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In industry first, 60 companies call on US insurers to drop fossil fuels |
Washington, DC (September 17, 2020)—Nearly 60 businesses from across the country issued a statement today calling on the US insurance industry to stop insuring and investing in the fossil fuels driving climate change. Signatories include Ben & Jerry’s, Aspen Skiing Company, Burton Snowboards, Patagonia, Bigelow Tea, and Seventh Generation.
This marks the first time that business policyholders have publicly called on US insurers to drop coal, oil, and gas. Amid growing attention to the role of global finance in the climate crisis, US insurers like Liberty Mutual and AIG have come under increased scrutiny from the public sector, Indigenous Peoples, and NGOs for underwriting damaging oil pipelines and coal mines. The statement comes in the lead-up to New York Climate Week during a year of record-breaking natural disasters in the US.
"When you're trying to put out the fires, you don't invest in lighter fluid--but that's exactly what insurance companies investing in fossil fuels are doing. They're accelerating risk, when businesses expect them to reduce it. And financial markets increasingly recognize the contradiction," said Thomas Oppel, Executive Vice President at American Sustainable Business Council, who organized the letter with Green America and Insure Our Future.
"In recent weeks the US has faced severe heat waves, deadly wildfires, and a hurricane bearing likely ‘un-survivable’ storm surges. The climate science is crystal clear: we MUST keep fossil fuels in the ground. US insurance companies must immediately stop underwriting and investing in fossil fuels," said Kate Ogden, Advocacy and Movement Building Manager at Seventh Generation, one of the letter’s signatories.
Coal, oil, and gas infrastructure can’t operate without insurance. While many European insurers have policies reducing or ending support for fossil fuels, US companies largely continue to support them, even though they make up only a small percentage of premiums. For example, coal—the single biggest contributor to global warming—accounted for less than 1% of AIG’s 2019 premiums. The UN has warned that we have less than 10 years to transition off fossil fuels if we are to prevent climate catastrophe, and a recent report from the US government finds that climate change poses a major risk to the stability of the US financial system.
“The decision to continue to support the fossil fuel sector is in direct contradiction to the action necessary to mitigate the climate crisis and to the economy’s long term financial stability,” the statement reads, citing government projections that global warming will shrink the US economy up to 10 percent by the end of the century.
“As insurance customers, we are therefore expressing our desire for insurance coverage in the US market that isn’t tied to supporting fossil fuels and actively supports renewable energy,” it continues. The companies committed to working to align their operations with their sustainability commitments—including through their choice of insurance companies.
“While the financial sector is increasingly aware of the profound risks inherent in the climate crisis, it hasn’t taken the necessary action. Insurance companies need to halt underwriting and investing in fossil fuels and support renewable energy now,” said Fran Teplitz, director of Green America’s Green Business Network.
Dropping fossil fuels makes both environmental and economic sense
“Solving climate change is about starting things and stopping others. We need to start up a clean energy economy. Simultaneously, we need to stop pulling fossil fuels out of the ground. And the way to do that is to restrict both financing and insurance,” said Auden Schendler, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, one of the signatories. “This is not a radical argument, because fossil investments are proving to be financial and moral losers anyway."
Renewables are increasingly cheaper than coal, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated losses already underway in the oil and gas industry, putting a growing number of installations at risk of becoming "stranded assets" as demand drops. Fossil fuels are also losing value fast: seven of the world’s top oil firms have downgraded assets by US$87 billion this year.
Climate change-driven disasters also threaten insurer balance sheets. In 2018, disasters like floods, wildfires, and earthquakes caused over US$160 billion in damages; US$80 billion of this was insured. Cambridge University predicts that losses will triple over the next 30 years if climate change continues unabated.
Businesses call on US insurers to join their global peers in combating climate change
The statement applauds the 19 major insurance companies, primarily in Europe and Australia, who have limited or ended coverage for fossil fuels, primarily coal and/or tar sands. While four major US companies have policies—Chubb, Axis Capital, the Hartford, and Liberty Mutual—all continue to underwrite fossil fuels. For example, Chubb and Liberty Mutual insure the environmentally disastrous Trans Mountain pipeline over the protests of Indigenous Peoples.
“We recognize the opportunity this presents for the US insurance industry to join their global peers. We would therefore strongly support similar or stronger efforts from US insurers to address their own underwriting and investments in fossil fuels,” the statement reads.
One of the signatories of the statement is itself an insurance company—Lemonade Insurance—which committed at its founding to never invest in fossil fuels and has called on its industry peers to join them in their efforts to address climate change.
“Back in 2018, Lemonade was the first U.S. insurer to commit to not invest in fossil fuels. Beyond its impact on climate change, to be paying for the damages of wildfires, hurricanes, and other climate disasters while simultaneously funding the very industries that are responsible for some of the worst of those damages, simply didn’t make sense to us,” said Yael Wissner Levy, Vice President of Communications at Lemonade.
“We rely on the insurance industry to help bring about a better, more reliable future for us, lessening the impacts of devastating events, not increasing the incidence of such events and all the trauma and business closures that come with them, by underwriting or investing in fossil fuels,” said Marie Venner, President of Venner Consulting and one of the signatories. “It is utterly immoral and unethical to be underwriting or investing in fossil fuels, for people now or in the future. Our lives depend on stopping this.”
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The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) is the leading business organization serving the public policy interests of responsible companies, their customers and other stakeholders. Founded in 2009, ASBC’s membership represents over 250,000 businesses in a wide range of industries. ASBC advocates for policy change and informs business owners, policymakers and the public about the need and opportunities for building a vibrant, broadly prosperous, sustainable economy.
Green America is a national membership organization dedicated to harnessing economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Green America’s Green Business Network includes thousands of businesses s home to both rising social and eco enterprises and the most established green businesses around. We provide the tools, the information, and the consumer base to help you thrive in today’s competitive green marketplace.
Insure Our Future in the US is a campaign comprised of environmental, consumer protection, and grassroots organizations holding the US insurance industry accountable for its role in the climate crisis. We are part of the global Insure Our Future campaign, which promotes a rapid shift of the insurance industry away from supporting and financing fossil fuels to accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy.
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Mutually Inclusive |
Across the country, mutual aid networks have rapidly developed in response to the unique challenges posed by COVID-19.
What is Mutual Aid?
Although mutual aid takes many forms, it is defined by reciprocity. People support each other based on what others need and what they can provide, unlike charity and government assistance, which are one-sided giving. In many cases, mutual aid networks—which are often maintained digitally—have grown from an offer or request for assistance, such as help buying groceries.
The ways in which mutual networks function vary greatly depending on community need. South Boston Neighborhood Aid is driven by the work of the nonprofit South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation and is focused primarily on connecting households with established community programs such as food pantries.
“What we find is that largely, the people that need help with food haven’t had this need before,” says Ami Campbell, community engagement director for the nonprofit.
The Recent Rise of Mutual Aid
Berkeley Mutual Aid Network in Berkeley, California, is a web of approximately 1,300 people which blossomed from a single post on neighborhood connection forum Nextdoor. Helen Marks, chief of operations for the network, says she has witnessed scores of people step up to help each other.
“Right now, as the social safety net is failing people, we are seeing that folks are coming together to shore up the safety net themselves,” Marks says.
Nathan Williams is the director of Town Hall Project: a nonprofit which provides a database of constituent events held by federal elected officials. Town Hall Project also put together MutualAidHub.org, a resource for and map of mutual aid networks nationwide, which Williams says is constantly growing.
Is Mutual Aid a New Phenomenon?
Mutual aid has been a practice of communities of color and Indigenous people for generations. One of the very first US organized efforts, The Free African Society (FAS), was a Philadelphia-based organization established in 1787 that provided monetary support, among other services, to recently freed African slaves in the US. FAS also played a key role in helping residents who fell sick from yellow fever in 1793.
