Contact Calvert Foundation

Many people view investing solely as the hustle and bustle of Wall Street at peak frenzy. Or, perhaps as the result of a ribbon-cutting ceremony in which someone who donated an unfathomable amount of money gleefully smiles in front of a building bearing his or her name. Investing, at its extremes, is those things—but Calvert Foundation m operates on a different model. It aims to channel investment dollars to organizations addressing real needs in low- and middle-income areas.

Calvert Foundation began when the founders of Calvert Investments, a pioneering socially responsible mutual fund company, decided to see if they could find a way to funnel more capital into low-income areas across the US and around the world, and joined with the Ford, MacArthur, and Mott Foundations to make it happen, says Calvert Foundation vice president of investment partnerships, Justin Conway.

As Conway recalls, “From day one, it was, ‘How can we create a financial institution that has a real social justice mission and is able to get this capital to work in communities?’”

So in 1995, they set up Calvert Foundation as a nonprofit investment firm to help bridge the gap between those who want their money to be a part of something good and the organizations doing the good.

Calvert Foundation is a certified community development financial institution (CDFI), which aims to use its investments to economically lift up low- and middle-income areas through community investing.

Community investing is a socially responsible investing strategy that puts investor dollars into building up areas that are often underserved by traditional banks. Community investing dollars may provide fair loans for low-income people to buy a home, start a business, or obtain a college education, enabling them to lift themselves up economically.

Since 1995, over 15,000 investors have invested over $1 billion into Calvert Foundation to support hundreds of sustainable-development nonprofits and social enterprises on the ground in 60 countries and throughout the US. Calvert Foundation disperses the money as loans to advance local solutions to critical challenges in their communities.

The Foundation’s flagship investment vehicle is the Community Investment Note, and its key benefit is that it makes community investing easy: People may invest in the Note for as little as $20 online and through their brokerage accounts.

Investors may choose the cause they want to support— from women’s empowerment to affordable housing—as well as a number of domestic and international places. They can choose their investment term (from 1-10 years) and how much interest their Note will earn (from 0-3 percent). Since the foundation’s inception, over 13,000 people have invested in the Notes.

“It’s one of the ways where individuals with as little as 20 dollars and institutions that are investing tens of millions of dollars can, through our risk-mitigated structure, have a high impact in low-income communities,” says Conway.

For example, investments in the Note supported a loan to IFF, a Midwestern CDFI, which then assisted Beyond Housing, a nonprofit working to build affordable housing, strengthen health and human services, and build community engagement in Pagedale, MO, a low-wealth community of color near St. Louis. Overseas, Note investors helped Healthpoint Services, a sustainable social business enterprise in India’s Punjab region, provide low-cost clean water, wireless Internet access, and health care to those in poverty.

Conway says that the Foundation lowers investor risk by investing in a diverse pool of carefully vetted community development institutions and having layers of reserves to protect against losses. To date, Calvert Foundation boasts a 100 percent repayment rate to Note investors.

The Foundation has created a number of investing opportunities, including its Ours to Own program and its Women Investing in Women Initiative (WIN-WIN).

Launched in 2014, Ours to Own allows investors to support unmet needs in cities they care about, including Denver and Minneapolis, with more cities to be added in the future.

Says Conway, “We wanted to provide a vehicle for people in larger cities in the US to support local organizations and projects there … and that’s been a real success.”

In 2012, Calvert Foundation started the WIN-WIN program to help people invest in and support organizations and projects in the US and internationally that empower women and girls, says Conway. Investments into WIN-WIN have already been instrumental in building a new center for Girls Inc. in downtown Oakland, for example.

Conway, whose first job out of college was with Green America’s Community Investing program, says that investors can rest assured that their money has a positive impact when invested through Calvert Foundation: “I get to work directly with investors and financial advisors, and I get to see the money move.”

And, he says, it moves from vastly different sources, because the Notes’ low minimum investment means that people from a variety of financial backgrounds, as well as organizations and nonprofits that want to support great causes, can get involved.

“Whether it’s a foundation trying to figure out how to do its first program-related investments, or an individual who says, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about how my dollars can have more purpose,’ Calvert Foundation is [a powerful] way to do it,” he says.

Shireen has served as Director of Digital Communications, Online Communications Manager, Food Campaigns Coordinator, Senior Web Developer, and Sustainable Business Standards Committee Member for Green America.

Take action with Green America's campaigns:

Darden—the parent company of Olive Garden, Yard House, LongHorn Steakhouse, and other franchises—has over 1,500 franchise locations, employs 150,000 people, and serves more than 320 million meals per year. It’s the largest sit-down restaurant company in the world. With incredible brand recognition comes incredible power: The company can move the restaurant industry in a more sustainable direction by improving the way it treats workers and procures food.

That’s why Green America, in coalition with 15 allied organizations, has launched the Good Food Now campaign, to demand that Darden adopt better practices. The Good Food Now campaign calls for Darden to improve its labor practices and source 20 percent of its purchases under environmental, health, labor, and animal-welfare criteria aligned with the Good Food Purchasing Policy created by the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. For example, the campaign asks Darden to build its menus around local and regional food. At present, the chain does not have a local food policy. Consequently, since 70 percent of America’s fruit and nuts and 55 percent of its vegetables come from California, the almonds that top a salad at an Olive Garden in New York may have traveled 3,000 miles to end up on that plate.

“By purchasing food that’s traveled across the continent, restaurants are increasing the food’s environmental and climate impact,” says Anna Meyer, food campaigns manager at Green America. “If Darden committed to local and organic purchasing, it could decrease its carbon footprint and boost local economies.”

Darden also needs to improve its treatment of workers. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour. Though Darden restaurants meet the federal minimum, that doesn’t mean its workers earn enough to make ends meet. Nationally, the median annual income for tipped workers is under $15,000, which puts them just above the federal poverty line and below what a person making the $7.25 federal minimum wage for hourly work would earn.

Plus, some 60 percent of Darden’s employees are part-time. Chain restaurants often aim to keep their staff at part-time to avoid a legal obligation to provide health insurance, sick leave, and other essential benefits.

“It’s time for Darden restaurants and other big chains to step it up,” says Meyer. “They have the power to effect change through buying local and organic food and ending worker exploitation.”

Tell Darden to be more accountable to workers and the planet: Take action at Good-food-now.com.

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For many eco-warriors, it's important to live the lifestyle of eco eating. Whether that's committing to Meatless Mondays or dabbling with pescatarianism, the importance of buying organic always rings through.

The organic label is a great way to ensure your food is coming from farms that do not use GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and harsh chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It is becoming increasingly common to see foods with this label not just at Whole Foods and natural food stores but at any grocery store in your area. You may already be buying organic food whenever possible, but is there an even better option?

The answer is a resounding yes.

While buying organic is important (and the best choice by far at the supermarket), buying locally grown food from farmer’s markets in your community can be a superior choice for a number of reasons. Here are our top 9! Provided that the farms you buy from locally minimize the use of harsh chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers and use sustainable practices, they will beat out grocery store organic every time. These farms may or may not be certified organic but by asking a few simple questions you can learn a lot about their commitment to sustainability. Read on and find out how frequenting your local farmer’s market can benefit the environment, the community, and your health.

1. Flavor

Ethically speaking, we want a lot from our food but at the end of the day food needs to actually taste good. Once you do a side-by-side flavor comparison of a store-bought organic tomato and a juicy heirloom tomato from your local farmers’ market you may never step foot into a grocery store again. Shipping food across the country which often arrives in your kitchen four to seven days after it was picked can really affect flavor and freshness negatively. The produce at farmer’s markets is typically harvested the day before the market, giving you the freshest and tastiest fruits and vegetables possible. An added bonus, you’re more likely to get your picky kids to eat their vegetables when they are filled with flavor.

2. Nutrition

Along the same lines, as flavor is lost throughout the shipping journey, nutrition can be lost too. Additionally, foods that are often shipped before they are ripe (like tomatoes) never develop their full nutrient content. The bright alluring colors you see of the vegetables arranged on farmer’s market stands are a great indicator of their high nutrient densities. Bolster your health and immunity as winter cold season wraps up with a rainbow of produce from your local farmer’s market!

3. Supporting Local Farmers

Buying local supports the people who work hard in your community and are committed to sustainable agriculture. Organic food is undoubtedly grown with better practices than conventional agriculture, but the label does allow for farming on a more industrial scale which can include mono-cropping.

You can use your money to support smaller, diversified vegetable operations that foster soil health and encourage biodiversity on their land. The farmer’s market is a great opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with your farmer and see what their practices are like, what inputs they use, and how they strategize with sustainability in mind. You may find that there are farmers in your area who are not certified organic but whose practices exceed the ecological requirements for the certification.

4. Environmental Benefits

In addition to supporting your wonderful local farmers’ sustainable practices, cutting out shipping emissions is sure to help lower your carbon footprint. Produce in grocery stores is shipped an average of 1,500 miles to get to consumers whereas farmer’s market produce arrives from farms which are unlikely to be over 100 miles away. Furthermore, the packaging waste in grocery stores can be avoided at farmer’s markets, especially if you come prepared with reusable bags.

5. Ethical eating

While organic certified brands have better animal welfare standards than their conventional counterparts, they are not perfect. The organic certification requires that animals have access to outdoor pasture but does not specify requirements for size or duration of that access.  The Farmer’s market is a great place to find farmers raising animals for meat and eggs in ways that are both environmentally sustainable and ethically responsible. Ask farmers about the size of the pasture animals are contained in and how long they are given access to pasture. Questions about the animals’ diet and use of antibiotics will also give you an idea of their standard of care. If you truly want to see where animals are being raised, many farms participating in markets will be happy to have you drop by for a farm visit!

6. Educational opportunities

It’s important to know where your food comes from, and the best source to learn from is the people who grow it! Don’t be afraid to ask questions about vegetable varieties you may not have seen before, growing methods, and how to use different vegetables. Farmers have pride in and are usually happy to talk about their work. Many farmer’s market stands also have literature and signage about topics ranging from seasonality to cooking and recipes. Use the farmer’s market as a classroom in your sustainable food education.

7. Eating seasonally

Your local grocery stores purchase food from across the country so that people can eat tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers in the middle of winter when these foods are unable to be grown locally. While having access to these delicious foods year round seems great, there is a lot to be said for eating locally and seasonally. After being shipped long distances, these foods are never as flavorful or nutritious as they were when first picked. Eating seasonally gives you a chance to take a break from foods when they are out of season and then become excited when they are available in their best form. A seasonal diet also helps you branch out and try foods that are in season which you may not have previously considered.

8. Diversify your diet

Farmer's markets offer a wealth of produce that you usually won’t find at grocery stores. From heirloom varieties to produce that doesn’t ship well or is regionally specific to your area, you will find new and interesting fruits and vegetables to try each week. Farmers often have suggestions for how to best use these foods that they will share with you. The internet is also a great resource to find recipes and nutritional information for these unique and exciting varieties.

9. Have fun!

Aside from all its numerous benefits, the farmer’s market is simply a fun weekend activity! Especially with spring approaching, spending the day outdoors taking in the inviting sights and smells of the farmer’s market is an amazing way to spend time with friends and family. Find a farmer’s market in your area today and go above and beyond organic, you won’t want to go back!

Read about more eco eating tips, challenges, and fun facts at GreenAmerica.org/good-food.

From 1964 to 1992, the oil giant Texaco extracted billions of barrels of oil from the Amazonian rainforests of Ecuador. During that time, the company dumped more than 16 billion gallons of toxic, carcinogenic wastewater into the waterways that Indigenous communities used for drinking and bathing. The widespread contamination caused an epidemic of cancer, miscarriages, and other severe health problems.

Rebecca Adamson (right) with members of the Goba people of the Lower Zambezi in Zambia.

