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Replace common single-use plastics with these sturdy reusables, recommended by MyPlasticFreeLife.com's Beth Terry and the editors of the Green American.

1. Instead of accepting plastic bags at the grocery store, carry your own cloth grocery and produce bags. Choose stretchy string bags that carry many times their weight (ReuseIt.com), paper-thin organic cotton produce bags (BlueLotusGoods.com, EcoBags.com), compact recycled nylon bags that crush down to the size of two golf balls and fit in a bag or purse (Chicobags.com), and more.

Find more retailers in the "Bags/Baskets" category at GreenPages.org and at ShopGreenPages.org.

2. Give up plastic water bottles and carry your own unlined, reusable stainless steel bottle. Klean Kanteen (KleanKanteen.com) now offers a 100-percent plastic-free "Reflect" bottle, crafted from stainless steel, sustainably harvested bamboo, and food-grade silicone. Try an insulated steel bottle to keep your drinks hot in winter and cold in summer.

Find more at GreenPages.org, "Exercise/Sporting Goods" or "Housewares", or at ShopGreenPages.org.

3. Bring your own reusable food containers to buy builk items at the store and when you're ordering take-out. To-GoWare.com offers stainless steel "tiffin" boxes with two or three compartments. LifeWithoutPlastic.com sells stainless steel and glass "Tupperware"-like containers, lunchboxes, and more. And Dr. Wallace J. Nichols funds his sea turtle research in part through sales of the "Sporklace" (Sporklace.com), an attractive metal spork on a chain that functions as to-go silverware and a conversation starter.

Find more at GreenPages.org, "Housewares", or at ShopGreenPages.org.

4. When buying supplies for school or the office, choose plastic-free three-ring binders, notebooks, badges, folders, CD cases, and office labels from companies like ReBinder (ReBinder.com). ReBinder's products are made from recycled cardboard and can be recycled again at the end of their useful life.

Find more at GreenPages.org, "Office/Desk Supplies."

5. Eliminate the need for plastic wrap or plastic "ziploc" bags with reusable sandwich wrappers and snack bags, like the plastic-free, organic cotton snack and sandwich bags from GrazeOrganic.com and EcoDitty.com. For more moisture-proofing, SnackTaxi (SnackTaxi.com) sandwich/snack sacks are made of cotton with a nylon-coated interior. (The company plans to use recycled nylon and organic cotton in the future.)

Find more at GreenPages.org, "Children" and "Housewares," or ShopGreenPages.org.

6. Women can jump on the plastic-free train by choosing reusable cloth menstrual pads (GladRags.com, Lunapads.com) in a variety of sizes. Also, replace tampons with washable sea sponges (JadeandPearl.com), or reusable silicone or natural latex menstrual cups like the Keeper (theKeeper.com), the Moon Cup (MoonCup.com), Lunette (Lunette.com), or Diva Cup (DivaCup.com).

Find more at GreenPages.org, "Women."

7. When you purchase a cold beverage to go, refuse to accept a single-use plastic straw. Instead, whip out one of Glass Dharma's reusable glass straws (cleaning brush included). If you see a crack in your straw, Glass Dharma (GlassDharma.com) will replace it for free.

Our goal at Brush & Color as artists and tradespeople is to deliver a top quality painting service, while being mindful of waste, health and the conservation of our planet. In reaching this goal, we will raise the standards of the painting industry to "Eco All of the Time", therefore influencing other industries to raise their standards, to be more mindful of waste, health and the conservation of our planet.

Building the green economy is about more than being informed about corporations—it’s about actually supporting businesses that have adopted green practices, are growing the local economies, and pay suppliers fairly. Where you shop and what you buy when you do sends a direct message. So vote with your dollar!

Ecofriendly T-shirt printing using 100% water-based ink and windpower. Affordable and sustainable, with a deep committment to the environment. Your design printed on T-shirts, hoodies, onesies, totes, and more.

