Climate Victory Garden Campaign Giveaway 2022 

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS INTENDED FOR PLAY IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY AND WILL BE GOVERNED BY U.S. LAW.  DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE (AS DESCRIBED BELOW) AND LOCATED IN ONE OF THESE COUNTRIES AT THE TIME OF ENTRY.   

1.  Eligibility: Climate Victory Garden Campaign Giveaway 2022 (the “Sweepstakes”) is only open to: legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry, and who have not previously added a garden to Green America’s Climate Victory Garden.  Employees, contractors, directors, officers, and agents of Green America (“Sponsor”), and its affiliates, subsidiaries, and related entities and members of the immediate family (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where the reside) and household of each such employee (whether or not related) are not eligible to enter or win.  

This Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.  Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes.  Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

2. Sponsor: Green America, 1612 K Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington DC 20006

3.  Sweepstakes Entry Period:  The Sweepstakes begins on November 30, 2022 at 12:00pm EST and ends on December 7, 2022 EST at 11:59pm (the “Sweepstakes Entry Period”). All entries must be received before the Sweepstakes Entry Period end time/date to be valid.  

4. How to Enter:  During the Sweepstakes Entry Period, enter the Sweepstakes by: 

(i) Create a comment on Green America’s Post about the giveaway tagging three of your friends and then click on the Post’s hyperlink which will direct you to Sponsor’s Climate Victory Gardens website; and 

(ii) click on “Add Your Garden” and provide all required details about you and your garden and click “Send” to submit your garden, and then take a screen shot or photo of the confirmation page and send the photo to the Sponsor via a direct message to receive one (1) entry into the Sweepstakes.  

All entry steps must be completed during the Sweepstakes Entry Period to be valid. All added gardens must be real and actual gardens and must be owned by the entrant unless the entrant has prior permission from the garden owner to submit/add such garden. If it is determined that an entrant made up a garden or that such garden has already been added, such entrant will be disqualified, all as determined in Sponsor’s sole discretion.  Entrant must perform ALL entry steps including without limitation, including all garden details as required, and comply with any applicable restrictions or requirements set forth herein to be valid. Entrants must agree to these Official Rules to receive an entry into the Sweepstakes. Limit: One (1) entry per person into the Sweepstakes during the Sweepstakes Entry Period, regardless of how many gardens are added and which social media platform is used to enter the Sweepstakes. You must have a personal relationship with any person that you tag in the Sweepstakes Post.

You must have an Instagram or Facebook account to enter this Sweepstakes. If you do not have an Instagram or Facebook account, you can create one for free by visiting Instagram.com or Facebook.com.  By creating an account, you agree to such social media platform’s terms and conditions and guidelines. Your Instagram or Facebook account must be set to public in order for Sponsor to connect with potential winners; if your account is not public, you will not receive entry into the Sweepstakes.

Individuals who do not follow all of the instructions, provide the required information, and/or abide by these Official Rules or other instructions of Sponsor may be disqualified. Other entry methods than those outlined above are void and will not receive entry.

Automated entries are prohibited and any such use will cause disqualification.  Entrants may not enter with multiple email addresses/Instagram or Facebook accounts nor may entrants use any other device or artifice to enter multiple times or as multiple entrants.  If it is discovered that you have entered or attempted to enter the Sweepstakes multiple times using multiple identities, Instagram accounts, Facebook accounts, or email addresses, or that you submitted or attempted to submit more than the entry limit provided, all of your entries will be declared null and void, and any prize you might have been entitled to will not be awarded.  Presence of an garden on the Sponsor’s website is not a confirmation, representation, or warranty by the Sponsor or any of its representatives that the entry is compliant with these Official Rules.  Sponsor’s decisions with respect to whether an entry complies with these Official Rules are final and binding and may be made by Sponsor at any time.  

5. Grand Prize Drawing:  On December 8, 2022, Sponsor will randomly select one (1) winner from among all eligible entries received during the Sweepstakes Entry Period.  Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received. 

Potential prize winner must have a public Instagram/Facebook profile and will be notified on December 8, 2022 via a direct message at the Instagram account or Facebook account used to enter the Sweepstakes.  Potential winner must respond to such message within 3 business days of it being sent and must provide a valid email address in their response. Sponsor will then email the potential winner with prize instructions, which email potential winner must respond to in three business days.   Potential winners must meet all eligibility requirements, including timely replying to the notification and response email and execution and return of all releases and documents (if any) required by Sponsor, within the timeline allotted. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth in these Official Rules. Limit one prize per person/Instagram/Facebook account. 

Potential winners will be disqualified, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate potential winner may be selected if (all as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion): (i) any prize notification is returned as undeliverable; (ii) a potential winner declines his or her prize or any portion thereof; (iii) a potential winner is found not to be eligible or fails to comply with any of the Official Rules; (iv) a potential winner does not respond to direct message notification or the email within the timeframe provided; and/or (v) a winner cannot be verified or is otherwise unable or unwilling to accept and claim the prize as stated.  Sponsor is not responsible for any change or issue with any email address, mailing address, Instagram or Facebook account, and/or telephone number of entrants.  The decisions of Sponsor in all matters regarding this Sponsor are final and binding.

Winner may be required to complete, sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release, and, where lawful, a Publicity Release, within the timeframe set forth in the document or prize may be forfeited.  Prizes won by an eligible entrant who is a minor in his/her state or province of residence will be awarded to minor’s parent or  legal guardian, who must sign and return all required documents.  

6. Prize (1): One winner will receive a $250 gift card to [insert as I know we were finalizing this], which may be used toward gardening supplies of winner’s choice.  Approximate retail value (“ARV”) of prize: $250 USD. Prize is non-transferable and no cash equivalent or substitution of prize is offered, except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor.  If prize, or any portion thereof, cannot be awarded for any reason, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize with another prize of equal or greater value.  Prize winner will be solely responsible for all federal, state, provincial and/or local taxes, and for any other fees or costs associated with the prizes they receive, regardless of whether it, in whole or in part, is used.  Gift cards are subject to the terms, conditions, and restrictions as set forth by issuer.  Any total amount exceeding the gift card amount shall be winner’s sole responsibility. 

7. Release: As a condition of entering, entrants (or their parent or legal guardian if an eligible minor) agree (and agree to confirm in writing): (a) to release Sponsor, its affiliates, subsidiaries, retailers, and agents, and each of their officers, directors, employees and agents, Meta, and Instagram LLC (“Promotion Parties”), from any and all liability, loss or damage incurred with respect to the awarding, receipt, possession, and/or use or misuse of any prize; (b) under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby knowingly and expressly waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential, or any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses and/or any rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased; (c) all causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and (d) any and all claims, judgments, and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred (if any), excluding attorneys’ fees and court costs.  

8. Publicity: Except where prohibited by law, winner grants (and agrees to confirm this grant in writing, if requested) permission for Sponsor and those acting under its authority to use his/her name, photograph, and/or likeness, for advertising and/or publicity purposes in any and all media now known or hereinafter invented without territorial or time limitations and without compensation.

9. General Conditions: Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, undelivered, incorrect, or inaccurate entry information whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of the entries.  Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Sweepstakes, or any part of it, if any fraud, bugs, virus, technical failures, or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Sweepstakes, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  In the event of cancellation, Sponsor will randomly award the prizes from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to cancellation.  Sponsor is not responsible for computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures or delays in computer transmissions, the website, or network connections that are human or technical in nature.  Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process, the website, or the operation of the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

10. Governing Law & Jurisdiction:  Except where prohibited by law, entrants agree that: (i) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Sweepstakes or any prize awarded will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action and exclusively by the appropriate court located in Washington, District of Columbia; (ii) any and all claims, judgments, and awards to entrants will be limited to actual out of pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Sweepstakes, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (iii) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental and consequential damages, and any other damages other than for actual out of pocket expense and any and all rights to have damages multiplies or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules or entrants’ and/or Promotion Parties’ rights and obligations in connection with the Sweepstakes are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, District of Columbia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules.

B. In the event of any conflict with any Sweepstakes details contained in these Official Rules and Sweepstakes details contained in Sweepstakes materials (including, but not limited to social media advertising and other promotion media), the details of the Sweepstakes as set forth in these Official Rules shall prevail.

12. Entrant's Personal Information:  Please see the privacy policy located at https://www.greenamerica.org/privacy-and-policy for details of Sponsor's policy regarding the use of personal information collected in connection with this Sweepstakes. If you are selected as a winner, your information may also be included in a publicly-available winner’s list.

13. Winner’s List: For a list of winners, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: 1612 K Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006.  Please specify “CVG Winners List.”  Requests must be received by January 8, 2023.

This Sweepstakes is no way endorsed or sponsored by Instagram or Facebook (or by Meta Platforms, Inc.).  All questions should be directed to the Sponsor and not to Instagram or Meta.

Coming soon.

Since the pandemic, online retail sales have increased significantly. Fast, cheap, and trendy fashion has progressively become more popular too.  

One online retailer has caught a lot of consumers' attention: Shein. A simple search on TikTok shows that the hashtag “#shein” has 10.4 billion views.  But what attracts consumers to Shein? The prices. Shein sells items like $5 dresses and $10 coats and is one of the cheapest online retailers. Yet, despite the low price of trendy styles, comes at a price: Shein is accused of harming the environment, exploiting workers, and poisoning its consumers with toxic chemicals.  

What is Fast Fashion?   

Fast fashion is a relatively new concept in the industry that causes harm to the planet and exploits workers. Fast fashion delivers the newest trends and styles to consumers as quickly as possible. The fashion industry is the 2nd largest polluting industry in the world and fast fashion is making the problem worse.  

Shein is one of the fastest growing fast fashion companies and is producing 700-1000 new products daily. Shein pushes out designs much faster than any other retailer and the company's business model is raising red flags around its impact on workers, consumers, and the environment.

"While fast fashion places like H&M and Zara introduce new pieces by tracking trends and going through a 3-week process to come out with new designs, Shein is able to use real-time data to cut this process to 5–7 days."

Is Shein Selling Toxic Chemicals and Labor Abuses? 

Shein’s products have been tested for toxic chemicals and metals and found to contain phthalates, PFAS, and lead - all of which can harm human health and the environment. 

There is no evidence that Shein is taking any action to protect consumers or workers from toxic substances. Shein received the lowest rating on Green America's Toxic Textiles scorecard for the company’s failure to adopt a (Restricted Substances List (RSL) to protect consumers, a Manufacturer’s Restricted Substances List (MRSL) to protect workers, or a commitment to eliminate any class of toxic chemicals.  

Recently, Health Canada recalled a children's jacket sold by Shein that contains nearly 20 times the amount of allowable lead in children's products. Researcher Miriam Diamond (an environmental chemist) describes the jacket as “evil.”  Miriam Diamond was right; the jacket is very evil. Not just evil to the consumers but to the workers. Imagine the workers for Shein who are exposed to higher levels of chemicals and other harmful substances than the average customer and what that long-term exposure is doing to their health.  

Lead exposure over time can negatively impact your body and overall health. Exposure to high levels of lead can cause:   

• Anemia  
• Weakness   
• Brain damage   
• Abdominal pain   
• Forgetfulness   
• Nausea 

"I know it looks cute, but this is actually evil. The levels of lead in this trench coat are 20 times higher than the allowable limit for kids' jewelry. The allowable limit was put in place to safeguard kids' health," she told the crew on location in her laboratory in September." - MD  

The jacket is not the only case of Shein selling dangerous products. A woman’s story recently went viral after purchasing nail products from Shein and having to go to the emergency room. Sara Holcomb, a comedian in Chicago, Illinois alleges that the product caused numbness that spread from her hand to her elbow. Her most recent video described how doctors told her she had chemical poisoning, and she notes that “Shein needs to be held accountable.” She is correct.  