Beginning in 1993, Texaco became embroiled in a seemingly endless battle with local Indigenous tribes seeking reparations. Ownership of Texaco passed to Chevron in 2001, and in 2011, Chevron was ordered by a provincial Ecuadorian judge to pay US$19 billion to the Indigenous communities affected by Texaco’s operations. Chevron has so far refused to pay the settlement.

The Ecuadorian tribes have responded by filing lawsuits to seize Chevron assets in Ecuador, Brazil, Canada, and Argentina until the $19 billion is paid. As a result, in October 2012, an Ecuadorian court froze US$200 million worth of Chevron Corporation’s assets in the country. And in November, an Argentine court froze up to US$19 billion of Chevron’s assets in Argentina.

Chevron’s stock price has plummeted since the October ruling, falling well below its fellow oil and gas conglomerates. A letter signed by investors holding US$580 billion worth of Chevron stock states that the Ecuador case has led them “to question whether the company’s leadership can properly manage the array of environmental and human rights challenges and risks that it faces.”

In the letter, the shareholders acknowledge that Chevron’s reputation with the public has been significantly damaged by the Amazon case, and request a meeting “to discuss how the company will protect its reputation and shareholder value moving forward.”

With both court and public opinion worldwide shifting in favor of Indigenous rights and associated environmental issues, companies are facing critical damage to their reputations and bottom lines if they do not bring their policies in line with the interests of Indigenous Peoples.

As in the case of Chevron, the pressure to change is coming increasingly from organized shareholder activists. By using your shareholder power, in partnership with the Indigenous rights movement, you can help reshape the business model of entire industries to respect, to cooperate with, and ultimately to benefit Indigenous Peoples—and the social and environmental justice they fight for.

The Risks of Ignoring Indigenous Rights

Chevron is not the first company to ignore the rights of local Indigenous communities when operating on their lands. Of the 28 major oil, gas, and mining companies operating in Indigenous territory around the world, only five have policies that explicitly commit to acquiring the “Free, Prior, and Informed Consent” (FPIC) of local communities before planning any operations on their lands, according to a study by Oxfam America.

But, like Chevron, those companies that do not adhere to FPIC guidelines are beginning to pay the price.

In 2012, for example, Talisman Energy became the fifth oil company to withdraw operations from Block 64 of the Peruvian Amazon because of resistance from the Achuar and other communities affected by its operations.

“We are the owners and the original people of this land,” Peas Peas Ayui, the president of the National Achuar Federation of Peru, told Amazon Watch. “No outside person or company may enter our territory by force, without consultation and without asking us.”

Through a growing number of court cases at both the national and international levels, Indigenous communities are successfully obstructing the progress and completion of massive projects. A federal judge in Brazil recently ruled that local Indigenous communities had not been properly consulted in the construction of Norte Energia’s Bel Monte dam.

The ruling resulted in the temporary halting of construction on the dam and may threaten the completion of the US$18.5 billion project.

Failure to acquire FPIC at the very beginning of a drilling or mining project not only threatens operations, it can result in crippling reputational damage and loss of investor confidence.

During a recent FPIC panel convened by Oxfam, Dr. Chris Anderson, the Americas director for Communities & Social Performance at the Rio Tinto Limited mining company, answered plainly the question of why investors are demanding that FPIC be integrated into project planning: “When you don’t adequately consult with a community and they don’t want an aspect of your project, you just simply don’t have a project, and therefore you may not have a business,” he said.

Shareholders for Indigenous Communities

As a shareholder, you are uniquely positioned to bring about big changes in the global market by investing in the right companies and influencing those companies to adopt policies that respect Indigenous rights.

Investors have three main ways of supporting the rights of Indigenous Peoples:

1) Screen your stocks. Ask your investment manager whether your investments take into account the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Don’t forget to ask about your 401(k) or other retirement fund. You can provide your investment manager with First Peoples Worldwide’s Indigenous Peoples Investment Guidelines [PDF], as well as this article, which s/he can use to assess how companies deal with Indigenous Peoples. An advisor specializing in socially responsible investing (SRI) has access to research data that can help you invest in companies with best practices.

For example, the Ethical Investment Research Service, a research provider that focuses on SRI, has identified 250 large-cap companies that have high to medium risk exposure to Indigenous Peoples. EIRIS offers this list to investment managers as a tool to serve their clients, so if your manager isn’t using this product already, suggest that s/he do so.

2) Be a shareholder activist. As a shareholder, you have a great deal of influence in helping lagging companies develop better practices.

In 2009, shareholders successfully steered the policies of one of the world’s largest gold producers toward improved Indigenous rights policies. Newmont Mining shareholders initially filed a resolution calling for an independent “global review and evaluation of the company’s policies and practices relating to existing and potential opposition from local communities to our company’s operations, and the steps taken to reduce such opposition.” But through ongoing dialogue with company leadership, the shareholders advocating for the review convinced the company to support it, and Newmont itself ultimately asked shareholders to support the resolution. That year, 92 percent of Newmont Mining’s shareholders voted for the resolution, and the company’s Community Relations Review is now a critical part of Newmont’s operations planning worldwide.

As an individual stockholder, you have the opportunity to vote via your annual proxy ballot to support all resolutions calling for better Indigenous Peoples policies. The Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility maintains a list of all the resolutions affecting Indigenous Peoples that are filed each year.

Keep in mind that if you own mutual funds, fund managers vote your proxies for you. Ask your mutual fund managers how they vote on Indigenous rights—if you don’t like their answers, it may be time to look for another mutual fund, preferably an SRI fund.

Perhaps more important than voting proxies is to engage with the companies you invest in. Ask your investment managers how they handle corporate engagement, and encourage them to represent your concerns when interacting with companies. You can also write a letter to the CEO or board and ask questions about how the company maintains transparency and addresses shareholders’ concerns about Indigenous rights. Most companies can be contacted through their investor relations websites.

3) Invest in Indigenous communities. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the territories of Indigenous Peoples comprise up to 24 percent of the Earth’s land surface, yet these areas harbor 80 percent of the world’s remaining healthy ecosystems. This is not a coincidence. Indigenous practices have been protecting and preserving the natural environment since long before the advent of the modern economy. Indigenous economies are based on taking only what is needed from the land and sharing it equally, ensuring a strong, sustainable and equitable society in which everyone has enough not only to live, but to thrive. There are dozens of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that work directly with Indigenous communities to create local entrepreneurs, homeowners, and tribal businesses, as well as to develop the infrastructure and knowledge that lead to solid and culturally appropriate governance, legal systems, commercial practices, and community-focused financial management.

The Lakota Funds (lakotafunds.org), for example, are considered one of the grandmothers of the community investment industry. Since their inception in 1986, these community development loan funds have loaned over $6 million, resulting in the creation of 1,235 jobs and nearly 450 businesses on or near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. According to a recent study, the Funds have raised the real per capita income of Shannon County residents consistently and significantly throughout a 20-year study period. From their basis in traditional Native values, the Funds have served as the model for connecting capital markets to low-income areas.

By buying shares in Native CDFIs like the Lakota Funds, you are investing in the growth of Indigenous economies and strengthening the capacity of Indigenous communities for self-governance.

Looking Ahead

If Indigenous Peoples can secure their rights to FPIC, a new precedent will be set for all communities fighting for the right to sovereignty. The shifts that are taking place in the business models of global corporations, and the way they see their social responsibilities, will have lasting impacts on the world’s major industries.

With dedication from shareholders, communities, NGOs, and companies alike, the future global economy will be more equitable, more sustainable, and ultimately more profitable.

Uloop: By Danielle Wirsansky March 22, 2017

Formerly Co-op America, the Green America organization has become one of the country’s leaders in establishing a green economy. Since its inception in 1982, its mission has remained to be to “provide economic strategies and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today’s social and environmental problems.” They do so by providing sustainable opportunities to cut down on paper waste and provide alternatives.

As of March 21, they have rolled out their latest project, called “One Million Trees,” in which they encourage the magazines of higher education institutions to adopt greener practices, particularly using recycled paper for their publications, like alumni magazines.

According to a recent press release, Beth Porter, the director of Green America’s Better Paper Project, said the following:

“The impact of losing one million trees a year is just too much for alumni magazines that could look every bit as good using recycled paper. Universities across the country have a chance to greatly influence recycled paper demand by printing their alumni magazines with better paper that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lessens impacts on forests. If you are a college graduate, please consider calling your university’s alumni office to tell them you want your alma mater to switch to recycled paper.”

The impact such a change could make if instituted by universities across the nation is enormous. Statistics show that the tens of millions of alumni magazines waste enough energy to power a small town for an entire year. If universities committed to using 100% recycled paper in their publications, a million trees, enough water to fill 700 Olympic sized pools, and more would be saved each year. By decreasing the use of virgin paper, endangered forests, climate change, and polluted local communities with paper production companies will gain relief.

“Americans are increasingly asking businesses and institutions to take active steps to support the environment,” said Todd Larsen, executive co-director of Green America. “We’ve heard from thousands of college and university graduates who are asking their universities to use recycled paper in their magazines. As university students are increasingly urging their schools to reduce their environmental footprint, switching to recycled papers is a great way for schools to lower their carbon, water, and forest impacts.”

Participating universities can commit to better paper practices and to the One Million Trees campaign by using a minimum of 30 percent recycled papers for their publications and using Forestry Stewardship Council-certified fiber for any new paper materials that might be required

Contact Better World Club

If you belong to AAA, the popular roadside-assistance and travel insurance program, you may inadvertently be supporting Big Oil, more roads, and fewer bikes on those roads.

AAA sits at the forefront of the highway lobby, a group of automobile-, cement-, oil-, and tire-interest groups that advocate for the construction of more roads and against safety and infrastructure provisions for other forms of travel (like bike lanes and sidewalks). Better World Club m , founded by boyhood friends Mitch Rofsky and Todd Silberman, is an eco-friendly auto club offering the same services (and more!) as AAA, backed by green values.

Through its network of more than 40,000 service providers, Better World Club (BWC) provides nationwide 24/7 roadside assistance. In addition, BWC boasts a one-of-a-kind bicycle roadside assistance program for cyclists.

Because Better World Club is not part of the highway lobby, BWC members can rest assured that their money is not contributing to causes they do not agree with. The company makes a point of supporting efforts to regulate auto emissions and develop mass transit and bike-friendly cities and towns.

Additionally, BWC is committed to donating one percent of its yearly revenue to environmental and climate-related issues while still maintaining prices that are competitive with AAA and other auto clubs. In addition, it offers discounts for hybrid vehicle owners. BWC will match local AAA rates for drivers looking to switch and will waive the new membership sign-up fee for those leaving AAA.

BWC, a carbon-neutral company, also offers access to hotel and car-rental savings, maps, trip-routing, and travel protections at comparable rates to AAA—all while staying true to its green values.

Helping sustainable and purpose-driven companies achieve their online business goals

Contact Red Sequoia: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Ben Schulkin’s commitment to an environmentally conscious lifestyle began in college with Gaia, a campus environmental advocacy group he participated in as he studied to become a web developer. Through Gaia, he’d learned how and why to offset his carbon footprint, which translated in adulthood to prioritizing clean energy to power his home, as well as growing a portion of his family’s food through micro gardening. It also motivated him to start his own green web-design agency after graduation.

“Originally, I was looking for a way to leverage my technical knowledge and web development background while providing benefit to the environment as well. This desire is what led me to create Red Sequoia,” says Schulkin, who founded the company in 2008.

Red Sequoia provides green web design and helps clients reach their target audiences through online marketing initiatives.

Most people do not think of the web-design industry as one with a particularly high environmental burden. However, Schulkin explains, large-scale server farms, or the data centers that host websites, are often powered by burning significant amounts of coal, and they require extensive cooling systems that also use copious amounts of energy.

