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Recommendations for government, industry, and individuals to accelerate action at speed and scale  

This summer, many of us see the devastating floods, fires, storms, and heat waves worldwide as a sign that climate change is here and getting worse.  On Monday, the scientific community validated those concerns. 

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – based on more than 14,000 studies, approved by 195 global governments, and the most comprehensive summary of the physical science of climate change – confirms its prior warnings and outlines the dire need for aggressive climate action now.  

The report also states that it’s not too late to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis with our current knowledge and solutions if we accelerate them to scale, through actions of governments, businesses, and individuals (who are key to driving government and business action).  

 A few staggering findings: 

• It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land – in fact, human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that’s unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. 

• In 2019, CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere were higher than any time in at least two million years and concentrations of highly potent greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide were higher than any time in the last 800,000 years.  

• Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region around the world – with every additional increment of warming, regions are projected to experience intensifying affects, including extreme heat with increasing frequency of long droughts in some regions and heavier monsoons and deadly flooding in others, in addition to rising sea levels and melting ice sheets.  

• The more emissions increase, the proportion of emissions that can be sequestered by land and ocean carbon sinks gets smaller.  

• The world has already surpassed 1 degree Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels and will exceed 2 degrees Celsius this century – unless deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades.  

These numbers may sound small, but 1 degree of warming has already begun to cause devastating climate effects, and the IPCC tells us that the difference in impacts between 1.5 and 2 degrees of warming is enormous. This is why efforts to prevent every increment of warming are crucial. 

And we have the solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions, expand carbon sequestration through agriculture and forests, and build up regenerative and just systems to replace the extractive and polluting ones that are driving this crisis.

Green America is calling on government, business, and individuals to accelerate action now to reduce climate emissions and change the way we engage in agriculture, energy, materials consumption, and finance to ensure we avoid the worst impacts of climate change. 

Government Action Needed on the Climate Crisis 

Urgently Needed Legislation 

The US Congress has failed to pass comprehensive legislation addressing the climate crisis.  Now, Congress has the opportunity to pass two bills, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed the Senate and is headed to the House, and the reconciliation package (the Senate voted to allocate $3.5 trillion and now must decide on the provisions), that would go a long way towards shifting our economy in a greener direction while also addressing longstanding environmental and social justice issues. While these two pieces of legislation are not perfect – and false solutions to the climate crisis such as industrial carbon capture and sequestration on fossil fuel facilities, should be removed – we will be far worse off if Congress fails to enact them.   

We need both bills to pass because the provisions in the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill alone are not nearly enough to address the climate crisis.  At the same time, there are legislators that will not enact the larger reconciliation package without the bipartisan infrastructure package in place. Both pieces of legislation are needed to start moving the country in the right direction to reduce our emissions rapidly, address environmental justice issues nationwide, and build the resiliency we need.  

Green America is also encouraging Congress to incorporate our Clean Energy Victory Bonds bill into the pending infrastructure or reconciliation bills. Clean Energy Victory Bonds, which were recently re-introduced in the US House and Senate, would allow all Americans to invest in the growing clean energy economy and create jobs in the US for as little as $25.   

Regulate Methane

In addition, the IPCC report finds that the threat from methane, which has 80 times the short-term global warming potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide, is growing enormously, and Green America works closely with allies to urge regulatory action on methane leaks and oppose the build out of new natural gas infrastructure.  

Protect Worker and Human Rights 

The government must, simultaneously with climate action, strengthen workers' rights and address the human rights and environmental abuses in US business operations and supply chains. The government should aim to create a legal environment in which both economic and social freedoms are respected, prioritizing protecting the rights of people over profits. We must create holistic solutions to the climate crisis that account for both the human and environmental harm caused by the way society operates. 

Business Needs to Act on the Climate Crisis 

Along with governmental action, we still need businesses, large and small, across the US to move even faster on the climate crisis than laws and regulations require. Businesses are a major driver of the climate crisis and can be a major part of the solution.   

But many of the climate announcements from large corporations are largely greenwashing, so we need to ensure that companies are really reducing their emissions rapidly, while supporting a just transition to renewable energy and other climate solutions that ends legacy pollution in impacted communities and centers environmental justice in the solutions. 

Green America is urging large companies to move faster on energy, emissions, agriculture, and finance, four areas of the economy that are major drivers of the climate crisis. 

• Corporations need to reach 100% renewable energy by 2025 and use their influence to push for a just transition for communities and workers. 

  Our campaigns are moving Amazon.com to clean energy by 2025 and creating the largest corporate purchases in the US amongst the top telecom companies (AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile/Sprint). 

• Corporations must phase out all high global warming potential emissions by 2030. 

  Our Cool It campaign is pressuring the largest supermarkets in the country to end their use of super-polluting refrigerants that have thousands of times the global warming potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide. Supermarkets currently leak 45 million metric tons of super-polluting gases each year (equal to the emissions of 9.5 million cars), and ultra-low GWP solutions exist.    

• Agriculture companies need to shift their supply chains to regenerative agriculture by 2030. 

  Our Soil & Climate Alliance works with farmers and food companies to shift agriculture to regenerative practices that will help to reverse the climate crisis by drawing down and sequestering carbon in the soil, expanding the capacity for our land to be a carbon sink.  As we achieve a fossil free economy, soil carbon sequestration could actually reverse the climate crisis, while improving soil health, water availability, biodiversity, climate resilience for global food security and farm and rural community economics.   

• Financial Institutions need to end their investment in fossil fuels in the next decade. 

  Our Climate Safe Lending Network is working with banks and regulators worldwide to shift lending and investing away from fossil fuels to climate solutions. Our finance campaigns are putting pressure on JP Morgan Chase and Liberty Mutual to end their financing of fossil fuels and mobilizing shareholders to support climate resolutions at the largest companies in the US.  

• Small green businesses are the leaders in creating environmental and social change.

  Green America supports the greenest small businesses across the country, which lead the way on climate and environmental solutions, in our Green Business Network. 

How You Can Take Action for the Climate 

People are taking action in their homes, communities, and nationally to create solutions to the climate crisis.  While each person acting alone can only make a small difference, when individuals band together, they are major drivers of environmental solutions. 

• Get started on climate action with Green America’s 10 Ways You Can Fight Climate Change. 

• Call Congress through the US Capitol Switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and tell your legislators that you support bold legislation to address the climate crisis. Urge passage of both the infrastructure bill in the US House and reconciliation package in both Houses of Congress, including improved access to mass transit and improving electric vehicle infrastructure; reaching 100 percent clean energy; ending fossil fuel subsidies; electrification of housing, schools, and hospitals; clean and safe drinking water for all; and Clean Energy Victory Bonds. 

• Support the campaigns of national groups like Green America, and get active with local environmental and climate justice organizations near you to reduce climate emissions and the impacts of pollutants on frontline communities. 

• Reach out to companies you shop or receive services from to tell them they need to act fast to eliminate their emissions. When companies hear directly from consumers, it makes a big difference.  

• Take part in regenerative agriculture in your home or community by planting a Climate Victory Garden.  Climate Victory Gardeners are sequestering carbon, creating healthy foods, and building more resilient communities nationwide. 

• Green your spending and investing. Green America’s National Green Pages is a great resource for finding the greenest businesses, and we have a wealth of information about how to divest from fossil fuels and move your money from banks that finance the climate crisis to banks and credit unions that support local communities. 

• Share information with friends, family, and social media communities about the need to take action on climate change, the solutions that we should all be supporting, and to counter the disinformation that is out there. 

If we all work together immediately, at the governmental, business, and individual levels, we have the resources we need to address the climate crisis and limit its impacts for our and future generations.  

As students prepare to head off to their college dorm this year, they can take steps to make the experience more eco-friendly. For example, it is important to bring hand-me-downs and reuse items you already have so that you do not produce unnecessary waste. However, if it is time to buy some newer items, there are many businesses selling eco-friendly and sustainable dorm products and décor. Find 10 sustainable product suggestions below to help green your room! 

1. Organic Bedding 

Purchase organic and natural duvets, comforters, sheets, and blankets with the Green Business Network {GBN} member Bed Voyage. The sheets pictured are $42.00 and made of 100% organically grown bamboo. They are also vegan and hypoallergenic. 

$42.00 Bamboo Fitted Sheets

2. 100% Organic Cotton Towels 

When choosing your bath towels, consider shopping at Goodnight Naturals {GBN}. They sell Fair Trade Certified^TM Coyuchi towels made from 100% organic cotton. Their wash towels are only $8! 

Click here for further towel pricing information  

3. Desk Décor 

Check out some of the vases, desk mates, and pillows at UPAVIM {GBN}. Items are fair trade and handmade by women in Esperanza, Guatemala. They are a great colorful addition to any room.  

$10.00 Owl Deskmate and $10.00 Petite Stoneware Bowl/Saucer 

4. Backpack 

Terra Thread, from the same founder as Gallant International {GBN} sells 100% organic, GOTS certified, and fair trade cotton backpacks and tote bags. They come in 14 different colors and 2 different sizes.  

$65.00 Sustainable Backpacks  

5. Moving Boxes 

Even the materials used to move into your dorm can be green! If you like around NYC, check out Box Up {GBN}. This company allows you to rent moving supplies. Their crates can be reused about 300 times before they are recycled, helping you move without any cardboard waste. 

$98.00 to rent 15 boxes for one week

6. Food Storage 

For students who enjoy to meal prep, leftovers, or simply want food to-go, check out these stainless-steel containers. What’s Good {GBN} sells multiple containers of different sizes, beeswax food wraps, and reusable sandwich bags, making them a great source for green food storage. 

Buy their Square Stainless-Steel containers for $13.98 

7. Posters 

Find a variety of posters perfect for your dorm at Syracuse Cultural Workers {GBN}. Posters are printed on postconsumer waste recycled content and are processed chlorine and dioxin free. They are sold both with frames and without frames.  

$15.00 Make Art Not War Poster

8. Laundry Detergent 

For laundry detergent that is green and chemical free, try Molly’s Suds {GBN}. Their detergent is affordable, vegan, and they work to reduce their carbon footprint in shipping. 

$13.99 Original Unscented Laundry Detergent Powder 70 Loads

9. Office Supplies 

In need of office supplies? Check out Green America’s previous post on the topic for suggestions including index cards, highlighters, binders, and more! Naturally Playful {GBN} is featured, a great option for affordable recycled index cards, paper clips, and other office supplies. 

$1.00 Recycled Paper Clips 

For more tips on green living during college, read through Green America’s post How to Green Your College Experience. 

At the end of July, Carter’s released its first sustainability report! This is a positive step for the company, which is the largest retailer of children’s clothing in the US. But we need to see bolder action on chemical management from Carter’s to end toxic textiles and create more sustainable apparel.