Shein is also accused of putting its workers at risk and creating horrible labor conditions. A recent undercover report by the U.K.’s Channel 4 found workers were working 18-hour days for very low pay, with only one day off per month, and were penalized 2/3 of their daily pay if they made a mistake on one item.  

Shein's global head of ESG, Adam Whinston, recently spoke at a sustainability summit touting the company’s business model as “transformative”. However, the company seems to do little to address the concerns of high levels of toxic chemicals found in its products that affect workers and consumers alike, nor addressing poor labor conditions overall.   

What You Can Do 

Skip toxic fast fashion, and instead check out:  

• 7 tips for less toxic clothing  
• Secondhand clothing options 
• Certified clothing companies in our Green Business Network 

Green America recommends that consumers avoid Shein’s products and purchase used clothing to save money, resources, and our health instead of fast fashion.   

And tell people you know – friends and family – about the harm caused by fast fashion companies like Shein and encourage them to seek out green alternatives as well. 

The Soil Carbon Initiative allows Banza to scale acres of chickpeas through regenerative management to mitigate climate change and soil erosion

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Banza, the maker of chickpea-based comfort foods, today announced its participation in the Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI), a new program from the nonprofit Green America. Dedicated to the regenerative agriculture transition, SCI incentivizes farmers to improve soil health, biodiversity, climate resiliency, and farm economics. SCI and Banza will work together to quantify the impact chickpeas can have on soil health.

Soil is the foundation of 95% of our food system. Climate change and intensive agriculture have put soil health at risk. Chickpeas, and more generally legumes, play a unique role in restoring soil health. They are one of the only crops able to capture nitrogen from the air and convert it to a usable form in the soil. To be a part of the solution, Banza is committed to transitioning chickpea acres to regenerative practices.

"Our mission is to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans. Beans are nutrient-dense foods that play a key role in restoring soil health, yet 80% of the U.S population isn't eating the USDA recommended amount," said Brian Rudolph, CEO and co-founder of Banza. "We are eager to understand how planting more chickpeas can influence soil health. Our partnership with SCI is an important first step."

"Green America is thrilled to welcome Banza to the Soil Carbon Initiative, the country's first third-party, independently verified, regenerative agriculture program open to any farmer, in any production system," said Alisa Gravitz, CEO of Green America. "We recognize Banza for its commitment to help rebuild soil health, restore the climate and contribute to farm and rural community prosperity. Banza's strategy for using chickpeas, in rotation with other crops, to unlock soil health and improve nutrition for families across the country is truly game-changing."

Banza is dedicated to educating consumers on the positive impact chickpeas can have on their health and the planet in the long-term. To learn more about the initiative, visit soilclimateinitiative.org.

About Banza

Banza makes comfort foods out of chickpeas, including pasta, pizza, rice, and mac & cheese. Since 2014, Banza has been on a mission to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans because of their positive impact on human and environmental health. Today, Banza's chickpea products are available in nearly 21,000 stores nationwide, and it is the fastest-growing pasta brand in the country. For more information about Banza, please visit www.eatbanza.com.

About Soil Carbon Initiative/Green America

Designed with input from over 150 food system stakeholders – from farmers to global food companies to soil and climate scientists – the Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI) is a commitment and verification program for soil and climate health. SCI was created with broad supply chain support in order to be scientifically rigorous yet practical and accessible for all farms and businesses. In March 2022, SCI launched its Go-To-Market Pilots, which are currently underway with a cohort of farmers and companies. SCI is an initiative of Green America, a DC-based nonprofit founded in 1982 with the mission to harness economic power to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

SOURCE Banza

At Halloween, we want our costumes to be scary, not our chocolate. But underneath the wrappers of many chocolate bars is cocoa coming from pods doused in pesticides. That is bad for us and even worse for the people who grow cocoa. 

Large chocolate companies do not want you to know what goes into making cocoa. That is why Green America has been providing consumers with an annual Chocolate Scorecard for almost 10 years. It is an effective tool for civil society organizations to hold chocolate companies accountable for their supply chain management and sustainability goals. And it gives consumers an ethical guide when navigating an opaque shopping experience. We want to help all those chocoholics out there to choose ethical chocolate more easily!  

See the full scorecard with 30+ companies

For the first time this year, the chocolate scorecard included a new category: Agrichemical Management.  

There are many reasons why.  

Agrichemicals in Chocolate 

Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, where over two-thirds of the world’s cocoa come from, have seen a steady rise in pesticide use, as have other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia. This trend is not surprising, since low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) with weak regulations are often treated as a lucrative market for unscrupulous exporters of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs). At this rate, agrichemicals in chocolate are common, and spreading fast.  

Banned or unapproved pesticides are regularly exported from high-income to LMIC, in particular Africa and Central America. The United States, the second largest exporter of pesticides, legally permits U.S. companies to export pesticides that are not even approved or registered-for-use in the U.S. under the 1947 statue, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).  

In Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire where tens and thousands of small-scale cocoa farming households continue to make around $1 per day per person (well below the poverty line of $2.15 USD), many farmers are incentivized to use pesticides without proper information or personal protective equipment (PPE). Impoverished farmers are often desperate for higher yields and pesticides create that in the short term, since cocoa is highly vulnerable to pests and diseases when cultivated as a monocrop.  

Effects of Pesticides on Women and Children 

To make matters worse, poverty and the lack of access to public education have driven many farming households to rely on child labor. A 2020 report found that over 1.5 million children engage in cocoa production in West Africa. According to the same study, children have been exposed to agrichemicals at an increasing trend from 5% in 2008 to 24% in 2019. Children handle hazardous pesticides and other agrichemicals when they engage in spraying, transporting, storing, mixing, and cleaning machines used for dispensing pesticides. Children and pregnant women are particularly susceptible to harm from pesticide exposure. Those who handle pesticides, as well as those in the surrounding community, can suffer from acute poisoning to serious chronic health issues. In fact, many chemicals used on cocoa farms around the world are not even allowed for use in the United States or EU countries because they pose alarming and well-documented health risks. In addition, pesticides often pollute soil and water, further harming human health. Many farmers rely on streams or wells for washing and drinking water that have been contaminated. Few have access to piped-in and treated water.  

Dangers of Pesticides to Our Planet 

The vicious cycle of pesticide use is not costless to consumers thousands of miles away. The global trend of agrichemical use in cocoa is contributing to: 

• Pollinator collapse and risk of extinction 
• Catastrophic biodiversity collapse 
• Toxic pollution of soil and water 
• Microplastics that persist in the environment and in our bodies, according to a recent report exposing deliberate use of microplastics in synthetic pesticides and fertilizers  

Standing Up Against Toxic Pesticides in Chocolate 

Green America and its allies are calling on the chocolate industry to address the use of toxic pesticides in cocoa production. Industry needs to get serious about the problem, and foot the bill for a much needed and urgent reform. Chocolate is projected to be a 180 billion USD industry by 2025, thriving despite the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot ask impoverished cocoa farmers, many of whom experienced a decrease in their income during the pandemic, to shoulder the burden of transitioning from hazardous pesticides to sustainable and soil-nourishing practices. 

Recently, the German NGO INKOTA, and the VOICE Network, a global network of NGOs and trade unions working on sustainability in cocoa, co-hosted a webinar “Harmful Impacts, Little Action: Pesticides in Cocoa Production in West Africa” calling on a transition to safer pesticide alternatives.  

The groups behind the Chocolate Scorecard, including Green America, began asking major chocolate companies two years ago to transition away from highly hazardous pesticides, and to ensure the transition was farmer centric. This year the companies were ranked publicly for the first time.  

Here are some of the questions companies were asked and graded on: 

1. Does the company have lists of active substances that it monitors, prohibits, or restricts throughout its supply chain?  
2. In the last two years, have any active substances been added to or deleted from the company’s monitored, prohibited, or restricted list?  
3. How does the company support farmers to reduce chemical use?  
4. How does the company support farmers in adopting non-chemical alternatives to pesticides? 
5. What percentage of your volume is certified organic?  
6. How is the company ensuring that children and pregnant women are not exposed to pesticides?  

The scorecard found that many companies, including Mondelez and Lindt, need to do significant work to address pesticides. At the bottom of the pack, General Mills and Starbucks refused to share anything about what they are doing to address environmental and social harms of their cocoa, including pesticides. 

Check out the chocolate scorecard to see how the companies rank.  

Etelle Higonnet, leading activist in cocoa industry reforms, shared: “It is absolutely possible to do better cocoa – that is pesticide-free, that uses biochar and compost instead of fertilizers that are chemical, and that is good for forest, good for wildlife, good for human health.”  

Let us all commit to better cocoa.  

What You Can Do to Fight Pesticides in Your Chocolate 

As consumers we can drive change in the industry.  Consumer pressure has gotten some of the largest chocolate companies to take action. 

Take action today by: 

• Take Action: Tell the EPA to ban dangerous organophosphates
• Acting on social media: Send a message to major chocolate companies that they need to address farmer poverty, child labor and pesticide in their cocoa. 
• Buying from the heart: Purchase chocolates from companies that are leaders in protecting farmers, communities, and the environment. To eliminate pesticide from cocoa, the best you can buy is organic chocolate. Second best is to purchase chocolates that are certified by FairTrade or Rainforest Alliance. 
• Telling your friends: Message your friends and family on Halloween, share this blog with them, and let them know about how they can help treat – not trick – both people and planet! 

Farm work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the US, in part due to pesticide exposure, and women’s share of the farming workforce is increasing. According to the USDA, in 2009 women made up 18.6% of farmworkers but in 2018, women accounted for 25.5% of the workforce. Ongoing concerns about farmworkers' exposure to pesticides have been documented in the September 2022 Report “Exposed and At Risk”. 

The United States uses the second largest amount of pesticides out of all countries in the world; as of 2018, the US used over 400,000 tons of pesticides per year.

Farmworkers are exposed to higher amounts of pesticides than consumers, which in turn could lead to more negative health consequences – particularly for women farmworkers. Farmworkers can be exposed through handling pesticides, directly spraying the pesticides, coming in contact with pesticides residue while on the job, through pesticide drift, and pesticide residue can stay on clothing which can be carried into the home, risking the health of families as well.

What does pesticide exposure look like?

• In the short term, those exposed can experience: stinging eyes, rashes, blisters, blindness, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and even death.
• Over the long term, chronic effects can include: cancer, birth defects, reproductive harm, neurological and developmental toxicity, and endocrine disruption.

Pesticide impacts on women:

In the list above, you will notice that a few of those long-term effects impact reproductive health, which is one of the key reasons pesticide exposure can cause additional harm to women.

A study examining pesticide related illnesses and injuries in farmworkers from 1998 – 2007 found that women farmworkers were twice as likely to experience an illness or injury related to pesticide exposure than men. With women’s share of the farm work force growing, it is even more pressing that we greatly reduce the amount of pesticides used in agriculture and eliminate the use of all highly hazardous pesticides.

According to the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP), exposure to pesticides while pregnant can be particularly harmful; it could lead to miscarriages, premature births, and birth defects. Pesticide exposure can be even riskier in the first few weeks of pregnancy, potentially before a woman knows she is pregnant. AFOP recommends all women that are pregnant or trying to become pregnant take additional precautions and try to avoid pesticide exposure.

Pesticides add to the toxic chemical exposure all women face

An added risk to chemical exposure is how we interact with the world and what products we each come into contact with. Women tend to be exposed to more chemicals than men. Women still often carry out more of the household cleaning than men, resulting in women being exposed to more harsh cleaning chemicals.

Additionally, women tend to use more personal care products than men. The Environmental Working Group estimates women are exposed to 168 different chemical per day through personal care products; while men, on average, are exposed to 85 per day – this number does not factor in pesticide exposure or exposure to cleaning products. It is likely that the various toxic chemicals interact with each other to produce greater impacts, so when women are exposed to toxic chemicals in personal care products and then through work exposures, the risks are compounded.