With traditional web-hosting methods amassing large carbon footprints, Schulkin and his colleagues searched for greener options for their clients. At present, all of Red Sequoia’s websites utilize DreamHost, a web-hosting company that is entirely carbon neutral as a result of investing in US-based renewable energy projects through carbon offsets.

Also, Red Sequoia is a virtual company with no central offices, so there are a number of inherent efficiencies. It does not have employees commuting to work and does not have to power, heat, and cool an office space. The two major home offices, Schulkin’s and web project manager Nathan Coffey’s, are powered by Ethical Electric m ,a company that provides wind and solar electricity to consumers across the country via their existing utility.

Red Sequoia’s commitment to creating positive environmental change draws clients of similar ethics. Recently, for example, Red Sequoia took on an account for the Great Swamp Watershed Association, a nonprofit committed to protecting its local watershed.

“We could design websites for anybody,” says Schulkin. However, “more than 70 percent of our clients are focused on making positive social and environmental change.By working with them, we are helping them to achieve their goals. And by doing that, we’re helping the community and the environment.”

Contact Green Earth Travel: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Longtime vegan turned travel agent Donna Zeigfinger understands the challenges that accompany traveling internationally with dietary restrictions. Language barriers can make it difficult to articulate your food needs, and a number of cuisines that people tend to associate with being vegan- and vegetarian-friendly, such as many Asian cuisines, actually incorporate ingredients like fish sauce, chicken broth, or other animal-based products.

“I found traveling while vegan was difficult but not impossible, so I wanted to make traveling easier for my vegan and vegetarian clients,” says Zeigfinger.

She had been a conventional travel agent for just a year when the idea for a new kind of agency struck her. Many of her earliest clients, and her closest friends, were also strict vegans who constantly asked for her advice on vegan-friendly travel opportunities. Zeigfinger saw an opportunity to align her existing business with her personal values and her desire to support the greater vegan community, and Green Earth Travel was born.

Green Earth Travel is an entirely vegan- and vegetarian-focused travel agency, specializing in planning all aspects of international vacations with plant-based diets in mind.

Owner and operator Donna Zeigfinger sees it as her job to take the guesswork out of traveling for vegans and vegetarians, and pave the way for a worry-free vacation. Green Earth Travel plans custom, independent vegan vacations. Zeigfinger will seek out hotels in any country that are owned and operated by vegan-friendly locals. She’ll also reach out to cruise ships and tour companies to ensure that her clients’ dietary needs can be thoroughly accommodated.

For travelers wishing to explore local cuisine, “we also locate vegan restaurants and give [clients] tips on how to eat like a local without compromising their values and ethics,” she says.

Zeigfinger also partners with companies that offer vegan tours. For example, Tierno Tours’ “Vegano Italiano Tours” offers multi-day, food-focused tours of Italy for vegan travelers. When one thinks of Italy, vegan food hardly comes to mind amidst visions of pasta and pizza topped with cheese. The Vegano Italiano Tours, however, allow travelers to explore areas like Sicily or the Amalfi Coast while accompanied by acclaimed vegan chefs. Green Earth Travel will be partnering with Vegano Tours to send vegan travelers to the Caribbean and Peru in 2017.

Donna herself is an Ireland travel specialist, but she says her new favorite “is fast becoming Italian tours, as they are so vegan friendly.”

Zeigfinger has also sent clients to a vegan-friendly tour operator specializing in India, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as an upscale vegan-friendly camping outfit in Alaska.

“We are vegans,” Zeigfinger emphasizes, “so we know the needs of our clients and will make every effort to ensure that they are accommodated.”

Contact LineSync Architecture: Website | Facebook | Pinterest

Julie Lineberger and Joseph Cincotta have been green since “green was just a color.” The two met while in graduate school, and they eventually realized both that they were meant to be together, and they were meant to start an eco-minded architectural firm. But this was the late 1980s, and green architects were virtually unheard of. So while their friends were thrilled about their eventual marriage, they weren’t so happy about the environmental focus their new company would have.

“They warned us we would be out of business within five years,” says Lineberger.

Lineberger and Cincotta proved them wrong. They settled in Vermont where, surrounded by a number of like minded individuals and businesses, LineSync Architecture thrived—and took a place at the forefront of the budding green architecture movement. Today, LineSync designs buildings ranging from unique single-family homes to large corporate offices and everything in between.

The company brings renewable energy and sustainable aspects into all of its designs. During its early years, nuclear power was on the rise, being touted as a “clean” energy source. Concerned about the potential for nuclear accidents, Lineberger and Cincotta instead honed in on solar energy as a truly green power source for their clients. Today, 25 percent of LineSync’s designs include solar energy. LineSync also incorporates energy-efficiency strategies—such as passive-solar design, straw-bale insulation, and foam block construction—into 100 percent of its designs.

Their passion for cutting-edge environmental practices in their field led Lineberger and Cincotta to Green America in LineSync’s early days.

“As soon as we could afford the dues our second year, we became members of Green America,” recounts Lineberger, who now serves as the chair of Green America’s board of directors.

Lineberger and Cincotta founded LineSync from a small home office. The company’s current Vermont office has expanded to a commercial building, designed by Cincotta, that includes anywhere from nine to 13 people, depending on the existing projects. They are currently preparing to open a second office in Portland, Oregon.

In recent years, LineSync has been named one of the top 10 architecture firms in Vermont as well as one of the top 1,000 architecture firms in the nation three years in a row.

LineSync’s sustainable approach has turned its clients into believers in green architecture. Just after the New York City offices of R.G. Niederhoffer Capital Management (RGNCM) had completed renovations designed by LineSync, a brownout hit.

During the power outage, RGNCM President Roy Niederhoffer received a call from his brother, who owns a competitor company. Niederhoffer told his brother that RGNCM’s energy-efficient renovations—which included solar panels—meant that its power, and by extension its ability to conduct stock market trades, had not gone offline like the rest of the city.

“His brother said, ‘It’s that damn Vermont architect!,’” Lineberger recalls. “But with the money RGNCM made in that one day, when they were able to trade when no one else [could], they made enough money to not only pay our firm’s [design] fee but also the cost of the entire renovation.”

Years later, LineSync has now completed its 13th project for R.G. Niederhoffer.

At its core, “green architecture is simply thoughtful design,” says Lineberger. “Sustainable building practices have environmental, economic, health, and community benefits, so by incorporating sustainable principles in the design of a building, it creates healthy, inspiring spaces for people to live in, work in, and play in!”

Ever wonder why the tomatoes you buy at the grocery store just don’t measure up to the more unique-looking ones you find at the farmer’s market? Or why the tomato slices served at restaurants don’t taste all that tomato-y? There is a complex history behind why this is, but it has a lot to do with shipping food across the country so we can eat produce that is not currently in season.

As anyone who has squeezed a tomato knows, tomatoes are soft and yielding. This consistency makes them difficult to ship, as they are often damaged in the process. To combat this problem, tomatoes are typically picked and shipped while still firm and green (before they are ripe.) They are gassed with ethylene before being sold in supermarkets to give them the red color consumers expect.

While this process works very well for shipping tomatoes long distances and keeping them visibly appealing, the most important part is lost along the way--flavor. Tomatoes don’t develop their delicious, acidic flavor fully until they ripen. Halting that process to allow for shipping completely strips tomatoes of their rich taste.

Surely by now someone could’ve innovated a solution to this problem? Well, some have tried. The Flavr Savr tomato was genetically engineered (GE) and introduced to the public by Calgene in 1994. Scientists turned off the softening gene so that this variety of tomato could be picked ripe and then transported easily. It also remained red and fresh-looking off the vine for a month or more while natural tomatoes left out for the same period of time would shrivel and rot. Monsanto bought the patent for these tomatoes and stopped selling them after rats fed GMO potatoes developed gut lesions and public opinion of GMOs plummeted. As a result, GE tomatoes are not currently sold in grocery stores.

People continue to use technology to try to put flavor back into grocery store tomatoes. According to Modern Farmer, researchers have sequenced the genomes of nearly 400 different varieties of tomatoes and used a consumer panel to determine which genes make for the tastiest tomato. The final result? 13 chemical compounds scientists believe can be used in plant crossbreeding to create universally delicious tomatoes.

It is great that these scientists plan to use traditional breeding methods rather than genetic engineering, but is this really the solution? Sequencing genomes and attempting to create a genetically perfect tomato seems like a complicated Band-Aid for the actual problem: the way that we grow and distribute tomatoes. Wouldn’t it be so much simpler to eat delicious, locally grown tomatoes only while they are in season?

If limiting your enjoyment of delicious, fresh tomatoes to their growing season (which varies depending on where you live) seems like a hardship, there are solutions:

1. Grow your own!

If you’re willing to put in some work and have space available in your backyard or community, there are a variety of tips and tricks to stretching tomato season to its limits. Among these tips are experimenting with different varieties, using blanket covers to warm crops when the temperature drops, and growing cherry tomatoes indoors in the winter. A greenhouse or hoop house can also provide you with a bounty of tomatoes in almost any temperature.

2. Find a farmer

You can do some research online or ask around at the farmer’s market to see if any farmers in your area are    already employing these techniques and can sell you the end product. Make sure to talk to farmers about their growing practices and ensure they do not use harmful chemical pesticides and fertilizers. They may be certified organic or adhere to organic methods but not have a certification.

3. Preserve

 It is also possible to enjoy tomatoes when they are unavailable fresh by preserving them or buying them preserved in sauces and pastes or in canned form. When purchasing, make sure to look for the organic certification. Conventionally grown tomatoes are covered in pesticides, several of which are likely carcinogens.

Ultimately, eating locally and seasonally has so many benefits to the environment and your community that waiting out the colder months sans tomatoes is worth it. Eating seasonally can be exciting, with anticipation building towards the end of each season for the specific foods the next season will bring in their freshest and most enjoyable forms. Focusing your diet on what is currently in season may also cause you to branch out and try some new foods and recipes you may have never enjoyed otherwise. Give it a try and you may never have to experience the mealy texture and cardboard-like taste of a grocery store tomato again!

Christine Hughes, co-founder of Village Bakery & Café understands the relationship between good food and people better than most. “I’ve been working in the food industry for as long as I’ve been working,” she recalls. “I had learned over the years [the importance of] focusing on healthy and organic foods, but more recently, my eyes were opened to the potential that the food you purchase and prepare will impact your local community.”

In 2002, Hughes and Bob O’Neil, who met as worker-owners of a Mexican restaurant in Athens, OH, decided to strike out on their own and open Village Bakery & Café.

“We wanted to start a business that focused on incorporating as many businesses in the local community as possible, to grow the green economy in Athens,” she says.

The café was such a hit in the community that, in the 14 years that followed, it has branched out to three locations—the original bake house, which does the majority of the baking for all three locations and hosts special events; the main restaurant, located next door to the bakery; and the Catalyst Café, a fair trade espresso café.

As the business has grown, so has Hughes and O’Neil’s dedication to green values. Within the past five years, their customers have indicated a high interest in sustainable food, so Hughes and O’Neil have expanded their menu to include organic soups and salads, breads, entrees, and fair trade desserts and beverages.

“The bakery sits at the heart of much of the social activism in our region, and nothing pleases us more than to be able to feed farmers and activists with organic soups, salads, wood-fired breads, and fair trade desserts and coffee.” —Christine Hughes, Village Bakery & Café

In the spring of 2016, Green America awarded Village Bakery & Café our People and Planet Award for its leadership in promoting organic food through its business model. The winnings from the prize allowed Village Bakery & Café to purchase a pallet of organic olive oil and to continue to invest in renewable energy.

Village Bakery & Café’s main restaurant boasts a 20kW solar power system, and Hughes and O’Neil have plans to put panels up on the bake house as well. Once that project is complete, as much as 50 percent of the café’s energy will come from solar power—and Hughes says they will continue investing in solar until that number hits zero. Additionally, the café has a geothermal heating and cooling system in place of the previous inefficient system.