What is Carter’s doing?

Commits to source 100% sustainable cotton and polyester fibers by 2030.

Carter’s notes a majority of the fabric it sources is either cotton or polyester – so, there is a large potential impact with this commitment. However, it left us wondering what percentages of cotton and polyester are currently sustainable and what support will be provided to current suppliers so that the cotton they sell becomes more sustainable?

Additionally, Carter’s should report on progress being made on this commitment in future sustainability reports in a meaningful way, such as including percentages of the total and target dates. 

Carter’s also launched a line of clothing, Little Planet, that is GOTS certified. This is a positive step; Carter’s should expand its offerings of the GOTS certification to a wider percentage of its products so that clothing made with organic cotton is more widely available to its customers. In the report, Carter's vaguely notes that there is the intention to expand the scope of this brand – we encourage Carter’s to issue a time-bound commitment stating the percentage of total products that will be GOTS certified.

Many companies have one or two sustainable lines of clothing, but in order to transform the industry, companies need to apply sustainability efforts to all products.  

Obtain the Oeko-Tex certification on “much of” 0-24 months baby clothing by 2022.

The Oeko-Tex certification is a strong certification and addresses some of the hazardous chemicals used in apparel. This is a step in the right direction.

However, this commitment is vague. Rather, Carter’s should state what percentage of its clothing will be certified by 2022. Additionally, we would like to see Carter’s apply this goal it all its clothing, where possible.

Expects to require many raw material suppliers to carry Oeko-Tex certification.

Similar to the commitment above, this is a vague statement, and Carter’s should announce what percentage of raw material suppliers will carry this certification and by when.

Require Teir 1 apparel suppliers to follow the company's Restricted Substances List (RSL) and “heightened restricted substance requirements”.

We are glad to see this update from Carter’s and appreciate the reporting on progress of implementation of its RSL (which protects customers from many toxic chemicals and other substances). However, it is not clear what “heightened restricted substance requirements” are, and it is a relatively meaningless statement without additional details.

Carter’s still lacks a public manufacturing restricted substances list (MRSL), which limits what harmful chemicals garments workers are exposed to. We are seeing more and more companies make strong commitments to limit and phase out hazardous chemicals and protecting workers and local communities near factory suppliers, demonstrating that it is possible to end toxic textiles. Carter's needs to join these companies in issuing an MRSL. 

We encourage Carter’s to look at leaders in chemical management, such as Target which has time-bound goals to phase out Perfluorinated Chemicals and added flame retardants by 2022 as well as removing added Perfluorinated Alky Substances by 2025. Target has also implemented an RSL and MRSL in its textile supply chains.  

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Carter’s also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emission by 25% by 2030 and developing science-based targets.  While this is a positive step and is a clearly stated goal, we need urgent, bolder action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carter’s has also disclosed data on its energy usage and emissions for the past three years; this type of transparency is a step in the right direction and we hope Carter’s will apply this transparency across all issue areas.

Increasing data collection.

By 2025, Carter’s intends to source only from suppliers that use the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s HIGG Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM). This will help to standardize data tracking within its supply chain, allow the company to see where improvements can be made, and better monitor year over year impacts.

Improving water management. 

The apparel industry is a water intensive industry and is the second largest polluter of water. Carter’s is starting to understand and monitor the water usage within its supply chain. Carter’s needs to commit to bolder action to address its water impact – we hope to see this in the next iteration of its reporting as it strengthens its environmental impact data collection processes.

Partnering with TerraCycle:

Carter’s has teamed up with TerraCycle to launch a program to recycle children’s clothing. Individuals can send in children’s clothing that cannot be donated or used to be recycled, rather than being thrown out. Using this program is free.

Learn more about the recycling program here: https://www.terracycle.com/carters.

You made Carter's improve. Now more consumer pressure is needed!

When we launched the Toxic Textiles campaign in 2019, Carter’s shared very little information about its sustainability efforts publicly, since then Carter’s has taken a number of steps:

• launching an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) website,
• disclosing a restricted substances list (RSL),
• released a sustainability report.

This progress is thanks to the nearly 30,000 individuals who have called on Carter’s to step it up, but there is still a lot of room for improvement, so please take and share the action:

Carter’s CSR report can be found here and additional information about its sustainability efforts can be found here.

By Melissa Pandika

Common wisdom says to put your money where your values are. If the wildfires, heat waves, droughts, and floods that have been ravaging much of the world lately have left you with an unshakeable sense of grief, dread, or both, chances are that your values align with ending the climate crisis, which makes such extreme weather events more frequent and intense. But what if you’ve already donated to your favorite climate nonprofits and want to do more with your dollars? One option is to move them from a big bank that funds the fossil fuel industry to a smaller, more sustainability-oriented bank that doesn’t.

Big banks direct a ton of money to the fossil fuel companies that have largely driven the climate crisis. A report published by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), in collaboration with other organizations, found that the 60 largest commercial and private investment banks gave the fossil fuel industry $3.8 trillion in the five years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, a plan to significantly lower global greenhouse gas emissions. A sizable portion of this money goes toward expanding fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure, according to the report. The banks responsible include household names like Well Fargo, Bank of America, and Citibank. JPMorgan Chase is the worst offender by far, pumping $51.3 billion into fossil fuel companies in 2020 alone.

And don’t be fooled by initiatives like Bank of the West’s “1% for the planet” credit card and “climate-conscious checking account,” warned Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club, which collaborated with RAN on the Banking on Climate Chaos report. If big banks offer them, they probably amount to little more than greenwashing. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, Sierra pointed out — the leading funder of offshore oil and gas projects from 2016 to 2020.

While your checking and savings accounts might be only a sliver of what your bank directs to the fossil fuel industry, your decision to house them there does have an impact. “Money makes the world go round,” says Sylvia Panek, a financial advisor for Natural Investments, which focuses on socially responsible investing. “If they’re sitting at a bank that is financing natural resource extraction, very extractive, exploitative practices, your dollars essentially are being used for that.”

Like a lot of people, maybe you just went with whatever bank your friends or family use. “Because of their marketing power and their lobbying power, [big banks] seem to be top of mind for people,” Panek tells Mic. “They may not really be aware of better, more local, greener, more socially just and responsible banks.” These banks tend to be smaller, she explains — as in, they don’t have nearly the amount of money that major multinational fossil fuel companies would need to fund their projects.

The good news is that most of these banks have offerings comparable to those of big banks, such as online banking portals, apps, and waived ATM fees, Panek says. You can likely use their debit and credit cards at checkout, too, she adds, because the processor would probably still be a major one accepted by most retailers (i.e., Visa or Mastercard).

The main advantage that big banks have over smaller, more sustainable ones is their ability to offer credit cards with cash back rewards, frequent flyer miles, discounts from certain major retailers, and the like, thanks to their size Panek explains. But if you’re someone who, say, prefers to travel by bicycle and buy as little as possible — and patronize small businesses when you do — you’re probably ok going without these perks.

That said, times seem to be a-changing. Panek says her federal credit union recently announced a new rewards program for debit card users that includes travel, merchandise, and more. Transitions away from big banks — a movement partly due to the financial crisis caused by these institutions and their huge bailouts in 2008 — “has led to greater bargaining power” among smaller banks, she says, making it easier for them to compete.

If you learn from the Banking on Climate Chaos report or elsewhere that your current bank finances the fossil fuel industry, moving your money to a bank that doesn’t is a small yet meaningful step you can take toward fighting the climate crisis. Here’s how to switch to a sustainable financial institution that works for you.

Use “better banking” search tools

Panek recommends searching Better Banking Options, as well as the Get a Better Bank map, offered by Green America, a nonprofit where she began her career in sustainable and socially responsible investing. All the banks and credit unions included meet at least one of various criteria, such as being a certified community development financial institution (CDFI for short—more on that later) or identified by the FDIC as a Minority Depository Institution.

Bank for Good and Bank Local also let you search for alternatives to big banks, says Patrick Costello of climate defending nonprofits Fossil Free California and 350Marin, who’s also a certified financial planner.

If nothing else, go with a community-based institution

If you don’t have the time or energy to identify a bank committed specifically to sustainability, Panek recommends at least moving your money to a certified CDFI, which will likely be too small to lend money to a huge fossil fuel company. As part of their certification by the U.S. Treasury, these banks or credit unions need to show that the majority of their operations go toward loans in the community where they’re located, like mortgages and small business loans, she explains. (Banks are for-profit, while credit unions are non-profit and member-owned. You can read more about the differences between the two here.)

Look for B Corp certification

Finding a sustainable financial institution is “a little bit more nuanced and more difficult,” Panek says. While green certifications might seem like a handy shortcut, they aren’t necessarily reliable, according to Costello. “Some of these certifications are created for the purpose, I believe, of greenwashing, so you want to actually be careful about that,” he tells Mic.

Both he and Panek agree that you can trust a B Corporation certified financial institution, though. For C corporations — the typical designation for corporations — “the return to the shareholder is by far the priority of the operation,” Costello says. B Corporations, on the other hand, regard other values as equally important. B Corp certification basically says that a company has undergone an evaluation process to confirm that its operations go toward supporting people and the planet, in addition to profit, Panek explains.

Research the financial institution’s lending activity

Costello suggests doing some digging into the enterprises the financial institutions you’re considering loan to. Try searching for this information on their website or contacting their customer service departments. Depending on their privacy policies, they might not be able to supply the names of the companies they’re loaning to, “but they should be able to certainly provide categories,” he says. Or, visit Mighty Deposits, a website where you can compare different types of investments across banks and credit unions.

Consider what else is important to you, besides sustainability

This can help you further narrow down your options. If the ability to access a physical branch is important to you, Panek says, an online-only bank might not be the ideal choice. If you want to support the local economy, “going with a green bank that’s all the way across the country might make [you] feel better in some ways but not in others.” She suggests using a resource like Green America’s Get a Better Bank map to “mix and match what works better for you in terms of what is most important to you.”

How to make the switch as painless as possible

Once you find a bank you feel good about, open an account with them, Costello says, and start using their checks and/or debit card. Panek suggests sitting down with last month’s bank statement, listing every recurring transaction, and updating your payment information on every app and system where you've set up autopay.

A flyer created by 350Marin, where Costello is a member of the steering committee also recommends leaving enough money on your old account to cover any automatic payments that have yet to be made or checks that haven’t cleared. Once a full round of recurring transactions has been made on your new account, transfer the leftover funds to it, close the old one, and get written confirmation that it's been closed. Last but not least, tell your old bank why you decided to part ways with them.

