, includes a short presentation, has plenty of room for interactive discussion, and closes with homework for you to bring to the next session. All sessions are designed for participants who have little to no background in finance.  

Session 1: Introduction 

Sessions 2-3: Banks 

Sessions 4-5:  Credit Cards 

Sessions 6-7: Insurance   

Sessions 8, 9, 10: Investments 

Session 11: Work Session (optional) 

Session12: Closing and Next Steps 

Ready to get started?  Fill out our Join a Cohort form today.  

Back to the Action Center

It’s no secret that the “most wonderful time of the year” leaves behind massive piles of trash.

It is estimated that waste in the U.S. increases more than 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day—that’s over 60,000 garbage trucks filled with wrapping paper, decorations, and unwanted gifts every holiday season.

Green America will help you enjoy sugarplum dreams instead of suffering sustainability dilemmas! Below are our tips for how to have a sustainable and green holiday, including what to use and not use, and proper disposal of these items after the celebrations end.

Wrapping Paper

You can still have the exciting element of surprise by wrapping gifts with sustainable wrap! The easiest way to ease your holiday waste guilt is by using alternative wrapping:

• Scarves or fabric you have around the house (I’ve used the same fabric on my family’s gifts for the past 5 years and have had no complaints about being a “gift-wrap repeater”).
• Reusable bags or tins.
• Old calendars, newspaper, or maps.
• Brown paper bags from grocery shopping decorated with drawings. (Do not use glitter or epoxy and vinyl stickers, it makes it unrecyclable!)

If the festive wrapping paper is your favorite part of the holiday season, there are still better choices available so you can lessen its environmental impact:

Look for a label signaling recycled content was used to make the paper (not just a simple recycle symbol, which can simply mean the paper is recyclable after use).

When disposing of your wrapping paper, be cautious of the type of paper you used. The widely-available shiny giftwrap is usually NOT recyclable. Wrapping paper is often made with foil or a plastic coating, making it unfit to recycle into new paper. You can call your local recycling hauler to determine if they do handle traditional wrapping paper, or simply use one of the alternative options above.

As for tissue paper, this thin material is not often recyclable in most communities, since most of it is made out of recycled paper and the fibers are too short. You can reuse in another gift, or you can compost tissue paper that does not have glitter or other additions to it. If your town has a composting program, check there first.

Gift & Food Packaging

When buying gifts try to find gifts made out of recycled materials and without excessive packaging. Check out the Green Business Network Member Directory for hundreds of U.S. businesses that have been certified as environmentally and socially responsible. 

When recycling plastic packaging, check for the number within the recycle symbol, this is a clue as to the kind of plastic you have and if it is recyclable in your area.

Recycling Rules by Zipcode >>>

Meal essentials: If you are entertaining a lot of guests for meals throughout the holiday season, and are short on plates and utensils, it might be tempting to use disposable cutlery and plates. Instead, consider buying inexpensive plates and utensils from a thrift store for the meals and then donate to a local community center after (or store them until your next large event). You can also simply ask your guests, “BYOP” (bring your own plate). If you do use disposable plates and cups, look for items that are made with recycled materials.

Unfortunately, paper plates, cups, and plastic cutlery are NOT recyclable after you’ve used them.

Another disposable option is to use compostable plates and cups, but only opt for this if you have access to a composting program. Compostable materials need a certain amount of airflow to allow them to successfully compost, which will not happen in a landfill.

Festive Decor

Tree selection and disposal: If you celebrate a holiday with a decorated tree, there are several options for you to have a tree in a sustainable way. To properly dispose of a live, cut tree, you can compost in your own backyard or find local opportunities in your town to recycle and compost your fir friend.

If you are trying to dispose of an artificial tree, please do not place in your recycling bin, and instead check with local charities, shelters, schools, and churches to see if they could reuse your old artificial tree.

Twinkle lights are a fun way to brighten up the winter holiday months. Unfortunately, these lights are one of the most common items that people try to recycle but they are NOT recyclable through your curbside bin.

Please do not contaminate your recycling with these lights and instead drop them off at a hardware store like Lowe's, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware. If you live on the east coast, MOM's Organic Market has drop off bins for hard-to-recycle items, like holiday lights.

Tinsel is not recyclable. Use this sparkly decor as long as you can until you send it to the landfill. Or, you can opt for going all-natural with decorations of wreaths, mistletoe, pinecones etc. Just make sure to remove any added sparkle and bows before you put these outside to decompose or compost.

Hanukkah tapers made with beeswax are much better for indoor air quality than paraffin candles, which are made from petroleum. Natural beeswax tapers don't release harmful chemicals in the air, have a lower melting point than paraffin candles (reducing fire risk), and are less likely to aggravate allergies than paraffin.

From Green America to you: May your holidays be happy, green, and sustainable!

Updated November 2025.

Single-use items like water bottles, toiletries, and snacks meant to last the duration of your trip often result in more packaging, and thus, more plastic. And it can be harder to keep sustainable habits when you’re not at home and outside your routines. But with a little forethought and effort, it’s possible to travel without plastic—try these tips!

Instead of taking to-go coffees in disposable cups, bring your own cup to the café. Baristas are usually happy to put your drink in your cup.

Grab-and-go snacks are very convenient but result in more packaging. Plane food is a powerful example—every person on the plane gets one individually wrapped cookie or savory cracker and a plastic cup. You can always opt out and bring your own snacks and drinks instead—yes, it is allowed! TSA will not confiscate your snacks, but liquids must still adhere to the 3-1-1 rule for carry-on luggage. And once you’ve passed through airport security with your empty reusable water bottle, you can refill it before your flight.

Plastic water bottles are stocked everywhere, but have you ever considered how strange it is to buy a resource that is often available for free? If you are traveling domestically in the U.S., bring your own refillable water bottle to avoid single-use plastic and fill it up at fountains, cafes, and restaurants; it’s worth noting that in many other countries, single-use water bottles are also made from glass and aluminum, which are recyclable. Editor’s Note: If you’re traveling internationally, the tap water of the country you are visiting may harbor bacteria and pathogens—ultimately making filtered water in single use bottles the only safe water to drink. In cases like this, please prioritize your health and safety.

Travel-size toiletries are another plastic culprit during travel. These are easy to switch out, however; refillable containers are widely available. Transfer your regular products into these containers.

Try to dine in at restaurants instead of eating to-go food. Not only is this a more tailored and immersive experience than a to-go counter, but you will also avoid disposable containers by using the restaurant’s ceramic plates and cutlery. You can also bring your own containers for leftovers.