For Hughes, the profound impact that Village Bakery & Café has had on her community has been clear. “It’s a gathering place,” she says, noting that the café serves as a meeting place for local activists working on organic food and other green issues.“I see it as a catalyst for more small businesses with a new idea of what it means to be [part of] a community. It has been an opportunity for us to share our values and inspire people to share their own.” —Grace Foster

Contact Dhana Inc.: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Nearly one-sixth of the working population of the planet is connected to the fashion industry, which is also one of the most polluting industries worldwide. For Shamini Dhana, the founder and CEO of Dhana Inc., an environmentally minded children’s clothing line, those facts felt staggering.

“Every morning you put something on yourself that clothes you,” says Dhana, who entered the fashion industry with more than 20 years of global business management experience and served as a senior vice president at Silicon Valley Bank, managing its India operations.

After a successful career in finance, it was becoming a mother that caused Dhana to reflect on her own childhood experiences growing up in Singapore and inspired her to embrace a long-held dream.

“I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur with a mandate of [honoring] people and planet,” she says. In 2008, Dhana realized that, “Clothing [had] the potential to invoke positive environmental and social change.” In a world dominated by demand for cheap clothing and “disposable fashion,” often made in sweatshops, she sought a different model.

“So much of clothing is a reflection of the world. When you wear our clothes, you are wearing something that reflects not only the designer but also every single heart and hand that went into making it.”

So she launched her new company, Dhana Inc., which began as a line of fun, comfortable, ethically sourced clothing for kids ages 4-12. It has since expanded to a full brand for ages 0-16.

Each piece of Dhana clothing is both inspired, in its design and pattern, by nature and made exclusively with Fairtrade International certified cotton. Additionally, all dyes used are certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), meaning they meet strict environmental and social standards from field to finished product. The brand does not use any toxic finishes.

Dhana Inc. partners with fair-trade factories in India, where workers are paid a fair and living wage for all of their products. Shamini Dhana was motivated to source from India because of the connections she established in the region during her finance career and the country’s large output of organic cotton.

Additionally, artists from around the world create the prints that bring the Dhana line’s unique look to life. These artists bring their “unique perspective [to tell] a different story every season that connects us, because the natural world is shared,” says Dhana.

Although Dhana Inc. plans to offer adult-sized clothing in the future, Dhana emphasizes the key role young children play in her brand’s message and in the future of the global marketplace: “Through [ethically and environmentally sourced] clothing, we are educating our young to be caring citizens. Then, they will grow up to with the idea that even clothing can change the world.”

Contact Bella Luna Toys: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Early childhood teacher, author, and mother Sarah Baldwin wants to change the way we think about how children play in the 21st century. Baldwin is the owner of Bella Luna Toys, an online and retail store that offers simple, beautifully made toys such as wooden animals, dress-up clothing, puppets, and games that are reminiscent of a time before four year-olds had iPhones.

Baldwin bought Bella Luna Toys in 2009, when it was a smaller online store. By 2015, she’d also opened up a retail shop in Rockland, ME, and had grown the business to over $1 million.

“I was ready to make a change in my life, so I resigned from my teaching job,” says Baldwin. “Almost as soon as I did, I received a newsletter about this website that was for sale that sold Waldorf toys and crafts— these were toys that I knew well and was passionate about. I was excited to introduce them to new parents.”

“Waldorf toys” refer the the types of toys that are used in Waldorf education. Waldorf schools encourage children to engage in free play with natural materials to help cultivate their intellectual and creative abilities.

Baldwin says Waldorf toys should be “open ended” and “leave a lot to the imagination.” Consequently, none of Bella Luna’s toys are electronic, nor are they very intricate.

“My goal is to help shape future generations and raise creative thinkers, rather than just passive consumers seeing other people’s ideas.”
—Sarah Baldwin, Bella Luna Toys

They also lack the plastics and toxins often found in conventional toys. Baldwin avoids plastic toys because some types of plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can be harmful after long-term use because they contain hormone-disrupting phthalates. Other toys can contain lead, arsenic, and cadmium, all of are harmful if they are ingested.

Baldwin has one guiding principle when deciding what toys to sell at Bella Luna: “I don’t buy a toy I would not give to my own children or to my students, even if I know that it is a popular toy, and it will sell.”

Instead, she buys toys that are made with natural materials such as wood, cotton, and wool, with nontoxic finishes and vegetable dyes. Some are even 100 percent organic. All are built to last—and be handed down to future generations.

Baldwin also screens suppliers for ethical production, and she seeks out fair trade toys, ensuring fair wages and healthy working conditions for workers. In addition, Baldwin buys green electricity for the retail shop and uses carbon-neutral shipping.

“Studies confirm that imaginative play in early childhood leads to creative thinking later in life. My goal is to help shape future generations of creative thinkers, rather than generations of passive consumers seeing other people’s ideas,” says Baldwin.

“I had a vision that Bella Luna Toys wouldn’t just be an e-commerce site—it would be a platform to promote the importance of play, and preserve the childhood right to play.”

Contact Azida Inc: Website | Facebook

One family is trying to restore the good name of one of the world’s oldest domesticated crops. Industrial hemp has gotten a bad rap because it’s related to the marijuana plant. The federal government even considers hemp a schedule 1 drug, meaning that there was no accepted medical use at the time of classification (1970, in hemp’s case), and it was considered to have high abuse potential.

In reality, however, hemp contains very little tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), so it won’t get anyone high. Since 1970, researchers have discovered that hemp has many health benefits, and it doesn’t require pesticides or large amounts of water to grow.

Having always been environmentally conscious, Arizona ecopreneurs Diana and Jim Jones decided they wanted a home-based business in order to spend more time with their kids, so they started researching this underappreciated crop. After wholesaling hemp-based clothing, they noticed a lack of hemp-based cosmetics on the market.

So in 1996, they started Azida Inc., which sells all-natural hemp-oil body care products. On Azida’s online store, shoppers will find a plethora of cruelty free and vegan hemp-oil products, including shampoo, shower gel, eye cream, sunscreen, lotions, and lip balms.

“Growing commercial hemp will probably be legal one of these days [in the US]. But until the federal government says it’s okay, at least we can help promote a niche market we feel really good about.”
—Diana Jones, Azida Inc.

“We realized hemp is a really great oil, but it was used very little in body care,” says Diana Jones, who notes that hemp oil is rich in essential fatty acids, which “defy aging” by helping the skin retain moisture and elasticity. These fatty acids are what makes Azida products so effective, she says.

The only problem is that antiquated drug policy makes hemp difficult to grow and sell in the US.

“We get our hemp oil from Canada,” says Jones, “but some locally grown hemp would be amazing. Oil would be plentiful and inexpensive [if US farmers were allowed to cultivate hemp], and it would open up so much more industry.”

According to Jones, the healthy properties of Azida ingredients like hemp, jojoba oil, lavender, and rosemary extract make synthetic substances unnecessary. That means Azida products contain no sulfates, DEA, parabens, propylene glycol, formaldehyde, mineral oil, petroleum, synthetic waxes, PABA, or artificial colors.

Hemp isn’t the only thing that the Joneses are passionate about. Cochise County, AZ, is famous for its wildlife, and the Joneses help protect it by donating a percentage of Azida’s sales to area nonprofits dedicated to preserving the region.

Although it has its limitations at the moment, the future of hemp is starting to look brighter as businesses like Azida help introduce more people to the crop. “Growing commercial hemp will probably be legal one of these days,” says Jones. “But until the federal government says it’s okay, at least we can help promote a niche market that we really feel good about.”

Trash from old buildings gets a second life—while creating jobs

Contact Community Forklift: Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Imagine a bulldozer shattering a house and violently shoving it into a jagged pile of crumbling refuse. The force of this collision releases a spray of toxic dust into the air, which later settles on the surrounding neighborhood.

The crushed and tangled pieces from this demolished building will be buried in a landfill, where they will slowly decompose for centuries. It’s not a healthy image—for the surrounding communities or for the planet.

This type of demolition is the leading method of removing condemned or unwanted buildings from a city’s landscape. In fact, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, building debris comprises almost 40 percent of the country’s solid waste.

Fortunately, there is a less wasteful alternative to demolition: deconstruction. Workers carefully disassemble buildings so materials remain intact—separating hazardous parts from pieces that can be reused. And deconstruction creates more jobs than demolition, because multiple workers are needed to perform a variety of specialized tasks.

Since 2005, Community Forklift has promoted deconstruction in the Washington, DC, area. By collecting, donating, and reselling salvaged building materials and appliances, this nonprofit has diverted $12 million worth of building materials away from landfills since its founding.

“There’s so much [used] building material out there that there could be a reuse store for every Home Depot,” says marketing and outreach director Ruthie Mundell. “[Americans are] so proud of ourselves for recycling soda cans, but we need to be recycling houses, too, because [they’re] such a huge part of the waste stream.”

Community Forklift is a project of the DC-based nonprofit, Sustainable Community Initiatives (SCI), which runs job-training and community-improvement projects that benefit the environment.

About 12 years ago, the people behind SCI hired instructors to train local job seekers in deconstruction and won a bid to take apart some old cottages in DC. The deconstruction project turned a profit by selling the cottages’ recovered maple flooring, earning enough money to compensate the instructors and the trainees.

However, the trainees could not put their new skills to use, because DC had no outlets to sell salvaged materials from construction sites.

So SCI, along with a handful of other local environmental groups, founded Community Forklift to address this need. They didn’t go into the deconstruction business themselves, but rented a warehouse and hired employees to pick up donated cast-off materials from homes and construction sites.

“The concept of … building-material reuse just makes so much sense,” says Mundell. “Not only are we not sending things to the landfill, [but] more important than that is the fact that we’re reducing consumption and demand for virgin material. It’s really only the last few generations [that] we’ve become so wasteful.”

The founders chose the name “Community Forklift” because the organization lifts up the community by selling materials at 25 to 75 percent below their retail prices, lending or donating materials to local nonprofits, and through its HELP (spell this acronym out here) program, distributing items to needy families at no cost.

Last year, Community Forklift gave away nearly $50,000 worth of supplies. Contractors also get a lift as low-cost materials enable them to keep projects affordable. The Community Forklift warehouse itself also provides green jobs for 45 employees.

Community Forklift commonly receives donations that include kitchen cabinets, sinks, doors, windows, lumber, tools, and vintage furniture. Because it serves the bustling DC metro area, it also obtains many eccentric donations. Each year the Folklife Festival donates its banners, which are often reused as tarps. Recently, the Architects of the Capitol brought in a large amount of vintage ashtrays, which a local artist made a unique glass wall out of.

The warehouse also gets strange objects from production companies that pitch films to the Discovery Channel, ranging from a wooden jail cell to a pillar etched with Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Community Forklift also paves the way for creative and exotic reuse projects: Last summer, a couple built a backyard gazebo out of old doors and window sashes. In addition, many of DC’s newer shops and restaurants contain vintage or unique items from the warehouse.

“[In some areas], every other business has used our materials to add some character to their space,” says Mundell. “It’s so fun to feel like we’re part of the fabric of the city now.”

Because 80 percent of customers hear about Community Forklift through a friend, the business hosts several events each year to showcase its merchandise while educating customers about the benefits of deconstruction and reuse.

In winter of 2013, Community Forklift won Green America’s $5,000 People and Planet Award, which goes to businesses that help their employees, communities, and the environment.

Would you like cleaner clothes, a cozier home, lower utility bills, and to be a leader in curbing climate change? Then consider replacing your old appliances with new, energy efficient appliances. The US consumes nearly one million dollars worth of energy every minute, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). By choosing high-efficiency appliances over conventional models, last year’s US consumers saved $12 billion on utility bills and avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 23 million cars. Get in on the energy savings with the strategic appliance advice we’ve gathered for you here.