Additionally, Women’s Voices for the Earth notes that some chemicals accumulate in fat, and women tend to have a higher body percentage of fat than men, which in some cases, leads to women having much higher levels of certain chemicals in their body. And, some chemicals build up in our bodies over time, so increased exposure in both the amount of a chemical and number of chemicals poses a unique threat to women.

Women should have equal access to all occupations and with that equal access, women should not face an additional burden of being exposed to harmful pesticides or other chemicals while working.

While pesticide exposure creates health risks for women, that is not to say that pesticide exposure is not harmful to men – in an ideal world, no one would be at risk of being exposed to chemicals that harm our health.

Regardless of your occupation, everyone has a right to a healthy and safe workplace. And employers must adapt their practices in order to respect that right. In the case of agriculture, there are alternative growing methods that use less or no pesticides, such as regenerative agriculture or organic farming.

When we think about the companies responsible for carbon emissions, we tend to focus on the Chevrons and ExxonMobils of the world. But virtually every company has a carbon footprint. And each can help solve our global problem.

“Small actions on a local level add up,” says Fran Teplitz, executive co-director of business, investing, and policy at the Washington, D.C.-based Green Business Network. “We’re big advocates of doing what you can, based on who you are and where you are.” This domino effect has the potential to build positive momentum across business sectors.

 
Pregnancy comes with precautions such as no heavy lifting, light exercise, getting plenty of rest, and avoiding air travel closer to one’s due date. There is another concern to add to the list: pesticides. 

According to the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs , being in contact with pesticides is harmful, especially during pregnancy. Pesticides not only affect the parent, but the unborn child as well. Pesticide exposure during pregnancy may lead to miscarriages, preterm births, low birth weight, birth defects, and learning problems in children. Researchers have also found that these impacts can cause long-lasting effects in children. 

Pesticide exposure is hard to study. It’s difficult to point to a single source, especially if the exposure is at low doses over the course of years. Recently, a group of scientists has made progress in understanding the impacts of pesticide exposure. The Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study is the longest-running longitudinal birth cohort study of pesticides and other environmental exposures among children in a farmworker community. 500 children have been examined since birth for 19 years. The health assessment is still ongoing and closely follows each child’s neurodevelopment and risk-taking behaviors, while the children are entering into their late teens and early adulthood.  

Findings of the study thus far include risks from the following pesticides: 

• Organophosphates: “shorter duration of pregnancy, poorer neonatal reflexes, lower IQ and poorer cognitive functioning in children, increased risk of attention problems in children” 
• DDT: poorer mental development in two-year-old children 
• PCBs: Altered maternal and neonatal thyroid levels  

 People Most Affected by Pesticides 

An important element is that the study largely followed low-income Latinx mothers and farmworkers' families. This is important to note because the communities that are mainly affected by pesticides are low-income Latinx families.  

Further complicating risks to pregnant farmworkers is the loss of reproductive rights in much of the US. Considering all the risks pregnancy entails and the high mortality rate of Black and brown mothers in the US, the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was an unprecedented reversal of the rights of people who can get pregnant and will harm people who are already marginalized in this country. This will cause a disadvantage to Black and Brown people, LGBTQIA+ people, Indigenous people, people living in poverty, immigrants, non-Christians, and people with disabilities. Since most farmworkers in the US are Latino/a without access to funds to pursue reproductive care out of state, we will likely see a rise in risky pregnancies, compounded by pesticide exposures, in farmworkers. 

Increased Autism Risk in Children Exposed to Pesticides  

Exposure to pesticides during pregnancy may also raise a child’s risk for developing autism. A study published in the BMJ by Von Ehrenstein eVon Ehrenstein et al. found it is possible that pregnant mothers living in areas with heavy pesticide spraying (including glyphosate (the main ingredient in RoundUp), chlorpyrifos, diazonon, malathion, avermectin, and permethrin) set them apart from those with little to no exposure. Babies exposed in their first year of life appear to be at higher risk of developing autism with accompanying intellectual disabilities. These findings should lead policymakers to create changes in pesticide regulations to better protect children. 

  Moms Fighting Back 

Moms living in areas with heavy pesticides are leading the way to impactful change, starting in California. The Guardian interviewed Fidelia Morales, a mother of five, who lives near citrus groves where chlorpyrifos use is common. She said pesticide exposure has hurt her family, especially her 11-year-old son. This exposure has not just affected the Morales family—many Central Valley residents traveled to the state capital and testified about the fear of the long-term impacts on their families.  

These actions  got  policymakers’ attention. In May 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom and CalEPA announced that they had listened to residents and that a ban was “needed to prevent the significant harm this pesticide causes children, farmworkers, and vulnerable communities”. The state phased our chlorpyrifos over the next two years. Community leaders and mothers noted this is “only the beginning- and they are just getting started.” And state action in California, Hawaii, and New York built momentum for the US EPA to issue a ban on the use of chlorpyrifos  in food products in 2022.    

The ban on chlorpyrifos in food crops is an important step forward, but many toxic pesticides remain in use throughout the United States.  

Green America supports the Precautionary Principle.  Pesticides should not be allowed unless they are proven to be safe. Instead of the status quo, pesticides are allowed until they are proven unsafe. Green America urges states and the Federal Government to follow the precautionary principle. 

What’s Next?  

Public awareness and mobilization. Increasing  public awareness and activism on pesticides will  lead policymakers to change policies about pest control and start looking for alternatives that are safe for human and environmental health. 

Here are 3 ways to help the cause:   

• Tell the EPA to ban dangerous organophosphates
• Buy more organic foods as your budget allows and when available 
• Ask farmers about regenerative agriculture with these helpful questions 
• Ask federal legislators to support the Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA) and the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARES) to protect child agricultural workers in the US overall.  

The Clean Electronics Production Network (CEPN) is seeking a communications / outreach contractor to support our work over the next few years. This is a part time (average of approximately 4 to 6 hours per week) ongoing opportunity.

CEPN is a multi-stakeholder, cross-industry collaboration that launched in 2015. The goal of the network is to move the electronics industry towards zero exposure to toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process. CEPN is an innovation network within Green America’s Center for Sustainability Solutions.

In August 2021, CEPN launched Toward Zero Exposure - a commitment program with leading electronics companies to protect workers from chemical hazards in the electronics supply chain. We are seeking to build awareness of this program and expand participation.

Areas of Support:

1. Outreach: Work with CEPN staff to grow the Toward Zero Exposure program participation by:
   • Supporting new participant outreach and recruitment
   • Identifying and supporting opportunities and events for outreach
   • Developing communication materials / collateral to explain and demonstrate the value of the program
2. Communications: Take responsibility for writing and editing:
   • CEPN’s quarterly newsletter, announcements, and other communications materials
   • Toward Zero Exposure annual report
3. Digital Engagement: Enhance the Toward Zero Exposure program's and CEPN’s online presence, and manage LinkedIn

Preferred Qualifications & Experience:

1. Excellent writing skills. A writing style that is compelling and clear. Ability to explain complex ideas in an easy-to-read style.
2. Excellent oral communication skills. Ability to talk confidently, honestly and strategically with a wide variety of global stakeholders including senior executives from electronics companies.
3. Experience, or demonstrated interest in, the mission and scope of CEPN.
4. Ability to learn quickly, synthesize a large amount of information and present it clearly, meet deadlines and to work calmly under pressure.
5. Ability to work independently as well as within a team environment.
6. Take responsibility for strategy, as well as moving a project from concept to completion.

If interested, please send a statement of qualifications including hourly rate and 3 to 5 relevant work samples to pbrody-heine@greenamerica.org and gleib@greenamerica.org.

_______

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.

Join a coalition of farmers, food companies, and businesses in support of a regenerative approach to healthier food for all Americans 

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 – Green America’s Soil & Climate Alliance, the Plant Based Foods Association, and the Plant Based Foods Institute along with a diverse coalition of farmers, food companies, and businesses, applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for hosting the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in more than 50 years. Consistent, equitable, and culturally appropriate access to healthy and affordable food is a cornerstone of our joint work across the food system and agriculture supply chain, and the inextricable link between soil health and human health cannot be ignored. 

This link has not been listed as a priority for discussion as we begin charting a meaningful path forward. Soil health has a profound influence on the nutrients that make it into our diet and onto our dinner plate. So we call on the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to address the link between soil health and nutrition as a key part of the solution for healthier food for all Americans.

"Our mission is to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans. Beans are nutrient-dense foods that play a key role in restoring soil health, yet 80% of the U.S isn’t eating enough of them,” said Brian Rudolph, CEO and co-founder, Banza. “Planting more crops like chickpeas will yield only positive outcomes for people and the planet.” 

As a coalition and a country, we must actively support the transition to an agricultural system that is diversified, regenerative, resilient, and adaptive. These agricultural practices have multiple benefits, including climate drawdown and resiliency benefits, soil conservation, water quality and conservation, biodiversity, domestic food security and economic prosperity for farmers and rural communities. 

"Providing high-quality, nutrient-dense plant-based foods for consumers is a top priority for Lupii," said Isabelle Steichen, co-founder and CEO of Lupii. "We know that the health of the ingredients we use starts at a soil level and being able to work on a domestic level with American farmers who prioritize regenerative farming practices allows us to deliver healthy plant-based foods that align with our values and the values of consumers."

New research¹ shows regenerative agriculture practices are proven to provide more nutrient dense food improving human health outcomes. The National Strategy must include support for regenerative agriculture practices and outcomes as part of its solutions to the challenges being addressed. Farmers are the backbone of our food system in the US, and they are working to regenerate soil and grow healthy food through regenerative practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage and inputs, and integrating livestock where appropriate. 

In parallel with the White House effort, we commit to: 

• Leveling up on regenerative practices within our farms and companies to deliver healthier food to consumers at a price they can afford.
• Working across the food system to enable food brands and companies the ability to improve their domestic sourcing through and encourage regenerative practices that promote biodiversity, nutrient dense food, and healthy soil.
• Building diversity into the supply chain with the structure necessary for BIPOC and underserved populations to engage with large-scale purchases of raw ingredients.
• Collaborating with the broader food space to ensure that the way food is being grown in the US contributes to the goals outlined by the White House.

About the Soil & Climate Alliance 

The Soil & Climate Alliance is a supply chain working group housed under Green America, the nation’s leading green economy organization. The mission of the Soil & Climate Alliance is to advance a resilient, equitable, and inclusive agriculture system that regenerates soil health, sequesters carbon, and revitalizes farm and rural economics, while improving water quality, biodiversity, food security, and nutrition. Our members are farmers, seed breeders, ingredient suppliers, traders, transporters, processors, retailers, brands and CPGs, investors, researchers, and farmer support organizations. Our Soil Carbon Initiative provides farmers and food companies with an outcomes-based, independent third-party verification program.

About the Plant Based Foods Association 

The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) is the only trade association in the U.S. representing over 320 of the nation’s leading plant-based food companies. PBFA’s mission is to champion, strengthen, and elevate our members and the plant-based food industry. PBFA empowers the industry by advocating for government policies that allow fair competition while expanding market opportunities for retail, distribution, and foodservice to support the continued growth of the plant-based foods industry. 

About the Plant Based Foods Institute

The Plant Based Foods Institute (PBFI), PBFA’s sister non-profit organization, is focused on driving plant-based food system transition through policy and business strategies. Driving this transition requires a holistic approach that recognizes the complexity of the challenges we face, builds bridges across sectors, and ensures businesses can thrive—and it requires solutions that work for a diverse coalition of food system participants. That’s why PBFI incubates, implements, and evaluates strategies that empower the broadscale change we need, through the power of plant-based.