Ecofriendly T-shirt printing using 100% water-based ink and windpower. Affordable and sustainable, with a deep committment to the environment. Your design printed on T-shirts, hoodies, onesies, totes, and more.

Wealth management and Trust services. Registered investment advisory firm.

We provide fee-only investment consulting services to individual and institutional investors who have socially responsible investment preferences. Member of First Affirmative Financial Network

All Good by Elemental Herbs offers organic bodycare products: lip balms, zinc sunscreens, healing balm, on-demand pain relief spray, lotions, and coconut oils.

Offers a complete line of handcrafted mineral makeup that is nontoxic, cruelty-free, and beautiful. Samples are available.

Makers of handcrafted all-wood caskets, coffins, urns and trundles GBC-certified for green burial or cremation.

It is said that we come from the earth and we return to the earth. Here at Aldergrove Caskets we build a vessel for the return journey, mindful of the spiritual and environmental needs of the deceased, their friends and family, and the world that they are leaving behind.

We build with local, sustainable woods such as southern yellow pine and spruce. Finishes and adhesives are environmentally friendly during production, in our shop and for cremation or burial. We build our caskets and urns without metal fasteners of any kind for a complete and timely return to the earth.

At Aldergrove Caskets, we build a 'plain pine box.'

Full-service, design/build remodeling firm. Specializes in energy-efficient, environmentally conscious, toxin-free, and lead-safe remodeling. Professionally designed and built kitchens, bathrooms, decks, additions, renovations.

Impact Financial Planners is a fee-only financial planning firm that specializes in Sustainable Responsible Impact Investing (SRI). We offer a free upfront meeting. We work with individual clients throughout the US. As an independent fee only personal financial planning firm we earn no commissions and sell no products. SRI is an investment strategy seeking to maximize both financial return and social good.

We are comprehensive advisors, working with you on: investment management, retirement planning, tax planning, insurance review and estate planning. 

Elegantly handcrafted fashion accessories in palettes of infinite beauty. Award-winning pieces worn by Halle Barry, Christina Aguilera, and featured in Good Housekeeping, Essence, and Seventeen.

Helps families tastefully, conveniently, and easily take pesticides and allergens out of food, danger out of cleaning products, and toxins out of body care products.

Technical services: composting, watershed protection, and sustainable development. Offering composting and thermal energy systems (hot water) to farms, commercial/municipal and institutional sites. Patented renewable energy capture (heat) from aerated compost. Agrilab Technologies continues the work of WASTE NOT Resource Solutions as part of its portfolio.

Imports and wholesales fairly traded African market baskets, working directly with weavers in Ghana. Proceeds contribute to health care, education, and community buildings for weavers and their families. For wholesale orders: wholesale@africanmarketbaskets.com.

Advanced Maintenance and Pest Solutions, LLC is a locally owned pest control and maintenance company that provides services throughout Chicagoland, with a focus on integrated pest management (IPM) and minimizing the need to apply pesticides.

A 'financial coach' who can help maximize your opportunities with investments, insurance, tax, estate, and retirement planning. Building relationships with SRI-focused clients since 1986. Member, First Affirmative Financial Network.

Notecards, journals, and stationery printed on 100% recycled paper and handmade tree-free paper. Beautiful imagery inspired by nature. Fundraising kit available.

Private label/promotional natural lip balm and sunscreen lotions, sticks; petroleum-free soy-based candles; and more. Eco-hats, tree-free paper options too!

"Providing nontoxic cleaning of homes and organizations using natural and environmentally safe products. Cleaning your world; saving ours. Using Earth-friendly solutions, everyone benefits."

Green consultants (eco-consultants). Specializing in no-/low-cost solutions for businesses and organizations desiring to incorporate green strategies into their operations. "We make going green easier!"

Local, organic, and Fair Trade fresh produce; plus large bulk selection including nuts, grains, oils, tamari, liquid soaps, and shampoo. Member-run and everyone can shop.