Real talk, though: For many people, this last step takes the most work. “I wouldn’t say it’s hard,” Costello says. “It’s just time-consuming…. There’s a lot of little details involved.” He tells Mic that it took him a year to transition from Bank of America to Beneficial State Bank, a community development bank based in Oakland, California. But as much of a pain in the ass combing through your bank statement can be, in the grand scheme of things, it’s still worth the opportunity to help stave off climate catastrophe.

While most of the labor of building the computers, phones, and other devices that make our digital lives possible happens far from the headquarters of the name on the box, down an often long and opaque supply chain, industry leaders can have enormous impact on working conditions in distant facilities.

Today, Green America’s Clean Electronics Production Network (CEPN) is pleased to announce the Toward Zero Exposure program, which has been developed with noted sustainability and social responsibility leaders Apple, Dell Technologies and HP Inc. as Founding Signatories.

These companies have pledged to accelerate existing efforts in chemical safety and boost awareness of the need to improve chemical management practices across the global electronics manufacturing industry to eliminate workers’ exposure to hazardous chemicals. 

These Founding Signatories invite companies throughout the electronics supply chain to join their commitment to:  
 

• Prioritize the elimination or substitution of priority chemicals with safer alternatives and continue to protect workers until that is achieved 
   
• Collect data on the process chemicals used in manufacturing electronic products  
   
• Advance worker engagement and participation as an essential element of a best-in-class safety culture for managing process chemicals 
   
• Reach deeper into the overlapping and complex electronics supply chain to reduce worker exposure to hazardous chemicals   
   
• Verify and report to ensure progress toward implementing the commitments to strengthen accountability to workers, the public and other stakeholders 

“These signatories’ commitment represents groundbreaking progress in the protection of workers from hazardous chemicals in the electronics supply chain,” said Alisa Gravitz, CEO of Green America. “The Toward Zero Exposure program’s unique development through CEPN’s multi-stakeholder consensus process creates an exceptional platform to leverage the enormous effort individual organizations have already put into protecting workers.” 

Learn more about our program here.

The energy use in your office building, apartment, or home may be less efficient than you are aware. Energy efficiency means that less energy is used to perform the same task.  

Many New Yorkers are discovering this after the passage of Local Law 95, a law requiring building owners to post the energy efficiency of New York City buildings 25,000 square feet or larger. The law has resulted in raising public awareness on energy efficiency as buildings have had to post their ratings. Many states and countries calculate these ratings but not every building owner may fully understand methods to improve their efficiency and thus their score. Improving this efficiency could not only reduce the emission of global greenhouse gases but can also save money on energy bills for owners and renters as utility costs go down.  

So, what exactly makes a building energy efficient? 

How ratings are calculated  

Standards for energy efficiency can vary by state. However, Energy Star, which works under the U.S. Department of Energy, is a federal baseline for assessing buildings and appliances. Some states, including New York State, base their standards off Energy Star. With these ratings, buildings are compared to others of a similar size and shape. If a building is significantly less energy efficient that other similarly structured buildings, it receives a lower grade. If it is more energy efficient than these other buildings, than it receives a higher grade. Grades are usually on a zero to one-hundred scale with an A to F rating. New York now issues fines for those large building owners who do not post these scores. 

via The City of New York: Buildings  

How can you improve your energy efficiency and usage? 

1. Audit Your Home or Office Space  

One way to precisely find out how much energy you might be wasting is to receive an audit on the energy efficiency of your home or office. Professionals in your area can find out exactly where your home is efficient and where it uses excess energy. This allows you to know the exact steps needed to improve any energy inefficiency in your own home or office. The U.S. Department of Energy has advice on finding energy auditors here. Furthermore, Green Business Network (GBN) members such as GreenEcoSavers and Positive Energy provide energy auditing products and services.  

2. Check Your Insulation and Sealing 

Proper building insulation ensures that you do not use more heating or air conditioning than needed. It prevents the heating or AC from leaking out so that you only use the exact amount of energy needed for the building. Sealing off attics and garages, insulating air ducts, and caulking or weatherstripping air leaks in windows are just some of the ways that individuals can stop the leakage of air. In fact, it would only take half of existing buildings to install thicker insulation in order to avoid 8.3 gigatons of emissions. Maryland Installation Services (GBN) works on sealing involved in window and door replacement and installation. 

3. Monitor Your Temperature 

After you’ve checked your insulation, it is important to monitor the temperature of your home or office. When you’re not present, setting the temperature to a higher number such as 78 degrees in the summer or 68 degrees in the winter can save up to ten percent on heating and cooling. The goal is to set the internal building temperature to be as similar to the outdoor temperature as possible. 

However, note that certain heating systems require different solutions. For example, if the temperature is monitored through a heat pump, it may actually be better to keep a consistent temperature in your home. You can also purchase programmable thermostats that help regulate the temperature and save energy. Positive Energy (GBN) sells a couple of programmable thermostats that can help homes or offices improve their energy efficiency.  

4. Upgrade Your Lighting 

Roughly 5-percent of the average household’s energy bill is used on lighting. This is especially relevant for marginalized and under-served communities, who tend to face higher energy burdens. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are the most efficient options when buying light bulbs. CFLs use a third of the energy of a halogen incandescent bulb and LEDs use around 25 to 30 percent less than incandescent bulbs. 

In addition, you can save energy by minimizing your lighting usage. When you’re not at home or in the office, remember to turn off your lights. You can also take advantage of natural light during the day. 

5. Check Your Equipment and Appliances 

Energy efficiency also depends on the type of equipment that the building uses. In a home, this includes appliances such as washers, dryers, and fridges. In an office, this may include computers and printers. Organizations such as Energy Star create certifications that promote energy efficient products with a website full of appliance suggestions. Paitson Bros (GBN) is an example of a heating and cooling company that uses Energy Star qualified equipment.  

Furthermore, be sure to activate sleep settings on any printers, copiers, fax machines, etc., and turn off all machinery when not in use.  

Refrigerants used in cooling equipment also have significant climate impacts. The most common refrigerants are potent greenhouse gases that often leak out of cooling appliances. You can take action with Green America’s Cool it for the Climate campaign which works to eliminate the use of unsustainable refrigerants and improve cooling efficiency of supermarkets. The U.S. supermarket sector currently emits roughly 45 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year just through refrigerant leaks.  

Several members of the Green Business Network work on energy efficiency and green energy. Check out members such as GreenEcoSavers, Positive Energy, Ecoinstallations, the Sustainability Guys, Paitson Bros, Maryland Installation Services, and more. 

We're in business to produce the cleanest sleep and play wear for your little person.    

After working in the clothing manufacturing industry for many years, Maureen Smithey dreamt of creating garments that would reflect her values of respect for people and our environment. A line of unique, ethically made organic pajamas and clothing for babies, toddlers and children that is designed with comfort and movement in mind. A line that is well made and uses only the highest quality, made in the USA organic cotton knit fabrics.

Since 2008, we at Castleware Baby have stayed true to that vision by manufacturing a complete line of organic cotton sleepers, sleeping bags and pajamas for babies and children to size 8. We remain committed to using the finest fabrics, manufacturing from start to finish in the USA and designing for real families, well built pajamas  and sleepers that hold up to the test of time. We focus on classic designs in high-quality fabrics that feel good next to the skin. We combine functionality with comfort. We believe that pajamas should last long enough to be passed down to a little brother or sister. Our customers agree!

At Castleware Baby, we are dedicated to keeping children safe, warm and comfortable at night so that the entire family sleeps better.

One might almost be desensitized to extreme weather conditions, especially in the West Coast, where water usage warnings and wildfires have become the norm. However, the issue is far from normal. According to the US Drought Monitor, 93% of land the West Coast are in drought conditions, which is more than ever before, and make water-saving crucial. 

As a green business leader, you can do your part to help! Here are six water-saving steps for your small business (and your home). 

1. Install low-flow aerators in your faucets 

An aerator is an attachment on your faucet spout that slows down the flow of water by adding air to the water stream. They are inexpensive, come in many different sizes, and have different flow rates to suit your needs. The best part? It’s quick and easy to install an aerator; simply screw off the old aerator (you may need pliers or a wrench) and put on a new one. 

2. Stick a bottle in your toilet tank 

This easy trick will reduce the amount of water used per flush without buying anything. Simply fill a plastic bottle with weights, like pebbles or rocks, and water. Put the bottle in your toilet tank, making sure that the bottle doesn’t interfere with the tank’s mechanics, and watch your water bill go down! 

3. Hang up encouraging “Save Water” posters in restrooms

Water consumption is a team effort. Free, printable water-saving reminders can be found online to remind your guests and employees that every drop counts. 

4. Check for leaks 

Did you know that it only takes 10 minutes to check if your toilet has a leak? Put food coloring in the tank (where your newly-placed plastic bottle is!) and check for color in the toilet bowl toilet after 10 minutes. If there is, you most likely have a leak and should consider replacing your toilet flapper. Refer to the EPA’s checklist for more leak detection tips. 

5. Ditch the garbage disposal 

Food scraps that are tossed in garbage disposals must be moved through pipes and processed at water treatment centers, which can be water intensive—not to mention the water used when running the disposal itself. Instead, composting these scraps reduces food waste and water consumption.  

6. Research local incentives  

Your district may have might have programs to pay you to for saving water! For example, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California provides rebates for commercial turf replacement, plumbing fixtures, recycled water projects, and more. For more details, click here. 

Bonus tip: Rethink your sink 

Next time you are rinsing off dishes or produce, stick a dishpan or large bowl in the sink to catch the water for your garden. Be sure to collect water if you are cleaning fish, it is a fantastic organic fertilizer! 

Along with helping you live green, for over 40 years, Green America has been working for safe food, a healthy climate, fair labor, responsible finance, and social justice. 

Contact Love and Carrots: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter 

Anyone who has tasted a home-grown tomato can attest that it is worlds apart from one that was bought at a grocery store, which likely traveled thousands of miles before landing on your plate. 
 
While the idea of “farm-to-table” is enticing, many people have never quite mastered the “farm” part. 

That is where Love and Carrots hops in. 

For the past decade, the garden installation company has brought farm- to- table even closer to home. The team of 17 has kept itself busy— currently managing over 140 gardens, in addition to having installed 1,000 gardens and counting in the Washington, DC, metro area. 

Meredith Sheperd, founder of Love and Carrots and previous member of Green America’s Board of Directors, has developed quite the green thumb through her years of experience. Sheperd has been in the green industry since the start of her career as a landscaper during her high school and college summers. Later, she worked at the World Conservation Union and did wetland delineation at an environmental engineering firm. 

“I started thinking about the food movement's impact on the environment,” recounts Sheperd. “My roommate was involved in that sort of thing and taught me more about it. I decided I wanted to be a farmer.” 

Following her passion for outdoor work and conservation, Sheperd worked in various farms in her area. Eventually, she became a farm manager on a small organic farm. From there, Sheperd’s inspiration for her business sprouted. “For me, it was environmental,” she explains. “I think where food comes from and how it is grown has a big impact on our planet.” 