When to Replace and Recycle

When your old reliables break down, replacing them with the most efficient models is a top priority. You’ll see lower energy bills and reduce your global warming emissions.

Plus, you’ll get the best advantages of new technologies. Though they can cost more up front, energy efficient appliances will save you enough in utility costs that they’ll often pay for themselves in a short time. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), efficient appliances use ten to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models.

If you have old working appliances, use the guidelines we offer in this article to consider replacing them with new, technologically advanced energy-efficient models.

In all cases, make sure you recycle, rather than donate, your old appliances, so you retire energy-guzzling models. Stores that sell and install new appliances often have recycling services. The EPA has a online resource on responsible appliance disposal. Or enter your zip code at Earth911 to find a recycling site near you.

Look for ENERGY STAR

In 1992, EPA introduced ENERGY STAR, a voluntary labeling program to help consumers easily find the most energy-efficient products to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. EPA partners with the DOE to evaluate appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, and even homes and office buildings for the Energy Star label.

The Energy Star label means that a product meets or exceeds strict energy-efficiency guidelines established by the EPA and DOE—so you’ll always find it on the most efficient washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, and heating and cooling units. It’s important to remember that not all Energy Star appliances are of equal efficiency, so you should still compare models. To meet international targets for curbing climate change, make it your goal to choose appliances that save at least 25 percent in energy consumption over your current models.

Cooling and Heating

The air conditioning and heating unit in your house can use up to one-half of total home energy consumption. Cutting your energy use here, therefore, is one of the most effective ways to reduce your home’s ecological footprint.

Swapping old cooling and heating systems for ENERGY STAR models can cut annual energy costs by 20 percent or more. Efficient models allow you to program the system to the minimum amount of energy you need to cool or heat a room at different times of day.

Central air conditioners (ACs) are rated according to their seasonal energy-efficiency ratio (SEER), which is the cooling output divided by the power input. Basically, a higher SEER means a more efficient air conditioner. Most AC units range from a SEER rating of 6 to 18. As of 2020, Federal regulations as of 2016 state that homes in Northern states must have at least a 13 SEER rating, while households in the Southeast and Southwest must have a rating of 14 SEER or higher. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recommends a SEER rating of at 14.5 for cooler or 15 for hot climates.

Most US homes are heated with a furnace or boiler. ENERGY STAR furnaces have an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) rating of 90 percent or greater, making them about 15 percent more efficient than standard models. The most efficient boilers have an AFUE rating of 85 percent or greater. (If you have another type of heating system, visit www.energystar.gov to see what you should look for.)

• When to replace: If your heating and cooling units are old, worn out, or inefficient, you should replace them with high-efficiency models—especially if you use one or the other nearly every day. Your system technician or an energy auditor (available through your local utility) can help you evaluate your existing system and decide whether to replace it.
• Efficiency Tips: Most people buy AC units that are unnecessarily large for their homes; visit www.energystar.gov to find what size unit your home needs. Choose “zone heating and cooling” to heat or cool only the rooms you’re using. Use a programmable thermostat. Get your systems tuned up according to manufacturer guidelines. And plug and seal all leaks in your home.

Refrigerators

In most homes, the refrigerator is the biggest energy-depleting kitchen appliance. More than a third of fridges in use in the US are more than 10 years old, costing the 70 million people who own them $4.4 billion a year in energy costs. Energy-efficient refrigerators have highly efficient compressors, improved insulation, and more precise temperature and defrost mechanisms to lower energy consumption.

• When to replace: If you bought your fridge before 1993, replace it as soon as possible. A new ENERGY STAR refrigerator with automatic defrost and a top-mounted freezer uses 300-500 kWh per year, whereas one from before 1993 uses 1,539 kWh per year and one from before 2000 uses 1,031 kWh per year. Replacing your energy guzzler with an efficient model will also keep 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year.
• Efficiency Tips: Position your refrigerator away from a heat source, like an oven, dishwasher, or direct sunlight. Keep the condenser coils clean. Check that the refrigerator door seals airtight. If you can program the temperature, set your refrigerator between 35° and 38°F and your freezer at 0°F. Pack your refrigerator and freezer to maximum capacity.

Chest Freezers

If you have a top-loading deep freezer in your home it could be costing you too. Average chest freezers from before 1993 use 985 kWh per year and ones from before 2000 use 680 kWh per year, compared to the 100-300 kWh per year efficiency of modern freezers.

• When to replace: If you bought your freezer before 1993, replace it as soon as possible. A new ENERGY STAR freezer could save you the energy per year mentioned above, plus you could keep more than 1,000 lbs of CO2 out of the atmosphere, or 10,000 lbs out of the atmosphere if you properly recycle your old model.
• Efficiency Tips: Like a fridge, position your freezer away from heat, but even better if you can position it in a cold spot, like a garage in a cooler climate, or the basement. Keep the condenser coils clean. Check that the refrigerator door seals airtight. A full freezer is more efficient than an empty one, so load it up.

Washing Machines

Washing clothes makes up 14 percent of the average US household’s energy usage, according to the DOE. According to the EPA, American families do an average of 400 loads of laundry per year. An efficient washer expends 25 percent less energy than a standard washer and uses about 10 fewer gallons, or 45 percent less water per load. In addition, efficient washers are gentler on clothes, leading to less wear-and-tear.

• When to replace: The ACEEE recommends replacing clothes washers older than ten years with Energy Star models after 2007. Water utility companies often offer rebates for high-efficiency models, so contact your utility company to save even more. If you have a regular washing machine that's more than 10 years old, you're spending about $210 a year more than you would if you had a more efficient model.
• Extra efficiency Tips: Wash full loads. Clothes washers are most efficient when they operate completely full. Also, use cold water—hot water washes add $60 a year to your energy bill. Choose a high spin cycle speed to reduce drying time.

Clothes Dryers

Dryers use an incredible amount of energy-- in an average home, it uses 35 percent of energy expended on appliances (including your fridge, washing machine, and dishwasher), the most of any of the other three. Energy-efficient dryers use 20 percent less energy than conventional, and do so using technology that can sense when laundry is dry, and special cycles that can reduce the need for ironing (double win!).

• When to replace: Replace your dryer when your old model is no longer working properly. ENERGY STAR did not start rating dryers until 2015 so the most efficient models are state of the art and brand new.
• Efficiency Tips: Use sensor drying instead of timed drying if your machine has that option-- over-drying clothes is a huge waste of heat. Long cycles on low heat use less energy than short cycles on high-heat, so use low heat when possible. Washing clothes efficiently will make drying them even more efficient because they are less wet when they come out of the washer, meaning the dryer has less work to do overall. So, if it's possible for you, get an energy-efficient washer-dryer set. And of course, air-drying clothes whenever possible will save you money and save your clothes.

Dishwashers

Energy-Star-qualified dishwashers need 25 percent less energy than federal minimum standard dishwashers and save $100 and 3,870 gallons of water over its lifetime. An efficient dishwasher needs very little water to clean dirty dishes. Many new dishwashers include a soil-sensor to adjust water use depending on the degree of dirtiness in each load.

• When to replace: Dishwashers should be replaced approximately every 10–15 years—sooner if your family cooks at home and runs the dishwasher daily.
• Efficiency Tips: According to the DOE, recent studies show that most new dishwashers clean dirty dishes without pre-rinsing in the sink, so avoid this water-wasting step. Most of the energy that dishwashers consume comes from heating water, so turn down the temperature of your water heater to 120°F. You could also consider installing a solar water heater. See our Real Green article on solar water heaters. Whenever possible, don’t use the heat-dry, rinse-hold, or pre-rinse features.

Taxes and Savings on Energy Efficient Appliances

The following tips will help you save even more money and energy with your new appliances:

• Service and maintain your appliances, which can save you three to 10 percent on your annual energy bills.
• Take advantage of tax rebates for energy efficient appliances.
• Unplug small household appliances—or better yet, plug them all into one power strip and then switch off the power strip. Small household appliances that require a direct current, like televisions and microwaves, can leak electricity even when they’re turned off. The average US house leaks 50 watts of power from these appliances, adding up to $3 billion in wasted energy costs annually.

Every action taken at home can add up to a lot of benefits for the Earth and your pocketbook. When shopping for new appliances, always look for the most energy efficient models.

Everyone knows Oreo— “America’s favorite” (GMO-filled) cookie, but you may not have heard of Mondelez, the company that makes Oreos. Recently, however, Mondelez seems to be taking steps to repair their image and venture into producing healthier, non-GMO (genetically modified organism) containing options.

After three years of declining sales and “activist pressure,” (Thanks GMOInsiders!) Mondelez, maker of Ritz crackers, Triscuits, and Cadbury chocolate, has decided it’s time for a change.  Mondelez will be launching a new product line this July of packaged crackers and snack bars called Vea. Vea products will be non-GMO project verified and contain no trans fats and no artificial ingredients, colors, or flavors.

We at GMOInside commend Mondelez for developing products that are non-GMO verified and contain no artificial ingredients. We are also excited about their decision to removed GMO’s from Triscuits. We must, however, question why Mondelez has not yet committed to removing GMOs from its other leading products like Oreos.

Mondelez CEO Irene Rosenfeld recently stated, "We're actively working to revamp existing products and introduce new ones that are aligned with today's definition of well-being," But why leave Oreos out? This revamping should extend to Oreos, one of their most well-known products, which are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide in numbers of over 70 million a day.

The high fructose corn syrup, beet sugar, and soy lecithin in Oreos all come from GE (genetically engineered) crops. This raises alarms for both health and environmental concerns, as GE crops allow more widespread use of toxic chemicals like glyphosate. Glyphosate is a probable carcinogen and a pollutant and its widespread usage has also led to the development of superweeds.

While we would like to thank Mondelez for its important shift in focus to more health-conscious, natural food, we will continue to push the company to go further and remove GMOs from its most popular products, starting with Oreos.

Take action and urge Mondelez to remove GMO ingredients from Oreo cookies. Thank you for staying informed and taking a stand!

Bloomberg, Jonathan Crawford and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, March 8, 2017

President Donald Trump plans to nominate Jones Day attorney Kevin McIntyre as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an agency charged with overseeing the nation’s power grid and deciding on multibillion-dollar energy projects, people familiar with the situation said.

Trump also plans to name Neil Chatterjee, senior energy adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as a member of the commission, said people with knowledge of the picks, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The nominations are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

A new commissioner would restore the quorum that the energy agency needs to make decisions on major energy proposals such as interstate gas pipelines and utility mergers. The commission lost that quorum in February when its former chairman Norman Bay resigned.

The White House and energy commission declined to comment. McIntyre and Chatterjee didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Waiting for Confirmation

At Jones Day, McIntyre represents companies in cases involving energy markets, utility and oil and gas pipeline regulations, according to the firm’s website. His areas of focus include compliance and enforcement, energy trading, competition issues and energy exports, the website shows.

Chatterjee is no stranger to the energy commission. He’s served as an architect of major energy and environmental policy in the Senate, helping to coordinate attacks against Obama’s Clean Power Plan that requires electricity generators to cut carbon-dioxide emissions. Before joining McConnell’s office, he worked for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Trump’s nominees may be in for a long wait before the appointment takes effect. The confirmation process could take two to three months, according to Brandon Barnes, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

A coalition of more than 130 groups vowed to oppose any nominees, accusing the commission of rubber stamping pipelines and ignoring the potential impact on the environment.

“It is imperative that all Americans voice their opposition to business as usual at FERC and oppose any Trump nominees to the agency,” Todd Larsen, executive co-director of Green America, one of the groups involved, said by email.

Before Bay’s departure last month, the commission rushed to decide on a number of projects including Williams Cos.’s $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise gas expansion project and Energy Transfer Partners LP’s $4.2 billion Rover gas pipeline, both in the Northeast. It also delegated more authority to its staff to help with day-to-day operations.