Organizing around COVID-19, and the growing Black Lives Matter protest movement, communities of color have quickly banded together. In May, Raised Roots, a Black-owned urban farm, and Black Earth Farms, a Black and Indigenous farming collective, partnered to feed protesters in Oakland, California, shortly after George Floyd’s death.
Central Valley Mutual Aid & Collective Care Network began in California’s San Joaquin Valley in March and offers cash aid. One of the network’s guiding principles is “Solidarity, Not Charity.”
Tanisha McClain, a member of that network’s Outreach and Communications Committee, says mutual aid has always been a part of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities.
She says she was raised with the very same values.
“I grew up in a southern Black household, and it was the same principle,” she says. “It was, ‘You’re not going to come into my house and be hungry. You’re going to come into my house, and I’m going to feed you, but I’m not just going to feed your body. I’m going to feed your spirit. I’m going to feed your soul.’”
Get Involved
By entering your zip code on MutalAidHub.org, you can find networks near you. A Google or Facebook search with your city name and “mutual aid” can also help you track down networks that aren’t yet on the map.
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6 Ways to Protest in a Pandemic |
At Green America, when we say “green,” we always mean both environmental sustainability and social justice. It especially means recognizing that systemic racism was a reality long before the Black Lives Matter era and that the climate emergency isn’t on hold because of COVID-19. History shows us that protesting has the power to pressure government and corporations into buckling to the people’s demands. In addition to taking to the streets, here are some other ways to prtest in a pandemic and stand up for liberty and justice for all.
Join a Nonprofit
Officially joining an organization and recruiting a friend or two is a meaningful way to directly support a cause and connect with a likeminded community. Taking action through volunteer work, supporting advocacy campaigns, and donating are all valuable contributions and ways to protest in a pandemic. Start today by signing on to one of our many campaigns.
Contact Elected Leaders
It’s our duty to hold elected leaders at all levels accountable to the people they serve. Organizations like the Grassroots Law Project, Color of Change, Action Network, and of course, Green America, provide calling scripts, email templates, and sample social media posts along with their petitions to leaders. Contact information for all US elected officials can be found at usa.gov/elected-officials.
Express Yourself with Art
Just wearing a simple t-shirt, mask, or putting up a yard or window sign can make a bold statement. Find an array of punchy protest material from Syracuse Cultural Workers {GBN}, including an “In Our 6 WAYS TO PROTEST IN A PANDEMIC America...” yard sign for $10, (also available in Spanish). Or make your own!
Be a Resource for Protesters
If you’re not able to physically join a demonstration, you can show protesters you have their back by donating essential supplies like masks and snacks, offering to drive, and being an emergency contact. The National Bail Fund Network keeps up-to-date lists of funds to support in each state. Be sure to confirm with the fund whether donations are still needed before you give.
Volunteer Your Time
Even if you only have a few hours, volunteering for a local grassroots organization can create bandwidth for those on the ground. Volunteering could be anything from writing social media posts, designing posters, providing medical care, organizing or delivering goods, or even legal counsel depending on your expertise. There are so many ways to contribute, even from home.
Do a Social Distancing Caravan
If marching or standing with a crowd isn’t an option, consider joining a car or bicycle caravan. You can tape signs, play music, honk horns, and make your presence felt while staying physically distant.
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Over 157,000 Consumers Call on Home Depot and Lowe’s to End Sales of Cancer-Linked Roundup |
WASHINGTON – Ten environmental, consumer, and pollinator protection organizations delivered signatures from 157,196 consumers to Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) today urging them to remove Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides from store shelves and online sales and to expand sales of organic and other safer alternatives. This follows a letter to the companies signed by 66 organizations with the same requests. Competitors Costco (NASDAQ: COST) and B&Q have already announced commitments to phase out glyphosate-based products.
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is the most widely used weedkiller in the world. Glyphosate is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization and has been linked to high rates of kidney disease in farming communities and to shortened pregnancy in a cohort of women in the Midwest. Animal studies and bioassays link glyphosate and its formulations to Parkinson’s, endocrine disruption, DNA damage, decreased sperm function, disruption of the gut microbiome, and fatty liver disease.
In the environment, glyphosate is a primary driver of Monarch butterfly declines and has been associated with harm to honeybees including negative impacts on larval development, cognitive abilities, colony parasite load, and gut microbiota.
After a spate of high profile lawsuits linking plaintiffs’ cancer to glyphosate exposure, manufacturer Bayer agreed to pay $10 billion to settle an additional 95,000 cases out of court. However, Roundup will continue to be sold for use on yards, school grounds, public parks, and farms without any safety warning.
The following organizations collaborated to collect petition signatures: Friends of the Earth, SumOfUs, Sierra Club, Center for Food Safety, Beyond Pesticides, Green America, Herbicide-Free Campus, Toxic Free North Carolina, People and Pollinators Protection Network, and the Ecology Center.
“Home and garden stores can make a significant difference in reducing the use of this toxic product,” said Kendra Klein, senior staff scientist at Friends of the Earth. “Research shows that homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops. It’s reckless to sell consumers products linked to cancer when safer organic alternatives exist. Home Depot and Lowe’s should build on their earlier commitments to phase out harmful neonicotinoid pesticides by taking decisive action on glyphosate.”
“In the absence of adequate government protections, retailers should step up and act responsibly by ending the sale of products containing glyphosate that are known to have negative impacts on human health and the environment, including pollinators such as Monarch butterflies,” said Rebecca Spector, West Coast director at Center for Food Safety.
“Regulatory agencies have failed to protect us. Young people are taking their health into their own hands and demanding that Home Depot and Lowe’s remove glyphosate-based herbicides from the shelves. We have sufficient scientific evidence to know the adverse effects these products have on our own bodies, as well as on the environment. It is Home Depot and Lowe’s responsibility to protect the many people who still use these products and are unaware of the risks,” said Mackenzie Feldman, Executive Director at Herbicide-Free Campus.
“The research is clear — glyphosate is harmful to people and the planet. Especially during a year when so many Americans turned to gardening during the pandemic, Home Depot and Lowe’s have a very real responsibility to keep this chemical out of our homes and communities,” said Jes Walton, Food Campaigns Director at Green America.
“Most home gardeners don’t fully understand the potential dangers of spraying these chemicals on their lawns and in their gardens. And who knows when U.S. government officials will pass legislation banning products containing glyphosate,” said Lacey Kohlmoos, U.S. Campaign Manager at SumOfUs. “It is up to Home Depot and Lowe’s to do the right thing and take this cancer-linked poison off their shelves.”
“As leading retailers of garden pesticides, supplies, and equipment, Lowe’s and Home Depot can continue to contribute to the poisoning of people and environment, or they can help their customers take on the existential crises of pesticide-induced diseases, like cancer, climate change, and biodiversity decline through the sale of products compatible with organic land management,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides.
Expert contact: Kendra Klein, 415-350-5957, Kklein@foe.org
Communications contact:
Erin Jensen, Friends of the Earth (202) 222-0722, ejensen@foe.org
Shireen Karimi, Green America (202) 872-5337, skarimi@greenamerica.org
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Celebrating Latinx Green Businesses |
Latinx Heritage Month is a month-long celebration to honor the cultures and heritages of peoples of Latin American origin and descent.
Historically, the celebration only included Hispanic origin and descent, but has since adopted language inclusive to non-Spanish peoples of Latin America. Mid-September marks the beginning of Latinx Heritage Month because it is the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries; several more independence days occur through mid-October.
The Latinx demographic is the largest minority in the US and continues to grow.The peoples’ food, music, beliefs, language, and culture have shaped our country over the decades. Latinx-owned businesses contribute $700 billion to the economy each year, according the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and have grown at double the rate of all businesses across America.
The Green Business Network at Green America is proud to highlight Latinx-owned green businesses this month. We support businesses that adopt practices to protect people and the planet through goals of social and environmental justice, sustainability, and community health and development.