If you are able, choose accommodations that have sustainability policies—and let them know those policies are why you’re there. Hotels are one of the biggest culprits of single-use goods, so choosing accommodations that have policies to reduce waste is an important action. Some hotels will take leftover soap and reheat and remold them into new bars. Others will wash sheets and towels only when requested to save on water.

When it comes to reducing single-use plastic, every action matters!

It’s been encouraging to see efforts at pressuring corporations, including supermarkets, to move away from climate-destroying hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs) gain traction. For instance, Green America’s “Cool It for Climate” campaign has successfully lobbied grocery giants Trader Joe’s and Kroger into using only natural refrigerants in all their new stores. Others like ALDI have been ahead of the curve by using natural refrigerants for years.

But rather than follow their lead in embracing natural refrigerants for use in cooling systems, the chemical industry continues to protect its profits at the expense of communities and the planet.

Instead of natural refrigerants, chemical producers are trying to push corporations to adopt usage of Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) in cooling systems, claiming that HFOs have a lower Global Warming Potential than HFCs. But, in some cases, companies are combining HFOs and HFCs—which results in refrigerants that still have a significant climate impact (up to 1,400 times that of CO2), although lower than HFCs alone. And while alternative refrigerants like CO2 and ammonia are naturally abundant, the chemical industry is quick to say that these alternatives are still extracted and refined through industrial processes that consume a lot of energy and contribute to climate impacting emissions, although the overall impacts are far lower than those of HFOs.

What chemical producers are not so quick to point out is how much more they stand to profit if consumers rely on their artificial patented products rather than naturally occurring refrigerants. More critically, unlike natural refrigerants, once HFOs enter the environment, they break down into Trifluoracetic acid and then trifluoroacetate (TFA), a forever chemical (of the PFAS family) linked to human health impacts.

“We need real solutions to climate change,” says Dan Howells, Green America’s Climate Campaigns Director. “Not more false promises from industry. We need climate solutions, not more problems with PFAS and HFOs for already hurting communities.”

In July 2025, the clean cooling energy accelerator group ATMOsphere released their report “The Rising Threat of HFOs and TFA to Health and the Environment” as part of an ongoing campaign to highlight concerns about the environmental and health impacts of HFOs. According to ATMOsphere’s Head of Content Michael Garry, it’s important to consider the long-term impact of the refrigerants we use in our cooling systems not just in terms of how they’re produced, but also how they react once released into the environment.

“The problem is that the most prevalent and smallest forms of PFAS, like TFAs, accumulate fast because they don’t break down and they’re difficult to remove,” Garry says. “The speed at which we can hit the planetary boundary threat is alarming.”

Advocates like Garry point out that while the U.S. currently has no regulations for HFOs, other countries
are already moving quickly to halt unrestricted HFOs use, implement safeguards, and conduct regular studies to evaluate the ongoing impact of TFAs accumulation in the environment and increasingly, in our own bodies. For example, Germany’s chemical regulator is seeking to classify TFAs as “reprotoxic, meaning it can harm human reproductive function, fertility and fetal development.” 

Additionally, at an ATMOsphere America Impact of HFOs Session in 2024, Garry noted in a 2022 study, “stream levels of toxic TFAs were found to have increased six-fold between 1998 to 2021 in parts of northern California and remote sites in Alaska.”

It wasn’t that long ago that the same companies pushing HFOs were claiming HFCs had little impact on the environment, despite evidence that they were a major climate pollutant. Repeatedly, chemical companies have shown that trusting the industry to regulate itself is a losing bet—corporations have not learned to value the well-being of people and the planet more than their profits. Their current shift away from HFCs is a direct result of people using our collective power to demand corporate accountability and federal regulations, not a change in corporate consciousness.

All the while, the speed at which TFAs are building up in our world is increasing. Not only is our warming planet putting additional stress on existing systems to keep our food preserved, our machinery working, and our living and working spaces habitable, the proliferation of data centers to handle more cloud storage and AI processing means an even greater demand for refrigerants in cooling systems to keep those centers running. And we’re facing even greater pressure under an administration that favors unfettered industry and is downright hostile to any form of federal oversight and monitoring.

All of this means that the ways we currently use HFOs matter to our daily lives whether we feel the immediate effects or not. Garry stresses that the need for greater caution around HFOs isn’t about fear—it’s about acknowledging the very simple fact that because forever chemical byproducts of HFOs build up very quickly, their negative impacts can start affecting us faster than we can mitigate them.

“Regulation of HFOs is vital because we need to be able to respond as soon as we know a problem is blooming,” Garry says.

This makes campaigns like Green America’s “Cool It for Climate” that pressure companies to go straight to natural refrigerants instead of soft-switching from HFCs to HFOs even more important. Using natural refrigerants in cooling systems is a solution that helps prevent any potential harms of HFOs from accumulating before we have a full understanding of the ways they’ll affect our bodies and our environment.
“It’s not a question of where we are now but where we will be in 10 years if it stays business as usual,” Garry says.

By demanding that companies adopt the use of natural refrigerants instead of products like HFOs that dump more forever chemicals into the environment, we can ensure that “business as usual” means being proactive about preventing harm to people and our planet instead of scrambling to catch up once harm has been done to everything but corporate profits.

At the Green Business Network®, our certified members inspire us every day with their innovation and commitment to sustainability. Running a small business is no easy task, especially when intention requires thoughtful approaches that still ensure success.

We spoke to four of our members about how they reduce plastic waste and tips they have for anyone looking to rethink their relationship to plastic. Here’s what they had to say:

Airnex

Eco kitchen essentials >>> Shop Airnex

How does your business reduce plastic waste?

Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. We design home and kitchen essentials that aim to reduce single-use plastics with plant-based, biodegradable alternatives like bamboo, cornstarch, and wood pulp cellulose.

We’ve also partnered with CleanHub to ensure that for every product sold, we help prevent ocean-bound plastic from entering the environment. Through this collaboration, we’ve supported the collection of over 12,000 lbs of plastic waste.

What’s one piece of advice you have about rethinking plastic use?

Think beyond recycling—refuse and replace. The most powerful shift happens when we stop accepting plastic as the default. Whether it’s a bamboo toothbrush, a refillable cleaning solution, or plastic-free packaging, every small swap chips away at a big problem. Start with one habit, and you’ll see how quickly it adds up.