An independent agency within the U.S. Energy Department, the commission typically has five members who serve five-year terms. Acting chairman Cheryl LaFleur, a Democrat and former utility executive, has been on the commission since 2010. The only other commissioner is Colette Honorable.

Members of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation protest the deadly working conditions that led to the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013. / Photo from the International Labor Rights Forum

Label-scouting consumers will have noticed a trend in the last several years: fewer “Made in China” tags on clothes on store shelves and an increase in tags from Bangladesh. Bangladesh is now home to factories producing clothes for some of the biggest clothing labels in the world, like Gap, H&M, and Walmart. Garments now account for 80 percent of Bangladesh’s exports, and the industry employs about 4 million people, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association.

But the manufacturing boom in the country comes with a heavy price for workers. Since 2006, preventable accidents have plagued garment factories in Bangladesh, according to the Clean Clothes Campaign.

The problem was brought into the international spotlight after a fire at the Tazreen Fashions factory in 2012 killed 112 people; a resulting government inquiry accused the factory’s owner of “unpardonable negligence,” which included storing large amounts of flammable materials in unsafe conditions, and reports that mid-level managers insisted that workers on some floors continue working despite alarms indicating a fire had broken out.

But the tragedy of the Tazreen fire was soon followed by an even more devastating event when the eight-story Rana Plaza building collapsed in April of 2013, killing over 1,000 people and injuring 2,500 more.

Workers had noticed dangerous cracks in the building the day before the collapse, and the building was evacuated. However, workers from the garment factories that took up the upper floors were ordered back to their posts the following day, assured by supervisors that the building was safe. Over 3,000 garment workers were in the building when it fell.

Investors around the world have a huge role to play in urging clothing retailers and brands to ensure that Rana Plaza is the last avoidable major tragedy in Bangladesh garment factories.

The Bangladesh Accord

As calls for major reforms in Bangladesh have become more urgent, investors are pressuring companies to commit to improving conditions for garment workers by signing on to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety.

Created in May 2013, the Accord is a legally binding agreement among Bangladeshi and international trade unions and international clothing companies. The Accord aims to address all aspects of fire and building safety during a period of five years in factories that supply garments to Accord signatories.

More than 190 apparel brands from over 20 countries have signed onto the Bangladesh Accord, along with two global trade unions and eight Bangladesh trade unions. However, the vast majority are European companies, with US businesses largely absent—only 20 US corporations have signed on, including American Eagle Outfitters and Fruit of the Loom.

Companies that sign on to the Accord agree to work with manufacturers to ensure independent safety inspections and prompt repairs and renovations, as well as to provide pay to workers if they have to stop working due to dangerous conditions. Accord-member companies commit to staying in Bangladesh for at least two years, giving them a real stake in the long-term process to improve safety in garment factories.

“The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety is a critical initiative,” says Green America executive co-director Fran Teplitz. “No one should have to endure the suffering, loss of life, and risks that garment workers face every day in Bangladesh.”

Shareholders Support the Accord

Immediately after the Rana Plaza collapse, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) provided critical leadership, circulating an investor statement calling for clothing companies to sign on to the Bangladesh Accord. The ICCR Bangladesh statement is currently supported by over 200 investment companies and organizations, representing over $3.1 trillion in investor assets.

ICCR is a coalition of faith-based organizations and pension funds that use their collective shareholder power to pressure companies on social and environmental issues.

“From an investment point of view, it’s about risk analysis,” says David Schilling, senior program director at ICCR. “If companies don’t have policies and practices to address the health and safety of workers where they source products, their whole enterprise is vulnerable to reputational risk from major disasters like Rana Plaza.”

Schilling notes that the issue is attracting investors who are new to socially responsible investing. “We’re working with members of ICCR ... but have also combined forces with larger pension and asset managements firms that may not have had a long-standing interest in human rights issues,” he says. “Rana Plaza galvanized, and maybe accelerated, the movement of social analysts in firms to look more carefully at human rights criteria.”

The Accord vs. The Alliance

Rather than signing onto the Accord, 26 North American companies, including Gap, VF, and Walmart, founded the Bangladesh Alliance. While the Alliance aims to work toward improving worker safety in Bangladesh, critics say it’s much weaker than the Accord.

On the surface, the Accord and the Alliance may seem similar. The Accord conducts health and safety inspections at 1600 Bangladesh garment factories that do business with its 190 members, and the Alliance is doing the same at the more than 580 factories patronized by its 26 members (with some overlap between the two groups).

Both the Alliance and the Accord claim their standards are legally binding. Both publish data about factories, including inspection reports and remediation plans.

However, human-rights leaders are asking companies to prioritize the Accord, which they say is more comprehensive and more transparent than the Alliance, and which gives workers a much stronger stake.

Specifically, the Accord was developed by worker unions and labor rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in collaboration with apparel companies, says Liana Foxvog, director of organizing and communications at the International Labor Rights Forum. Bangladeshi worker unions have equal representation to brands on the Accord’s steering committee.

In contrast, the Alliance was created by retailers and has a majority of corporate managers and factory owners on its board of directors, with no worker unions.

“I think both Alliance and Accord have thorough inspections,” says Schilling. “[But the Accord] is the one with close ties with workers on the factory floor.”

The Accord is also a legally binding contract, and companies that sign it can be taken to court if they do not adhere to its provisions. While the Alliance claims to be legally binding, Theresa Haas of the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) says most of the provisions are voluntary. “Brands and retailers can walk away at any time with little to no consequences; they are not legally obligated to follow through with many of the promises they made [after Rana Plaza],” she says.

For example, the WRC notes that the Alliance agreement contains language exempting members from being obligated to participate in key recommended programs, such as a loan program to help factories finance repairs. A similar program is mandatory for Accord signers.

“The Alliance lacks both the transparency and the avenues necessary to enable workers to have a voice for safety on the job,” says Foxvog. “It’s modeled on the same voluntary, confidential ‘corporate social responsibility’ programming that failed to prevent at least 1,138 deaths and many more injuries at Rana Plaza.”

Investors Take Action

Green America, ICCR, and allied organizations continue to put pressure on US retailers that have failed to sign on to the Accord, including Gap, VF, and Walmart. (All are Alliance members.)

While many social and environmental issues come to companies in the form of shareholder resolutions, Schilling does not expect to see demands to join the Bangladesh Accord come to companies this way.

“We’re seeing a change in approach,” he says. “Instead of making demands for third-party monitoring through shareholder resolutions, as we’ve done in the past, we are instead engaging in dialogue with companies to support the multi-stakeholder approach of the Bangladesh Accord.”

Likewise, many socially responsible investment firms have established relationships with retailers working in Bangladesh, and they are engaging in dialogue with them on worker health and safety.

“Trillium and its investor partners engaged numerous companies that contract with factories in Bangladesh to join the Bangladesh Accord,” says Susan Baker, vice-president of shareholder advocacy at Trillium Asset Management. Baker says that Trillium also urges companies that have joined the Alliance to publicly disclose their efforts to help Bangladesh workers and Rana Plaza victims, as well as their supplier factory locations.

Those efforts bore fruit in 2014, when Target became “the first general merchandise retailer to publish a full list of its registered factories,” says Baker.

“Target is responding to its customers growing interest in what is in the products they buy, as well as where they come from,” says Baker.

Supporting Rana Plaza Victims

ICCR is now mustering investors to call on garment companies doing business in Bangladesh to donate to the Rana Plaza Arrangement, a trust fund to provide compensation to Rana Plaza victims.

In 2013, Bangladeshi NGOs, unions, and the government, as well as industry representatives, created the Arrangement. Victims file claims, and a group of independent commissioners decides on the compensation they receive.

Activists are urging companies with ties to Rana Plaza, like Walmart and Benetton, to make a significant donation. Some donors are publicly disclosed.

The Arrangement currently has collected $21 million for Rana Plaza survivors, says Haas. Unfortunately, the estimated amount needed to fairly compensate all victims is $30 million, so the fund is $9 million short.

A group of institutional investors in 12 different countries have signed onto the ICCR investor statement asking garment companies to participate in the Rana Plaza trust fund, as well as to ensure worker health and safety by committing to the Bangladesh Accord’s level of transparency in inspections, remediation, and outcomes.

What You Can Do

Whether you have investments in individual companies or mutual funds, you can support the cause of making factories safer in Bangladesh and compensating Rana Plaza victims.

“Individual investors can make a difference by looking at their portfolios,” says Schilling. If a clothing company you hold stock in has not signed onto the Accord, send a letter requesting that it do so, he says. “Companies do pay attention to what they hear from individual investors.”

If you have holdings in companies that have signed on, let them know you appreciate their leadership.

In addition, says Baker, “Ask companies that are involved in the Accord or the Alliance to report publicly on the commitments they agreed to. ... And press companies to disclose registered factory lists.”

Also, investing through socially responsible investment companies ensures that your money is going toward engagement with corporations about human rights and other important issues. Along with Trillium, Calvert Investments and Domini Social Investments support the Accord and are using their economic clout to urge companies to sign on.

Right now, you can urge clothing companies to the Rana Plaza Arrangement trust fund for victims of the factory collapse. A list of publicly disclosed donors, including a handful of garment brands, is available on the site.

Update: In June 2015, several events brought some justice to Bangladeshi workers and families of and workers.

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Job Title:    Executive Assistant

Salary:             $20,000 - $22,000

Benefits:         medical, dental, sick days, holidays, vacation, flexible schedule

Type:               Part-time, 16 hours per week, Monday - Thursday

Supervisor:     Executive Co-director

To apply:        Send cover letter and resume to execassist@greenamerica.org Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Green America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a socially just and environmentally sustainable society by harnessing economic power for positive change.  Our unique approach involves working with consumers, investors, and businesses to advance the green economy. 

This position plays a crucial role in the organization by assisting the Executive Team (the President/CEO and the two Executive Co-directors). The Executive Team is responsible for managing the organization in coordination with department directors and the board of directors.

Responsibilities:

The primary responsibility is to assist the CEO/President and Executive Co-Directors in their duties.  Tasks will vary from week to week and include the following:

• Travel: (when safe to do so). Book travel arrangements for the CEO/President, use loyalty programs and credit card points to save costs.  Travel includes – Flights, buses, trains, hotels, rental cars, taxies and directions. Register CEO/President for needed conferences, submit and follow up on reimbursements requests for travel appearances where appropriate. Change travel arrangements when weather and schedule necessitate, working to get refunds and travel credit whenever possible. Work with the Development Department to schedule meetings with local donors well in advance of the trip.
• Expenses: Collect the CEO/President’s receipts and code them each month; process reimbursements as needed.
• Reports: Help the Executive Team with the development and finalization of board reports and Operating Plan reports.  This includes collecting information from different departments and committees, doing report lay-out, and editing final drafts in Microsoft Word or Power point.
• Staff/Board Meetings: Schedule all-staff meetings and board meetings (virtual and physical, when in-person meetings are possible again); provide online access. Organize and coordinate logistics, including renting meeting rooms and planning meals as needed.
• Scheduling: Primary responsibility for managing and updating the CEO/President’s schedule. Work with external individuals (and their executive assistants) to schedule appointments for the CEO/President.  This includes keeping track of the CEO/President’s external board, travel, and personal commitments and getting the appointments on the calendar, noting time zone differences.
• Executive Communications: Answer questions about the CEO/President’s calendar and availability. Follow-up on correspondence. Rapidly flag any key issues to the executive team. Maintain CEO-related documents.
• Development: Work with the Development Team to schedule meetings between the CEO/President and major donors accordingly.
• Board: Serve as a board liaison. Work with the CEO/President and the Executive Co-directors to schedule and organize board meetings, organize board documents, prepare for all meetings, including renting space and catering as needed. Collect conflict of interest statements annually. Keep Board of Directors Contact Sheet updated. Submit reimbursement requests for board member travel expenses. Answer questions from board members.
• New Hires: Create and manage job postings for all new positions. Research job announcement platforms to ensure openings are seen by diverse applicants. Upon hiring, remove job postings. Add or remove staff credit cards as needed.
• Staff Anniversaries, Special Acknowledgements: Using online platforms, create digital acknowledgements to express thanks, or other messages as needed.
• Organizational Culture: Organize events for interns and help coordinate staff "fun" days.
• Administrative Support as Needed: Provide administrative support as needed and as approved by the executive team.
• Special Projects: Support special projects as approved by the executive team.