This comment is supported by:

• Applied Ecological Institute
• Banza
• Bionutrient Food Association
• Lupii
• Non-GMO Project 
• Soil Carbon Initiative

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

¹ Montgomery DR, Biklé A, Archuleta R, Brown P, Jordan J. 2022. Soil health and nutrient density: preliminary comparison of regenerative and conventional farming. PeerJ 10:e12848 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12848

After pressure from Green America and allies to address the environmental impacts of its dairy, Starbucks has taken two important steps forward.

Starbucks has announced its Journey to Sustainable Dairy. The company is working with The Nature Conservancy to find ways to reduce the climate and water impacts of its dairy, while benefiting farmers. This is a new program, so it will take some time before its impacts can be evaluated.

Starbucks previously announced that they will be offering more plant-based milks, including almond, coconut, soy, and oat milks, as alternatives to conventional dairy products.

An environmental audit found that dairy was the main source of emissions in the company's supply chain, which prompted this change and the company's goal to reduce carbon emissions by half by 2030.

As one of the world's largest dairy purchasers on earth, the steps towards more sustainable cow's milk dairy and plant-based alternatives are a win for the climate, with plant-based milks having lower emissions than dairy products, as well as a boon for animal welfare. It remains to be seen how well Starbucks dairy commitment will support struggling small US dairy farms.

Starbucks made these announcements after years of Green America highlighting the company's industrial milk habit and its negative impacts on the planet, and campaigning for their switch to organic milk. Over 150,000 consumers took action with us in our "What the Starbucks" campaign asking the company to address it's enormous climate footprint from dairy milk.  

Room for Improvement: Green America Gives “D” Grades to McDonald's, 7-Eleven, Burger King, Claire's, Rite Aid, Safeway, Family Store, Panda Express and Wendy's.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – SEPTEMBER 7, 2022 – Green America released a new update to its Skip the Slip report on the impacts of paper receipts on forests and climate change, as well as how the chemicals used on receipt paper affect consumer and employee health. The report also features a scorecard that grades 33 major U.S. companies on their progress to address the waste and health risks associated with paper receipts. 

A major finding of the report is the progress CVS is making to address the impacts of its receipts. In 2017, Green America began urging CVS to address its wasteful, phenol-coated (BPA or BPS) paper receipts. The campaign led to a dialogue between Green America and CVS on alternatives. As a first step, the company implemented BPS-free paper in all 10,000 stores and increased promotion of its digital receipt option to ExtraCare Card members, and 7.3 million customers have signed up. In 2019, an estimated 58 million receipts were sent digitally, saving 48 million yards of receipt paper - more than enough paper to circle the globe. In 2020, total paper savings rose to 90 million yards – enough to circle the globe twice.

In April 2022, CVS added a new receipt prompt at cash registers so all customers could choose a printed receipt, digital receipt or no receipt. As of July, the receipt prompt saved over 87 million yards of receipt paper. CVS also reports phasing out print circulars in 2/3 of its markets, resulting in a 70% reduction of paper use, and shortened the length of its receipts. 

The Skip the Slip scorecard graded companies on their current progress, including whether they offer digital receipts or receipt paper free of BPA and BPS. 

“Since launching the Skip the Slip Campaign, the negative effects those little paper receipts have on customers, employees, communities, and the environment is now recognized by businesses big and small,”said Green America’s Climate Campaigns Director Dan Howells. “It is great that CVS, the largest drugstore chain in the US, has taken note and is substantially reducing the amount of paper receipts issued and ended the practice of issuing receipts coated in toxic chemicals.”

"Receipts may be small but their effect on our health and the environment is significant and solutions are readily available," said Joshua Martin, Director of the Environmental Paper Network-North America. "Retailers who are sustainability and public health leaders simply must eliminate the toxic coatings from their receipts that make them harmful to public health and unrecyclable, and avoid the wasteful and unnecessary use of forest resources by offering and encouraging digital and no-receipt options."

The updated Skip the Slip report details how consumption of thermal paper for receipts increased in the United States and worldwide prior to COVID-19, but decreased in 2020 due to the pandemic. Now that the pandemic’s impact on in-person shopping has lessened, consumption of receipt paper is increasing and projected to continue increasing.  

Every year in the United States, receipt use consumes 3.6 million trees and over 10 billion gallons of water.Production and disposal of receipt paper generates unnecessary waste and emits the carbon equivalent of over 471,000 cars on the road. Receipts also pose health risks to people who are regularly in contact with them. 

An estimated 93% of paper receipts are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS), endocrine-disruptors which serve as color-developers to make the text appear on receipts. The chemical coating is absorbed through the skin and is linked to fetal development issues, reproductive impairment, type 2 diabetes, thyroid conditions, and other health concerns.

In 2021, Green America surveyed Americans on receipt preferences and found that 86% of respondents want retailers to offer digital receipts. Nearly half had already signed up for digital receipts and cited that they prefer digital receipts because of the environment and ease of receipt storage. On average, respondents stated they throw away or lose 49% of the paper receipts they receive, even ones they intended to keep.

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, investors, and consumers to solve today’s social and environmental problems. http://www.GreenAmerica.org  

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

Carter’s, the largest U.S. retailer of baby clothes, is taking important steps to limit toxic chemicals in its supply chain and use sustainable fabrics - thanks to pressure from Green America and its members! 

Because of our Toxic Textiles campaign and thousands of consumers speaking up, Carter’s is adopting a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) to protect workers and communities in its supply chain.  When the MRSL is put into place, it will provide a list of chemical substances banned from intentional use in the processing of textile materials that go into Carter’s clothing. This will protect workers who make Carter’s clothing, local communities where textiles are made, and the kids who wear Carter’s clothing.

In 2020, Carter's released a Restricted Substances List (RSL), disclosing information about energy usage and waste reduction, and providing greater transparency about efforts to protect human rights within its supply chain. 

Carter's announced 100% of its cotton and polyester will be sustainable by 2030, including using organic cotton and recycled polyester. 

What made rev abby mohaupt switch to a better bank that reflects her faith and values?  

The rev mohaupt (who uses all lowercase for her name because that’s how her grandmother spelled it) shares with Green America’s Fran Teplitz, executive co-director, what motivated her and how rewarding making the switch was. 

rev. mohaupt is the director of education and training at GreenFaith, and former co-moderator of Fossil Free PCUSA, a grassroots movement to get the Presbyterian Church (USA) to divest from fossil fuels. She’s also a PhD candidate at Drew University in Religion, Culture, and Ecology. rev abby recently moved back to Chicago after living in California, New Jersey, and Texas. Her last move created the perfect opening for switching to a bank whose mission she supports. 

Fran: Why did you decide to switch banks now? What was most important for you? 

abby: I was moving to a new city and when I closed all of my accounts in Texas, I knew that when I opened a new account in Chicago, I wanted to use a bank that was more in line with my values. A few years ago, I switched from Chase to Amalgamated for my larger/recurring expenses, but I needed a more local bank for some tasks. As I looked for banks, it was important to me that I work with a bank that focused on people and diversity, and one that was small enough that it wasn’t one of the major investors in fossil fuels.  

I ultimately chose a bank that was historically created to support Korean immigrants, and now continues to support specifically multi-ethnic communities. Because so much of my financial life (and professional and personal life) is about divestment from fossil fuels, I was surprised that this was the best fit for me (I assumed that I would choose based on fossil fuels alone).  

But there was also something lovely about this choice for at least two reasons:.  

• Our liberation from injustices are intertwined – immigration justice is climate justice.  
• When I was in seminary, much of my education was enhanced by Korean students who taught me to be a better person of faith…. and my life is better because of immigrants every day. I’m charmed by that connection. 

Fran: Those are powerful connections to your new bank. What was most important for you to find in a new bank? 

abby: I wanted to be able to go to my bank in person and to have the location be one that was easy to get to. While there are closer banks to our apartment, those were all big banks that support fossil fuels. The bank I ended up opening an account with – Hanmi – is right on the route home from my daughter’s daycare, so I pass it nearly every day.  

Fran: So the solution you needed was right in your neighborhood! What resources were helpful?  

abby: I used Green America’s bank resource to look up banks in my neighborhood that had similar values. I didn’t have to close any accounts (because I’d done that previously), so I simply had to compare the map on the site to where I regularly go. 

Fran: Tell us about your new bank! Anything surprising?  

abby: I love our new bank. I opened the account one afternoon after picking my daughter up from daycare. She sat pretty quietly throughout most of the interaction, but she also captured the heart of the banker who helped us through the process. A couple weeks later, I was going through the drive thru, and that same banker helped me. He asked how my daughter was doing– which was so surprising after several weeks!  

Fran: What’s your message to others needing to switch to a bank or credit union that reflects their values? 

abby: Before you begin this process, it can feel like a mountain of work – just start with one account and move one account at a time. There’s no “pure” money – so do the best you can, using the resources available to you so that you bring your money in line with what you believe in.  

...just start with one account and move one account at a time.

Fran: What is your next step for greening your financial life? 

abby: The next step for us is moving the last of our investments in line with our commitment to be invested with our values. It’s a step that I’ve let linger for a couple of years, and I’m ready to make that call. Then I think we’ll start integrating our transportation commitments with our finances! Now that we live in Chicago, we have lots of green options for travel, and each of those options are more cost-effective than owning a car on our own.  

For Nasser Abufarha (above, left), endeavoring to make Canaan Palestine [GBN] a green business was always about more than the sustainability practices he believed in. It is, first and foremost, a way to honor his ancestral land and the thousands of years of history it held, including the olive trees, standing strong and representing a sacred way of life. 

The company, which sells local and natural Palestinian staples like olive oil and almond products, is what Nasser describes as the “marketing arm.” 

It all began, however, as Nasser explains, “to help save the community, save the relationship with the land, save the trees, save the crop.” 

The foundational systems of Canaan Palestine, including fair wages and regenerative agriculture, are natural outcomes of the roots of Nasser’s goals. Like the widespread roots of the olive tree, these systems could not exist without the richness of Palestinian soil and the Indigenous peoples who came before, teaching reverence for the land. 

Nasser offers an illuminating perspective on what being a green business means, beyond numbers and science. 

Honoring the Land

The land of Canaan was one of the earliest inhabited by humans, with Indigenous peoples forming societies as early as the Neolithic period. Many different societies appeared across this land, with olive trees as important fixtures in all these societies since the beginning. 

If the olive trees knew the hands that planted them, their oil would become tears.

Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet

Some olive trees in Palestine are over 5,000 years old, Nasser explains in earnest. Trees that, for more than a millennium, have sustained, fed, and nurtured life through resilience and strength. 

“This is something to protect,” says Nasser. “These ecosystems are something to learn from, to teach us about sustainability, and to make sure they remain for future generations.” 

It was this realization that began taking Canaan Palestine into a new direction, beyond its commitment to tried and true methods like fair trade and wages. 

What Is Regenerative Agriculture?

Abufarha wanted to forge new paths and began looking at ways to make Canaan Palestine sustainable at the root—literally.  

Regenerative agriculture has become a core tenant of the business, leading the business to work with farmers not only to avoid exploitative practices born from political occupation, but with adopting more sustainable farming techniques. This style of farming adopts a holistic approach that considers all living things within an ecosystem and the health of the land, rather than the industrialized way of farming in the Western world, which leads to excessive soil erosion and the destruction of biodiversity. 

One way Nasser is encouraging regenerative agriculture among the farmers and villages Canaan Palestine works with is through intercropping. Decades ago, in the 70s and 80s, Nasser explains, Palestinian farmers also worked with grapes. The traditional way of farming was harvesting olive trees with other vegetation and crops.  

“The diversity of plants amongst the olive trees makes a more stable regenerative environment,” Fatin Zahra, Business Market Manager of Canaan Palestine, explains. “Grapes in particular function well amongst the olives and are alive and green during the summer months when most of the grasses have dried out.  This creates more shade and cools the area down, which helps with water retention.  Additionally, their roots provide nutrients to the soil which the olive trees can benefit from.” 