Here are some Green Business Network members that support Latinx Indigenous peoples or are Latinx-owned:
Minga Fair Trade Imports
Minga Fair Trade Imports is a small business out to help small businesses by promoting fair trade and intercultural communication. Minga sells all sorts of goods from artisans in Latin America.
INDIGENOUS
INDIGENOUS offers luxury apparel inspired by the ancient traditions of Peruvian textile design. The eco-fashion company makes organic and fair trade clothing, and pays workers a fair, living wage in safe working conditions. INDIGENOUS also reinvests in community with microloans and grants.
Mayan Hands
Mayan Hands is a fair trade organization that provides economic and educational opportunities to Mayan women, supporting them in their quest to lift their families out of extreme poverty and live within the culture they cherish.
Shamans Market
Shamans Market offers fair trade products that support Indigenous peoples. Their Latin American product offerings come from Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Central America. Shamans Market also supports Amazon rainforest preservation, medical support to Indigenous peoples and preserving Indigenous wisdom by supporting Camino Verde and Amazon Promise.
Verbio
Verbio is a multilingual communications and cross-cultural marketing company. Since 1996, Verbio has developed a full spectrum of services such as: translating written documents and technical training materials, interpreting on-site and remote conversations, plus customizing marketing campaigns, videos, and websites to target global markets in 200 languages.
Browse more certified green businesses that are Latinx-owned or support Hispanic and Latinx peoples by searching with the minority-owned filter on the National Green Pages.
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A Toolkit for the Beginner Gardener |
Everyone can take meaningful action on the climate by growing a Climate Victory Garden. This toolkit for beginner gardeners is a jumping off point for learning the basics and starting on a path towards gardening for the planet.
(Too busy for a long article? This short video covers the same information in under 2 minutes!)
To be part of the climate solution, ask yourself these two questions anytime you’re making decisions in your garden.
Am I protecting my soils?
Maximizing soil protection is important because this is where we’re capturing carbon—pulling the powerful greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the air and storing it underground where it feeds our plants and soil microbes.
Avoiding tilling and keeping soils covered are examples of protecting the soil.
Am I choosing climate-conscious products?
This is all about minimizing our climate impacts beyond the boundaries of our gardens and making decisions that help reduce emissions. When possible, opt for natural and organic alternatives to store-bought and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Using sustainably harvested or repurposed materials also puts the planet first.
For example, instead if using synthetic chemical fertilizers—and their associated pollution and emissions from production and transportation—fertilize your garden with compost that supports soil life and keeps food and other organic waste out of the landfill where they produce the potent greenhouse gas, methane.
Five easy steps for beginner gardeners - Start a Climate Victory Garden today!
1. Set goals
Think about your dream garden. What do you see? What do you hear? Consider drawing or writing about it. Think about how much time you have to commit to your garden—be realistic and start small. If you have just a few minutes a day, consider a container. If it’s your first time ever gardening, consider a plot ten square feet or less, which requires around two to three hours per week.
While it will take some time to achieve this dream garden, your vision and goals will guide you through the process. What does success mean to you? Maybe your top priority is growing delicious tomatoes to save money on groceries, getting your kids outside, or creating a habitat for pollinators.
No matter what your goal, garden planning is essential for success and ensures you're making the right decisions for your Climate Victory Garden to have the greatest impact on the climate, local ecosystems, and the quality of food you grow.
2. Choose what you want to grow
First things first—grow what you love!
Here are some additional considerations for deciding what to grow:
- Look at your favorite recipes and grow the ingredients.
- Plant veggies and herbs that are expensive and hard to find at your grocery store.
- Consider how much space you have and grow accordingly—herbs are great for small spaces, while squash need several square feet for each plant.
- Be sure you’re growing plants that are suited to your climate—find your hardiness zone and match that to the zone to information on the back of your seed packet.
- Consider perennial plants—like berry bushes—that don’t have to be replanted each season because they’re great for supporting soil heath and are less work for you.
Choosing between seeds and transplants
Beginner gardeners will have the best luck with transplants, because they’ve been nurtured past their most vulnerable seedling stage. Transplants are also quicker to mature because they’re several weeks old by the time you get them. However, because of this, they’re also more expensive than starting from seed. When buying transplants from your local nursery or neighborhood farm, choose vibrant, pest-free plants that were grown without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
If you’d like to try to start some plants from seed, opt for the easy-to-grow plants like peas, beans, radishes, leafy greens, and sunflowers. This resource will guide you through the steps..
3. Decide where to put your garden
Before you get too excited, be sure to check your zoning laws, any HOA requirements, and—if you’re a renter—talk to your landlord about starting a garden. If you don’t know the entire history of your property, consider getting your soil tested for toxins like lead paint. If your soil is permanently damaged, you can still grow food in raised beds and/or containers.
The easier it is to see and access your garden, the more you’ll be reminded to care for it.
Try to choose a site that’s visible from your kitchen or other room you spend a lot of time in. It’s also helpful to have a nearby water source, like a hose or spigot to fill your watering can—or if you have an automated sprinkler system you might be able to take advantage of that (be sure the water pressure isn’t so strong that it could damage your seedlings).
If you have strict landscaping rules where you live, experiment with including beautiful edible plants in with your ornamentals.
Think you’ve found the ideal spot?
Take some time to observe the area to make sure it gets enough sun—most crops prefer 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day. Look for other environmental factors like wind and drainage as well.
The more ideal location you choose, the happier your plants will be and the less likely you’ll have to revert to chemicals that are bad for your local ecosystems and the climate.
No yard? No worries!
If you don’t have a lot (or any) outdoor growing space, it’s time to get creative. Maybe you can grow along fence lines; in the parkways between sidewalks and curbs; at family’s, friend’s, or neighbor’s house; or other open areas in your neighborhood. Or, you might be able to get a plot at a local farm or community garden.
Have a balcony, sunny windowsill, or even just a little extra space on your countertop? You can grow a Climate Victory Garden in containers indoors or outdoors.
- Find a big container—the bigger the better, and just about anything can be repurposed so long as you’re able to add drainage holes.
- Choose your plants wisely—many veggies have varieties that are better suited for containers, look for those with dwarf and bush growing habits. Leafy greens and herbs are good for indoors.
- Supplement with light if needed—if your location doesn’t get enough sunlight, look for a small, affordable, and efficient LED indoor growing light.
4. Know when and how to plant
If you’ve purchased transplants, keep them indoors until the risk of frost has passed. When you’re ready to plant outside, help your seedlings adjust to their new home by hardening off—that is, placing them near their future planting site for a few hours each day and increasing the time gradually until they’ve spent a night outdoors in their pot.
When planting, first water the ground thoroughly. Dig a hole twice as large as the pot, take the plant out of the pot and place in the ground, and lightly pack the soil around the roots. Water thoroughly again and maintain a consistent watering schedule to avoid shocking the plant.
Planting from seed is more difficult, as they need regular watering and close attention. Look for seeds that can be direct seeded right in the dirt of your garden bed or container. This information is on the back of the seed packet, along with seed depth, row spacing, and dates to plant.
No matter what you plant, make sure you incorporate pathways into your layout and beds that you can reach the middle of for weeding and harvesting.
5. Protect soils
Soils are rich with life that supports nutritious crops and carbon capture. There are many ways to protect and build soil health, and these are a lifelong part of the gardening process.
- Avoid chemicals that reduce biodiversity
- Add compost to support soil life
- Mulch to protect soils from the elements
- Allow weeds to cover uncultivated soils
- Minimize digging to reduce disturbance of fungi and earthworms
- Keep old plants in the ground over the winter for pollinator habitat and to anchor soils
- When removing old plants to plant more, cut at the soil level, leaving the root underground
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned gardener, it’s all one big experiment. There will be ups and downs.
Looking for more information about how to do any of the above steps? Check out these resources.