Responsibilities of all Green America Staff

• Participate in general staff meetings, the annual Operating Plan & Budget process.
• Serve on special teams or committees as time permits.
• Other duties as time permits.

Qualifications:

• Sound judgment and diplomatic manner and communication style
• Excellent speaking and writing skills
• Highly organized and able to keep priorities on track and meet deadlines; ability to multi-task
• Strong attention to detail
• Mastery of Microsoft office suite with experience creating presentations, spreadsheets, and professional documents
• Excellent people skills and a cooperative and collaborative mindset
• Experience with nonprofit organization a plus
• Must be able to work both collaboratively and independently
• Must be a problem solver with a strong sense of initiative and personal responsibility

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.

We certify businesses that are committed to using business as a platform for social change. Discover what makes a business green »

Green America’s Green Business Certification ensures that companies operate according to these general standards:

• They operate a “values-based” social enterprise according to principles of social justice and environmental sustainability (values statement must be featured on website);
• They are environmentally responsible in the way they run their operations and facilities (view green office/facility standards), and in how they source raw materials, manufacture products, and market them;
• They are currently selling products or services when applying for Green Business Certification (completed website with all products/services listed);

All companies seeking Green Business Certification must meet Green America’s standards for all businesses, and also meet or exceed all required standards in their industry. Explore our standards in nearly 40 industries below, or learn more about our Certification and the requirements for all businesses.

We'd love to add you to this page. See job openings here.

  Green America's Green Business
  Standards

Green America awards Green Business Certification to companies and organizations that meet or exceed our standards for social and environmental responsibility.

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Green businesses adopt principles, policies and practices that improve the quality of life for their customers, employees, communities, and the planet. The members of the Green Business Network are changing the way America does business. What do green businesses have in common?

Green businesses are socially and environmentally responsible.

Green companies adopt principles and practices that protect people AND the planet. They challenge themselves to bring the goals of social and economic justice, environmental sustainability, as well as community health and development, into all of their activities — from production and supply chain management to employee relations and customer service.

Green businesses care for their workers.

Green businesses ensure they don’t use sweatshop or child labor. Everyone who works directly for them or their suppliers earns a living wage and works in healthy conditions. They create jobs that empower workers and honor their humanity. They also serve as models for the role businesses can play in the transformation of our society to one that is socially just and environmentally sustainable.

Green businesses protect their customers and clients.

Green businesses ensure that they use the safest ingredients, to keep their customers and clients and their families healthy. They also provide green living alternatives to improve quality of life, with products and services that help in areas like affordable housing, sustainable agriculture, education, clean energy and efficiency, fair trade, healthy air, clean water, and more. And they reduce, reuse and recycle, setting a good example.

Green businesses improve their communities.

Along with ensuring their facilities aren’t polluting their local communities, many green businesses take steps to make the places that they call home better. Green businesses often spring up in marginalized communities—inner cities, rural and indigenous communities. Many are even started by the people in these communities who, in turn, bring respect and dignity to their employees and the wider neighborhood.

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This seal recognizes businesses that excel in social and environmental responsibility, and have met or exceeded our green business standards.

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Thanks to our staff, interns, volunteers and consultants who participated with the website redesign June 2016 - June 2017.

Reports to: Director of Digital Products
 

Summary

The Digital Products intern works closely with the director of digital products, editorial staff, program staff, and other team members, on a variety of digital projects, supporting the Green America main website, the Green American magazine, the Green Business Network, the Green Pages, and other sub-sites and specialty projects.

The intern will conceptualize and manage the organization’s website as well as ideate, research, format and design digital products such as mailings, sub-sites, micro-sites, and/or new features on the existing platform.

This position helps to extend the resources of the organization in order to better assist and meet the needs of our members.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the maintenance and updating for the back-end of public website. 
• Publish approved content on the website and/or various social media platforms. 
• Work closely with the director, staff, and outside parties such as consultants, to develop content for the main digital engagement platform, our public website, electronic newsletters, and/or social media platforms. 
• Work in iterative cycles to develop our software, including: researching needs, coordinating with teammates, developing functional specifications, identifying priorities, articulating data architecture, understanding desired metrics, laying out tasks, managing the rollout schedule, and gaining feedback.
   

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will be a team player who is willing to pitch in to support the community.
• An “all-hands-on-deck” attitude, along with excellent communication skills and the ability to think holistically about complex problems will be required.
• The intern will be an essential member of the global headquarters team.
• Candidates are placed in our Washington D.C. office. Remote work is also available.
• Passion for social & environmental justice and making real change in the world.
   

A Few of our Recent Victories

(Because we want you to be as excited about this work as we are.)

• Pushing Apple to improve worker conditions in its partner factories.
• Getting National Geographic to start transitioning to recycled paper in the paper it uses for the magazine.
• Moving Cheerios, Hershey, Hellmann’s, Similac, and Campbell’s to offer non-GMO products Getting Hershey to remove child labor out of its cocoa supply.
• Coordinating national stakeholders to identify and implement sustainable sources of gmo-free wheat 

If the above doesn’t describe you perfectly but you think you should be working at Green America, please get in touch anyway and tell us why you want to work with us. We find the most compelling candidates exist outside the resume.

Desired qualifications

• Knowledge of HTML or other digital coding.
• Effective communicator – both written and oral.
• Ability to work independently as well as in partnership with a team.
• Ability to define and work to deadlines.
• Be self-directed and willing to take initiative, and detail-oriented.
• Respect and maintain confidentiality of organization staff, volunteers, donors, and members.
• Enthusiasm for the mission of the organization.
   

Additional qualifications (optional)

• Knowledge of git or SFTP.
• Proficiency in technical web development tools (Drupal, WordPress, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.) and firm grasp of the back-end and digital space.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, InDesign, Photoshop, or other visualization tools.
• Proficiency in in Microsoft Office.
• Proficiency on social media platforms.
   

Training & Supervision

Training and supervision conducted by: director of digital products, including weekly checkin and shared work plan.

Time Commitment

• 10-20 hours/week (can be spread over multiple days of the workweek)
• Preference will be given to those who can commit to a minimum of 10 weeks of service (200 hours)
• Green America is open four days a week, Monday-Thursday, 9:00am-5:00pm. Work may be completed in office and/or remotely.
   

Benefits

• Build your portfolio of work
• Flexible scheduling
• Help meet an important social need in an organization with an national reach
• $65 travel stipend
   

How to Apply

• Upload your resume and cover letter and online portfolio to a Google Doc, your own website, strikingly, wix, weebly, LinkedIn, gitlab, github, or some other shareable link.
   
• Apply here: https://www.greenamerica.org/form/intern-application

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, or credit information. Harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic is included as a form of discrimination.

• Sample Project plan: This is a sample project plan. Duplicate this and use as a base for your own plan. http://bit.ly/plandrupalinternship

This is the list of skills that the digital products associate will focus on:

Skills List for Digital Product Associates

Documents

• Google Drive http://drive.google.com

  • Google Docs http://docs.google.com

  • Google Sheets http://sheets.google.com

  • Google Analytics http://analytics.google.com

  • Google Maps http://maps.google.com

  • Google Forms http://forms.google.com

  • Google Hangouts http://hangouts.google.com

Project Management

• Trello http://www.trello.com

Communications

• Slack http://slack.com (messaging)

• Skype http://skype.com (phone and video calls)

Design

• Prezi.com http://prezi.com (Slideshows)

• Slideshare http://www.slideshare.net (Powerpoint/PDF upload)

• Infogr.am https://infogr.am (infographics)

• LucidChart http://www.lucidchart.com (charts)

• Balsamiq https://balsamiq.com (visualization)

Coding

• HTML/CSS http://www.w3schools.com/html/

• Bootstrap http://getbootstrap.com/

• FileZilla https://filezilla-project.org/

• Sublime https://www.sublimetext.com/

Content Management System

• Drupal http://drupal.org

• WordPress http://www.wordpress.org

Professional Development

• LinkedIn.com Profile http://www.linkedin.com

• Portfolio/Professional Website (e.g. strikingly.com or weebly.com)

• GitHub account http://github.com or GitLab account http://gitlab.com

• Payment processing, e.g. http://paypal.com or http://stripe.com

Bags/ Baskets

Historian Gregg Smith writes that fermented beverages have been nourishing body and enlivening spirit since the very dawn of civilization, dating at least as far back as when the ancient Mesopotamians began storing away “liquid bread” for later use. If you already consume alcoholic drinks, consider buying organic beer or wine for your social engagements and celebrations. Not only are organic beer and wine better for your body, but you may find they taste better than their non-organic counterparts, too.

Why Go Organic?

Choosing organic beverages means that the

• Grapes, barley, hops, apples, and other ingredients used to make your fermented refreshment are spared the application of toxic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers.
  These unhealthy chemical inputs pollute our water, air, and soil. Researchers at Cornell University estimate that at least 67 million birds die each year from pesticides sprayed on US fields. The number of fish killed is conservatively estimated at six to 14 million. And, many pesticides are toxic to humans.
• Chemically intensive farming devastates ecosystems and harm human populations, and it also contributes to the crisis in family-owned farms. The US lost an estimated 650,000 family farms in the last decade. Organic farming, on the other hand, is proving to be small-farmer friendly-most organic farms are less than 100 acres.
• Chemical-free organic drinks often taste better, too. Just ask Andrew Myers, dining room manager at Washington, DC’s Restaurant Nora, America’s first certified organic restaurant. “I recommend organic wines and beers to our customers because of their excellent quality, not just because it’s the right thing to do,” says Myers.

The Logic of Buying Local

Purchasing from locally based vintners and brewers helps support small, family-owned businesses that make our communities diverse and unique. On most days, when visiting a local craft beer or wine producer, you’ll get to meet a brewer or vinter and witness part of the fermentation process. Many small vineyards or brewing facilities host tastings and other events, too.

Buying local helps keep profits circulating in your community, instead of heading up the food-stream to the coffers of remote corporations.

In addition, even when they are not certified organic, small-scale brewing and wine-making is good for the environment, because:

• In most cases, these “micros” are consumed locally, reducing the negative environmental effects caused by long-distance transportation.
• Many microbreweries also use large, refillable containers called “growlers.” Customers pop
  into the brewpub facility and get a quick fill-up, thereby reducing unnecessary packaging-and they get a break on the price as well.
• The glass bottles and cardboard packages conventionally used to store craft beers or local wines are easily recyclable in most areas.

Expanding Selections

Another advantage to being an eco-minded imbiber is that you’ll enjoy an ever-widening array of sophisticated and tasty beers and wines to try.

In the past three decades, the brewing industry has grown exponentially-- there are were 2,768 microbreweries in the country as of 2013, according to the Beer Institute. This increase in “beer-o-diversity” means is that you, the consumer, have a vastly growing selection of beer styles to suit your tastes.

The same goes for wine-making as well-the more small vintners in existence, the more varieties of wine you have to choose from. Best of all, whether you buy local beer or wine, you’ll have even more opportunities to support local, eco-minded, community-oriented businesses.

Brews to Choose and Wines to Find (Spirits too)

Here’s a selection of breweries and vintners that don’t fizzle when it comes to caring for people and the planet. All have products that are nationally available in stores and taverns near you.