All-Natural Soaps, spa style foot and body scrubs, body butters, lip balms—all packaged in recycled and recyclable containers. No artificial preservatives, no animal testing.

The firm works with socially aware investors to create customized investment portfolios in harmony with their moral and ethical values. Account minimum: $2 million.

Financial activist serving SRI clients since 1989. Co-authored Investing with Your Values: Making Money & Making a Difference (2000). Please see Natural Investment LLC. Member of First Affirmative Financial Network.

Sunshine Burger makes certified organic, verified non-GMO vegan burgers with whole food ingredients free of major allergens. We use raw sunflower kernels and brown rice!

The leading national network of Community Development Financial Institutions, OFN shapes policy, conducts research, and creates partnerships and programs that deliver high impact in financially stressed communities.

'Through the lens of faith, ICCR builds a more just and sustainable world by integrating social values into corporate and investor actions.'

A community development financial institution (CDFI) that is a bridge between socially responsible investors and cooperatives, community-oriented non-profits, and worker-owned businesses in New England.

Calvert Impact Capital (CIC) is a proven market leader in the global impact investing industry, with over $2 billion raised through its unique and accessible fixed-income investment product, the Community Investment Note® (“Note”), which channels high impact investments into communities around the world. Note investors range from institutional, accredited, and retail investors, and Note purchases range from over $20mm to $20 (the minimum through CIC’s online platform). The Note blends financial, social, and environmental returns into one accessible product that offers global exposure to more than 100 countries including the US, as well as exposure across a multitude of sectors. The Note also includes robust reporting on social and environmental impact. Additionally, CIC offers loan syndications, where they originate, structure, and administer loans for institutional and accredited lenders seeking environmental and social impact. To date, CIC has syndicated and/or administered more than $300 million of capital for impact-oriented transactions.

Investment Thesis:

CIC invests to connect capital with the communities that need it most, demonstrating that private capital can be successfully invested in communities often overlooked and underserved by traditional finance in order to provide broad economic opportunity and protect our planet.

Investment Overview:

CIC prioritizes both financial resiliency and lasting impact, and its portfolio strategy is focused on creating more inclusive and accessible markets around the world. CIC helps its borrowers to build, grow, and sustain their portfolios, organizational strength, and impact that they have on the ground. CIC makes investments that create a positive, measurable impact as well as financial return across nine sectors including: small business finance, renewable energy, health, microfinance, sustainable agriculture, education, environmental sustainability, and community development. Each sector has a unique impact thesis and strategy that outlines the impact CIC seeks to affect in that sector, how impact is measured, and what role CIC’s capital plays in strengthening local markets. CIC conducts thorough due diligence on each organization to which it lends, and has rigorous credit quality and social performance standards.

Company Differentiator:

Calvert Impact Capital (CIC) is known for its 25-year track record of innovation, impact, and financial performance. Through the Community Investment Note®, CIC has a diversified portfolio across impact sectors and geographies, creating measurable social and environmental impact, that is managed by a team with deep credit analysis and risk management expertise. Complementing our strong portfolio performance is a capitalization cushion of over $100 million to protect investors against any potential portfolio losses, which has led to 100% repayment with returns to all investors to date. More than 5,400 individual and institutional investors, as well as financial advisors, have conveniently made investments ranging from $20 to $20 million via CIC’s online investment platform or through over 120 brokerage firms. Beyond the Note, CIC provides a syndications service, thought leadership practice, and other investor and industry resources that support moving investment capital toward creating an equitable and sustainable world.

Investment Example

One of our borrowers is Greenline Ventures ("Greenline"), a financial services company that specializes in serving the unmet capital needs of small businesses. Their objectives include job creation and retention, worker training, improving employee benefits, boosting minority and women-owned businesses, and reducing environmental impacts. In December 2016, Greenline launched a $20 million Small Business Capital Fund (SBCF I) to provide affordable loans to underserved small businesses in distressed census tracts throughout the US. SBCF I leverages federal tax credits with mission-driven capital to provide flexible, patient financing to small businesses. After the success of SBCF I, Greenline launched the SBCF II in 2018 with the same goal of creating quality jobs and wealth-building opportunities for low-income populations in under-invested communities. Calvert Impact Capital syndicated both funds and made a larger loan to Greenline's second fund to help them grow their impact. All of our borrowers can be found at calvertimpactcapital.org/portfolio/list.