Now, Love and Carrots provides garden design, installation, maintenance, and even beekeeping services to schools, businesses, and homes. Sticking close to her early career roots, Sheperd describes her business as a combination of “growing food, beauty, and landscaping into one project.” 

“Growing your own food is a gateway to making people appreciate where their food comes from,” Sheperd says. Our connection to food became especially relevant during the pandemic because gardens provided food security amid the weaknesses within the food system. 

Sheperd recounts, “We got more business. More people that were stuck at home, working from home, and nervous about food security for the first time. So, they thought it would be a good idea to learn how to grow their own food. A new wave of people who, under normal circumstances, would not learn how to grow their own food did!” 

Lastly, the gardening maestro’s face lit up as she provided sage wisdom for the home gardener (or hopeless horticulturalist) to consider.  

1. Hours of Sunlight—The Most Important! 

Sheperd advises, “You want an absolute minimum of 5 hours of direct sun, anything more is great 8 hours is considered full sun. So, before you put a garden in, check out your sunlight!”  

2. High Quality Soil 

“If you are growing in the ground, you’re probably going to need amend heavily with compost. If you are growing in containers, you want to think about the volume of containers- the bigger the better. A good rule of thumb is to be at least the size of a 5-gallon bucket… Pot ‘em up!” 

3. Irrigation 

“If you are growing outside, it is easy and totally worth the effort to set up a simple, automated drip irrigation system. You can buy kits online that works like Legos,” she adds. 

4. Crop type 

Sheperd suggests herbs, peppers, salad greens, and eggplants as easy crops to start with.  

To learn more about the impact your favorite bites have on the environment, check out these food carbon emission calculators.

When our Hang Up on Fossil Fuels campaign began in 2017, a small fraction of Verizon's massive network was powered by clean energy. But since then, there's been major progress thanks to the thousands of people across the US who have signed our petitions, contacted Verizon directly on social media or by phone, and pressured the telecom giant to rapidly switch to renewables.

Verizon has issued its second $1 billion green bond, to use in part to acquire new contracts for clean energy. At the end of 2020, Verizon reported entering into several new power purchase agreements totaling nearly 1.7 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity. The company reports that this will reduce the carbon emissions equivalent of removing more than 630,000 passenger vehicles from the road a year. Green America will continue tracking actual progress as these new projects come on-line and we'll keep pressuring Verizon to build on this and reach 100% clean energy by 2025. 

In the meantime, take action by telling Verizon and AT&T to Hang Up on Fossil Fuels.

Hours: Full-time (4-days, 32 hours/week)
Salary: $60,000 - $65,000
Benefits: Generous medical, dental, disability, vacation, holidays, sick days
Supervisor: CEO

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 to create a world that works for all. We deploy marketplace solutions to solve the most pressing social and environmental problems facing society today.

The Center for Sustainability Solutions builds on Green America’s work over the years, where we have brought together industry groups across supply chains to create major shifts in such areas as solar, community investing, sustainable agriculture, and fair labor. The Center supports Innovation Networks, focused multi-stakeholder working groups with the objective of making significant, industry-wide system change.

The Center currently houses three active Innovation Networks, each led by its Network Director:

• Soil & Climate Alliance
• Clean Electronics Production Network
• Climate Safe Lending

The Operations and Special Projects Manager will provide support to the CEO, who is currently serving as the Interim Director of the Center, and manage overall operations of the Center for Sustainability Solutions, including budget and operating plan management, grant finance management, personnel and hiring, managing relationships with contractors, website administration, and special projects for the CEO/Interim Center Director.

As all three Networks are virtual, this position may be housed in Washington, DC at the Green America offices, but may also be filled remotely.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Operations

• With CEO, coordinate planning and management for the Center
• Observe, review, and analyze processes to identify inefficiencies and areas where improvements can be made
• Facilitate cross-channel feedback from stakeholders and employees to Center leadership team
• Participate in long-term initiative planning to advance the overall goals of the Center
• Collaborate with CEO/Interim Center Director and Network Directors to set departmental goals
• Develop new ways to improve operations of the Center including software management tools, communications, and business processes
• Perform website administration for the various websites related to the Center
• Collaborate with networks to coordinate communications efforts
• Organize Center Leadership Team meetings  

Finance & Budget Management

• Work with the Interim Center Director, Network Directors, and Development Team to track grant funding, assist with grant reporting and, where appropriate, ensure that grant funds are applied and administered appropriately
• Assist in forming and executing the annual Operating Plan for the department, including supporting Network Directors in developing their annual Operating Plans as well as participating in organization-wide staff meetings to set organizational priorities
• Assist in determining and managing the budget for the Center

Contract Administration and Personnel and Hiring Management

• Support Network Directors in creating, maintaining and execution of contracts  with external contractors to advance the work of the Center and keep projects on track
• Assist in hiring and overseeing the work of Center staff (Program Managers and Project Coordinators) and contract researchers and facilitators as needed

Special Projects for the CEO/Interim Center Director

• Quick turnaround research
• Conduct key stakeholder follow-ups on behalf of the CEO/Interim Center Director
• Represent the CEO/Interim Center Director in meetings
• Support creation of informational materials and presentations

Other duties as assigned:

• Participate in Green America staff meetings and processes and other duties as required
• Participate in Green America Cross Departmental Teams: The success of our organizational work includes the voluntary participation of staff members from all levels of the organization in cross-departmental teams addressing a range of issues to strengthen our impact and planning, as time and other work commitments allow

Qualified Candidates should have the following skills and qualities:

• 5+ years of management and/or operations experience, as well as project management experience, with demonstrated results managing multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and multi-tasking skills and the ability to quickly shift between priorities
• "Big picture" thinking skills to address top-level concerns and find the best path forward from all available data
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to develop trusting relationships with senior executives and high-level leaders across a range of sectors
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong interest in the subject areas
• Prior experience in communications, website administration, and asset creation desired
• Bachelor’s degree required.

To Apply: Email your resume and cover letter to centerstaffing@greenamerica.org

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

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

By Kristen Bahler

By the end of the summer, I’ll go from living the charmed life of a 30-something who has never, not once, changed a diaper, to someone who’s very existence revolves around the activity. And like many soon-to-be moms with a stack of parenting paperbacks and an embarrassingly long baby registry, I’m starting to feel pretty smug about the whole thing.

Case in point: I’ve decided to give cloth diapers a try.

My reasoning is the same as most parents seeking eco-friendly alternatives to disposable diapers: I compost, I recycle, and I try to use sustainable substitutes for my replenishable household products (paper towels, coffee filters, plastic bags). Cloth diapering just sort of … makes sense.

Plus, it could save me a lot of money.

A 2018 deep dive by the Tampa Bay Times found that the cost of disposable diapers hovers around $1,000 a year per child — a prohibitively expensive price tag for many families that is only going up. The fact that many communities have suffered widespread diaper shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic added fuel to an already heated debate about the advantages of switching to cloth.

The thing about cloth diapering is it can introduce a sh*tload (pun intended) of extra work to a new parent’s routine — work that’s unpleasant, and involves getting a lot closer to your baby’s bowel movements than you would otherwise have to.

I’ll admit: I’m not psyched to experience this first-hand. No matter how valiant my efforts, there’s a lingering possibility that after a few months (or … days) of keeping a paycheck-sucking poop machine as clean, fed and un-agitated as is within my capacity, cloth diapers will start to feel less like a doable alternative to landfill-crowding ‘sposies and more like a curse.

Will it all be worth it? Or am I in over my head? How much money can I reasonably expect to save, anyway?

To help sort through the muck, I turned to the best experts in the biz: moms who have tried cloth diapers themselves, and agreed to be brutally honest about their experiences. Here’s what they told me.

Cloth diapers for beginners

If you’re new to cloth diapering, know that the options are vast — and a bit overwhelming.

Every parent has his or her own preference when it comes to fabric, brand and closure type (the velcro vs. snap vs. pin debate is an eyeroll of its own accord), so it’s wise to experiment with a few different types before committing to a specific one.

Style-wise, cloth diapers come in four different constructions. Here’s a breakdown of each, and why some parents gravitate toward one over the others.

All-in-one (AIO) diapers

All-in-ones mimic the simplicity of disposable diapers. After every diaper change, you throw one of these bad boys — which are made of several layers of highly-absorbent material like microfleece and sewn into a waterproof cover — into your dirty diaper pile to be laundered (not thrown away). Then you slap on a clean one.

This is the easiest way to cloth diaper, and often the most expensive — AIOs can run upwards of $30 a diaper. But since many designs are stitched with closure settings meant to re-size as your baby grows, you should get a lot of use out of each one. Grovia’s O.N.E. diaper, a $23 to $28 option recommended to me by multiple moms, can last from birth all the way to potty training. Some popular AIO brands, like Thirsties and Bambino Mio, sell diaper bundles at a discounted rate.

“Even before having a baby, I never felt I had enough time, and feared I wouldn’t stick with more complicated types, so I was drawn to the AIOs,” says Jennifer Kelley, a mom to a baby girl in Albany, Oregon. “Many styles are as easy to put on as a disposable.”

Pocket diapers

Pockets are another simple cloth diapering method that requires a little more busy work than AIOs. They’re also made with waterproof covers, but the insides are less bulky (and less absorbent) and have a stitched-in pouch where a washable, maxi pad-like insert slips in.

Kristina Todini, mom to a 1-year-old in Sacramento, California, tells me she favors pocket diapers over the other styles.

Todini runs the green living blog Fork in the Road, and says she was “on a mission” to reduce her consumption of single-use items before she got pregnant.

Some of the crunchiest parents learn to sew their own diapers from old t-shirts and nursing blankets, but Todini didn’t want to overload herself with chores while “learning how to care for a baby and become a mother,” she says. So she and her husband used disposables for the first month of their daughter’s life, and then transitioned to pockets.

On Amazon, you can get a six-pack set of AlvaBaby pockets (and 12 inserts) for $30. Nora’s Nursery, one of the top-rated cloth diaper stores on Amazon, sells four-packs of pocket diapers with four bamboo inserts for $38, and seven-packs with seven bamboo inserts for $65.

Fitted diapers

Fitteds, another two-step system, come as two distinct parts: a cloth diaper and a waterproof cover. That means two separate items to buy (and wash) — though the covers can be worn through multiple diaper changes, so you don’t need an equal amount of each.

Using a diaper encased in a waterproof shell means that, if the fit is right, you’ll get the same absorbancy as a disposable diaper. And since that shell comes off before it gets tossed in the laundry, the inner layer tends to dry pretty quickly.

Cloth-eez sells a popular line of organic fitted diapers, which will run you about $12 a piece on the Green Mountain Diapers website (covers, sold separately, cost about $10).