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Gardening: Creative Curriculum During the Pandemic |
This year has been a tough one for teachers and the many students and parents navigating the education system during the pandemic. Josh Mcguire, a program manager at the school gardening nonprofit Big Green, is familiar with this on both a personal and professional level—starting this fall semester with two young children at home and supporting the many schools he works with at varying levels of virtual and in-person learning.
“This is a time to let our creative streak really shine and innovate right now,” he says.
No matter whether you’re a teacher or parent or where you’re working with your students this semester—consider bringing a little creativity to your curriculum with gardening. It’s shown to stimulate hands-on learning, tune motor skills, and support stress release. It increases preference and knowledge of healthy foods and ultimately creates connections between kids and the natural world.
Josh sees a lot of anecdotal proof of this in the communities he works with, “When the student takes a tomato off the vine or eats lettuce right out of the garden for the first time—this creates brand new neural connections, from nature to mouth to stomach, and that’s magic.”
And, Big Green has the data to back it up, with 91 percent of teachers and principals reporting that students who participate in Big Green Learning Gardens are more likely to eat their veggies.
But gardening can go so much farther than food literacy. You can use the garden to teach science, language arts, and even math and sciences. Climate Victory Gardening digs into topics like photosynthesis, ecology, and atmospheric sciences. (Fun fact: Big Green has over 550 Climate Victory Gardens across the country, capturing 53 tons of carbon over the next 10 years).
“What’s really nice about gardening is that you can do it anywhere and just about any time—if you have a window, you can garden, and it’s so accessible for kids,” Josh reminds us. “Caring for a plant is a great introduction to your student’s first responsibility and taking care of something. Give them a little windowsill plant or have them grow a seed from scratch.”
Activities to get Your Kids Excited about Gardening
Looking for safe outdoor activities for students? Homeschooling or attending classes virtually this semester? Or just looking for activities to get your kids off their screens? As a garden educator, Josh has some tips for parents and teachers.
Experiment with Root Viewing Cups
Fill a clear cup with soil and plant a seed right along its side. Place the cup in a sunny window, water every day, and watch the root develop and grow into something you can eat. Peas are great for this activity because they’re fast growing, with large seeds and roots. You can eat pea shoots when they’re just a few inches tall. This is a great activity for all ages—Josh does this with his four-year-old.
Grow Easter Egg Radishes
When gardening with kids, choose plants that are quick and easy to grow. Think there’s no way your child will eat a radish? Josh says the magic of gardening is that kids will almost always try what they grew. He loves watching parents’ and teachers’ surprise at their child enjoying fresh produce straight from the garden. You can grow radishes indoors or outdoors in many places right now because they’re cold tolerant. Easter egg radishes are different colors, which adds an element of fun when picking them. Have your child pick, wash, and do a taste test.
Josh Mcguire with students eating radishes (taken before the pandemic).
Plant the Pantry … or a Salad
Look for seeds on your spice rack. Poppy seeds, flax seeds, and coriander seeds might germinate, depending on how old they are—over plant to ensure success. Interested in planting a salad instead? Depending on where you live, it might not be too late to plant spinach, kale, and lettuces, all of which are easy to grow; it’s as simple as sprinkling the seeds on the soil, scratching them in, and watering.
No matter what you choose to plant, Josh says: start small and choose quick growers and hardy varietals—which just means plants that are tougher in the face of temperature fluctuations. And, be sure to create a schedule around watering. “Water is the make or break,” he says. “Be consistent and don’t over water. Moderation is everything. Watering is an opportunity for students to check in on their garden.”
Looking for more tips for kids? Check out Big Green At Home’s newsletter and online open-source curriculum for more great gardening content for students K through 12.
Gardening with students? Add your garden to the Climate Victory Gardens map and learn more about gardening as a climate solution.
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Brush with Bamboo |
Manufacturer of plant-based bamboo toothbrushes. USDA Certified 100% Biobased bristles. FSC® certified bamboo.
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Thank you for donating! |
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5 Actions to Take to Ensure Our Votes are Counted |
The presidential election is just around the corner. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans may opt to vote by mail. In a move to undercut our democracy, President Trump announced that his administration is deliberately withholding funding from the US Postal Service and is removing mailboxes and vital mail processing equipment to make it harder to vote by mail.
And, Senate Republicans are failing to act on legislation passed in the House of Representatives to provide $25 million for the USPS, while continuing to block the HEROES act, which would also provide $3.6 billion to states to implement mail-in voting and expanded early voting.
At the same time, voter suppression tactics, which impact Black, brown, and young voters the most, are surging across the country.
We all have an enormous stake in a full and fair vote in November.
Here are 5 actions to take to ensure your vote is counted:
1. Vote early and encourage everyone you know to do so as well.
Make sure you are registered to vote and your registration information is up to date.
If you want to vote by mail, Vote.org will help you determine the rules in your state. If you are voting by mail, make sure to carefully follow the rules on the ballot and envelope; otherwise your vote may not be counted. Some envelopes may say extra postage is necessary. In that case, add your own stamps.
With slowdowns at the post office, and depending on your state, it might be best to drop off your ballot at a ballot drop box in advance of election day.
Many states will have extended early in-person voting as well, where you vote while avoiding crowds.
Check your state’s voting rules now. They may have changed since the primary, and make sure to follow them. Voting early can ensure that your vote is counted!
2. Ensure states and the Postal Service are funded to ensure voting by mail is possible.
Call your US Senators (you can reach them through the US Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121) and tell them to pass the Delivering for Democracy Act to provide $25 billion to the Post Office and restore service to where it was on January 1, 2020. This bill was passed in the House with bipartisan support.
And, you can tell your senators to also pass the HEROES act with funding for states and the US Postal Service. The HEROES Act, which passed in the House in May, includes $3.6 billion in funds to state and local governments to ensure their election systems are safe during the pandemic. These funds are essential to ensure a fair election, the cornerstone of our democracy.
Tell your senators that there is no excuse to withhold these funds and that you will be watching how they vote on these issues when you cast your vote in November.
Phone calls to Congress are working, and they are the reason that hearings regarding the USPS were held in both chambers. So, make your calls today!
3. Urge the Board of Governors of the USPS to remove Louis DeJoy as postmaster general.
Dejoy is undercutting the postal services’ ability to deliver ballots on time, which jeopardizes the integrity of the election. You can take action with Green America and our allies through this Daily Kos petition.
4. Fight voter suppression.
The US cannot call itself a democracy when there are widespread practices designed to stop people of color from voting across the US. That’s why it is so important to take action with and financially support the work of The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Fair Fight, Respect My Vote, Black Voters Matter, Common Cause, and the ACLU – all organizations at the forefront of securing voting rights for all.
5. Volunteer -- Younger election volunteers are needed.
In most elections, poll workers are often older persons, who may be retired. Since the elderly are particularly susceptible to COVID-19, and many volunteers may choose not to work the polls this year, younger poll workers are needed. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer, go to Power the Polls to sign up. If you need some convincing, the Daily Show’s Trevor Noah makes a powerful case for young people volunteering.
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Fair Tribe |
Fair Tribe is your online destination for artisan made home decor, jewelry and gifts designed to create cherished memories and special moments between friends and family.
My shop offers curated home decor that adds that special touch to the important moments in your life. Shop and discover perfect home accessories and gifts that add extra meaning to those celebratory moments in your life.
I believe in conscious consumerism and believe you should feel good about what you buy. Everything you find in our shop is artisan produced and sourced from Fair Trade certified members guaranteeing fair wages, safe working conditions and sustainable materials. Know that you can trust we are fairly supporting artisans and the putting environment sustainability first with everything I sell.
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Senior Director, Special Climate and Agriculture Programs |
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Green America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination regarding: actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health disorders), age (18 years of age or older), marital status (including domestic partnership and parenthood), personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, citizenship status, credit information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic is included as a form of discrimination and is strictly prohibited.