Jewelry, belts and bags designed by Balinese artisans

Green alternative to AAA with 24-hour nationwide roadside assistance for autos and bikes. Discounts on hybrid car rentals, eco-travel, hotels. Trip routing, auto insurance, bicycle roadside assistance, and free maps. Supports a cleaner environment and alternative modes of transportation.

Everyone and anyone can be sustainable! Save time and money! Clean water and Air are best for our health, these are by-products of being sustainable. Make a plan, implement it, monitor and measure the plan and then review the plan!

Since 1987, crafting comfortable, durable, and Earth-friendly products for home, health, and comfort. Browse the selection of buckwheat, kapok, and recycled Sleeping Bean body pillows, reading, and head pillows. Great tools for Pilates, maternity, yoga, and meditation. Bean-bag chairs and floor comfort living products, shower curtains from hemp or cotton. Introducing contemporary upholstered furniture of hemp and organic cotton.

Highly specialized GOTS Certified sourcing consultancy. Offering consultancy and sourcing services for businesses in the organic and sustainable textile industries. Research, development, stock and custom sourcing, production and quality assistance, shipping and logistics coordination.

Green America urges everyone to end their relationships with big Wall Street banks and to “Break Up with Your Mega-Bank." Instead, open accounts with community investing banks and credit unions, which have a mission of lifting up low- and middle-income communities.

Why break up with your mega-bank?

Mega-banks often use your money to fund projects that may not be in line with your values— and nearly 40 of them are financially supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), including US Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and more. (See the graphic below from our allies at Food & Water Watch for a complete list.)

Break up with your DAPL-funding bank by:

• Following these 10 steps to find and switch to a socially responsible bank.
• Switching your credit card to one of these responsible credit cards.
• Find a socially responsible financial institution, loan fund, or credit card from our national database!

Victory!

DNB, Norway’s largest bank, sold its assets in the DAPL and is considering terminating the three loans it made to the project. DNB loans made up ten percent of the project’s costs, according to Reuters.

Image © Food & Water Watch
Sources and more info here.

Alex Mauthe is the Food Campaigns Intern for Green America and the GMO Inside campaign. She is a student at the University of Oregon majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Nonprofit Administration and English. She was born and raised in Orange County, California and her favorite place is Laguna Beach! She hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Sustainability and travel around the world looking for sustainable solutions to the environmental issues we face. She is excited to be working on food-related issues this summer and to be a part of the Green America team! 

Want to create a greener world that works for all people? One of the most important things you can do is vote with your dollar. Where you spend and invest your money is a powerful way of voting each day to support local communities, fair wages, and a healthy planet. 

Here at Green America, we’ve helped educate and mobilize consumers to use their money for a greener world, and we’ve seen the results in the growth of organic foods, fair trade products, clean energy solutions, and community banks and credit unions, just to name a few. Voting with our dollars works. 

When we talk about building the green economy, it's about more than being informed about corporations—it’s about actually supporting businesses that have adopted green practices, are growing the local economies, and pay suppliers fairly. Where you shop and what you buy when you do sends a direct message to business owners. If many of us shift our spending at once – to preference non-GMO foods, for example – it can force large corporations to scramble and drop harmful ingredients from their products. And in the case of small businesses, it helps them stay afloat in a competitive, deal-driven market. 

Green America's mission of creating a green economy that works for all – one that preferences social justice, environmental preservation, and healthy communities, is one that we can participate in at any time. Like casting ballots in an election, decisions we make every day cast votes for our values. When people support small businesses with forward-thinking practices, we call that #VoteWithYourDollar.  Vote With Your Dollars is a powerful way to build the green economy we need, without Washington. 