Stephanie Miller, mom of one, uses a mix of different types of cloth diapers, but says Grovia’s “hybrid” fitteds are her favorite (currently available in a 12-pack on Amazon for $194). She lives in humid Houston, Texas, where air drying certain materials is next to impossible. With fitteds, she can dry the inners in her machine dryer while she hangs the covers outside.

Flats and prefold diapers

As the name implies, these come as a flat sheet that you fold onto your baby in the shape of a diaper. It’s the cheapest, and most complicated, way to cloth diaper, but lots of parents swear by it.

“You can Google how to do it,” says Shay Boudreaux, mom to two sons, a 5-year-old and a toddler, in Louisiana. “It probably takes 10 extra seconds.”

Pre-folds still require a waterproof cover, but like fitteds, you’ll need far more diapers than covers. Another bonus: If the whole cloth diapering thing doesn’t work out, you can use them as burp cloths instead.

As of this writing, you can buy a 12 pack of pre-folds on sites like Green Mountain Diapers and Amazon for $22 to $30 — or a bundle of 36 (with four covers included) for $94.

How many cloth diapers do I need?

Before you stock your nursery, think about how much you can reasonably spend — and how much extra laundry you’re comfortable taking on.

Most baby blogs and cloth diaper social media groups suggest starting out with at least 24 diapers, plus about 6 covers (if you’re not using AIOs), which should tide you over laundry-wise for two to three days. Older babies don’t go through as many diapers, so you can get away with buying less of each if you’re past the newborn stage. Same goes for parents who want to try out cloth diapers before giving up on disposables entirely.

Keep in mind that, depending on the type of cloth diapers you choose, and how they end up fitting your kid, you might have to size up as they grow. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, there are lots of “try it” kits you can buy (or register for!) from brands like OsoCozy, Esembly Baby and Green Mountain Diapers. Also, if you’re on a super tight budget, you can buy pre-owned diapers on Facebook groups and online communities like Diaper Junction. Or you can hit up one of the myriad nonprofit organizations that give free cloth diapers to low-income families.

Since cloth diapers can be used on multiple children, the savings compound over time. And if you take good care of them, the resale value is close to, and in some cases over, 100%.

To save money, Kelley bought some of her cloth diaper stock from diaper co-ops and resale sites like eBay, Mercari and Craigslist. She and her husband used disposable diapers for the first week of their daughter’s life, and though they “planned to use them even longer, because we anticipated being much more overwhelmed,” the transition to cloth ended up being a breeze, she says.

“It is truly not as scary as it sounds,” Kelley tells me. “You just have a couple extra loads of laundry each week.”

How to clean cloth diapers

Every parent I spoke to agreed that the most complicated part about learning how to use cloth diapers is figuring out how to wash them.

Depending on the material your diapers are made of, you might have to “prep,” or pre-wash them — sometimes multiple times — before using them for the first time.

You’ll also need to do some research on how your laundry machine will handle the slightly unorthodox task at hand (specifications for top-loading and front-loading machines vary), as well as what kind of laundry detergent to use. Experienced cloth diapering parents usually recommend a detergent with the least amount of ingredients possible. Tide’s “Ultra Power Original” detergent powder (not liquid) is a cult favorite on diapering message boards. Some cloth diapers companies, like Esemby Baby, sell their own detergent.

Pro tip: You’ll probably want to get a couple of “wet bags” to tote around your used cloth diapers when you’re out of the house, too.

“Wet bags are a crucial part of a successful clothing journey,” Miller says.

As far as drying goes, most people recommend hanging your diapers on a laundry line or drying rack whenever possible, since the heat in machine dryers will wear down any elastic and hike your energy use — which doesn’t exactly jive with many parents’ “green” intentions.

Now comes the most polarizing detail of every cloth diapering discussion: What To Do With All That Poo.

The good news is, breastfed babies have water-soluble waste, so you just throw their cloth diapers into a pile, and then into the laundry, and be done with them. But that’s not the case if you formula feed, or if your baby is old enough to eat solid food, or the thought of chucking number twos into your washing machine is just … a bridge too far.

For some parents, the solution is biodegradable, flushable liners. Others just dunk each diaper into the toilet before it hits the laundry pile. You can also buy a hose that attaches to your toilet and power washes each diaper to hell and back before tossing it in the wash. If you go this route, Jennifer Kelley in Albany, Oregon, advises investing in a hose that comes with a spray shield, or buying one separately, to protect your bathroom (and body) from splatter. (“Spraying diapers without a shield is a pain, messy, and made me seriously consider whether I wanted to keep doing it,” she says.)

Still with me? It’s worth mentioning that every mom I spoke to was unanimous on another point: This isn’t as gross as it sounds.

Todini summed it up nicely.

“Let’s face it, babyhood involves a lot of poop,” she says. “What’s dealing with cleaning the diaper over a toilet in the grand scheme of things?”

Cloth diapers vs. disposable

There’s still a lot of debate about the health benefits of cloth diapering — like whether it leads to less diaper rashes, and quicker potty training, as advocates say it does. There’s even some naysayers who question if all that extra laundry makes the practice as eco-friendly as it seems. (Much of that skepticism, though, was sown by disposable diaper companies, according to the nonprofit group Green America.)

There are also lots of parents who tried cloth diapers and gave up a few months in. Dealing with cloth can be time-consuming, after all, and a lot more trouble than it’s worth if the fit isn’t quite right, or your washing machine happens to be on the fritz.

Still, there’s no doubt that if you stick with it, cloth diapering can save you money, and the moms I spoke with have the receipts to prove it.

Boudreaux says her family spent about $220 on cloth diapers, which they used exclusively on their oldest son for the two-some years before he was potty trained. They used those same diapers on their second son before he started going to a daycare this spring that doesn’t allow cloth diapers — and over the course of three months, Boudreaux says, she and her husband have already spent $200 on disposables, even though they still use cloth diapers at night and on weekends.

Todini, for her part, did a cloth vs. disposable cost comparison for long-term diapering while she was pregnant, and says that cloth was the clear winner from the get-go. Her family spent $60 total on cloth diapers and inserts she says, plus an extra $15 to $20 a month on laundry detergent, water and electricity.

Cloth diapering isn’t for everyone, Miller tells me, but it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing thing.

“Disposables … provided us some time and flexibility when we needed it,” Miller says. “ I like to think of the sustainable analogy of using cloth towels over paper towels, or cloth napkins over paper napkins. We would simply do what we could when we could and try our best to keep things out of landfills.”

Sometimes, she adds, “the benefits of ease and disposability” made disposables the better choice when her family was on vacation, or her baby was in daycare. But like every mom I spoke with, she found cloth diapers to be pretty easy too.

“I will always advocate for cloth over disposables,” she says. “It’s extremely affordable and not as difficult as a lot of people seem to make it.”

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This Plastic Free July, ask your elected officials to support the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act!

Green America is proud to be one of over 400 advocacy groups supporting this ground-breaking legislation, introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA).

This legislation tackles the serious social and environmental impacts of plastics from their production to disposal. The bill contains a suite of provisions that would: 

• Force companies to take responsibility for their wasteful products, 
• Strengthen regulations on plastic facilities to protect communities, 
• Prohibit the use of toxic chemicals in covered products,
• Push to increase reusables and refillables,
• Improve recycling programs, and much more. 

Plastic production and incineration emit toxic air pollutants and millions of tons of greenhouse gases. Oil and gas industries want to ramp up plastic production in the coming decade to keep a demand in place for fossil fuels and line their pockets with more profits. 

More plastic production will fuel the climate crisis and increase pollution that severely threatens the health of fenceline communities, disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities.

The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act seeks to tackle these problems by bringing many solutions that have helped curb waste at state and local levels to a national scale.

Contact Congress Now
 

What Would the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act Do? 

Tackles pollution in environmental justice communities

The bill focuses on environmental justice communities that have been harmed and burdened by pollution from petrochemical plants and incinerators. It would place a three-year moratorium on permits for new petrochemical plants while the health and environmental impacts of existing facilities are investigated by the EPA, and regulations on facilities are developed or strengthened. The bill requires the EPA to conduct a comprehensive study on the public health impacts of incinerators and plastic chemical "recycling" facilities. The legislation would ban the export of plastic waste to developing nations that lack waste management infrastructure and prohibits an expanded list of toxic chemicals from being used in covered products.

Holds companies accountable for their waste

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a major facet of the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. The bill calls for a nationwide EPR program for certain items (including packaging) and requires companies to invest in domestic recycling and composting infrastructure, cover costs of clean-up, and promote measures to reduce waste.

Tasks federal agencies to develop solutions 

The bill would task relevant federal agencies to study effects of fishing gear polluting the environment as well as microfiber pollution and will require filtration standards for clothes washers to reduce microplastics. The EPA would be charged with developing standardized recycling and composting labels to prevent contamination. The bill tasks the EPA to establish funding for reuse and refill pilot projects to create more reusable packaging options.

Bans numerous non-recyclable plastic items 

Common single-use plastic products that pollute ecosystems, can’t be recycled, and have available alternatives will be reduced and phased out. The bill will reduce waste from items such as plastic bags, Styrofoam food and drinkware, plastic utensils, and more. The bill protects the ability of state and local governments to enact more stringent standards, requirements, and additional product bans.

Develops a nationwide container deposit system

Beverage containers of any material type could be returned to redeem a 10-cent deposit that is paid up front in the cost of the container. There are ten states with “bottle bills,” where customers redeem deposits at the point of purchase or at redemption centers. States with deposit programs such as Oregon report recycling rates of containers that surpass 80%, which is 16 times the national average.

How to Take Action 

• Tell your Senators and Representative to co-sponsor the bill through our email action. Then share with your networks!
• Call the congressional switchboard to connect to your elected officials’ offices and use the sample script below.  

Switchboard number: (202) 224-3121 

Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act – Senate Bill #984 and House Bill #2238

Script: Hello, I am a constituent of [Senator/Representative Name] and am calling to urge them to support and cosponsor the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act [S.984 in the Senate/H.R. 2238 in the House]. I care greatly about the environment and the communities affected by plastic pollution and this bill works to reduce plastic waste and improve recovery of recyclable materials. This bill works to end the health threats of pollution from petrochemical plants on communities and tasks federal agencies to develop comprehensive plans to address plastic pollution in our waterways. This is a historic effort that will spur innovation and investments in the United States’ domestic recycling and composting infrastructure. Please support this bill for people and the planet!

Tell Congress: Break Free from Plastic Pollution

Green America’s Get A Better Bank campaign, and similar initiatives across the country, are gaining momentum! Did you know that Big Banks, like those behind your credit cards, continue to invest massively in fossil fuels, driving us toward greater climate catastrophe? They also have a long history of predatory and racist practices that have harmed people of color for generations.