Supply Bulk Foods

Healthy foods without plastic packaging >>> Shop Supply Bulk Foods

How does your business reduce plastic waste?

Our whole primary mission—our raison d’être—is the reduction of plastics. We run a plastic-free, dry bulk grocery store. We also recycle everything that comes in that is recyclable (plastic bags, markers, batteries, and more).

What’s one piece of advice you have about rethinking plastic use?

Don’t use it! We now know that plastics are leaching chemicals into foods and there are so many alternatives now that mean we don’t have to use plastics. For home/personal items, there are zero waste stores all over the country (most ship) that can provide almost anything you need that doesn’t have plastic associated with it.

Hill+House

Sustainable and reusable essentials >>> Shop Hill+House

How does your business reduce plastic waste?

We use entirely plastic-free and sustainable materials for all our shipments, reducing our environmental impact and providing our customers with a true eco-friendly experience. Our shipping labels are 100% compostable, designed to naturally break down and return to the earth. We also use non-reinforced, kraft paper tape that’s free of plastic fibers.

What’s one piece of advice you have about rethinking plastic use?

Instead of thinking of plastic as something that just “goes away,” recognize that every piece of plastic you use is a permanent part of our environment. Plastic never truly disappears; it just breaks down into [progressively] smaller pieces (see “Microplastics 101” on p. 8).

Rethink the single-use habit. Before you grab a plastic bottle, a plastic bag, or a disposable coffee cup, take a moment to ask yourself, “Do I really need this, or is there a reusable alternative?”

Brush With Bamboo

Plant-based oral care and accessories >>> Brush With Bamboo

How does your business reduce plastic waste?

Our products are certified biobased and home-compostable wherever possible, ensuring they do not contribute to long-term plastic pollution. Every design choice—from sourcing to shipping—is focused on reducing or eliminating plastic at every stage of the product lifecycle.

What’s one piece of advice you have about rethinking plastic use?

View plastic as a last resort, not the default. Before purchasing, ask yourself if there is a natural, reusable, or compostable alternative. Small swaps, like choosing a bamboo toothbrush over a plastic one, add up to significant environmental impact over time. Changing everyday habits, even in seemingly small ways, is the key to reducing dependence on single-use plastics.

Going into the holiday season, taking a zero-waste attitude can go a long way in curbing your waste footprint. And while “zero waste” can mean reusable gifts—such as refillable candles and refillable makeup—it can also mean gifts that are meant to last—like quality, fair trade clothing and artisan, upcycled homewares.

But one of the biggest plastic culprits of the holiday season isn’t even a gift…it’s what the gift comes in.

Don’t Stop at Zero Plastic Gifts

So, you’ve found the perfect gift with no trace of plastic—but what’s a gift without the joy and surprise of opening it? Most wrapping paper, adorned with metallics and glitter, is made of a paper-plastic composite and cannot be recycled. Tissue paper similarly cannot be recycled; some can be composted, but due to its lack of nutritional value, it often winds up in the landfill. Gift bags are slightly better, despite being made up of plastic materials, because they can be reused.

If absolutely no plastic is the goal, here are some plastic-free gift-wrapping options:

A gift bag and present all in one: The handwoven cotton beach tote from Altiplano is a beautiful gift in and of itself, but put a couple extra gifts in it and it can be a gift bag all on its own, too! The small business has many handwoven bags from artisans in Guatemala that can be used for all sorts of gifts and bags—a jewelry holder, a cosmetics bag with some new non-toxic makeup, whatever you can dream of.

Cloth gift bags: Seeds to Sew International offers colorful, reusable gift bags of varying sizes made from upcycled fabric scraps and crafted by artisans in Kenya.

Unique wrapping and accessories: Happily, there are more sustainable options for wrapping paper and accessories than ever before. EcoPartyTime offers a variety of green packaging options, like biodegradable cotton twine, organic woven boxes, or linen drawstring pouches with decorative trims.

Sustainable paper: Whether recycled or made from fibers like hemp, there are all sorts of papers these days that can be used as gift wrap. Plus, you can get creative and draw or write a letter to make it unique and heartfelt.

Decorate boxes: Items like electronics or edible treats often come in well-made, sturdy boxes, so instead of throwing them away, redecorate them with sustainable paper and wrapping accessories to make your own unique gift boxes.

Repurpose glass jars and bottles: Homemade gifts of spice mixes, air fresheners, infused cooking oils, or simple syrups can be packaged in emptied glass jars and decorative bottles. Just give them a thorough clean, pretty them up with some sustainably made accessories like labels and ribbons, and voilà!

All natural resources on planet Earth are in an endless cycle of decomposition and renewal. Water travels from the sea to the sky and returns to the earth as rain. Vegetable scraps in our composts turn into feed for worms and bacteria that transform dirt into usable soil to grow more plants. Even man-made materials are part of a cycle—paper is shredded and turned into pulp to be renewed as recycled paper for printing once more.

When foreign materials are introduced into these cycles, they don’t just disappear, they become part of it. And for “forever chemicals” like PFAS—a group of synthetic, fluorine-based chemicals prized for being waterproof, flame-resistant, and most notably, very long-lasting—their impact can upend ecosystems and the livelihoods of those who depend on them, especially under the current administration’s hostility toward regulations about their use and production.

This is the situation Maine farmers Adam Nordell and Johanna Davis found themselves in a few years ago. In 2014, Nordell and Davis bought land to raise a family and start Songbird Farm, an organic farming operation. They were successful—until soil testing in 2021 determined that their land had high concentrations of PFAS. But as an organic farm, they had not used synthetic fertilizer in their fields.

Instead, the contamination came from biosolids, a byproduct of wastewater facilities used as nutrient-rich fertilizer that had been spread on the land decades before Nordell and Davis purchased it. After the Clean Water Act went into effect in 1972, chemicals and toxins that had previously been allowed to flow freely into Maine’s waterways became processed through sewage plants. And the injection of PFAS into wastewater systems—through domestic washing and using of PFAS and industrial manufacturing waste—meant this centuries-old method of using biosolids as fertilizer became one of many pathways PFAS and other toxins entered the food web.

Up the Food Chain

Initially discovered in 1934, PFAS is now used in everyday products, such as nonstick cookware, aircraft manufacturing, rain jackets, medical devices, automotive parts, cleaning supplies, firefighting foam, and much, much more. But it’s only within the last decade that researchers have discovered that PFAS found in groundwater today likely came from manufacturing PFAS-laden products as far back as the Truman presidency.