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Labor Justice Campaigns Director |
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Green America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination regarding: actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health disorders), age (18 years of age or older), marital status (including domestic partnership and parenthood), personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, citizenship status, credit information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic is included as a form of discrimination and is strictly prohibited.
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Sarah Wood |
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Senior Fellow, Center for Sustainability Solutions |
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Green America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination regarding: actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health disorders), age (18 years of age or older), marital status (including domestic partnership and parenthood), personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, citizenship status, credit information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic is included as a form of discrimination and is strictly prohibited.
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Digital Product Manager and Web Developer |
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Green America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination regarding: actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health disorders), age (18 years of age or older), marital status (including domestic partnership and parenthood), personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, citizenship status, credit information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic is included as a form of discrimination and is strictly prohibited.
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How HFCs Are Contributing To Global Warming + What You Can Do |
by Emma Loewe, mindybodygreen, August 19, 2020
Most of us are up to speed on the dangers of carbon dioxide, but we may not be as well-versed on another greenhouse gas that has the potential to trap hundreds of times more heat in the environment: hydrofluorocarbons. Hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, often fuel cooling systems like refrigerators and air conditioners and are powerful agents of global warming when they leak out into the atmosphere.
According to a new report by the U.N., replacing HFCs with more climate-friendly cooling alternatives could save the world up to 460 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (the equivalent of eight years of global emissions at 2018 levels) and reduce global warming by as much as 0.4°C by 2100.
If HFCs are such an important piece of the climate puzzle, why don't we hear more about them?
Beth Porter, the climate campaign's director for environmental nonprofit Green America, suspects it has to do with the fact that HFC leakage is largely an invisible problem: "It's happening in supermarkets and in our home refrigerators, but it's kind of hidden from us," Porter tells mbg. To increase visibility for the issue, Green America just released the first public-facing campaign on how the average person can "cool it for the climate" and advocate for HFC reform. Here's what to know about phasing out this super pollutant in your own home and beyond.
How to manage HFCs at home:
1. Check your fridge and AC units for a refrigerant code.
Finding out if your home fridge runs on HFCs is as simple as opening it up and looking for a sticker on the inside of the door. Once you spot it, look at the code in the "refrigerant" section.
If it reads R600 or R290, your fridge is HFC-free; go ahead and close the door, do a happy dance, and skip ahead to point 3. If you see any other codes, your fridge more than likely contains HFCs. The same labeling applies to air conditioner units, so look out for stickers on those too.
2. If your fridge and/or AC contains HFCs, monitor them for leaks.
If you have HFC systems in your home, getting rid of them right away and buying new is not the move. Porter says that the more environmentally friendly choice would be to keep them until the end of their life span but monitor them closely for leaks in the meantime.
Your fridge might be leaking if it consistently makes a hissing sound or has a sudden temperature increase. If your AC is dishing out warm air, it might have a leak too. If you suspect a leak, call a technician to patch up the problem but do a little research first to make sure they are section 608 certified.
"It's a specific section from the Clean Air Act that focuses on reducing emissions from refrigerants," Porter explains, meaning that these folks will know how to fix the problem without inadvertently sending more HFCs into the environment.
3. If your fridge and/or AC is a goner, get rid of it responsibly.
When it does come time to dispose of your HFC system, you'll want to be careful who call to help out with that too, since 90% of refrigerant emissions happen at the end of a system's life. If you live in the U.S., you can look up a certified Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) option in your area using this EPA database.
If you're buying a new model to replace the old one, here's a list of HFC-free options to look into. Bonus: They also tend to be more energy-efficient and could save you money in the long run.
How to push for broader HFC reform:
1. Ask your local supermarkets and gas stations to eliminate HFCs.
Supermarkets lose an average of 25% of their HFCs to leaks every year—a pretty staggering amount when you consider the number of cooling units they tend to have. If the world is going to make a meaningful dent in HFC emissions, these stores need to lead the way. A few large chains like Aldi, Whole Foods Market, and Target have committed to phasing out their HFCs or making new stores completely HFC-free moving forward. It's a good start, but more public dialogue on the issue can continue to inspire change.
2. Advocate for policy reform.
Sixty countries have now signed the Kigali Amendment—a global treaty to phase out HFCs. The U.S. is not one of them. In absence of federal regulation on the issue, some states are taking matters into their own hands: California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Vermont, and Washington will prohibit HFCs beginning in 2023. Advocate for more progress if you live in the U.S. by letting your representatives know that you support the phasing out of HFCs.
While HFC regulation won't single-handedly solve the climate crisis, nixing the cooling compounds could cut a significant amount of warming.
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Two Bettys Cleaning Service |
Coming soon.
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5 ways to shop for sustainable clothes online |
The fashion industry is the second largest polluter of water globally, produces more carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, and harms worker health with toxic chemicals. Green America works to reduce that impact by pushing companies to clean up their act through the voices of consumers like you.
Remember, before you do any shopping, look through your closet as maybe you forgot about something you already have that meets your needs! Or ask a friend or family member to borrow something if it's for a single occasion.
1. Shop second hand
The most sustainable clothing option is to NOT buy new and opt for secondhand whenever possible. Every year, Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste, equaling just over six percent of total municipal waste.
While already popular but exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, shopping online is a main avenue. The great news is that there are more and more options to buy 2nd hand clothing online.
- Thredup: women’s and children’s clothing.
- Swap.com: men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing.
- ShopGoodWill: men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, along with a whole host of other products.
- Poshmark: men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing.
- More and more name brand stores, like REI and Patagonia, are offering 2nd hand clothing.
Many of these companies will also buy your used clothing!
2. When ordering from a major retailer, double check any third-party vendor’s green cred
Big corporations, like Walmart, Target, and Amazon, have online marketplaces, which means other businesses can sell on their site. These other businesses are not held to the same standards that the big retailer holds their own products to – this can be a good and a bad thing, depending on the vendor.
Some vendors may have much higher standards than the retailer, but conversely, vendors may be doing less to protect people and the planet. So, be sure to do your research on the vendor before clicking buy! If the vendor has no information about sustainability on their website, that’s a really bad sign. If they are certified by Green America’s Green Business Network, B-Corp, or are a member of the Fair Trade Federation, that’s a positive sign.
Often times, you can order directly from the vendors listed in online marketplaces, cutting out the big retailer and making sure more money goes into the vendor’s pocket.
3. Buying new? Look for clothing made with organic cotton
We get it – sometimes buying new seems like the best option. Traditional cotton is doused in pesticides and uses more water than organic cotton.
Bluesign, Oeko-tex 100, and GOTS are all good certifications to look for on clothing to ensure that harmful chemicals aren’t present.
Our magazine article unpacks the impact that harmful chemicals in textile manufacturing have on people and the planet. It also features our Toxic Textile Scorecard, which looks at the chemical management policies of leading US apparel brands and can be a useful tool when decided where to buy new clothes from.
4. Watch out for these bad actors
Unfortunately, apparel brands such as Walmart, Kohl's, The Children's Place, Ross, Sears, JC Penney, TJ Maxx, and Urban Outfitters used the pandemic as an excuse to cheat garment workers.
Recent research estimates garment workers have lost up to $5.8 billion in wages during the pandemic; our recent guest blog explains how COVID-19 has impacted garment workers. The Worker Rights Consortium is tracking which brands have and have not paid for cancelled orders.
5. Shop sustainable clothes from green, small businesses
Small businesses are an essential part of our economy and often lead the way in green, innovative business practices. Using your dollars to support green businesses sending signals to big corporations that consumer demand for ethical products and ethical business operations is growing.
In order to transform the clothing industry, we need brands integrating environmentally and socially responsible practices across their entire business model.
Businesses in our Green Business Network are doing just that, and Maven Women, for example, is showing how it's possible.