However, without a market for them, the farmers uprooted these crops. 

“We’re bringing this back—almost every month, there is a crop,” Nasser says proudly. Canaan Palestine is broadening this work to include more crops again farmers means to make a livable wage and have work year-round, rather than during one season. “We are encouraging farmers to go back to agroforestry. We are giving farmers multiple seedlings to integrate back into their farms: almonds, grapes, figs, carobs, walnuts, and more based on what best suits their plots.” 

Another technique the company is adopting and teaching to farmers is minimum tillage. Nasser says that farmers, from the 70s on, were taught to till the soil twice or three times, but that is no longer the most sustainable way to care for the land and its crops. 

Putting Palestinian Farmers First

"For the last 60 years, farmers have been given instructions by formal agricultural extensions to move away from their traditional practices to adopt new ‘modern’ methods of agriculture,” Nasser says. “Canaan is fostering gaining back sound traditions that sustained these olive trees for thousands of years.” 

He continues: “We encourage them not to plow as much. But to them, plowing is weed control. We have to teach them new habits and new ways of seeing things. It’s less about the farms being clean of vegetation and more about farms being clean from pollution.” 

It takes time, practice, demonstration, and small steps. 

As Fatin details, Canaan Palestine is committed to supporting these farmers and setting them up for success. 

“We've done weekly workshops with farmers, led by the employees of Canaan and the Palestine Fair Trade Association,” she says. “They visit each village and educate the farmers on regenerative agriculture and the many benefits it can have on their lands and health of their soil.” 

As Nasser says, the nature of regenerative agriculture is “tailored to the farm,” meaning it’s not a one-size-fits-all system. It is, however, the only path forward. 

“For Palestine to have a future, for people to hold onto their lands, we have to apply these practices,” Fatin concludes. 

Read more about Canaan Palestine. 

Food Huggers designs make it easy to adopt sustainable practices at home. We offer customers solutions that make sustainable habits easy and fun to do without giving up convenience or style.

Our company mission is to help customers reduce different types of waste at home. Food Huggers designs keep your food fresh at home replacing single use plastics with high quality reusable alternatives.

There is more FOOD in US Landfills than anything else. Reducing food waste is one of the top things we can do as individuals to reduce the output of methane gas. By making it easy and fun to keep your food fresh we help customers reduce food waste at home which reduces the methane gas output of our landfills.

The average American family of four throws away $1600 a year in wasted food. Reducing this financial waste helps to improve the economics of our households as well as our communities.

Be empowered to act on climate change! Decarbon is a simple app to help you lower your carbon footprint AND take broader community action. It's like Apple's Health app for carbon tracking.

Key things to know about Decarbon:

• You set a carbon budget and reduce the impact over time by completing climate actions
• Climate action "collabs" are hosted a different leader in the climate movement each month
• 100% transparent - Open source carbon footprint database
• 100% free (no ads or paywalls)

How Decarbon works:

1. Link your bank (or use our estimator)
2. Automatically track purchases
3. Join collabs to take action and reduce emissions
4. Offset unavoidable emissions with carbon credits

Learn more at decarbonapp.com

Contact us at hi@decarbonapp.com

Give a damn about climate change!

I started Decarbon because I'm... scared. The climate emergency feels more and more desperate, and for years I've struggled to understand both what my contribution to the problem is and what I can actually do about it.

Hopefully Decarbon will serve as a simple tool to help demystify those things for us. If understanding the climate impact of a purchase was just as easy as knowing it's price, if tracking everything was super easy, and if we all reduced our impact to within a sustainable amount, maybe we can start to turn this ship around. (I know that oil companies and governments bear the biggest responsibility, but that doesn't mean we should do nothing!)

Lastly, we're committed to keeping Decarbon completely free for everyone - no paywalls, ads, or selling your data.

Peace and love,

Kyle

Why does Decarbon track CO2e?

Carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) is a standardized way to compare the total greenhouse gases embodied in our purchases. For example, even though burning gasoline when we drive our cars includes methane and nitrous oxide gases in addition to carbon dioxide, we can use CO2e as a total metric for it’s impact. Decarbon tracks CO2e to keep things simple and to help you easily compare the impact of your purchases apples-to-apples.

How does Decarbon calculate the CO2e impact of my purchases?

Tap the info icon on your purchase to see the exact calculation Decarbon made! The CO2e impact for your purchases is a simple multiplication of the purchase amount, the CO2e emissions factor (CO2e per $) of the purchase category, and any modifiers that you can apply to the purchase to make it more accurate.

What should my annual CO2e budget be?

It should be as low as humanly possible! The initial goal on Decarbon is 7 metric tons of CO2e per year, so you can start with that and then lower it as you begin to understand your impact. Ultimately, we need to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius, so your goal should be as low as possible to support that.

How does Decarbon connect to my bank?

Decarbon uses Plaid, a trusted third-party tool, to connect to your bank and get transaction information from your checking and credit card accounts. Plaid is used by Venmo, American Express, Coinbase, and others to manage their user’s bank connections.

What bank data does Decarbon have access to?

Once you connect a bank, Decarbon will have view-only access to the transactions of your associated checking and credit card accounts. Decarbon never has access to your bank login credentials, account numbers, or routing numbers. Decarbon can’t make any transactions on your accounts.

Will Decarbon work outside the USA?

You can use Decarbon anywhere, but the experience is currently optimized for individuals living in the United States.

The climate deal that has become law continues to support the fossil fuel industry. We need stronger leadership to protect Black, Indigenous, people of color, and frontline communities who face the most harm from fossil fuels. Sign the petition below to President Biden to urge him to declare a climate emergency.

Green America welcomed the positive steps within the July 27, 2022 climate deal that is part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. 

Calling for $369 billion in climate and clean energy investments, the bill would put the U.S. on the path to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 40% by 2030, bringing us closer to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. 

Meaningful Congressional action on climate is long overdue and this legislation constitutes the largest U.S. investment in climate action to date.

How the Climate Deal Falls Short 

The deal also continues subsidies to the fossil fuel sector and supports the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure. It also promotes strategies such as carbon capture and storage which attempts to capture carbon on site but allows coal and other fossil facilities to continue to operate, including carbon capture from fossil fuel power plants. 

In exchange for Senator Manchin’s support, Democratic leadership promised expedited reviews of fossil fuel projects, and approval of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline. This one pipeline alone could produce emission equal to 26 coal-fired power plants or 19 million passenger vehicles. 

This means that some of the progress made possible in the legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will actually be undercut by provisions that continue to advance the fossil fuel industry. 

Support for fossil fuels that continues to entrench them for decades to come cannot legitimately be included alongside strategies to reverse the climate crisis.

What about Nuclear Energy?

Green America also opposes nuclear power as a climate solution. 

While nuclear operates fossil-free, it is energy intensive to build (think of all that concrete). It also poses enormous safety threats to communities from uranium mining to accidents in uranium transport or in nuclear power plants. Nuclear waste hazards are not solved. It promotes the development of nuclear states and nuclear plants are targets in war (as is happening in Ukraine).  It takes too long to build to be the solution we need in the next ten years.  And we can go fossil-free with a focus on renewables without more nuclear plants. 

Impact on Communities and Human Health

Continuing to support fossil fuels and nuclear power also means that the communities that have—historically to the present day—been harmed the most by the fossil fuel and nuclear industries will continue to be exploited and to have their health and well-being poisoned and undermined. 

While the legislation includes $60 billion for environmental justice initiatives, they need greater support without fossil fuel trade-offs to be truly effective in addressing climate impacts and systemic racism. A true climate solution is one that puts climate justice front and center and insures that communities most harmed by climate pollution benefit most from climate solutions.

Bineshi Albert, Co-Executive Director of the Climate Justice Alliance said of the climate deal: “Legislation that supports measures to address the health of polluted communities on one the hand, while ramping up projects that increase pollution and unsafe practices on the lands of other frontline communities on the other, such as carbon capture and storage, is wrong. Hard fought measures for Environmental Justice that support our communities are now being positioned alongside things that harm us, essentially holding us hostage to the needs of the fossil fuel industry. This will only harm us in the future.”

While this climate deal is unprecedented and nearly didn’t happen at all, more is still needed to meet the magnitude of the crisis and to end the ongoing sacrifice of low income and communities of color to continued reliance on fossil fuels. 

Green America urges the Biden Administration to declare a climate emergency and to focus on climate solutions that will protect Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and all low income and people of color on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Those solutions are the ones that will best protect everyone.

For more information:

 Congressional Progressive Caucus Center

The Climate & Community Project, Inflation Reduction Act: The Good, The Bad & the Ugly

Top 10 Solutions to Reverse Climate Change

10 Reasons to Oppose Nuclear Energy

Green America’s Green Business Network Director Fran Teplitz spoke with Andy Mebert, CEO of Yaya Maria’s soap company, a Green Business Network member, about his sustainability journey that includes using a credit union: 

Fran: For starters, please tell us about your business – the range of goods you offer and what motivated you to create these soap products. 

Andy: Yaya Maria’s makes the most natural soap there is, from ingredients everyone understands. We make liquid hand soap, body wash, and dish soap. We’ll be launching a face wash later this year. 

What I love about Yaya Maria’s is there’s no other soap like it on the market. Almost all soaps contain toxic chemicals like phthalates, parabens, SLS, and petrochemicals. Those ingredients are sometimes hidden in ingredient lists under vague, catchall terms like "surfactant," "cleaning agent," "preservative", or “fragrance”. "Fragrance" alone can mean any of 3,000 undisclosed chemicals, many of which are toxic. 

Fran: I read on your website about the compelling connection between your earlier health challenges and your sustainability journey. Would you please share that with our readers? 

Andy: A few years ago, I had cancer that had metastasized, so I had two surgeries and three rounds of chemotherapy. Fortunately, the chemo worked—I’ve been cancer-free for eight years, and I’m grateful to be alive—but it has a lasting effect. Cancer survivors live with an elevated risk of recurrence, so I still have to do regular checkups. Also, years later, I can still feel the impact of the therapy on my body.  

The experience made me rethink my lifestyle—from how frequently I exercise, to what I eat and to what I put on my body. In fact, when I got sick, I was shocked by how hard it was to find soap made from ingredients that I could truly trust. Many brands that claim on the front of the label to be “natural” actually contain the same harsh chemicals found in conventional products. Once my wife and I realized that toxic chemicals could even be found in brands that have a good image, we decided to make our own. 

Fran: What does being a green business mean to you? 

Andy: As a consumer, I’m constantly thinking about how my decisions about what to buy impact the environment. I’m also constantly looking for ways I can reduce, reuse, and recycle more. 

I apply that same way of thinking to running a green business:  

• Yaya Maria’s soap is manufactured using 100% wind-powered electricity.  
• The manufacturing process sends zero waste to the landfill, and discharges zero pollutants into the air or water.  
• All shipping materials are made of cardboard or kraft paper or upcycled from incoming packages.  
• Wind power charges the electric car that drives the soap on the first leg of its journey to the customer, and for the rest of the way, shipping is CO2 neutral.  
• We give customers the option to order soap in glass bottles instead of plastic. 
• We work with brick-and-mortar refill stores that sell Yaya Maria’s in bulk to people who bring their own containers.  
• For the refill stores, we offer them a free closed-loop program: they hang on to their packaging, we give them a return label, and when their container of soap is empty, they collapse it and send it back to us for refilling—and the cycle continues with no waste.  

Fran: Yaya Maria’s has earned Green America’s Green Business Network certification, which includes attention to both social and environmental issues. One question we ask certification applicants is What kind of bank or credit union do you use? Businesses are sometimes perplexed by this, but you address this on your website. Thank you! Why do you discuss your business banking choice?  