So far, researchers have determined that PFAS exposure is connected to increased cancer risks, liver damage, high cholesterol, immune system damage, reproductive harm, and developmental issues in children. Still, companies continue to profit from using PFAS in their products while the chemicals seep further into soil and water—and people like Nordell and Davis bear the consequences.

In 2021, Songbird Farm was one of 60 sites identified by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as “posing the highest risk to human health” because they’d had biosolids applied to the land. While some Maine farms recovered, Songbird Farm had to shut down. But thanks to a state buyback program enacted by Maine’s legislature, Nordell and Davis sold the land to Maine Farmland Trust in 2023 to make it available for PFAS research while the state geared up to launch a buyback program enacted by Maine’s legislature. (The couple did not return to farming.)

The trust is dedicated to supporting farms and the future of farming through conservation easements, technical assistance, farmland access, and policy advocacy. It was their efforts in coalition with other groups that brought the passing of L.D. 1911 in Maine of April 2022, which banned the land application of PFAS contaminated biosolids. Maine was the first state to enact such a ban.

Brett Sykes, Co-Director of the Farmland Protection Program at Maine Farmland Trust says that it was a policy priority for the bill to include “$60 million in the supplemental budget that would support a state income replacement program, funding research on remediation, and funding a state buyback program.”
Unfortunately, not all farmers and ranchers can rely on programs like Maine’s for support.

Jason Grostic, a multigenerational rancher in Michigan, was told in January 2022 that he was not allowed to sell his cows or forage crops anymore because the PFOS (a chemical in the PFAS family) levels were too high in the food he produced.

Turns out, PFOS was in the biosolids he had applied to the hay he used to feed his cows. The biosolids came from treated wastewater from an automotive parts manufacturer in Wixom—and illegally so, because the manufacturer, Tribar Technologies, was negligently dumping the pollutants in municipal wastewater (Grostic sued Tribar in 2022, and the lawsuit is ongoing as of printing.)

Unable to sell any meat products or move the livestock off the land for the next two years, Grostic’s cows essentially became large pets. It was a blow to his operation and his ability to support his family, until he was able to partner with the Michigan State University Center for PFAS Research. Now, he’s paid for having his cows tested for PFAS at the research center as part of ongoing grant-funded studies examining where and how PFAS bioaccumulates, how PFAS travels from crops to livestock, and strategies to mitigate PFAS exposure.

Down Into the Soil

While stories like those of Nordell, Davis, and Grostic illustrate just how dangerous it can be when we only become aware of risks posed by chemicals used in everyday products after the damage has been done, they also tell us what we can do better to protect our food systems and ourselves moving forward.

Sykes agrees that PFAS is a major issue but also notes that some farms can handle PFAS contamination by making different decisions around what crops to grow and how to grow them.

“Different management practices—for instance, corn uptakes PFAS at a much lower rate than hay—can help the final product stay below state action levels,” says Sykes.

Other affected communities, such as the Mi’kmaq Nation in northern Maine, are exploring phytoremediation, in which living plants are used to remove dangerous toxins from soil, air, and water. The Mi’kmaq Nation owns a portion of land that was once the Loring Air Force Base and is contaminated with PFAS, coal ash, petroleum jet fuel oil, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls that were banned in 1979), and many more pollutants. In 2019, Upland Grassroots was founded to test fiber hemp’s phytoremediation properties on Mi’kmaq land, as hemp is very effective at pulling up a gamut of chemicals—from heavy metals to petroleum and PFAS—and it grows very large in a short amount of time.

According to Chelli Stanley of Upland Grassroots, one step in solving the forever chemicals problem involves understanding how to break down long chain PFAS—which are less mobile—into short chain PFAS, so that it can be more readily taken up into the hemp. A 2023 joint testing effort conducted by the Mi’kmaq Nation, Upland Grassroots, the University of Virginia, and the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station revealed that while hemp absorbs PFAS, it doesn’t break down the chemical, so the next step is figuring out how to break PFAS into something harmless.

“Otherwise, we just have contaminated hemp that you’re then having to put in a landfill,” says Stanley. “For us, that’s not a solution at all, because we don’t want to move contaminants from one place just to cause problems in another.”

Preliminary research also shows that the Phanerochaete chrysosporium fungus can break down PFAS and PFOS into their short chain forms, but the technology to bring it to scale is not viable—yet.

Through Research Comes Informed Solutions

PFAS affects all of us through the food we eat and the water we drink. Efforts like Upland Grassroots’ highlight the importance of funding research to understand how PFAS moves throughout the environment and what is being affected so that we have a fighting chance at remediation in the future. Which is why federal funding for scientific research and regulations are important tools in building environmentally sustainable and responsible systems to produce our food and safeguard our health.

But they’re not the only tools we can use to create those systems.

Support from local groups like the Maine Farmland Trust and its coalition have demonstrated that emergency and mutual aid can go a long way in helping farmers recover from PFAS pollution. But to prevent total fallout for farmers like Grostic, Nordell, and Davis—and to safeguard our food supply—stricter oversight on PFAS use and disposal is necessary.

Additionally, state and municipal governments have been stepping up to fill the gaps left by the current administration’s anti-environmental science and anti-regulation policies. In New Mexico, the state Environmental Department and Department of Justice are suing the U.S. Air Force to clean up PFAS contamination at the Cannon Air Force Base, which has devastated local agriculture in neighboring towns like Clovis, New Mexico. (3,500 dairy cows were poisoned from drinking contaminated groundwater coming from the base and had to be euthanized.)

Also, much of PFAS regulation has come from action at the state-level. Working with and supporting local advocacy groups to protect our food and the soil and water we use to produce that food shows a track record of success. Maine’s victory of passing L.D. 1911 was made possible by the work of Maine Farmland Trust and several advocacy groups, leading to Maine being the first state to have a ban on PFAS in biosolids. As of June 2024, the Connecticut legislature signed a comprehensive ban on PFAS in various products. Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan conduct monitoring and testing of PFAS in land-applied biosolids.

Action on PFAS by State Bills >>>

The lack of consistent regulation across state lines also means that public pressure to ensure corporate responsibility—whether that be for enforcing stronger policies around waste or conducting thorough research before putting a material to use—remains crucial.

In our daily lives, the most likely way we consume PFAS is through our drinking water. You can reach out to your local water utility to ask how they are addressing PFAS in the water supply. If your water comes from a home well, it is important to conduct regular testing yourself as there is no oversight organization to ensure that your water has not been contaminated by irresponsible corporate and military actors. You can also install in-home water filters certified NSF/ANSI to lower PFAS levels.