Our Certified Green Businesses offer a wide range of products, including clothing, and they sell sustainable clothes online.
Shop small and green for people, planet, and communities.
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Cook & Company, A Professional Accountancy Corporation |
The biggest environmental area we are working on is the carbon footprint of our business air travel. We participate in Carbon Offsets to Alleviate Poverty (COTAP) and we make an annual contribution based on our carbon footprint. COTAP's calculator indicates that the vast majority of our impact is due to air travel. We have clients in various CA cities and until March, we would travel to our clients offices (almost weekly) to conduct site visits. The pandemic forced us to forego air travel and site visits and it has worked out surprisingly well. We anticipate some client visits when the pandemic is over, but we are going to think about them sparingly and strategically. In the meantime, we will continue to run our business entirely remotely.
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The Independent |
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U.S. News & World Report |
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Brush With Bamboo |
Coming soon.
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SMB Essentials |
Contact SMB Essentials: Website
Lotus Moon Skin Care: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Plain Jane Beauty: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
DetoxRx: Website | Facebook
SON For Men: Website | Instagram
Lake Louise is the proud founder of Skin, Mind, Body Essentials (SMB Essentials), a beauty wellness company that encompasses several brands.
Healthy living has been a long-time passion for Louise. She has been conscious about taking care of her body since high school. Between her interest in health and beauty and research skills, Louise began the process of launching a start-up in skin care.
“It wasn’t enough for me to just use essential oils,” says Louise. “I wanted … vitamin C, amino acids, peptides, and other natural and safe ingredients that would keep the skin looking vibrant and healthy for years to come.”
In 2002, she launched SMB Essentials with the brand Lotus Moon Skin Care. The line is plant-based and uses therapeutic essential oils and active ingredients to achieve long-term skin health. Since then, she has started DetoxRx in 2006 and Plain Jane Beauty in 2011. Her most recent start-up is a men’s brand of eco-friendly grooming, called SON.
“If there is such a thing as an entrepreneurial gene, then I was born with it!” says Louise. “It has been that continued yearning to want to do things my way that has motivated me to never give up on becoming a successful business owner.”
Louise has continued to put the health of the planet and its people first in her business. While profit is important, what matters more to her is how she gets there.
“The fact that my businesses has continued to grow despite a rough economy at times is enough proof for me that I’m on the right track,” she says.
It is also evident in her recurring customers. She has customers that have continued to purchase from SMB Essential brands for over 10 years.
“That makes my heart full,” she says. “And shows me that I created something that works and that people believe in.”
Louise tells aspiring entrepreneurs that perfection isn’t the end goal. There are no shortcuts when starting, owning, and operating a business—but mistakes are only lessons.
“You have to believe in yourself,” says Louise. “Even if it seems impossible and you can’t see the end, you still need to believe.”
SMB Essentials is a certified Green Business Network member at Green America. Find more certified green businesses like SMB Essentials on GreenPages.org.
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GreenPrint |
GreenPrint, a global environmental technology company, offers sustainability as a service with patent-protected programs that deliver environmental impact and bottom-line results. An Inc. 5000 company and a member of 1% Percent for the Planet, GreenPrint’s turnkey offerings help companies meet sustainability goals while increasing brand value and customer loyalty – making it easy for businesses to do well by doing good. GreenPrint, A Public Benefit Corporation, is on pace to offset over 30 million metric tons of carbon by 2025.
Our enterprise programs provide white-labeled and custom branded solutions for customers like Circle K and FLEETCOR. For CPG companies we manage the IMPACT COLLECTIVE® where member brands like Bitsys and Holistik are reducing their carbon, plastic, water, and energy footprints. We are making Fleets carbon neutral through our GreenerMiles™ program.
We are proud to be a certified business member of the GreenAmerica.org and look forward to working with you. To receive a free custom 4-page environmental assessment on your product's impact - Click here -https://greenprint.eco/impact-collective-assessment?utm_source=greename…
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Fair Tribe |
I use the app Give and Grow to donate 1% of every sale to a non-profit of the customer's choice. During the holidays instead of a Black Friday promotion I increased the giving % to 10%.
Here is the copy on my website explaining the program. You can also see the chosen non-profits at checkout. I try and vary them throughout the year.
A SEASON FOR GIVING!
Instead of the Black Friday standard sales madness, today I am very excited officially launching the Fair Tribe GIVING Initiative!
All year round when you make a purchase from our store you can choose from 6 preselected, vetted non-profits to donate 1% of your order.
During Black Friday weekend giving will be increased to a donation amount of 10% on every order!
Each non-profit has been carefully chosen to represent the things that I believe are important issues to us as consumers and to the artisans. Choose from charities that provide micro-loans, medical care, food security, environmental and wildlife protections.
When you make a purchase from our store this weekend you will not only be supporting artisans around the globe by creating demand for their goods providing fair, living wages and social improvements, you can also choose the charity of your choice from 6 pre-selected, carefully vetted non-profits to donate 10% of the purchase price. As a thank you to you, I am also offering 10% off your entire order.
Thank you for your support and happy holidays!
Tina, Founder at Fair Tribe
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Wicked Wood Works Inc. |
I make sure that I do use environmentally friendly products and follow up to date practices.
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Climate Victory Gardens Map |
Find and connect with other Climate Victory Gardeners in your area. Grow the movement and support one another to be part of the climate solution. |
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Guest Q&A: The Impacts of COVID-19 on The Garment Industry |
with Liana Foxvog, Crisis Response Coordinator, Worker Rights Consortium
What has happened in the garment industry during COVID-19?
Store closings amidst the lockdowns caused a sharp decline in spending on apparel. In the span of a month, consumer purchases of clothes plunged 89%. Brands and retailers rushed to cancel their orders – on product that suppliers had already produced or were in the process of completing – leaving the suppliers high and dry. All told, these retroactive order cancellations amounted to an estimated $40 billion in refused payments owed to factories.
Corporate purchasers make factories front the cost of cloth, labor, and all operating expenses, and only pay the factories weeks or months after the goods have shipped. During COVID-19, many brands with shorter payment schedules pushed those back to what they are calling “the new industry norm” of waiting until 90 days after their clothing leaves the port to pay the factories. This change has added to the massive financial crisis factory owners are facing, some hit with millions of dollars in order cancellations after buying fabric and incurring labor costs.
What is the situation like for garment workers at the factories with cancelled orders?
When brands refuse to pay for goods already made, this immediately places the typical factory in a state of insolvency. Factories respond by cutting wages or firing workers. The impact of order cancellations, combined with temporary factory shutdowns driven by the pandemic, has left millions of workers without jobs and wages – in countries with minimal social safety nets. Many workers are not even able to feed their families adequately.
How is it possible for brands to cancel these orders?
Order cancellations are a function of the grossly inequitable payment terms that brands have imposed on suppliers, where brands don’t pay for goods until well after the suppliers have produced them and the suppliers have to pay all of the upfront costs. This allowed brands and retailers to renege on their financial obligations to suppliers in order to shore up their own finances and minimize inventory. This was, in some cases, a violation of contractual terms, but few suppliers are going to enforce contracts against customers whose business they need to keep.
It’s like ordering a delivery pizza but then calling 15 minutes later, after the pizza has come out of the oven, and canceling the order. But, unlike cancelling on a single pizza, these cancellations of massive clothing orders have had very real consequences that make the difference between whether millions of workers have adequate food for their families – or not.
It has been several months since COVID-19 started impacting apparel supply chains. Are things getting better or worse for workers?
Some brands have reinstated their cancelled orders, as shown on our tracker, as a result of strong pressure from worker organizations in the exporting countries and advocacy groups in North America and Europe. This is important progress involving billions of dollars of payments. Where the restoration of orders has translated into garment workers finally receiving the wages they were owed, this means less of an economic struggle for them than three months ago. However, other brands have only partially reversed their cancellations, and some are refusing to budge at all.