Andy: Large banks have a massively outsized impact on society. How a bank invests its money matters a lot. Most big banks invest in whatever companies or projects they think will give them the biggest return -- even if it’s drilling for more fossil fuel or building a palm oil plantation that destroys a rainforest. They’re investing in global financial markets instead of in local communities.  

Credit unions, on the other hand, are member-owned institutions, and they respond to local concerns. Instead of investing in (say) Exxon, they give local homeowners and small businesses the loans they need to thrive. They also often give their accountholders fairer terms, like fewer hidden fees. I think it’s pretty amazing that by closing your account with a big bank and moving it to your local credit union, you can put your money to work for something good. 

That’s why Yaya Maria’s has an account at the local credit union, not at a big bank. This credit union was started in the 1940s by the local autoworkers’ union, and it’s served the working people of my community ever since. 

Fran: What encouragement would you give a business that hasn’t yet switched to a better banking option? 

Andy: In general, it’s in your own interest to work with a bank that reinvests in your community because if your community does well economically, you’ll probably get more business from customers in your area. There are most specific advantages though. At a local credit union, you can get a business loan on more favorable terms compared to large banks. Lower interest rates on loans, flexible terms, and less bureaucracy when it comes to considering factors beyond your credit score. All of those things can make a real difference when you need money to grow your company. Credit unions offer the same banking services that multinational banks do, such as online banking, credit and debit cards, and access to ATM networks and reciprocity agreements between credit unions. For a business there are lots of positives, and in my experience, no negatives. 

Fran: What next steps do you have for Yaya Maria’s continuing green journey? 

Andy: Yaya Maria’s will be launching several new products this fall. There will be an all-natural face wash coming soon in several scents. We’ll also be introducing a series of organic anti-aging serums in glass bottles. 

This year I’m going to fine tune my closed-loop program. Yaya Maria’s will soon offer returnable packaging to not only to stores, but also end consumers. Stay tuned! 

And now one of our next steps is encouraging more businesses to open their bank accounts in a credit union. Just saying... 

Whether you rent or own, you can make your home more energy efficient with solar panels. Using natural, renewable energy from something as certain as the sun, running your home via solar is a climate-effective way to live.

Switching to solar may seem daunting, but the below resources will address many questions you may have and get you started on the right foot. Are you overwhelmed by the cost? Look into loans and co-ops to save money. Do you want to talk to your landlord about making your apartment more efficient? Research energy efficiency ratings.

Living a more energy efficient life is not only possible, but affordable and easy.

Guest Blog By Green Business Network Member: Leslie Samuelrich, President, Green Century Capital Management

As the 2022 proxy season winds down, we at Green Century° are excited to share that nearly 30 major corporations have committed to action in response to our shareholder proposals on environmental issues. Furthermore, several of these proposals achieved record-breaking shareholder votes over the last few months: Green Century has won more majority votes on environmental proposals than any other shareholder this season.

Here are some highlights from our work pushing the world’s largest companies to reduce their environmental impact.

Preserving a National Treasure

Chevron* has abandoned plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and ended its involvement in the Arctic following two successive shareholder proposals from Green Century. The Arctic Refuge is often described as “America’s Serengeti” due to its dizzying array of wildlife, including polar bears, caribou, muskoxen, and millions of migratory birds.

Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Kroger*, America’s largest grocery chain, will set science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its full value chain, agreeing to the request of our shareholder proposal, which called on Kroger to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The food system represents a third of all planet-warming emissions, so supply chain emissions reductions from grocers are essential.

Nearly 70% of Costco* shareholders voted in favor of a similar Green Century proposal in January. In response, Costco expedited its timeline for disclosing and reducing supply chain emissions and announced its first operational emissions reduction targets. Similar Green Century proposals received remarkable 88.5% and 87.6% shareholder votes at US Foods* and Builders FirstSource* this spring.

Reducing Plastic Pollution

After Green Century co-led a proposal urging the company to reduce its reliance on single-use plastic, Coca-Cola* announced in February that it had set a first-of-its-kind goal to distribute at least 25% of all beverages sold globally in refillable or returnable containers by 2030.

Mattel* announced in April that it plans to reduce its use of plastic packaging, fulfilling an agreement with Green Century. The company, which makes a wide array of popular toys from Barbie dolls to Hot Wheels cars, revealed a new goal to reduce plastic packaging by 25% per product by 2030.

Protecting Forests

Lowe’s* agreed in March to accelerate its efforts to eliminate deforestation and the logging of old growth forests from its supply chains. Lowe’s is one of the world’s largest home improvement retailers and a major purchaser of wood. Lowe’s largest competitor, Home Depot,* would not agree to take action on a similar proposal, so Green Century brought it to a vote and 65% of the company’s shareholders instructed it to follow in Lowe's footsteps in May.

Securing the Right to Repair

Apple* will provide individual consumers greater access to materials needed to repair its products, starting with the iPhone 12 and 13. Apple’s announcement came on the same day that Green Century had to decide whether to press forward on a right-to-repair shareholder proposal that was putting the company under pressure. Apple has historically resisted allowing consumers to perform repairs, so the announcement was a notable reversal for the company. Apple launched the program in April.

Ending New Fossil Fuel Projects

Chubb,* Travelers,* and The Hartford,* three of the largest property and casualty insurers, faced shareholder proposals in May as part of Green Century’s new “Insure a Fossil Free Future” campaign, which aims to stop new coal, oil, and gas projects by denying them insurance coverage. Green Century filed proposals with each company asking them to stop underwriting fossil fuel expansion. The proposals garnered enough support from the insurers’ shareholders in this first year to file the proposals again next year.

While we’re proud of the progress we’ve achieved this year, there’s always more work to be done. Green Century will continue to push the world’s largest companies to reduce their climate impact, produce less waste, and preserve forests and other vital ecosystems, and we look forward to an even more impactful proxy season in 2023.

About Green Century Capital Management

°Green Century Capital Management, Inc. (Green Century) is the investment advisor to the Green Century Funds (The Funds). The Green Century Funds are a family of fossil fuel-free, environmentally responsible mutual funds. Green Century Capital Management hosts an award-winning and in-house shareholder advocacy program and is the only mutual fund company in the U.S. wholly owned by environmental and public health nonprofit organizations.

*As of March 31, 2022, The Kroger Co. comprised 0.00%, 0.20%, and 0.00%; Mattel, Inc. comprised 0.00%, 0.04%, and 0.00%; The Home Depot, Inc. comprised 0.96%, 1.54%, and 0.00%; Lowe’s Companies, Inc. comprised 0.00%, 0.67%, and 0.00%; The Coca-Cola Company comprised 0.00%, 1.25%, and 0.00%; Apple, Inc. comprised 5.70%, 0.00%, and 0.00%; Chubb Ltd. comprised 0.00%, 0.45%, and 0.00%; The Travelers Companies, Inc. comprised 1.39%, 0.22%, and 0.00%; The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. comprised 0.00%, 0.12%, and 0.00%; Builders FirstSource, Inc. comprised 0.00%, 0.06%, and 0.00%; and Costco Wholesale Corporation comprised 1.45%, 0.00%, and 0.00% of the Green Century Balanced Fund, the Green Century Equity Fund and the Green Century International Index Fund, respectively. As of the same date, other securities mentioned were not held in the portfolios of any of the Green Century Funds. References to specific securities, which will change due to ongoing management of the Funds, should not be construed as a recommendation by the Funds, their administrator, or their distributor.

The percentage in favor was calculated by (i) dividing the number of votes in support of the proposal by (ii) the sum of the number of votes voted in support of and against the proposal. Abstentions and broker non-votes were not included in the calculation.

You should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. To obtain a Prospectus that contains this and other information about the Funds please visit www.greencentury.com, email info@greencentury.com, or call 1-800-934-7336. Please read the Prospectus carefully before investing.

Stocks will fluctuate in response to factors that may affect a single company, industry, sector, country, region or the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market. Foreign securities are subject to additional risks such as currency fluctuations, regional economic and political conditions, differences in accounting methods, and other unique risks compared to investing in securities of U.S. issuers. Bonds are subject to a variety of risks including interest rate, credit, and inflation risk. A sustainable investment strategy which incorporates environmental, social and governance criteria may result in lower or higher returns than an investment strategy that does not include such criteria.

This information has been prepared from sources believed reliable. The views expressed are as the date of this writing and are those of the Advisor to the Funds.

The Green Century Funds are distributed by UMB Distribution Services, LLC. 235 W Galena Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212. 7/22

The Green America board is pleased to announce the 2022 appointments of two new board members, Salimata Bangoura for a one-year seat and Kimberly Jones for a three-year seat.

Salimata Bangoura, now based in Massachusetts and originally from Mali, is the founder of Dugu, a West African food and beverage company. The company’s newest product line is Yamacu drinks which are cold-pressed ginger beverages in a variety of flavors. Through the example she sets using culinary arts, Salimata teaches about African traditions and values and the crucial role that diverse women entrepreneurs play in building community.

Salimata is also a Green America Green Business Network member, a passionate advocate of anti-hunger initiatives and social justice, and the proud mother of three. On the importance of joining the Green America board she shared: “I know what is at stake if I don’t do my part in contributing to a better and safer world, and I believe that to accomplish that, I need to be at the forefront of an organization that is seeing to the security of that fragile future.”

Salimata earned a B.S. in International Health from Hunter College, an M.P.H from Boston University, and an M.B.A from Babson College.

Kimberly Jones, based in Chicago, serves as Vice President & Director of Community Engagement -Midwest with Self-Help Federal Credit Union. She leads the organization’s strategic engagement with community stakeholders and investors in both Chicago and Milwaukee.

Kimberly has a long history with Green America and the Green Festivals we coordinated in Chicago, going back to her previous position with ShoreBank, a pioneering community development bank. She shared: “My motivation to join the Green America board includes wanting to give voice to those communities that have historically been left out of the green economy conversation. I also seek to utilize my skills and experiences to think critically about bringing more awareness to, and encouraging more investment in, environmental and sustainability issues.”

Kimberly earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Minnesota-Moris and an MA in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management from Columbia College Chicago.

A country music festival in Las Vegas; the Pulse night club in Orlando; Sandy Hook Elementary School; a theater in Aurora, Colorado; Virginia Tech…And more recently Buffalo; Uvalde; and Highland Park's Fourth of July parade. The list of lives lost senselessly to gun violence in the United States is a long one. In addition to the prominent cases that make national news, there are the daily deaths from gun violence that tear families and communities apart.

Many Americans believe our nation needs to adopt effective gun control policy to stem the tide of violence we increasingly see in our society. In addition to advocating with policy makers at all levels of government, we can also use our economic power as investors to withdraw support from gun manufacturers.

The first step is to know what you own. Have you reviewed the holdings of your mutual funds to see if they include gun manufacturers?

Unless you are investing in a socially responsible mutual fund, you might be investing in gun manufacturers and other industries you have no desire to support and prosper from. The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investing maintains a chart of socially and environmentally mutual funds, including financial performance data as well as identification of the issues on which the funds are screened. You can find funds that are screened to exclude certain industries, in whole or in part, such as weapons manufacturers and the military; fossil fuels; tobacco; toxic products and more.

In growing numbers, investors large and small are aligning their investments with their values and their goals for our society. This approach to investing, one that integrates social and environmental factors alongside financial analysis, has a key role in building the green economy. Our investments are not just tools to create our own wealth, but a reflection of the kind of economy and society we want to support.