PFAS is deadly persistent, both as a chemical and a public health problem. It requires solutions that can be scaled properly to both remediate and prevent contamination. With local advocacy groups, researchers, and our collective voices demanding protection from and prevention of PFAS, a future without it is still within reach.

Water is essential to life. When we turn on the tap, we expect clean and pure water to flow. But, increasingly, that’s not the case. In recent years, criminally high levels of lead were found in water in Flint, Michigan, and many major cities are plagued with lead in their water pipes. Towns located near chemical factories often have high levels of toxic chemicals in their water.

And then there are chemicals that seem to be everywhere, such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), some of the most alarming contaminants turning up in tap water. PFAS is a class of 12,000 chemicals used to create thousands of products, including firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, and water repellant clothing. In our work at Green America, we’ve discovered that PFAS can come from surprising places, including even refrigerants (see “Keeping Our Cool Without Risking Our Health” p. 22).

And it’s showing up in our water—PFAS has been detected in the tap water of many major metropolitan regions including Miami, Philadelphia, New Orleans and the suburbs of New York City. Over 200 million Americans have been potentially exposed and that number is growing, which is alarming for a number of reasons.

All toxic PFAS, called “forever chemicals,” do not easily break down in the environment and can accumulate in the human body over time. Because these chemicals have been released into our environment in increasing amounts over several decades, many of us already have some level of PFAS in our bodies. Exposure has been linked to a plethora of human health issues, such as cancer, immune suppression, reduced fertility, and developmental abnormalities.

Countries worldwide have begun enacting policies to mitigate the amount of PFAS building up in our environment—the European Union has already banned several types of these chemicals and aims to phase them out of commercial use completely by 2030. In the U.S., we’ve seen some success, such as California’s recent decision to phase out PFAS in cookware and other commercial products, modeled on successful legislation in Maine. However, not only are we still behind Europe in regulating their use, but the Trump administration’s policies are also pulling us deeper into dangerous territory.

In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finally adopted new rules to help protect
communities from being poisoned by six highly toxic PFAS via their drinking water. Over 11,000 Green Americans joined with members of allied groups to flood the EPA with comments in support of the rule. However, lobbying groups for municipal water authorities and the chemical industry quickly sued to block implementation of the rule, and in May 2025, the EPA announced it would delay implementation of the rule until 2031—putting millions of people at risk of exposure in the meantime. In a related action, the EPA is advancing four new pesticides that all contain PFAS for use on romaine lettuce, soybeans, oranges, apples, peanuts, and other crops. This will increase PFAS exposure for everyone.

So, how can we respond?

Protect your water. Install water filters in your home that meet NSF standards for removing PFAS. These filters will also remove several other contaminants.

Act now with Green America and its allies. As the EPA continues to issue rulemaking delaying the implementation of the PFAS rule and regulation of other hazards, we will continue to flood them with comments in opposition. We also need to address PFAS at the source. Currently, Green America is putting pressure on major retailers to use natural refrigerants in cooling systems, but chemical manufacturers are pushing refrigerants that result in PFAS contamination (p. 22).

Urge action at the local and state level. Call your local water authority and request information about the presence of PFAS and other contaminants in water. You can also do your own research using the Environmental Working Group’s “Know What’s in Your Tap Water” database and the U.S. Geological Survey’s interactive map. If PFAS are present in your water or you are getting the run around from your utility, work with other residents to urge your local and state officials to take action to ensure transparency and reduce harmful exposures from your drinking water.

Microplastics. The term haunts every conversation about sustainability and health. And with good reason—they’re found in every global ecosystem as well as human and animal tissue, and they pollute both the environment and health of all living things.

Thanks to unregulated industrial practices, microplastics have become increasingly pervasive, but there are many ways we can reduce their impact and the dangers they pose to ourselves and our planet.

Every Plastic, Everywhere, All at Once

What started as a turn of the 20th century invention to make people’s lives easier is now one of the planet’s biggest pollutants. Every year, the world produces 400 million metric tons of plastic that ends up in oceans, our waterways, even our bloodstream.

The most pervasive is microplastic, solid particles that range in size from 5mm to 1nm (for comparison, the EPA states a single strand of human hair is 80,000nm wide).

There are two types of microplastics: primary and secondary. Primary microplastics are those intentionally manufactured and found in things like cosmetics and air blasters. Secondary pieces are the ones derived from degrading plastic debris.

It is not hyperbole to state that microplastics are found nearly everywhere and travel through seemingly endless pathways.

Though microplastics are related to and used interchangeably with PFAs and phthalates in conversation, they are not the same. While micro- and nanoplastics are small pieces of plastic, phthalates, BPA, and PFAs are all toxic chemicals found in plastics with their own litany of health problems.

The danger of microplastics to people and the planet is a minefield, particularly because our awareness of their dangers is relatively recent, and ongoing studies have only scratched the surface of the ways they affect the environment and our bodies.

What to Do?

The question of how to combat the effects of microplastics can feel overwhelming. But there are important and straightforward strategies to minimize microplastic creation and consumption. Ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption are the most common way microplastics pollute and bioaccumulate inside human bodies. Many solutions to prevent this are habit- and process-based. Here are four changes you can make today:

Swap out your cleaning products. Ditch the jelly-like detergent pods, especially the dishwasher ones. Heat is microplastic’s best friend and can cause the plastic to leach into your kitchenware.

What to do instead: Use organic and nontoxic dishwashing products, like the vegan solid dish soap from Hill+House or plastic-free detergent pods from companies like Blueland. And don’t forget about handwashing tools—check out Airnex’s natural cleaning brushes and sponges. For general cleaning, try making your own home cleaners with ingredients like baking soda, water, and vinegar.

Speaking of the kitchen, opt out of plastic packaging. Plastic tupperware, especially when exposed to heat through warming food in the microwave or being run through the dishwasher, can release millions of micro- or nanoplastics. The same goes for kitchen tools and water bottles.

What to do instead: Invest in high-quality, durable, and safely reusable products like stainless steel water bottles, glass tupperware, plastic-free food storage containers from Food Huggers, or wood cutting boards and utensils.

If possible, opt for more organic food and try to avoid highly processed foods. A 2023 study in Environmental Pollution revealed processing machinery like conveyer belts can make microplastics leach in products. Pesticides have also been shown to contain microplastics that can get absorbed into crops.