Additionally, millions of workers did not receive a regular income during the temporary factory closures, incurring debt and having to significantly reduce their family’s food budget. With the decline in orders for the fall season, there has been a spike in layoffs across the industry and, due to discrimination, union members and pregnant women are disproportionately affected.
There are also cases of COVID-19 spread in garment factories and, in a number of cases, fears over whether workers were sent back to work too soon and whether new social distancing and sanitizing measures are being implemented properly.
Has the effort had any successes so far?
When the Center for Global Workers’ Rights at Penn State University first launched its findings on brands’ order cancellations in Bangladesh at the end of March, only six apparel companies had committed to pay in full for all orders in production or completed. Now, after widespread media attention and consumer engagement, 13 more have made the same commitment, recouping an estimated $22 billion in orders that had originally been cancelled.
Take Action with Green America
You can support garment workers by signing Green America’s petition to JC Penney, Kohl’s, Ross Stores, Sears, The Children’s Place, TJ Maxx, Urban Outfitters, and Walmart, and speaking out on social media to let the companies know this is an issue that you care about as a consumer.
Take Action |
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Labor Justice intern (remote) |
Hours: Approx. 15 hours/week (Monday-Thursday)
Dates: Fall: September to November/December (with option to extend)
Reports to: Labor Campaigns Manager
Compensation: $70/week stipend, course credit possible
Location: Remote
Deadline to apply: August-15
Green America is a nonprofit 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. Our workplace reflects our goal of creating a more socially just, environmentally sustainable economy and world.
This internship is within Green America’s Corporate Responsibility Division, which works to promote greater social and environmental responsibility with larger corporations. The Division works in four main issue areas, with ongoing campaigns focused on food, energy, finance, and labor.
The Labor Justice Intern will support Green America’s Labor Campaigns, which seek to educate the public about labor abuses in international and domestic supply chains, mobilize US consumer to take actions that advance workers’ rights, and provide fair labor alternatives that prioritize both the people and the planet.
The labor campaigns are centered at the intersection of social and environmental harms, working to advance holistic solutions. Intern will work closely with the Labor Campaigns Manager to promote our three active campaigns: ending child labor in cocoa; ending toxic chemical exposure in the apparel industry; and holding online retailers accountable for labor abuses domestically and abroad.
We are looking for an intern with exceptional writing skills, meticulous attention to detail and factual accuracy, and familiarity with Microsoft Office, social media platforms, and internet research.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis this internship is planned to be fully remote. Applicants must plan to work Eastern Time hours.
Responsibilities
- Conduct research and gather data on partners for outreach and promotion of the labor justice campaigns —with a focus on diversity—including social media partners, blogs, groups on social media, nonprofit organizations, alliances, and networks.
- Assist with the analysis and research of corporate policies and survey responses in regard to the cocoa and apparel industries.
- Write blogs on student’s topic of interest, to be discussed and agreed upon with the manager, at least one per semester, focused on either social or labor justice issues.
- Monitor news and current events to inform and share relevant information with the labor team and our audiences via social media.
- Collaborate with communications and editorial teams on writing labor content for publications and website as needed.
- Meet with manager weekly for check-ins to discuss progress, ensure needs are being met, etc.
- Other tasks as needed, with the potential for students to shape their experience based on their skills and areas of interest.
Qualifications:
- 1 year+ writing or editing experience
- Coursework or professional background in international labor and environmental issues
- Experience using a CMS (we use Drupal) is a plus
- Passion for a green economy and social justice
- Experience with corporate campaigns is a plus
To Apply:
Please e-mail a resume, cover letter, and 2-3 short writing samples (news-style articles or blog-style essays are particularly relevant—please avoid sending academic papers if possible) to: ctate@greenamerica.org. Please use the subject line “Fall labor justice intern application.” No phone calls, please.
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Green America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination regarding: actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health disorders), age (18 years of age or older), marital status (including domestic partnership and parenthood), personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, citizenship status, credit information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic is included as a form of discrimination and is strictly prohibited.
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New Video: Gases 9,000 Times Worse for Climate than Carbon are Leaking from Walmart Stores and other Supermarkets |
Green America Video Focuses on HFCs from Supermarket Refrigeration With Environmental Impact Equal to 9.5 Million Cars on the Road; Walmart, a Main Offender, Yet to Take Action.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 21, 2020 – There's a dirty secret at your local Walmart and other supermarkets – leaking hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used for refrigeration that are doing immense damage to the climate. Cool It For Climate, a new video from Green America, the nation’s leading green economy organization, raises new awareness to the HFC problem and highlights the alternative refrigerants that can be used now by supermarkets to cut their emissions.
Alternative refrigerants are among the top existing solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The most common gases used in refrigeration are HFCs that are up to 9,000 times more powerful at trapping heat than CO2. Green America is working to change the supermarket sector because U.S. supermarkets leak roughly 45 million metric tons of greenhouse gases from refrigerants every year – the equivalent of 9.5 million cars on the road.
The Cool It campaign has already mobilized thousands of consumers to call on Walmart, the largest supermarket chain in the U.S., to improve its record on the issue.
HFCs make up nearly half of Walmart’s direct emissions, and while the company has publicly noted the importance of refrigerant management, it has yet to install even one HFC-free system in its U.S. stores. Walmart was recently given a failing grade by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) on its recent Supermarket Scorecard for its poor refrigerant practices.
“The climate impacts of refrigerants are staggering, and companies need to be held accountable for their HFC emissions that are rapidly warming the planet,” said Beth Porter, Green America’s Climate Campaigns director. “We hope this new video will inspire even more people to push huge supermarket chains to eliminate these super pollutants from stores.”
There are existing solutions that several stores, like Aldi, Lidl, Whole Foods and Target, have put into place, showing that better refrigerant management is possible. Supermarkets can commit to not using HFCs in new stores and work to phase out HFCs from their existing stores and facilities by adopting sustainable refrigerants that have zero or near-zero warming potential. Stores can monitor and repair leaks as well as commit to responsible disposal practices to prevent emissions.
The release of the Cool It video comes in the wake of a new UN report finding that coordinated international action on climate-friendly air conditioning could save trillions of dollars worldwide and avoid as much as 460 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 40 years.
“The impacts of HFCs used in refrigeration and air conditioning aren’t usually included in corporate responsibility actions on climate – and we want that to change,” said Todd Larsen, Green America’s executive co-director. “Alternative refrigerants and better management practices are widely available that protect the climate and support energy efficiency in stores. We believe companies like Walmart should embrace these changes for the immense benefits that they provide.”
“Our assessment of the top-grossing U.S. supermarket chains last month revealed that by continuing to irresponsibly use and leak potent super pollutant HFCs, most supermarkets are failing to adequately address the climate crisis they are contributing to,” said Avipsa Mahapatra, Climate Campaign Lead, Environmental Investigation Agency. “It is a shame that they continue to make current and future generations pay the price for their complacency, when HFC-free technology is so widely available and used.”
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
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.
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Socially Responsible Investing Should be a Fiduciary Requirement |
Following is an excerpt from the letter that Fran Teplitz, Green America’s Executive Co-director and Director of the Green Business Network, submitted to the Department of Labor (DOL) on July 21, 2020 in response to the agency calling into question the ability of retirement plans to include socially responsible investing criteria. Investors have been integrating social, environmental, and corporate governance considerations into their investment decision-making for decades, to the benefit of investors. The DOL is accepting public comments through July 30:
Green America is a national membership organization dedicated to building a marketplace that fully takes into account the financial, social, environmental, and corporate governance factors that contribute to the well-being of our economy, workforce, communities, and the environment.
We represent 200,000 individual consumers and investors as well as 2,000 businesses and investment firms that operate on a triple bottom line, i.e., seeking positive financial returns while supporting social justice and environmental sustainability.