Professionally managed Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) assets now total more than $17.1 trillion in the United States and is expected to continue to grow. You can become part of this movement by using SRI products and services. At www.greenpages.org you’ll find SRI-dedicated financial planners, community development and green banks and credit unions, and mutual funds like Access Capital Community Investment Funds, Azzad funds, CRA Qualified Investment Fund, Domini funds, Green Century Funds, Neuberger Berman Socially Responsive Funds, Pax funds, and others that exclude investment in weapons and the military. For investors seeking to understand whether their mutual funds invest in guns, use this tool from our colleagues at As You Sow to identify gun-free funds.

Become a socially responsible investor today — people and the planet depend on it.

Coming soon.

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Banks Can Make a Real Difference on Climate; Will They? 

The annual Banking on Climate Chaos report reveals how big banks are fueling the climate crisis through their financing, based on aggregated statistics from banks globally. 

Banks are exacerbating the climate emergency by funding the fossil fuel sector including tar sands oil extraction, Arctic oil and gas extraction, fracking, liquefied natural gas infrastructure, and coal mining.  

The report tallies how the sixty largest banks have financed fossil fuels with USD $4.6 trillion since adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015.  

Fossil fuel financing remains dominated by four U.S. banks - J.P Morgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. Together these banks account for a quarter of all fossil fuel financing over the last six years. 

Green America is pleased to join the hundreds of organizations world-wide that have endorsed the 2022 Banking on Climate Chaos Report; the report is essential reading for understanding the trajectory of banks’ financing of the fossil fuel sector. 

Change is Possible 

To help banks reverse this trend as swiftly as possible, the Climate Safe Lending Network has developed The Good Transition Plan, The Network is a transatlantic, multi-stakeholder collaborative of banks, NGOs, academics, investors and others working to accelerate the decarbonization of the banking sector to secure a climate-safe world.   

Some banks are doing the right thing. La Banque Postale, a major French bank, shows that change is possible. It committed to ending financing for all companies and infrastructure development in the oil and gas sectors by 2030 -- exiting the sector completely. 

Halt Fossil Fuel Expansion 

Such bank action is a rarity, however, as bank fossil fuel financing has plateaued in the last year rather than plummeting as needed.  

In particular, financing of fossil fuel expansion must end immediately. Despite a growing number of bank commitments to “net zero” carbon emissions in their lending and investment portfolios, banks continue to support new fossil fuel development. Research shows that the oil and gas industry is prepared to produce more oil and gas than we can burn if we are to limit global warming to 1.5ºC and avoid the worst climate impacts. 

Bank Promises on Climate Lack Scope & Speed   

The report notes that most big banks have policies addressing fossil fuel finance and climate. To meet the reality of the crisis, however, these policies need to go further and their implementation swifter. In 2021, several banks set “net zero” goals and 44 of the 60 banks in the report have now committed to net zero emissions by 2050.  

2050 is too far off; as a society we need to take dramatic action on climate change by 2030. There isn’t a moment to lose in transitioning bank financing in keeping the necessity of remaining below a 1.5-degree Celsius increase in global temperature. 

Amplify Indigenous Communities’ Voices 

Banking on Climate Chaos describes how Indigenous communities are leading global resistance to the fossil fuel industry.  

In 2021, the Indigenous Environmental Network and Oil Change International published Indigenous Resistance Against Carbon, a report examining 26 cases of Indigenous resistance to the fossil fuel industry that led to quantifiable and large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  

Their resistance is based on a long history of resistance to colonization: “Indigenous resistance is based on hundreds of years of resistance to colonization, the preservation of their sovereign rights as peoples, their right of self-determination, and their right to say “no” — no to unwanted, unfettered ruination of not only their lands but also their cultures.”  

Voices of Indigenous communities must be included in all fossil fuel issues affecting their land and well-being, and in the shift to a clean energy economy. 

Four Essential Demands  

The report concludes by calling on banks to take bolder action: 

• End fossil fuel expansion immediately. 
• Respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and all frontline communities. 
• Immediately begin zeroing out all financing for fossil fuel extraction. 
• Measure, disclose and set targets to zero out the absolute climate impact of overall financing activities on a 1.5°C-aligned timeline. 

What Bank Do You Use? 

We know conventional big banks are driving the climate crisis.  

Fortunately, there are lots of better banking options to choose from so your deposits are not supporting climate chaos.  

Find banks and credit unions that reflect your values with our Get a Better Bank map.

The banks and credit unions included in our Get a Better Bank Map meet at least one of the following criteria: 

• Federal certification by the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Fund 
  
• Certification by Green America’s Green Business Network 
  
• Membership in Inclusiv: Inclusiv's mission is to help low- and moderate-income people and communities achieve financial independence through credit unions. 
  
• Membership in the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (US members) 
  
• FDIC-identified Minority Depository Institutions (The scope of this designation indicates minority ownership and/or having a majority of board directors who are a minority and a customer base that is predominantly a minority.) 

Together, using better banks, while holding major banks accountable for fueling the climate crisis, we can build a clean energy economy.

Calling on Businesses to Stand up for Democracy  

On the surface the Supreme Court’s recent decisions on guns, abortion rights, climate, religion, and Indigenous rights might not appear to have much in common. But they actually share an important trait: they will all cause the most harm to people who are already most disadvantaged or marginalized in our country: Black and Brown people, LGBTQ+ people, Indigenous people, people living in poverty, immigrants, non-Christians, and people with disabilities.   

As Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement about the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade: 

The Supreme Court has now officially given politicians permission to control what we do with our bodies, deciding that we can no longer be trusted to determine the course for our own lives. Due to centuries of racism and systemic discrimination, we already know who will feel the consequences of this horrific decision most acutely: Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, young people, immigrants, and those having difficulties making ends meet. Make no mistake – if they can take away the right to abortion, a right we’ve held for nearly 50 years, they won’t stop here: All of our freedoms are on the line. 

Overturning Roe v. Wade was an unprecedented reversal of the rights of people who can get pregnant.  

It will also condemn many people to a life of poverty.  

Creating greater poverty and misery, exacerbating socio-economic inequities, while rolling back gains made by disenfranchised peoples and harming the country overall, is a hallmark of the majority opinions of the Court this term.  

Consider: 

• Black Americans are twice as likely to die of gun violence as white Americans, and gun violence traumatizes the entire community where it takes place. And gun violence is estimated to cost the US economy at least $229 billion per year. 
• Climate change is already hitting and will continue to hit communities of color the hardest, creating enormous economic hardship. Poor people worldwide will bear the brunt of a fossil fuel economy that enriches the few. And the cost of failing to act on climate change could cost the US government $2 trillion per year.  
• Immigrants contribute extensively to the US economy and are major drivers of the economic recovery of the past two years. But many of these same immigrants are constantly in a precarious legal and/or economic position themselves. 
• The US government’s racist policies towards American Indian tribes, including denial of sovereignty to these tribes over their own lands, has led to widespread poverty in American Indian communities nationwide. Sovereignty gains of the past 30 years have helped to address widespread poverty, which is one reason why the Supreme Court’s decision to limit sovereignty is so concerning.  
• Access to reproductive care is essential to women and other people who can get pregnant taking part in the labor market.  Women living in states with greater access to reproductive care have higher earnings and face less occupational segregation. And restricting access to abortion could cost the US economy $105 billion per year. 
• When the government privileges one religion over others, or no religion, it provides a green light to antisemitism, anti-Muslimism, and threats to anyone practicing a non-dominant religion or no religion at all. In US history, the privileging of Christianity led to the exclusion of practitioners of other faiths or no faith from educational, civic, and employment opportunities, as well as exclusion from serving in office.   

An Unprecedented Assault on Democracy 

In the span of two weeks, the US Supreme Court not only struck down the 50-year-old Constitutional right to abortion, it also swept away a 100-year-old state law regulating concealed carry of firearms, limited the EPA’s authority to regulate climate emissions that the Court previously upheld, diminished American Indian tribes’ rights to enforce the law on their own territories, and weakened the separation of Church and State. 

The one bright spot is that the Supreme Court upheld the Biden Administration’s authority to end the Trump Administration’s cruel “Remain in Mexico” policy for some asylum seekers. But the Court’s other decisions will negatively impact immigrant populations. 

The impacts that these Supreme Court decisions will have on people’s lives and the country overall demonstrates why they are so unpopular – they are out of step with what the majority of Americans want and are fundamentally undemocratic.   

For example, polls show most Americans support abortion rights, regulation of guns, and want the government to act on climate change. And the decision to undo abortion rights opens the door to undermining contraception and marriage equality, which most people support as well.   

The Supreme Court’s next term already includes cases that could lead to the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, election rights, climate regulation, and affirmative action.  

That’s why it’s so important for all Americans to use their political voice at all levels of government to undo the damage the Court is doing.  

The Role for Corporations in Protecting Democracy 

In a capitalist society, there is a crucial role for corporate America to play in opposing the unprecedented rollback of rights and economic harm this Supreme Court is creating. The voice of major US corporations in particular carries significant weight with legislators and the public. 

Corporate leaders overwhelmingly recognize that a well-functioning democracy is necessary for a strong economy and the vast majority think businesses should act to protect democracy.  However, most corporations are failing to actively voice support or direct their political expenditures for democracy, or to stop supporting anti-democracy, political candidates for local, state and federal office.  

While a number of companies spoke up to condemn the events of January 6, and several major corporations opposed legislation to curtail voting rights, most companies have been silent in the face of revelations coming out of the January 6 committee hearings.  

And it remains to be seen if companies will speak out and take action to support the expansion of rights in light of the recent Supreme Court rulings and growing anti-democratic practices of a number of elected officials and their supporters.  

But, companies can’t be neutral when it comes to right-wing efforts to undermine democracy.   

There are many actions companies can take, starting with those below: 

Support Human Rights 

• Support reproductive care for their employees, including paying for employees to access abortion in other states if it is banned in their own. A number of leading companies are taking action to protect their workers – more need to follow their lead.  And companies need to protect all their workers including hourly employees and contracted employees.
• Supporting state and federal legislation to legalize abortion and reproductive care for all people. 
• Large tech companies need to ensure their technology is not used to surveil people who are or could be pregnant or immigrants. 
• Actively support the expansion of rights for BIPOC and LGTBQ+ people and women to ensure equality for all people. 
• Support immigrant rights including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and Dreamers, and humane treatment of all immigrants and asylum seekers entering the US.  
• Support Indigenous rights including Indigenous sovereignty over historic territory worldwide and the return of stolen lands, and the right of Indigenous peoples to reject extractive industries decimating their lands and sacred places by requiring free, prior, informed consent for any actions affecting their land and rights.  
• Support religious freedom and the rights of people to exercise the religion of their choice or no religion. 

Gun Control 

• Support effective gun control legislation at the state and federal level. 

Protect Democracy

• End financial contributions (direct and through trade associations) to politicians and political action committees that seek to roll back rights or undermine democracy, and call-out their antidemocratic actions. 
• Actively support the expansion of voting rights and oppose any efforts to curtail those rights. Hundreds of corporations voiced concern over the rollback of voting rights in the past year and more need to do so. 

Tackle the Climate Crisis

• Actively support legislation to reduce climate emissions and support a transition to clean energy and transportation, regenerative agriculture, the phase out of climate super-pollutants, and other climate solutions. A number of large tech companies are leading voices supporting climate solutions, and more companies need to join them. 
• Account for all of their climate emissions and create credible plans for achieving net zero emissions by 2035 and implement them. 
• Corporations should use the power of their banking deposits and the other business they do with banks to persuade banks financing fossil fuels to decarbonize their lending. 

Support Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

• Incorporate Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) practices into their corporate culture, including hiring and promotions. 
• Use their corporate purchasing and contracts to support BIPOC and Indigenous communities, and diversity in hiring in contractors, including veterans, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ people.  

We All Need to Raise Our Voices  

We are all customers or employees of, or investors in, corporations, and companies increasingly listen to their stakeholders.   

Let’s use our consumer voices and dollars to call on companies to protect our rights.   