What to do instead: Go to your local farmer’s market. At the grocery store, shop for organic and non-packaged foods when possible. And advocate with your local grocers and elected officials to provide greater accessibility to affordable quality and sustainably produced food.

Invest in better-quality clothing and fabrics. A lot of modern clothing is made with synthetic and manmade materials, whether as a blend or whole cloth. These are the materials that should be avoided whenever possible: nylon, spandex, polyester, and acrylic.

What to do instead: Apparel businesses within the Green Business Network® feature clothing and raw textiles made of hemp, 100% organic cotton, eco-friendly wool, bamboo, linen, and more. Thrifting is also a great option. But if you purchase secondhand clothes made of synthetic blend, wash by hand and
line-dry—exposure to the agitation and heat of the washer and dryer will release microplastics.

Finally, do not spiral with shame or guilt if you do use plastic. Corporate marketing strategies and lax government regulations have intentionally designed a world that requires considerable effort and cost to avoid the use of plastics in every day life because it increases corporate profits—even at the expense of the public’s health. I still have plastic in my house because I can’t replace every single kitchen or bathroom product in one fell swoop, least of all an entire wardrobe. But each swap, each habit change, makes a difference.

One of the things I love about living in Chicago is the abundance of fantastic food. We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to styles of cuisine, availability of fresh produce, and a variety of artisanal treats. My favorite neighborhood bakery even started selling traditionally-styled Filipino comfort food recently, which has inspired me to have food safe silicone and stainless steel takeout containers available when I’ve got a craving for tapsilog—tender jerky-style beef over garlic rice with a fried egg and fresh chopped cucumber and tomato—or pork adobo and lumpia.

Any source of motivation I can get is helpful because changing habits can be hard, and few things have become as habitual in American life as our acceptance of disposable plastic in, well, everything. And all that plastic continuing to build up in our environment comes at a price that corporations are happy to have us pay while they profit.

Whether it’s in the soil, water, or even our own bodies, microplastics and the “forever chemicals” leached by many plastics are now part of our planet’s endless cycles of renewal and decomposition. And that buildup is happening much faster than our ability to understand just how deeply microplastics and forever chemicals can impact our health and the health of our planet, never mind how we can remediate or even prevent those consequences from happening.

Despite mounting evidence that microplastics and forever chemicals have been linked to a variety of health issues—such as cancer, liver damage, harmful changes to gut biomes, and genetic defects—corporations remain slow in replacing commercial use plastics with more sustainable alternatives and remediating their contamination of our soil and water. Even worse, the regulatory policies and government organizations meant to protect the public continue to be defanged and defunded by the current presidential administration.

While it’s essential to demand our local governments and federal agencies enact and enforce policies that prioritize our health and safety over corporate bottom lines, there are still plenty of other ways we can leverage our resources and voices to protect ourselves and our communities. This issue of Green American highlights some of those avenues by sharing stories about farmers partnering with researchers to find ways to revive land that has been poisoned by PFAS and what sustainably-minded businesses are doing to cut down on the amount of plastic in their products, as well as offering primers on the difference between microplastics and “forever chemicals” and why artificial refrigerants being promoted by chemical producers are not actually “environmentally-friendly.”

Knowledge is power because it enables us to act, and under an administration that chooses to side with wealthy corporations instead of the communities it’s supposed to serve, it’s more important than ever to know how we can leverage our connections and resources to take care of each other. Ever since the first Reagan administration, Green America has consistently proven the effectiveness of collective action, both in holding corporations to account and in making changes in our everyday lives to bring us that much closer to a greener world. It’s why we’re committed to sharing stories in this publication and across our content channels that not only talk about the problems we’re facing but also provide well-researched information and multiple ways you can contribute to a more sustainable and just future for all of us.

As this issue came together, I often thought about that iconic scene from The Graduate in which Dustin Hoffman’s character was told, “There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?”
Well, we have thought about it, and it’s clear that a plastics-dominated future is anything but great.

Hanging that future can be difficult, especially under a corporate-friendly administration that is deeply hostile to making it easier for us to “say no” to using plastic in our lives. But it’s not impossible if we continue to opt-out of using plastic wherever we can, keep up the pressure on industries to adopt safer, more sustainable practices instead of dumping chemicals into our food systems and waterways, and demand our local governments and federal agencies maintain and strengthen existing regulations that protect our health and safety, not corporate profit margins.

And hopefully in doing so, we can treat ourselves to some delicious food made by the good folks sharing our communities because this time, we remembered to bring those reusable takeout containers.

From the ocean to the heartland, communities are working to remove plastics and PFAS from our ecosystems.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 6, 2025 – Green America, Beyond Pesticides, Public Research Interest Group, People and Pollinators Action Network and Re:wild Your Campus launched the new Save Beer! Campaign to call on major beer companies to eliminate pesticides from their supply chains, starting with barley and hops. Toxic pesticides like glyphosate and 2,4-D threaten human health, kill essential pollinators, contaminate water, and ultimately threaten the key ingredients and agricultural systems needed for beer production.   

In the U.S., beer is the #1 alcoholic beverage, with the typical American age 21 or older drinking an average of 26.5 gallons per year. While brands often advertise the purity of their ingredients, reports of significant pesticide levels in beer undermine those claims. And although several companies have sustainability goals, they do not explicitly include pesticide reduction targets.  

Emma Kriss, Food Campaigns Manager at Green America, said: “We love beer, and we need to take steps now to save it so that Americans can continue enjoying it for generations to come. Our goal is to help brewers implement integrated pest management systems, and ultimately regenerative organic practices that avoid using toxic pesticides like glyphosate and 2,4-D.” 

Clariss Mancebo, Policy Associate at Re:wild Your Campus, said: "Consumers should be able to trust major beer companies like Anheuser-Busch when they make sustainability pledges, but as we see time and time again these are narrow and often hypocritical pledges that tend to overlook the health of their consumers, their farmworkers, and the environment." 

Jay Feldman, Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides, said: “It is critical that corporations play a leadership role in requiring practices in the production of their agricultural ingredients that eliminate petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, which contribute to adverse health effects, biodiversity decline, and climate change. With tremendous advances in organic hops and barley production, the beer industry should be at the forefront of ecologically responsible organic farming, that also protects workers in these labor-intensive crops.”  

Pesticide use in agriculture has exploded in recent years, with more than 800 million pounds of pesticides used annually in the U.S. Since the 1990s, pesticide use has become 48x more toxic to essential pollinators like bees. There also have been devastating impacts on soil health and ecosystem health across agricultural supply chains. 