One of the most powerful actions you can take to Vote with Your Dollar keeping your money in your wallet, to not buy what you don't need, and to not line the pockets of CEOs of big box stores you don't agree with. Our culture is obsessed with deals, but those deals are paid for by the people who work low wages in factories or in big-box stores. In the case of shopping on the biggest store, Amazon.com, well, its track record isn't the cleanest. Every dollar you don't spend, is a dollar you can put in a community bank or credit union, where your dollars will be used to finance jobs, housing and social services that every community needs.  Or, it can be donated to a charity that is helping those less fortunate, combating hate, or taking action on climate change. 

It’s unrealistic not to shop at all, and unnecessary. The money you use to buy necessities, treat yourself, or spend on gifts for others is a vote cast for your values. Here are our tips for feeling good about the products you buy, but also the businesses you support.

Vote with your dollar

• Every time you buy at a local business, you tell the world your community is worth more than a big-box store sale. 

• Every time you buy organic, you tell the world you want more farmers to grow healthy, safe food. 

• Every time you buy certified fair trade, you fight poverty. 

• Every time you buy from a business owned by women or people of color, you help build an inclusive economy. 

• Every time you don’t buy something, you tell the world you don’t need more stuff to have a good life.

Where do we go from here?

• Read more tips on what it's like to live green.
• Get yourself a better bank and make money moves with socially responsible investing! Voting with your dollars at a financial institution can have an outsized impact.
• Shop the Green Business Network, where our certified businesses are much more likely to match your values!
• Check out our Vote With Your Dollar Toolkit to find out how your dollars impact everything from clothes to forests and food.

In its newest push to encourage the magazine industry to use recycled paper, the nonprofit Green America’s Better Paper Project launched “One Million Trees” to encourage higher education institutions to publish alumni magazines on recycled paper.

One million trees a year could be saved if colleges and universities took this common-sense step for the environment.

According to the U.S. Census, there are almost 67 million people with higher education degrees across the country, with over three million new graduates joining alumni associations every year. These alumni receive up to four magazines throughout the year from their alma maters. These tens of millions of alumni magazines add up to significant environmental impacts, such as wasting enough energy to power a small town for an entire year.

“Printing on recycled paper is a great way to achieve multiple environmental benefits all at the same time,” said Susan Kinsella, executive director of Conservatree, a nonprofit environmental organization that researches and strategizes paper production impacts. “Not only does recycled paper save trees and reduce greenhouse gases, but it also reduces the demand for water and energy, diminishes the production of solid waste, and quickly minimizes the paper production footprint on the environment. In fact, a recent life cycle analysis found that 100 percent recycled paper had considerably lower impact levels for over 140 environmental impact categories. And it’s top quality paper, as well.”

Green America is asking universities to participate in the One Million Trees campaign by making the Better Paper Commitment. By taking this step, universities would commit to starting with a minimum of 30 percent recycled content for alumni magazines and publications, as well as using Forestry Stewardship Council-certified fiber for any virgin content in the paper.

More on the goals of the campaign can be found at http://betterpaper.org/onemilliontrees.

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The right materials and know-how for your project.

Amicus is a new kind of home improvement store. We create fresh spaces--fresh designs, fresh air and water, and a fresh take on what our buildings can do for us.

No matter your goals or budget, our products and expertise can help you create a wonderful space that looks fantastic and feels great...whether it's a home, office, school, playspace, or whatever you have in the works.

You can breathe easier with Safecoat^® – we take your health seriously.

Paints, stains, cleaners, and protective sealers formulated without toxic chemicals. Designed to prevent or alleviate indoor air pollution. Safer even for the chemically sensitive.

All AFM building products — paints, primers, coatings, finishes, stains and more — are formulated for the least possible toxicity with high-quality performance. These are durable, long-lasting finishes that look good for years and also help seal in outgassing. No other product is as safe and enduring.