• Beers
  • American Homebrewer's Association: While not a retailer, this features a “brewpub locator” to help you find your local small-scale beer producer.
  • The Chicory Stout, crafted by the Delaware-based Dogfish Head Brewing Co., features organic coffee beans, adding to its robust and satisfying taste profile.
  • Golden Promise
  • Bison Brewery
  • Eel River Brewing Co.
  • and many more!
• Wines
  • One of the best-known organic wine-makers is Frey Vineyards in Redwood Valley, CA. Their list covers the gamut of styles, from a dry Chardonnay to a hearty Merlot. In 1996, this winery became the first producer of certified biodynamic wines.
  • Chartrand Imports
  • Organic Vintages
  • The Organic Wine Co.
  • Silver Thread Vineyard
•  
• Spirits
  • Square One Organic Vodka
  • Crop Vodka
  • Farmers Botanical Gin
  • 4 Copas Blanco Tequila
  • and more!

For Teetotalers

For those looking for a softer alternative, natural sodas and non-alcoholic ciders are popular at many local establishments. Microbreweries like Dominion Brewing Company in VA offers organic root beer. Other microbreweries, like the Sprecher Brewery in Glendale, WI, feature a line of natural sodas. Meanwhile, wineries like Australia’s Robinvale Wineries offer non-alcoholic sparkling grape drinks.

Make Your Own

If commercially available drinks over-tap your pocket-book, why not try making some at home? It’s safe, legal, drastically reduces transportation impacts, and can be much cheaper. Home beer- and wine-making gives you the freedom to concoct a beverage tailored to your personal palate, allows you to reuse glass bottles over and over again, and often requires very little in start-up costs.

A good number of small companies supply this consumer market, including a number that offer organic ingredients, like the Seven Bridges Cooperative. For more on making your own beer and wine, Storey Books publishes excellent books on the subject, including The Homebrewer’s Garden, by Joe and Dennis Fisher, and The Home Winemaker’s Companion, by Gene Spaziani and Ed Halloran.

Title: Member Services Administration Assistant
Supervisors: Member Services, Operations and Database Director & Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications for the Green Business Network
Salary: $51,000-$56,000
Start Date: Immediately
Location: Hybrid (2 days per week in our Washington, DC office)
Position: 32 hours per week (4 day workweek Monday-Thursday)

Green America is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a just and sustainable society by harnessing economic power for positive change. Our unique approach involves working with consumers, investors and businesses on both the supply and demand sides of the market to build an economy that prioritizes the well-being of people and our planet. Our workplace reflects our goal of creating a more cooperative, environmentally sound economy. We have a participatory decision-making process, which aims to build consensus within the departments and teams.

This is a dynamic position in an exciting organization. The Member Services Administration Assistant is a key liaison with our members—both our individual members and our business members. This is a hybrid position requiring half-time (2 days per week) in our Washington, DC office.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Individual Membership Liaison

• Provide answers and process requests via email and phone within one business day. Work with internal staff as necessary.
• Mail members thank you notes and special requests like additional publications (weekly).
• Manage and update the Members Services Handbook.

2. Green Business Network (GBN)

• Respond to all business member inquiries (email and phone calls).
• Execute welcome process for new business members, including a personalized welcome email and follow-ups on Green America’s Green Business Certification and GreenPages.org Member Profile creation.
• Assist with direct mail and fulfillment.
• Assist with all communications work as needed, including assisting with web/e-newsletter content and engaging with members-only Facebook and LinkedIn Groups.
• Enter all member payments into membership database (Salesforce) and report on financials to GBN team and Accounting.
• Make all database updates as needed, including new records, returned mail, and GreenPages.org Member Profiles.
• Conduct targeted outreach via phone and text to lapsed members to re-engage them and/or mark as cancelled or out of business.
• Assist with lead generation and outreach to potential new business members.

3. Correspondence with our Recurring Donors

• Call and/or email recurring donors when their account information needs updating.
• Persuade recurring donors to reduce their gift instead of canceling membership.
• Send out thank you gifts to recurring donors as needed.

4. Data Entry, Operations, and Analysis

• Sorting all incoming mail and distributing it to the proper people in a timely manner in the format agreed to by each member of the Coordinating Team. Process returned mail.
• Manage inventory of office supplies and department premiums, reordering when needed.
• Sorting returns from caging company and making sure that member preferences are entered into the membership database (Raiser’s Edge). Follow up with specific member questions.
• Enter/process information in membership database (Raiser’s Edge), including address changes and workplace gifts.
• Provide back-up to process batches from data entry company to assist Operations department, as needed.
• Code incoming mail for data entry and accounts receivable
• Prepare, coordinate, and approve mailings with vendors for renewal reminders (bimonthly)
• Coordinate mailings with vendors for:
  1. Welcome Kits and letters (bimonthly)
  2. Thank you letters for renewal payments (bimonthly)
  3. Thank you letters for special gifts payments (bimonthly)
  4. Sustainer bad credit card letters (monthly)
  5. Yearly tax mailing
• Fulfill thank you gifts and online shopping cart orders within three business days.
• Document and update CRM processes.
• Maintain “Do not mail” list.

5. Participation in Green America Cross Departmental Teams
   • The success of our work and the strength of our organization depend on the voluntary participation of staff from all levels of the organization in various cross departmental teams, in addition of the core responsibilities of each staff position. While staff are not required to participate in a voluntary team ever year, we do depend on volunteers throughout the year for teams such as: Space Team; Operating Plan & Budget Team; Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Team; Pulse Survey Team; and the Fun Days Team.
6. Other duties as assigned.

Qualified candidates should have:

Note: Experience doesn't always look the same. Skills are transferable, and passion is important. Please tell us how your experience can lead to success in this position.

• Pleasant, helpful, respectful, and approachable personality.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, work independently, meet deadlines, and remain focused and calm.
• Openness to constructive feedback and willingness to learn best practices from teammates.
• The desire to understand how and why processes are in place, and the curiosity to find the cause when a process breaks down.
• The motivation to improve processes, speak up in meetings, and make recommendations.
• Strong attention to detail and efficient organizational skills.
• Strong writing skills with an emphasis on professional yet warm letter- and email-writing.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365.
• Aptitude to enter and change data in our membership database. We currently use Raiser’s Edge, Salsa Labs, Salesforce, and Charity Engine.

To Apply:

Send resume and cover letter to memberservicesjob@greenamerica.org with the subject line “Member Services Administration Assistant”

Benefits include:

• Being part of a dynamic, innovative team to build the green economy for all people
• Competitive salary and salary transparency
• Participatory workplace in which staff have a voice in key organizational issues
• Four-day workweeks, Monday-Thursday
• Socially & environmental responsible retirement plan options
• Pre-tax Metro benefit card (savings on local DC transportation)
• Medical, dental, disability insurance, Flex Spending Account (FSA)
• Paid vacation, sick and dependent care leave
• Paid parental and long-term care-giver leave

Reports to: Executive Co-Director for Culture, Planning, & Green Business Development
Salary range: $100,000 to $120,000 
Benefits: Excellent benefits including health care, dental care, support for working virtually, generous leave policy, and flexible 32-hour work week 
Location: District/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) area preferred, but open to remote candidates  

Founded in 1982, Green America is a national nonprofit dedicated to creating a just and sustainable society by harnessing economic power. Our unique approach focuses on economic action and marketplace strategies, working with consumers and investors.

We seek a Finance Director who will have overall responsibility for our organization’s accounting, finance, budget and reporting functions. The Finance Director will ensure that the systems, processes, procedures and policies are in place for effective management of the organization, clean audits, compliance with applicable laws/regulations, and efficient operations of their department.

Green America is a highly collaborative, vibrant workplace. We have a participatory decision-making process among staff members that aims to build consensus within departments and teams on how we carry out our work. Goals to advance Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion are woven into all of our work. 

Responsibilities Include: 

• Final responsibility for the accuracy and quality of all financial data, reporting, and audit coordination for either a division or significant program area; meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to quality. 

• Lead the presentation of financial reports/results to staff and the Board. Present financial and budget information to the organization’s board in a manner that allows individuals who do not have a finance or accounting background to understand the financial condition of the organization.
• Supervise the Accountant’s work on Accounts Payable, Payroll and other accounting tasks. 

• Manage the organization’s: 
  • Payroll 
  • Expense reimbursements 
  • Account receivables, billing and aging reports 
  • Accounts payable and payments: check and other electronic 
  • Member loan program administration 
  • Credit card activity recording and PayPal processing/payments 
  • Bank/investment accounts and reporting, including the Endowment 
  • Monthly reconciliations and closings, and issuance of financial reports 
  • Cash balance and cash flow management and reporting 
  • State agency filings via outside counsel, as required  
  • Sponsored program reporting  
  • Maintenance of fixed asset schedule 
  • Filing of 1099 reports to the IRS and qualified vendors 
  • Manage line of credit 
  • Manage contract files with outside contractors or vendors in conjunction with relevant staff 
  • Insurance coverage and renewals (with the HR director) 
• Oversee and lead annual planning and budgeting process in conjunction with the Executive Team and Coordinating Team (CT); review and provide input on plans and budgets; and provide analytical support and budget/reporting tools to managers as needed.  
• Proactively keep Executive Team and CT abreast of the organization’s financial status and trajectory.  
• Coordinate and lead the annual audit and 990 process. Work with Green America’s external auditors to ensure that our annual audit and tax return are completed in a successful and timely fashion. 
• Ensure compliance with external financially oriented reporting requirements; generate filings and/or manage others in the generation of filings; and ensure accuracy, quality and timeliness of financial filings.  
• Review the organization’s internal controls and make changes as appropriate.  
• Ensure strict compliance with all applicable laws/requirements as they relate to accounting.  
• Review organizational contracts, consulting with outside counsel as needed, and retain documents related to agreements with vendors and other third parties. 
• Work with the HR and IT Directors to ensure proper documentation of organizational practices and systems. 
• Maintain/revise the organization’s chart of accounts and accounting/reporting dimensions based on nonprofit best practice and the management/reporting needs of the organization.  
• Work with the technology team to achieve efficiencies by automating manual processes and integrating accounting/finance systems/processes with other systems/processes when such integration results in net efficiencies for the organization. 
• The success of our work and the strength of our organization depend on the voluntary participation of staff from all levels of the organization in various cross-departmental teams, in addition to the core responsibilities of each staff position. While staff members are not required to participate in a voluntary team every year, we do depend on volunteers throughout the year for teams such as: Operating Plan & Budget Team; Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Team; Pulse Survey Team; and the Fun Days Team. 

Skills Required: 

Experience doesn't always look the same – skills are transferable, and passion is important. Please tell us how your experience can lead to success in this position. 

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting and at least 3-5 years of relevant experience as a senior accountant and/or auditor; highly motivated to take on greater responsibility and an increasingly strategic role across the next several years. CPA licensure is a plus. 
• Strong track record of progressively increasing responsibility in managing accounting, coordinating/leading audits, managing financial reporting and analysis, and budgeting. 
• Technologically savvy with advanced knowledge of accounting, financial reporting and Intacct accounting software. 
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in support of line managers; exemplary communications skills, interpersonal skills, and professionalism.  
• Strong analytical skills, with ability to derive actionable insight from data, and ability to organize/present data in a way that is incisive and useful by others. 
• Entrepreneurial, results-oriented focus, with demonstrated ability to work and solve problems independently in order to move initiatives from inception to completion; strong project management and organizational skills with ability to meet tight deadlines.  
• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead a team.  
• Commitment to our organization’s mission and values. 

To Apply: 

Please send your resume and a cover letter, noting where you learned of this position, to executivehire@greenamerica.org by November 26, 2023. 

********************************************************************************** 

Green America is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. 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.