Fortunately, there are better credit cards!  And people everywhere are making the switch!

Our interview with Jim Blasiak describes his motivation for helping congregants at his synagogue get a better credit card to put their money to work for communities – and to avoid supporting fossil fuels. Here's the letter congregants sent to conventional big banks explaining why they made the switch.

If you’re ready to switch not only your credit card but also your bank, get started with these 10 steps to switch to a better bank or credit union.

Green America (Q.) and Jim Blasiak (A.).

Q. I heard that your synagogue recently concluded its campaign to promote “green” credit cards.

A. That’s right. We had over two dozen congregants sign up for the Green America credit card or other alternative credit cards found on the Green America website.

Q. How do you define a “green” credit card?

A. A card that is issued by a local or regional community bank or a credit union and not by a big bank that finances fossil fuel development. One good example of a “green” credit card is the Green America credit card that is issued by TCM Bank.

Q. Why the interest in credit cards?

A. Our shul has an active Climate Action Team that is always looking for ways to promote climate solutions and address climate justice issues. We are fortunate to belong to a community that is open to dialogue and action on climate change and that our clergy have emphasized those parts of our tradition that emphasize caring for the earth and our fellow humans. At a regular team monthly meeting a little over a year ago, one of our members brought to our attention a new release of the Rainforest Action Network’s report on banking and climate change. We all went back and read it and then at subsequent meetings we talked about organizing an event to highlight and perhaps address the findings of that report. One thing that the team recognized was that talking about the intersection of environmental and financial issues was likely to stimulate discussion among a broad group of congregants.

Q. So what were the results of that discussion?

A. Well the topic is a bit complicated, and we realized that we needed to be better informed. So we first decided to organize two zoom webinars (this was during the early days of the pandemic) to bring in experts to discuss the general topic of “greening our finances.” We invited two experts: a financial advisor that specializes in socially responsible investments and Fran Teplitz, a co-director of Green America, to talk about alternative banking options. All members of our congregation and their friends were invited to attend. We also found area environmental groups to co-sponsor the event. At a second webinar, we asked Fran to return and also invited Andy Behar of “As You Sow” to discuss his organization’s shareholder activism and his organization’s helpful website and a Greenfaith representative, Sara Shor, to discuss how to best organize our community.

Q. What did the Climate Action Team learn from these webinars?

A. We had to simplify the issue in order to develop a campaign that could involve the entire congregation. It turns out that personal financial decisions are just that -- personal -- and it is tricky to advise congregants to make one investment over another. Also, the world of socially responsible investing is many flavored and team members are not qualified financial advisors, so asking congregants to change their financial plans, we decided, was beyond our current capabilities. We also considered a campaign to have congregants change their bank from a mega-bank to a community bank, but we have a limitation here in the suburban Washington, DC, market because there are not many local banking options available for walk-in banking. Also, recommending a bank to someone carries some of the same pitfalls as recommending an investment. With these lessons in mind, we landed on a first step: asking congregants to sign up for the Green America credit card or another alternative credit card. We have saved these other options for future campaigns.

Q. Why did you focus on the Green America credit card?

A. We tested it. It is issued by TCM Bank, a community bank, and members of the team tried it out first. The sign-up was seamless and quick. Members with good credit ratings got higher credit limits than what they had expected from an alternative bank. And, of course, in the process of researching the matter, we learned that the value of 0.5% of every transaction would be earned by Green America and the balance of the credit card fee (after VISA takes its relatively small cut) would benefit a community bank.

Q. How did you proceed with the campaign?

A. We first publicized the campaign during events sponsored by the Climate Action Team. We had small break-out sessions after our remote Zoom services and some members brought up the credit card campaign during those sessions. Both of these efforts yielded some sign-ups and they turned out to be important because they signaled to all of our congregants that our campaign had started and that it had the backing of our respected Climate Action Team members. The approach that worked best, however, was to ask members of the Climate Action Team to contact their fellow congregants personally and engage them on the subject. All in all, we had over two dozen congregants sign up for the Green America credit card.

Q. Did you get any resistance from your congregants in carrying out your one-on-one personal approach?

A. Not resistance, exactly but we did have to sharpen our approach. One of the first things we realized was that there were other “green” credit card options in addition to the Green America card and our congregants are a curious bunch and they wanted to explore all of those options. Many of our congregants, we discovered to our great pleasure, were already using credit cards issued by their credit unions, so they were not supporting the big banks that funded fossil fuel development. Others had interests in other environmental or social issues, and we were able to direct them to the other options that Green America provides on its website. Another thing we discovered early on was that people like the credit cards that they already have. Some cards provide points or cash rewards, others provide upgrades on airlines or higher credit limits, etc. So at the onset, we abandoned the idea that we would ask congregants to tear up their existing cards -- although some did -- and instead we asked them to use the Green America card more and their big-bank cards less. That approach seemed to work. Finally, there were some congregants who said simply that they had too many credit cards already and that they didn’t want to further complicate their finances. We, of course, had to respect that viewpoint and back away from further discussions on the credit card topic.

Q. Do you think that the credit card campaign helped bring awareness to the climate emergency more generally?

A. Absolutely. One member after hearing about our campaign said that they would sell their oil company stock. (It turns out that that was likely a good financial move given the stock movements this past year.) Others asked for advice on “green” and socially responsible investments and because of our research, we were able to direct them to options and experts, including the Green American site. Finally, I think that one thing that the credit card change has done for me -- and I hope for other congregants -- is that it has brought attention to my spending habits. Over-consumption is no doubt a major contributor to climate change and every time I take out my Green America credit card I am forced to think to myself: “Is this purchase necessary? Is the purchase consistent with my commitment to the environment?” And, even when I have to purchase something that I know is adding to my carbon footprint -- like buying a tank of gas -- I can feel a bit less guilty because I know that at least 0.5% of the cost will go to Green America.

Q. How does the credit card campaign relate to the values of your Jewish community?

A. They are in harmony. There are many relevant Jewish teachings, but the one that I try to hold onto in advocating for the environment in the face of so many challenges is from Pirke Aboth, or “The Ethics of the Fathers” written nearly 2000 years ago. It says: “You are not required to finish your work, yet neither are you permitted to desist from it.” In this context, even though encouraging several fellow congregants to change their credit cards is not going to solve climate change in and of itself, it is the progress that I can make at this time. As a bonus, because the credit card campaign provides a continuing reminder to those that signed up for an alternative card that there is a climate emergency underway, it gives them the nudge to take another positive action toward finishing their work each day.

There are many resources to help you switch to a better banking institution, here are a few so you can get started:

• Green America’s map to Get a Better Bank
• Green America’s 10 steps to break up with your Big Bank
• Bank for Good
• Mighty Deposits
• Better Banking Options
• Read Annalisa's story about how she broke up with her mega-bank

From her experience at Xerox and IBM, to her seat on Business for Social Responsibility’s board and role as practitioner advisor for Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communications, Mary Fehlig has built her reputation as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expert. For 20 years, her firm, the Fehlig Group, has also been a certified Green Business Network member.

Fehlig’s extensive background has drawn many clients to her company, The Fehlig Group. For over 25 years, the Maryland-based consulting group has helped businesses identify strengths and opportunities to sustain and grow value through CSR initiatives that are anchored in company missions and values.

On May 4, 2021 Mary Fehlig was named the Women’s Business Enterprise Council “Star” for the Greater DC, Maryland, Virginia Region (WBEC Greater DMV). The WBEC Greater DMV is a nonprofit with the mission of increasing access to opportunities for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs), a national network of women-owned businesses certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)—the WBEC Greater DMV’s parent organization. Fehlig’s Star Award celebrates her outstanding participation in chapter programs and events, support for other women in business, and innovative solutions for doing business with corporate members and other WBEs.

In congratulating her on the award, Sandra Eberhard, CEO and President of WBEC Greater DMV said, “The Fehlig Group exemplifies the possibilities that come with utilizing the WBENC Certification. Your company celebrates its women-owned status every day in the way that it operates. Your efforts as an ambassador in our territory have lent credibility to our efforts and encouraged other businesses to join our network.”

“We are proud of our WBENC certification and our partnership with WBEC Greater DMV,” said Fehlig. “Helping to advance women and minority-owned businesses is integral to our company mission of fostering environmental sustainability and social impact across the supply chain and in businesses of all sizes. Working with other WBEs is a privilege and we highly encourage women entrepreneurs to be part of this inspiring community.”

By Aimee Picchi

Amazon.com's two-day Prime Day event  is June 21-22 this year, with other major retailers like Walmart elbowing in on the action with their own sales. But the summer discounts offered by Amazon and its competitors may not match the kind of door-busting sales that are typically available before the holidays, market researchers say. 

• Amazon Prime Day 2021

The discounts offered to shoppers during the Prime Day event are typically below 10%, according to research from Adobe, which analyzed aggregate sales data at retailers including Amazon and its competitors from 2020's Prime Day. By comparison, the annual Cyber Monday weekend, which falls after Thanksgiving, typically offers discounts that are twice as deep, their analysis found. 

That may not deter shoppers from splurging on Amazon's Prime Day, given that 6 in 10 Americans told Adobe they plan to shop during Prime Day this year. Americans are opening their wallets like never before as the pandemic recedes and retailers, restaurants and other businesses reopen. Almost one-third of consumers surveyed by Adobe said they even plan to spend some of their stimulus money at the shopping event.  

"We expect Prime Day this year will surpass the 2020 Cyber Monday levels" of spending, Jason Woosley, vice president, commerce product and platform, at Adobe Experience Cloud, told CBS MoneyWatch. "It's a huge lift happening in the middle of June."

The best categories to score deals are expected to be in toys and electronics, with last year's Prime Day showing discounts of about 8% and 7%, respectively, Adobe's data found. Sporting goods had the smallest discount, at 1.2%. 

"There's just not a lot of discounting," Woosley said. "For a retailer, it's tolerable — they can generate buzz without sacrificing too much."

Why is Prime Day in June this year?

When Amazon first started Prime Day in 2015, it scheduled the event in July — a schedule it stuck to until the pandemic hit last year. Because of the disruption, Amazon pushed back Prime Day in 2020 to October. But this year, it has moved the event a month earlier than normal. 

One reason, marketing experts said, could be to avoid sharing the global spotlight with the 2021 Olympics, which kicks off in Japan on July 23, but some experts point out that pushing the event to June places the sale in the second quarter — a typically slow time for retailers. On top of that, Amazon is facing tough comparisons with the year-earlier period, when many consumers switched to online purchases due to lockdowns and fears about brick-and-mortar shopping as the pandemic spread. 