A 2024 case study on just four U.S. food crops — soy, corn, apples, and almonds — identified a $219 billion risk for the U.S. food retail sector in financial, climate, and biodiversity costs between now and 2050 from the use of pesticides.  

New scientific research has also linked pesticides to health impacts like kidney disease and cancer. In 2024, Bayer, which produces the herbicide Roundup, was ordered to pay $2.25 billion to a man who developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma from exposure to Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate. 

Policymakers and several food and beverage companies are increasingly moving to phase out harmful pesticide use. Several states have taken action to restrict neonicotinoid pesticides, adopting more restrictive measures than the EPA.  Leading food retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Giant Eagle have all established pollinator health policies aimed at reducing pesticides in their supply chains. 

The campaign is calling on Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors, Constellation Brands, Heineken USA, Pabst Brewing Company, and Diageo to: 

• Make a time-bound commitment to eliminate harmful pesticides from your supply chains, starting with barley and hops 

• Work with suppliers to implement integrated pest management and organic farming practices 

• Ensure complete supply chain transparency by publicly disclosing pesticide policies and progress 

• Support farmers and farmworkers in transitioning to regenerative, organic agriculture practices 

• Collaborate with environmental organizations and prioritize science-based approaches 

• Fund substantial assistance for suppliers adopting pesticide-free farming methods  

• Use third party-verified measurement and verification to demonstrate commitment to a healthy and high-quality product 

Addressing pesticide use requires a holistic approach. Consumers are asking these companies to implement these recommendations comprehensively, demonstrating genuine commitment to eliminating toxic pesticides from their operations and to protecting the health of farmers, farmworkers, consumers, and ecosystems. 

Consumers who want to learn more about the campaign to Save Beer! or to sign the petition can go to: https://action.greenamerica.org/page/89737/action/1   

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MEDIA CONTACT: Max Karlin for Green America, (703) 276-3255 or mkarlin@hastingsgroupmedia.com. 

ABOUT  

Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power, and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today’s social and environmental problems. http://www.GreenAmerica.org    

Leading Health Supplement Brand Supports Farmers in Advancing Soil Health

WASHINGTON, DC — November 5, 2025 — Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI) proudly announces its expanded partnership with True Grace, a Wisconsin-based, women-founded health supplement brand dedicated to regenerative agriculture and nutrient-dense wellness. As one of the first SCI Regenerative Partners, True Grace will directly sponsor the Regenerative Transition Program to support its network of over 165 farms and 350,000+ acres of land in  the transition to regenerative agricultural practices.

Through its support of SCI’s Regenerative Transition Program, True Grace is helping to provide farmers with a holistic package of technical assistance, agronomic expertise, outcomes testing, peer-to-peer learning, and a clear framework for measuring regenerative progress. This model helps build the trust, tools, and connections needed to shift our food system to a more thriving, sustainable, and nutritious future.

True Grace’s roots in regeneration run deep. Even before the company’s founding in 2020, its executive leadership team was actively engaged in advancing SCI’s mission. Kristie Hall, Founder and President of True Grace, alongside Brian Hall, CEO, and Sara Newmark, COO, helped catalyze the initiative from its earliest days, with both leadership and seed funding provided through Kristie’s family foundation. Their shared commitment to soil health and climate solutions is what ultimately brought them together to build True Grace—a brand designed from the ground up to embed regenerative agriculture into its products, partnerships, and purpose. In 2023, True Grace introduced the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) microgreens powder, underscoring its commitment to advancing both human and planetary health.

“From the beginning, our vision for True Grace has been to link human health directly to the health of the soil. Partnering with SCI allows us to expand that vision beyond our products to directly support farmers as they adopt regenerative practices. It’s about creating a healthier future for our families, our communities, and our planet,” said Kristie Hall.

In addition to this partnership, True Grace is working with SCI to assess the land impact of its supply chain using SCI’s Acre Footprint Calculator, a proprietary tool that quantifies the acreage needed to grow a brand’s products. This analysis will provide powerful insights to guide True Grace’s regenerative sourcing strategy and opportunities to spur innovation in its supply chain.

“At True Grace, we believe transparency and accountability are critical to building trust with consumers. SCI’s Acre Footprint Calculator gives us a powerful way to measure the land impact of our supply chain and ensure our sourcing is truly regenerative. By investing in data-driven insights and farmer partnerships, we can scale a model that regenerates both the earth and the body,” said Sara Newmark.

“True Grace is exactly the kind of brand we built the SCI program for,” said Adam Kotin, Managing Director of SCI. “They’re combining purpose with accountability, giving farmers the tools they need while investing in the insights needed to scale regenerative agriculture and support lasting, meaningful change.”

Regenerative agriculture is emerging as one of the most powerful levers for climate resilience, soil health, and human nutrition. By partnering with SCI, True Grace is offering a real-world model for how companies can invest in both farmers and data-driven impact, supporting regenerative transitions while measuring and communicating their role in stewarding the land.

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ABOUT

True Grace was born out of a passion to improve the health and well-being of future generations. Education inspires change, and change begins with awareness. We believe that a small group of like-minded individuals can have a major impact on our food supply chain, improving the health of our soil, food, people, and ultimately, our planet.
True Grace provides nutrient-dense products to combat nutrient deficiencies in our soil, communities, and selves. The brand supports regenerative agriculture and is revolutionizing traditional supplements by focusing on nutrient density and sustainable practices that regenerate the earth and the body. True Grace currently offers a One Daily Probiotic, One Daily Women’s Probiotic, One Daily Women’s Multivitamin, One Daily Women’s Multivitamin 40+, One Daily Men’s Multivitamin, and Highly Concentrated Omega-3 Fish Oil. www.truegracehealth.com

Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI) is a nonprofit originally launched in 2018 (formerly the Soil Carbon Initiative) in collaboration with farms, companies, NGOs, and soil scientists. Its mission is to accelerate the transition of agricultural acres under regenerative management by supporting and engaging every link in the supply chain. SCI offers a holistic suite of regenerative transition services, such as farm planning and agronomic support, soil testing, supply chain engagement, reporting, and third-party verification. These efforts help drive measurable improvements in soil health outcomes, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water quality, climate resilience, food security, farm profitability, and the overall well-being of rural communities. www.soilclimateinitiative.org