Vote our shares in support of resolutions calling on companies to protect human rights and protect the planet. And join other employees where we work to call on companies to do better on the climate, democracy, and equality. 

And let’s call on our elected officials to rise up and meet the seriousness of the moment.  

With democracy itself at stake, we need bold leadership at the state and federal level to secure our rights and liberties.   

Call your elected officials, sign petitions, join rallies and join lobby days when you can. Make get out the vote efforts a priority, and in November, vote and help others to vote.  

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These inspiring people switched their personal or community bank accounts to ensure they are not financing the climate crisis, forced labor, and inequality. Read on for inspiration and ideas on how to get started yourself.

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What is Regenerative Agriculture and why is it different from Organic?

Within the past century, agriculture has become one of the world’s largest drivers of climate change. The industrial processes, chemical inputs, and repeated, long-term tillage of working lands has been implicated not just for its impacts on the climate, but also for its destruction of biodiversity, soil health, depleted nutrition, and farm economic resiliency. Regenerative agriculture aims to remedy this. 

Regenerative agriculture pertains to a variety of farming practices that focus on soil health and regeneration. Green America recognizes seven pillars of regenerative agriculture: minimize soil disturbance; living roots in the ground year-round; keeping year-round soil coverage; maximizing diversity above and below the ground; reducing synthetic inputs; continuous learning; appropriate integration of livestock. It begins with organic principles, like reducing the use of pesticides and fossil fuel-based fertilizers; and then goes beyond that to includes a number of other practices designed to optimize soil health, nutrition, and to bring carbon back into the earth. Those practices include:

• no-till
• cover-cropping
• composting
• diversifying crops
• integrative animal management.

Nutritional Difference between Conventionally Grown & Regeneratively Grown Crops

Whereas conventional crops have higher levels of heavy metals in them, organic and regenerative crops have higher levels of vitamins and minerals. Whereas, conventional crops contain greater pesticide levels, regenerative crops contain higher levels of phytochemicals, which are shown to exhibit health-protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Tilling the soil, a practice of conventional and organic farming, disrupts the soil so much that the microbes and worms are disturbed. Disrupting these microbial and worm communities affects crop mineral uptake. Worms ingest microbes and play a vital role in decomposing organic matter, keeping the nutrient cycle going and enhancing soil nutrient availability.

Finally, regenerative crops have an overall higher nutrient density.

Why Nutrient Density Matters

Nutrient density is the ratio of nutrients per calorie, or the nutritional value to energy intake. The higher the nutrient density of a food is, the more quickly we feel full and don’t overeat. Higher nutrient density helps our brains recognize that we’ve had enough to eat. Higher nutrient density also protects us from many illnesses and chronic diseases by reducing inflammation in the body. Furthermore, you are lowering your exposure to harmful chemicals that disrupt your body’s proper functioning by eating pesticide-free food. Exposure to pesticides has been shown to change your cells down to your DNA, confusing your body so it doesn’t recognize when it’s full, teaching it to store fat.  Regeneratively grown foods are shown to have high nutrient densities, including 34% more vitamin K, 11% more calcium, and 27% more copper.

Where to Find Regeneratively Grown Food

While it may be difficult to find and recognize regeneratively grown produce now, consumers have options.

Grow your own food

By planting a garden, you know exactly what’s going into it. It also saves you money at the grocery store and helps fight climate change by reducing the number of miles driven to ship and obtain the produce. Growing an abundant garden is easier and takes far less time than you might think. 

Check out Green America’s Climate Victory Gardens to learn more!

Talk to the farmers at your local farmers’ market     

Farmers’ markets are a great way to support local farms and buy the freshest produce. Don’t be shy about engaging sellers and asking about their farming practices! Who knows—you might even find a farm you really love that has a CSA you can join.

Join a local CSA

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSAs, is a setup where consumers connect directly with a farm and buy shares of the season's harvest. Typically, you buy into a CSA in the spring, purchasing crops upfront for weekly or bi-weekly pickups during the entire season.

Engage food companies

Write, tweet, or call the companies and grocery stores that provide your favorite products and ask them to source from regenerative farms. Encourage them to help the farmers they work with transition to regenerative practices. Let them know you care about how your food is grown and sourced.

Look for Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified Label

Green America's new label Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified is groundbreaking and shows customers which companies care about regenerative agriculture.

Products carrying this label are made with ingredients from farms with confirmed commitments and actions to implement regenerative agriculture. In order to earn verification, farms track soil health outcomes, use practices that protect and nourish the soil, and commit to continuous improvement.

Green America and our Soil & Climate Initiative supports farms capturing carbon in soils—helping the climate crisis—building biodiversity above and below ground, reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, and improving water retention in soils.

In our everyday lives, we are surrounded by pesticides and other harmful chemicals, including those found on our food, clothes, yards, water, and even in the air. Consumers are demanding ever more pesticide and chemical-free options; hence, the rise in the organic label since its introduction in 1990.

Have you ever stopped and wondered what’s in your drink? Which pesticides could be lurking in your morning cup of coffee or your evening glass of wine?

As it happens, our favorite drinks are steeped in synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. These chemicals are harmful to the farmworkers who harvest the crops that make these beverages, to the environment, to the people who live near the farms, and to you, the consumer.

While there aren’t many alternatives, there are a few options on the markets for consumers who want healthier, safer options.

Learn about the pesticides found in three of the US’s top consumed beverages: coffee (#1), beer (#5), and wine (#7). 

Coffee #1

For many people, the day starts with a cup of coffee. And research finds that drinking moderate amounts of coffee daily is good for you, helping to prevent several forms of cancer.

However, those health benefits could be undermined by the chemicals lurking in your cup of joe. Conventional coffee is among the most heavily chemically treated foods in the world. Its popularity means farmers will do everything to protect and increase crop yields, leading to massive amounts of chemical inputs, many of which make it all the way to your cup. 

One of the most common pesticides used on coffee (and many crops) is glyphosate, more commonly known as Roundup. There is a growing body of evidence that glyphosate is a carcinogen and causes other human health concerns.

Furthermore, the US has no Maximum Residual Limits on pesticides on coffee—it’s completely unregulated! Brazil—the #1 grower and exporter of coffee beans—has very lax pesticide regulations, putting the majority of US coffee drinkers at risk.

What you can do 

Buy certified organic coffees like Equal Exchange, or from other Green Business Network members! If you’re a decaf drinker, as a bonus, Equal Exchange’s decaf process is chemical-free!

Beer #5

Evidence of the earliest beer dates back to the 5^th millennium BC in Iran. As one of the oldest drinks in the world, versions of which sprung up in nearly every civilization, is it any wonder that the very first food regulation in the world was about beer and it’s still in place? The German Beer Purity Law was established in 1516, regulating that beer could only contain water, barley, hops, and yeast after 1857.

The US is the #1 hops exporter and #7 barley exporter in the world. Barley is known to have multiple pesticides on it, including Glyphosate. And Glyphosate has been found in beer, including in lab testing conducted for Green America.

In addition to pesticides, hops are often chemically dried, as they rot quickly after harvest if they’re not dried properly. Hops have been known to have bifenazate, which is toxic to bees and other pollinators; as well as boscalid, a probable carcinogen, amongst many others.

What you can do

Unfortunately, there are few organic beer options, and the only mainstream option available is Michelob Ultra Pure Gold.

• Ask your local market or liquor store to stock organic beers if they don’t already.
• You could check out your local breweries, too – some are organic or use inputs with less pesticides. 
• Are you or any of your friends homebrewers? You could consider growing barley in your backyard—it’s a fabulous cover-crop.
• If you live in the hop belt, you could try your hand at growing a hop plant or two (it’s a perennial!), but remember: they grow really tall. You can easily buy organic hop seeds and rhizomes online.

Wine #7

Wine dates back thousands of years and millions of people still enjoy it today. The grapes that go into wines are often doused with multiple chemicals. The Pesticide Action Network found 56 pesticides on grapes, including neurotoxins, carcinogens, hormone disruptors, pollinator toxins, and reproductive toxins.

It is true that some of the pesticide residue is reduced during fermentation, it depends on the pesticide: some do not survive the wine-making process, while others are just as present as they were during application. Moreover, while grapes are the main ingredient in wine, many wines have flavor modifiers added to them, like sugar, acids, and chemicals.

Even wine that is certified organic is allowed to have 70 added chemicals in it, while conventional wine can have hundreds. However, the chemicals added to organic wine cannot have a harmful effect on human or environmental health as defined by the US Food and Drug Administration.

What You Can Do

Look for Organic

Organic wines are, fortunately, much easier to find than organic beer.

Though winemakers are not required to list all ingredients on their bottles, an organic label means that all inputs are organic. It also means that American wines do not contain sulfites—a common preservative in wine that gives many people headaches—while their European counterparts may still contain them.

Note: if it is labeled specifically as “organic grapes”, then the other additives may not be organic. Winemakers like Frey Vineyards make it easy to purchase organic wine online ($9-$50/bottle). Or check out this handy list from Food & Wine magazine ($14-$26/bottle).

Of course, whether your alcoholic beverage is organic, the alcohol itself carries health risks. Remember to drink alcohol responsibly. 

Take Action

Sign our petition to the EPA telling it to ban organophosphates.

WASHINGTON DC – JUNE 16, 2022 – As the public comment period closes for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new rule mandating corporations to implement climate disclosures, Green America submitted a petition on behalf of over 15,000 stakeholders lauding the rule and urging that it be strengthened. The public comment period on the rule, “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors,” closes June 17, and comments will be reviewed ahead of the SEC’s final rulemaking in 2023.

The Green America petition states, “We support the overall direction of the rule and urge the Commission to further strengthen it for maximum effectiveness as the climate crisis intensifies.” It recommends the following provisions be added to improve the rule: 

• Ensure that free, prior, informed consent (FPIC) is obtained and recognized as material when consulting with Indigenous communities and any marginalized and frontline groups on resource extractive projects.
• Require companies to disclose how they manage climate and community risks related to their business operations and climate mitigation and energy transition processes.
• Include reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in line with other reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board.
• Include nature-related financial impacts in climate risk disclosures as modelled by the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosure.
• Require disclosure of Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from large companies’ value chains since in many cases, the majority of emissions are from Scope 3.
• Do not allow companies to decide whether their Scope 3 emissions are material and remove the safe harbor from liability for false Scope 3 reports.

“The climate cannot wait,” said Fran Teplitz, Executive Co-Director for Business, Investing & Policy at Green America. “To make the impact the times require, the SEC must mandate the disclosure of climate information that investors, companies, and stakeholders need to protect human rights and communities, the environment, and the economy. This must include disclosure of Scope 3 emissions and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.”

Kate Finn, executive director of First Peoples Worldwide, which works from a foundation of Indigenous values to achieve a sustainable future for all, supported Green America’s letter: “Indigenous Peoples are among the first to feel the impacts of climate change – whether erosion of land from rising seas for coastal communities or increasing habitat loss for forest, land and animal stewards from the Amazon to the Arctic. The SEC now has the opportunity to provide for companies, shareholders and investors a minimum standard towards the full context for understanding a corporation's climate-related commitments as related to Indigenous Peoples' welfare and their right to free, prior and informed consent. The materiality of these deeply interconnected issues cannot be understated, and, if left unchecked, have impact not only on investor portfolios, but will create further harm to people and the planet. We are grateful for Green America and the thousands of signatories for putting these fundamental and critical considerations forward to the SEC and all stakeholders.” 

Climate disclosure mandates for public companies will ensure that companies obtain the data needed to bring their operations in line with crucial greenhouse gas reduction goals and will give all stakeholders the understanding needed to advance climate solutions. Voluntary corporate disclosure of climate impacts and risks has fallen short. The SEC must approve the strongest climate disclosure rule that supports human rights, a healthy planet and the economy.

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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. www.GreenAmerica.org.

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