And don't underestimate the appeal of a final Prime Day blockbuster in June for Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who formerly passes the chief executive's torch to successor Andy Jassy on July 5, 27 years to the day Bezos first incorporated the Amazon.com business concept.

Will the pandemic impact prices?

It's possible that the semiconductor shortage could impact the pricing and availability of some products that need chips, such as TVs, said Nathan Burrows, senior deals editor at the New York Times' product-recommendation site, Wirecutter. Goodies like game consoles, which have been in short supply this past year amid rising demand and supplier shortages, are likely to sell at full price or close to it, he said. 

Rising inflation on everyday household items could also have an impact on Prime Day, leading to smaller discounts than previous years, Burrows added. Prices for everything from grocery items to appliances are on the rise, according to recent data. 

"All of this means that shoppers have more reason than ever to be skeptical of supposed deals," Burrows said. 

What other retailers will offer sales? 

But while "legitimate sales" may be hard to find during Prime Day, consumers will likely have more stores to comparison shop this year, according to Burrows.

Walmart, for one, is running a rival sale called "Deals for Days," which started a day earlier than Prime Day and ends a day later — from June 20 to 23. The retailer said it will offer deals on electronics like the iHome Nova Auto Empty Mopping Robot for $299.00, down from its regular price of $599.00.

Best Buy, meanwhile, has already been running its "The Bigger Deal" sale, which ends June 22. Target, for its part, is offering a "Deal Days" event from June 20 to 22. Additional retailers may also edge in on the competition with their own sales, so experts advise consumers to comparison shop. 

Price comparison tools like CamelCamelCamel can be helpful in figuring out if you are really getting a good price.

What will be the best Prime Day deals?

It's likely that Amazon will continue with its tradition of offering steep discounts on its own electronics, such as Kindle e-book readers and Echo smart speakers, Burrows said. 

Other products to keep an eye on are kitchen appliances like instant pots or coffee makers, personal care appliances like electric toothbrushes, baby gear such as car seats and strollers, and vacuums and headphones, among other types of products, according to Wirecutter. 

Amazon already offered some pre-Prime Day sales, such as $50 off the Apple Watch Series 6 GPS model in 40mm size and $150 off Shark's AI Robot Vacuum (RV2001). 

Before buying, do your research, said Adobe's Woosley. "Don't just assume it's the best deal because it's put in front of you," he said.

Washington, D.C.//June 15, 2021 – A new bill in Congress allowing Americans to buy Clean Energy Victory Bonds for as little as $25 in order to support the expansion of solar, wind, battery storage, infrastructure, energy efficiency technologies, and related tax incentives for individuals and businesses, is earning the praise of Green America, the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), the National Wildlife Federation, and several other groups. The legislation introduced by Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Doris Matsui (H.R. 3886) and Sen. Jeff Merkley calls for the government to issue up to $50 billion per year in Clean Energy Victory Bonds.

Clean Energy Victory Bonds would provide a way for all Americans to safely invest in and benefit from this transition. The legislation also allocates significant federal investment into economically disadvantaged communities to advance a more equitable clean energy economy.

“Americans from all walks of life want the US to adopt renewable energy to create good paying jobs, while addressing the climate crisis,” said Todd Larsen, Green America’s executive co-director for consumer and corporate engagement. “In World War II, Victory Bonds offered Americans a way to support the war effort. Now, Clean Energy Victory Bonds will offer all Americans a safe investment, open to anyone with $25, to support a rapid adoption of the solar, wind, and battery storage technologies that will create cleaner air for us all now and help protect future generations from climate impacts.”  

“Green businesses, whose operations support social justice and environmental sustainability, have long advocated for a clean energy economy. The Clean Energy Victory Bond offers a sound, viable way to generate financing, with a focus on equity, to advance clean energy and energy efficiency,” said Fran Teplitz, director, Green America’s Green Business Network.

“Clean Energy Victory Bonds will provide a much-needed economic boost to our businesses and economy,” said David Levine, co-founder and president, American Sustainable Business Council. “Coming out of COVID-19, this bill provides a reliable and highly-accessible financing mechanism that allows the private sector and all Americans to provide the needed dollars for building a more just and sustainable economy.”

“Climate change is bearing down on us with increasing intensity, with particularly severe consequences for wildlife and already vulnerable communities,” said Shannon Heyck-Williams, director of climate and energy policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “This smart proposal from Representatives Lofgren and Matsui and Senator Merkley gives people the opportunity to directly support the climate-safe future we all need. And by dedicating forty percent of proceeds to new clean energy projects in disadvantaged communities, the bill will help communities that are burdened by pollution and high energy bills by expanding access to climate solutions and opportunities.”

“Clean Energy Victory Bonds provide an opportunity for Americans to participate in the financial benefits of their communities’ conversion to clean renewable energy,” said Ron Gonen, CEO, Closed Loop Partners.

“Self-Help welcomes the reintroduction of the Clean Energy Victory Bond bill, adding capital to finance the transition away from fossil fuels. Of particular note, the bill focuses capital to underserved communities where the transition away from fossil fuels can have the greatest impact and the lack of capital access is most acute," stated Melissa Malkin-Weber, sustainability director, Self Help Credit Union & Ventures Fund.

“The Clean Energy Victory Bond bill is an excellent example of common sense and shows what is possible when we work together. The funds raised by the bonds will create competitive-paying jobs in clean energy at a time when good jobs are solely needed. Clean energy is also a good way to protect the health and safety of Americans by reducing local air and water pollution. And consumers who avail of clean energy will not be subject to the volatile price increases in fossil fuels as seen during the February 2021 Texas snowstorm. This bill is a true win-win,” said Timothy R. Yee, president of Green Retirement, Inc.

“Faith- and values-based investors join in welcoming this safe and reliable financing mechanism open to anyone with $25 to invest in building a just and resilient economy," said Christina Herman, Climate & Environmental Program director at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. "We need to ensure an equitable transition to a clean energy economy in the U.S., and Clean Energy Victory Bonds can help supply the capital needed to shift from dirty to clean energy, especially needed in low-income and communities of color."

“Where the benefits and profits of the clean energy industry have historically been claimed overwhelmingly by America's wealthiest, Clean Energy Victory Bonds would help democratize participation in the low-carbon transition, allowing investors large and small to make low-risk investments in a more sustainable future. In alluding to the Victory Bonds of World War II, Clean Energy Victory Bonds will convey both urgency and optimism regarding American participation in the global battle against climate change,” said Cheryl I. Smith, Ph.D., CFA, chief economist and head of Fixed Income Management, Trillium Asset Management.

With the US and countries around the world experiencing their hottest years on record and growing natural disasters causing billions of dollars of damage in the US alone, support among the American public for a transition to renewable energy technologies is strong. Eighty percent of Americans support a move to solar and wind, and over two-thirds of the public want the US Government to do more. The cost of solar and wind power decreased dramatically in the past two decades, providing the opportunity to scale these technologies up to meet 100 percent of US electricity by 2035. Now, the US needs to increase investment in solar and wind to meet the ambitious timelines for adoption that will help keep global temperature increases under two degrees Celsius.

###

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA 

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

ABOUT AMERICAN SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS COUNCIL 

The American Sustainable Business Council partners with business organizations and companies to advocate for solutions and policies that support an equitable, sustainable, stakeholder economy. ASBC is a multi-issue, business organization advocating on behalf of all sectors, sizes, and geographies of industry. ASBC and its association members collectively represent over 250,000 businesses across our networks. ASBC is coalition-focused in our approach to solving the pervasive and systemic issues of climate and energy, infrastructure, circular economy, and creating an inclusive just stakeholder economy. ASBC is changing the rules by which business is done so it is better for all people and the environment.

ABOUT NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

The National Wildlife Federation unites all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. We believe America’s experience with cherished landscapes and wildlife has helped define and shape our national character and identity for generations. To hunters, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, this conservation ethic represents a sacred duty and obligation to protect and build upon our conservation heritage for the sake of wildlife, ourselves, our neighbors, and—most of all—for future generations.

June 12th is the International Day Against Child Labor. On this day, as a large group of civil society organizations working on human rights in the cocoa sector across the world, we urgently call on chocolate & cocoa companies and governments to start living up to decades-old promises. The cocoa sector must come with ambitious plans to develop transparent and accountable solutions for current and future generations of children in cocoa communities.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the chocolate industry’s promise to end child labor in the cocoa sector of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, a commitment they made under the 2001 Harkin-Engel Protocol and renewed again with the 2010 Framework of Action. Furthermore, it is the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor. 

This year should have been a landmark in the fight against child labor in cocoa. Instead, the cocoa sector as a whole has been conspicuously quiet on this topic. 

Child labor is still a reality on West African cocoa farms, and there is strong evidence that forced labor continues in the sector as well. Recent reports – such as Ghana’s GLSS 7 survey and the study of the University of Chicago commissioned by the United States government – show that close to 1.5 million children are engaged in hazardous or age-inappropriate work on cocoa farms in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. The vast majority of these child laborers are exposed to the worst forms of child labor, such as carrying heavy loads, working with dangerous tools and increasing exposure to harmful agrochemicals.

After two decades of rhetoric, voluntary initiatives, and pilot projects, it is clearer than ever that ambitious, sector-wide action is needed, coupled with binding regulations, to address both child labor and the poverty that lies at its root.

These solutions must include regulations for mandatory human rights due diligence for companies operating in all major cocoa consuming countries, including avenues for legal remedy in those companies’ home countries. We note with interest the developments around regulations in the EU, although the announced delays are concerning. We also observe that the United States - the world’s number one cocoa consuming country - is particularly lagging in regulatory developments on this issue.

The industry, however, cannot use a lack of regulation as an excuse not to shoulder their own responsibility. As such, every chocolate and cocoa company should have a system in place that monitors and remediates child labor in all of their value chains with a child labor risk. The impact of these systems must be communicated publicly and transparently in a way that enables meaningful participation and access to remedy for workers and their representatives. 

In parallel, effective partnerships between producer and consumer countries are needed to work on the necessary enabling environment. These must be developed in a much more inclusive manner than previous attempts, bringing in civil society organizations, independent trade unions, local communities and farmer representatives. Adequate resources must be provided to enable these local actors to participate as equals in the development and implementation of solutions. 

Child labor can only be effectively tackled if its root causes are also adequately addressed. As such, the cocoa sector must ensure that child labor approaches are deeply embedded into realistic and ambitious strategies to achieve a living income for all cocoa households. Such strategies must include the payment of fair and just remuneration at the farm gate; prices need to be sufficient to provide a living income. There are clear calculations available for Living Income Reference Prices, which are not even close to being met.

In all, this process must deliver time bound and measurable action plans that are ambitious enough to cover the full scope of the challenge ahead.

It is time that the cocoa sector lived up to its promises and started to deliver on a sector wide and ambitious plan to tackle child labor and poverty. The industry’s collective silence this year is shameful and inappropriate.