Soil & Climate Alliance is a collaborative network of farmers, food companies, researchers, and mission-driven organizations working to accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture. Through cross-sector partnerships, events, and market-based strategies, SCA aligns the entire food system around soil health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing. The Alliance helps scale solutions that strengthen farm viability, improve food quality, and advance equity and regeneration from the ground up. www.soilclimatealliance.org Nutrient Density Initiative (formerly Nutrient Density Alliance) connects the dots between soil health and human health by advancing science, transparency, and collaboration across the food system. NDI works with farmers, brands, researchers, and health professionals to expand nutrient density testing, interpret data, and communicate the value of regenerative practices to consumers. Together, these efforts are transforming how we understand, measure, and deliver nutrition from the soil to the table. www.nutrient-density.org

Together, Soil & Climate Initiative, Soil & Climate Alliance, and Nutrient Density Initiative form an ecosystem of regenerative agriculture programs working collaboratively to scale soil health, climate resilience, and nutrition from the ground up.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Max Karlin, (703) 276-3255 or mkarlin@hastingsgroupmedia.com

It might sound harder and more annoying then it is, but switching your bank is straightforward and one of the most effective ways to take a stand for climate justice.

In a single decade, when the Paris Agreement was first unveiled in 2015, the world's 60 largest banks, like Wells Fargo and PNC, committed $6.9 trillion to the fossil fuel industry. Projects in this industry include fracking on national parks to pipelines with over 400 water violations.

The money anyone puts in a bank doesn't just sit there, the bank uses it for financing loans—for whatever projects they want. While US Bank and Goldman Sachs disproportionately fund fossil fuel projects, other banks like community development banks and credit unions prioritize community projects: mortgages, small businesses, public works, and more.

This is exactly what Laurie Kay, a longtime Green American, was looking for when she switched banks.

Below, Kay discusses how she switched and what she's already learned in # years.

Anya Crittenton: When did you realized you wanted to switch your bank?

Laurie Kay: It was around the time a story came out in the Green American Magazine about two banks making loans that were not only free of fossil fuel investments, but important for people like me who want to get loans for clean energy products and people who have been regularly overlooked by "big banks." The banks were Clean Energy Credit Union and Self-Helf Federal Credit Union, and I switched that year in 2023.

It was important to find a bank that would be helpful to friends and neighbors.

Crittenton: How soon did you begin the process to switch banks?

Kay: Immediately. Once I found those banks, I started transferring money and feeling a lot better about my money working for good causes.

Crittenton: Did you look into any other banks as possibilities for switching?

Kay: Those first two were easy, but I've recently needed another so I went to Get a Better Bank and began going through options. I had three different criteria I was looking at. First, it had to be a credit union. Then I looked at the types of certification the institution had. Finally, I compared CD rates. Though I had no preference about an online only or brick and mortar bank, I ended up settling on Rize Credit Union this year, which has offices in my area.

Crittenton: What made you settle on Rize?

Kay: They met my criteria, with especially excellent rates. Also, my area was impacted by a big fire and it was important to find a bank that would be helpful to friends and neighbors in need of loans. I'm also really proud of them for helping foster kids as they get older by opening an account with them to set them on their way to becoming financially secure.  

Crittenton: What was the process of switching banks like for you?

Kay: Each of the three credit unions I mentioned were easy to open accounts and transfer money into. I opened the accounts online and had wonderful staff that guided me through. I basically opened an account, then transferred a small amount from my checking account, and then started opening CDs as funds became available. I have one last IRA CD maturing shortly and will celebrate when it's out of my old fossil-fuel supporting bank, woohoo!

Crittenton: Did you tell your former bank why you closed your account?

Kay: I didn't tell my former bank why I was moving my money out. They didn't ask. And, honestly, the people there were very friendly and I totally get that they are just trying to make a living. 

Crittenton: Have you talked to your family and friends about switching banks?

Kay: Not a lot yet, but they know I'm happy and if anyone asked about my banking choices, I'll gladly share as much as they want to hear. I've given my friends copies of the Green American Magazine and maybe they'll want to jump on board.

Crittenton: What have you learned through this process and since you first transferred banks two years ago?

Kay: I was clueless about how banks actually make their money, so I'm ever so grateful to Green America for educating me on the subject! It's one thing when you don't know, but when you do, the little effort to make the switch to good banks that help the community and the planet is well worth it!

Crittenton: What excites you most about what's next?

Kay: Knowing my money is helping real people, the planet, and me! I read the annual board meeting statements eagerly, something I never did before, and have attended board meetings on Zoom. It's interesting and encouraging hearing from professionals that are not pulling the wool over people's eyes as to how their money is being used. 

Anyone can switch their bank—and it's easier thank you think. Find your new bank or credit union from hundreds of options at Get a Better Bank now.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming our world at lightning speed, and using energy just as fast. The current costs to our climate and communities are unsustainable and unacceptable.

AI is using energy at unprecedented rates. AI's massive energy appetite, mostly for its data centers, could either accelerate the climate crisis and pollute our planet OR supercharge our renewable energy future, where communities have a real voice in how and where AI facilities are built.  

Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are breaking their promise to use 100% renewable energy while spending billions of dollars on AI and accelerating both our climate and energy crises.  

There’s a lot at stake, especially for the communities where these data centers and power stations are being proposed or turned back on, but it can be difficult to cut through the noise and misinformation. Here are some common questions and misperceptions:

What can I do?

There is really great work being done by local organizers around the country who are feeling immediately and directly the effects of data centers, or who are mobilizing to block data centers, knowing their community will be negatively impacted if they are built. If an AI data center is planned for your community, you can fight back using this guide from Kairos Fellowship.

To support those local efforts, join Green America in calling on Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft to protect communities nationwide and honor their climate promises. Every time you call for renewable-powered AI, you're helping write the next chapter of both technology and climate progress.

We have a great track record in driving the renewable energy future by getting Amazon and the telecoms to make historic corporate purchases of solar and wind.  Now we need to do the same for AI.  Amazon, Meta, Google (Alphabet), and Microsoft.  They have all made massive renewable energy purchases in the past, with public pressure, they will do so again. 

If tech giants insist on pushing AI forward, let's make sure we direct that energy toward the just and sustainable future we all deserve. 

TAKE ACTION NOW

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Green America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination regarding: actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health disorders), age (18 years of age or older), marital status (including domestic partnership and parenthood), personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, citizenship status, credit information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic is included as a form of discrimination and is strictly prohibited.

How to add socially and environmentally responsible funds to a workplace retirement plan - 2022 version