Signatories:

• ABVV/FGTB HORVAL – Belgium
• Action against Child Exploitation (ACE) – Japan
• Be Slavery Free – Australia
• Child Labor Coalition - United States
• Conservation Alliance International – Ghana
• COOP Ecam - Côte d'Ivoire
• COOPASA - Côte d'Ivoire
• EcoCare Ghana – Ghana
• Fair Trade Advocacy Office – Belgium
• Fair World Project - United States
• Fairtrade – Global
• Forum Fairer Handel e.V. – Germany
• Freedom United – Global
• Global Media Foundation – Ghana
• Green America - United States
• Inades Formation - Côte d'Ivoire
• Indigenous Women Empowerment Network – Ghana
• INKOTA-netzwerk – Germany
• International Rights Advocates - United States
• ISCC – Germany
• Mighty Earth - United States
• ONG GAYA - Côte d'Ivoire
• Oxfam – Global
• Public Eye – Switzerland
• Rainforest Alliance – Global
• Réseau des Jeunes Entrepreneurs de Côte d'Ivoire (REJECI) – Côte d'Ivoire
• Réseau Ivoirien du Commerce Équitable – Côte d'Ivoire
• SchokoFair-Stoppt Kinderarbeit! – Germany
• SEND GHANA – Ghana
• Solidaridad – Netherlands
• Solidaridad West Africa – Ghana
• Südwind – Austria
• SÜDWIND-Institute – Germany
• The Human Trafficking Legal Center - United States
• Tropenbos Ghana – Ghana
• VOICE Network – Global
• World Fair Trade Organization – Global

If you’re currently thinking of buying a commercial landscaping franchise, there’s one thing you have to consider carefully: environmental impact. Not all landscaping practices are sustainable, even if the business as a whole promotes nature.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has some guidelines on “green landscaping.” They’ve laid out sustainability considerations for landscapers and landscape owners alike. So as you figure out your lawn care startup costs, factor in landscaping equipment with zero-emission. That’s one of the most important sustainability considerations recommended by EPA.

Making your business green won’t just let you meet EPA’s standards. It’ll also strengthen your corporate social responsibility, which involves caring for the environment. Remember, being a small business doesn’t mean your carbon footprint is light. If a thousand small businesses leave light carbon footprints, that’ll accumulate into one heavy carbon footprint. So by taking the extra step of adopting sustainable practices, you extract yourself from the problem and contribute to earth-saving efforts.

That said, here’s how your commercial landscaping services can become more eco-friendly:

1. Follow EPA’s Recommendation

Before starting your business, see if you can make these sustainability considerations recommended by EPA:

• Integrated pest management
• The use of reclaimed and recycled materials
• The use of low embodied energy materials
• The use of penetrable surfaces for stormwater management
• The use of native and climate-appropriate plants
• The use of energy-efficient lighting
• The use of low- to zero-emission equipment

Following these recommendations makes your services identifiable as green landscaping. To further mark your green identity in the industry, EPA has more resources and guidelines on its website. Pay it a visit and take note of the practices and products you should use.

2. Avoid Gas-powered Lawnmowers

Using gas-powered lawnmowers will instantly rid you of your green business identity. That’s because gas-powered lawnmowers emit thousands of times more greenhouse gases per hour of operating than electric lawnmowers. Such emissions are equivalent to that of a 100-mile drive.

But if you’re switching to electric lawnmowers, choose ones that are powered by a renewable energy source to stay consistent with your sustainability practices. Electric lawnmowers don’t consume gas and emit greenhouse gases. They maintain air cleanliness and ensure the health of your lawn care personnel.

3. Avoid Harmful Lawn Chemicals

Many landscaping professionals and landscape owners traditionally use pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. But these substances may do more harm than good. Herbicides may speed up the killing of weeds, but they can kill harmless bugs and animals in the process. Pesticides, meanwhile, have tons of hazardous side effects, including groundwater contamination. They’ll create contaminated runoff, which can go into streams and lakes and harm aquatic life.

Synthetic fertilizers are also dangerous because producing them emits greenhouse gases. Plus, when used, the nitrogen that the plants didn’t absorb turns into nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that’s 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. It can also contaminate wells and affect the water supply.

Organic fertilizers and homemade pesticides and herbicides are the best alternatives to harmful lawn chemicals. They may not produce results as fast as chemicals do, but they have better long-term effects. Your clients will surely prefer investing for the long term than spending repeatedly for short-term results.

4. Use Green Marketing Strategies

Green marketing strategies will boost your good reputation. But be careful with what you claim as well; people have to see that you’re a truly green business, not another business that’s simply greenwashing.

Don’t stop at using eco-friendly landscaping equipment. Try to go paperless in your transactions as well. If that isn’t a practical option, at least print on recycled paper. Most printing vendors offer the option to print brochures and other promotional material on recycled paper that’s almost as cheap as new paper.

But better yet, focus your marketing on the internet so that you can skip the prints. Internet marketing is cheaper than using print or direct mail ads anyway. Besides, consumers find businesses via Google or social media now. Even if you’re a B2B business, your clients are more likely to use the internet to scout vendors than to look for print ads.

5. Get a Green Business Certification

Lastly, obtain credibility for your green landscaping practices from the Green Business Bureau or Green America. Your certification can act as your insignia, which your clients will appreciate and value. And from then on, be consistent with your eco-friendly practices. Share your story and commitment to your website and social media too.

The more you spread the word about green landscaping, you more you can encourage companies and owners to follow your example. Deviating from traditional practices may be a little challenging for businesses, but if we want to save the planet, we must put up with the minimal inconvenience.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 2, 2021) – Today, Walmart investors voted on the first-ever shareholder resolution on refrigerants and their related climate impacts. The initial count indicates 5.5 percent of investors voted in favor of the proposal filed by Rhode Island Treasurer Seth Magaziner, urging Walmart to disclose how it will limit its impact on climate change by increasing the scale, pace, and rigor of its plans to significantly scale back hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in its operations.

The 5.5 percent outcome is particularly significant, since the first-year resolution only needed to meet the threshold of 5 percent support to be considered in a second year. This puts considerable pressure on Walmart to listen to concerned shareholders and take action on HFCs. Walmart had advised its investors to vote against the resolution to report on its HFC emissions and it is notable that the Walton family holds nearly half of Walmart’s shares.

Walmart uses highly potent HFCs, which are greenhouse gases with thousands of times the warming power of carbon dioxide. HFCs are rapidly leaking out of Walmart facilities and make up 48 percent of the company’s direct climate-damaging emissions. Walmart emits over three million metric tons of HFCs, equating to more than half a million cars on the road each year. Several competitors of Walmart, including Aldi and Target, are far ahead in adopting climate-friendly refrigerants in their stores.

“Today’s shareholder vote shows that a growing number of investors are concerned that Walmart’s 2040 target for phasing down HFC climate super-pollutants is out of step with global and domestic policy,” said Beth Porter, Climate Campaigns Director for Green America. “The resolution received enough support to be re-introduced next year, and in the meantime, investors and consumers will continue pressuring Walmart to cut its HFC emissions on a more rapid timeline.”

“Today’s vote is a pivotal step in investors calling on Walmart to address its largest source of direct climate emissions,” said Christina Starr, Senior Policy Analyst for the Environmental Investigation Agency. “As more and more investors care about meaningful climate action, pressure will mount on supermarkets like Walmart to address refrigerant leaks and stop using super-polluting HFCs quickly.”

Green America and the Environmental Investigation Agency are running campaigns to mobilize consumer pressure to get Walmart to address its HFC leaks and adopt ultra-low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) alternatives rapidly. The company took a voluntary pledge in 2010 to begin phasing out HFCs, but its emissions have steadily increased since then.

In September 2020, after years of mounting public pressure through advocacy campaigns and growing regulatory progress on refrigerants, Walmart finally announced a goal to transition to “low-impact” refrigerants by 2040 but has provided no details of how it will meet this target nor specifics on what refrigerants it plans to adopt. The best practice for lowering climate impacts is to use “ultra-low GWP” refrigerant options with a GWP less than 5 instead of “low-GWP”, which can still have hundreds of times the warming potential of CO₂.

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

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA

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

ABOUT EIA

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is an independent non-profit campaigning organization dedicated to identifying, investigating, and implementing solutions to protect endangered wildlife, forests, and the global climate. EIA Climate campaign is working to eliminate powerful greenhouse gases and improve energy efficiency in the cooling sector, and expose related illicit trade to campaign for new policies, improved governance, and more effective enforcement. www.eia-global.org.

For those who have spent the past year staying safe at home, the chance to get outside is more alluring than ever. While we continue to practice covid-19 precautions even as vaccinations roll out, the good news is you can get out and stay safe at the same time. We put together this list of natural sunscreen, bug spray, and hand sanitizer to help prepare for play days in the sun that draw near. For more skin-safe, green products for this summer, head to GreenPages.org.

Browse Green Pages

Green: The greenest option is to forgo chemicals altogether if you can. The organic bug spray from Brittanie’s Thyme{GBN} ($10) is made with white vinegar and a blend of essential oils. It repels over 50 species of mosquitoes and other insects. 

Brittanie's Thyme

Not that: Though the EPA does not warn of any major threats DEET poses to health, the ingredient is linked to skin irritation when left on for too long, according to the National Pesticides Information Center. It has also been tested in studies that found toxic effects from ingestion or skin application with >30 percent concentrations of DEET as the active ingredient. Cyfluthrin and permethrin are other chemicals commonly found in bug sprays and have been linked to neurotoxicity according to the National Library of Medicine. Aerosol versions release compressed gases and volatile organic compounds that can be avoided by buying a spritz version. 

Green: All Good {GBN} Sport Sunscreen Lotion ($13) contains zinc oxide, a mineral that cannot be absorbed into the skin, reflects UV rays, and is not associated with coral bleaching. Because it is not absorbed into skin, it is considered a physical barrier form of sun protection, a true sun "block," rather than a chemical barrier, which is more common today.

All Good

Not That: Some conventional chemical sunscreens contain toxic ingredients that are proven to adversely affect human and environmental health. For example, oxybenzone is a common ingredient found in 40 percent of sunscreens according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and is also linked to estrogen disruption and cause skin irritation. 

Green: Max Green Alchemy’s {GBN} hand sanitizer spray ($16) is 80 percent alcohol-based antiseptic with glycerin, hydrogen peroxide, and purified water—a formula approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Max Green Alchemy

Not That: Hand sanitizers made with harsh chemicals like fragrance can cause skin irritation and may contain retinyl palmitate which is associated with cancer risks and reproductive toxicity. Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer products received the lowest scores on the EWG’s 2020 Skin Deep database for these reasons.