Green America believes that the Department of Labor’s proposed rulemaking released on June 23, 2020 to change the fiduciary standard for retirement plans governed by ERISA is fundamentally unsound and a danger to investors. The proposal represents a retreat from best practices and the fact that social, environmental, and corporate governance issues are financially material and need to be assessed for risk and opportunity.
Nationally and globally, investment professionals and their clients are increasingly integrating ESG criteria into their investment decision-making precisely to achieve the best financial outcomes over the long term. Financial planning for retirement is a long-term endeavor and with the fate of individuals, families, and communities at stake, it requires comprehensive consideration of all factors affecting risk and return. This is the basis for ESG investing, also known as socially responsible investing (SRI).
If the Department of Labor chooses to take action to update fiduciary requirements at this time, the preponderance of research points to the need for the Department of Labor to be requiring, not questioning, inclusion of ESG factors in ERISA-governed plans in order to promote the strongest returns.
As recently as April 3, 2020, a Morningstar article validated the positive returns of ESG funds in the current volatile market: “Sustainable Funds Weather the First Quarter Better Than Conventional Funds.” Looking over a broader time horizon, a new report issued last month (June 2020), “Sustainable Investment: Exploring the Linkage between Alpha, ESG, and SDGs,” also affirms that ESG-based investments can outperform their benchmarks. The Charles Schwab website also states: “SRI is a widely accepted investment approach that may allow investors to align their investments with their values without sacrificing performance” and Schwab research has found that over the long term, SRI approaches have tended to perform very similarly to non-SRI approaches, and with similar levels of volatility.”
These are just a few of the multitudes of studies over the decades that have demonstrated the ability of ESG funds to match or outperform their conventional peers.
Given the profound impacts of climate change, the loss of biodiversity, human rights impacts, and a myriad of supply chain issues and other concerns with market implications, it is imperative to continue to allow all financially material information to inform the investment process to ensure the appropriate due diligence.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
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Turn Your Lawn into a Meadow |
Since 1998, Owen Wormser has been designing and building landscapes with a focus on sustainability, regeneration, and beauty. His work is rooted in perspective and expertise drawn from landscape architecture, horticulture, permaculture, organic agriculture, and ecology. He is the author of Lawns into Meadows: Growing a regenerative landscape.
Case Study: A Meadow for the Museum
I first visited the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, with an assignment: to design a meadow right outside its doors. Author and illustrator Eric Carle was hoping to create an ecologically friendly, living memorial to Bobbie Carle, his wife and the museum’s cofounder, who had recently passed away. A landscape architect had designed the cement walkway that looped through the one-acre site, which was essentially a dry lawn dotted with aging apple trees. But aside from the path and the trees, the space looked empty. No children, and no insects, birds, or squirrels either.
As I stood in the shade of one of the more stately trees, I thought about how to turn this unappealing site into a draw for museum visitors, one that could live up to Eric Carle’s dream. I studied the one hundred-year-old orchard that already occupied that space. I observed the ground as I walked . An occasional grasshopper or cricket scrambled out of my away, but in general there was a notable lack of insect life—other than the ants. Thousands of them, their little finely grained homes rising out of the many bare spots surrounding me. If so many ants could dig into the soil, it probably wasn’t as dense as it appeared.
At The Carle, the tired, hard-packed soil was just one of the challenges I’d have to work through. Another was to preserve as many apple trees as possible, per the museum’s request. Turning the sod would very likely damage the shallow tree roots. This meant we had to figure out how to install a meadow into the existing lawn rather than clear the site, which is the preferred way to prepare a meadow. Removing existing grass and weeds eliminates any competition for sun and space, allowing meadow seeds to establish most effectively. But it’s also possible to seed or plant into existing grass, which is what we ended up doing to create The Carle meadow. I cut the grass close to the ground and spread the seed mix I’d blended for the site’s specific environmental conditions. It took a year to see the results, but the meadow that finally grew is beautiful, and very low-maintenance.
Meadows are Better than Lawns
Unlike a lawn, meadows require very little upkeep: no irrigation, fertilizers, regular mowing, or maintenance. They certainly don’t require herbicides and pesticides. Lawns on the other hand are a serious burden on the environment. The ‘perfect’ lawn requires significant energy and resources in the form of irrigation, mowing, pesticides, chemicals, and time.
Mowing, and fertilization in particular, leads to large-scale pollution in the form of fossil fuel use and chemical runoff into our local and national water systems. The excess use of pesticides and herbicides on farms is infamous for producing huge algae blooms that choke off life in oceans. But homeowners use ten times more chemicals per acre than farmers. Treated lawns also emit four times more greenhouse gases than they absorb, while meadows are a carbon sink.
As a regularly mowed monocrop, lawns also effectively become biological deserts that are mostly devoid of other life. Meadows, on the other hand, support diverse microbial and macro-invertebrate communities, ranging from pollinators like butterflies and bees to vibrant soil life and even birds and small mammals like mice.
While lawns can be useful in certain circumstances, most of the 63,000 square miles of lawn in the United States--an area about the size of Washington State, or the country’s largest irrigated “crop”--are barely, if ever, used.
Turn Your Yard into a Meadow
On any new meadow project, it’s tempting to jump ahead in the design process and start thinking about the flowers and grasses you want to plant. For me, the Carle meadow was no exception. Almost as soon as I arrived, I started picturing the colors, textures, and height of the perennial grasses and flowers I’d like to see in that field. But without first assessing and fully understanding the conditions of your site, you will, for sure, end up picking the wrong plants.
To turn a lawn into a meadow and cultivate a habitat for birds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, there are two important considerations: match your seeds to the existing conditions of the site, and make sure your meadow gets a half day of full sunlight.
Before choosing your seeds and designing your meadow, consider these conditions: soil quality and type, moisture levels, and hardiness zone, which tells you how cold it gets in the winter. Knowing your site’s environmental conditions allows you to select species that will thrive there. I highly recommend using native meadow seeds like purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) or butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) because they’re best adapted to local conditions and ecology. You can identify what’s native by researching online at sites like gobotany.com or you can buy seeds from companies that focus solely on native seeds like Prairie Moon Nursery.
If your site is large, go with seeds. If small, opt for seedlings and get a head start on the growing process. I always go for a randomized look, which is easy from seed. I also use 30-60% grasses as well as species that grow to a similar height.
Don’t worry about soil quality. Meadow plants grow just fine in poor soil and will actually improve the soil over time, which is a reason they’re regularly used to reclaim and restore ruined soil in abandoned mining zones.
If you’ve cleared your site and are planning to seed your meadow, include a nurse crop of fast-growing annuals, like rye grass, to keep the weeds at bay while your perennial meadow plants become established.
Spread your meadow seeds evenly onto your prepared site (a cleared one is preferable, but not mandatory like the Carle meadow demonstrates) at the same time as seed your nurse crop. There’s no need to rake them in or water them—though moistening them lightly can help keep them from flying away if you live in a windy area. From now on, your job is to mostly just wait for your meadow to emerge.
As your meadow establishes, it will naturally start to sequester carbon in your soil with its deep perennial roots. Studies have shown that even small meadows can be enormously effective at capturing carbon; most of the carbon dioxide drawn down by meadow plants ends up being stored in the soil.
It can take more than a year for a seeded meadow to fill in, and two to four years to mature and become well established. After that, it requires almost no maintenance, just one annual mowing that helps to keep woody plants down. The photo at the top of this blog shows The Carle Museum meadow in late spring, two years after planting.
Once your lawn is long gone and your meadow is swaying beautifully in the breeze, you will have successfully turned your yard from an ecological burden to a major asset. Meadows are one of nature’s ways to heal the earth.
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Nationwide mobilization to save rooftop solar succeeds |
Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dismissed a petition by the New England Ratepayers Association (NERA) to end state and local jurisdiction over net metering programs. Ending these programs would have made rooftop solar no longer viable since homeowners would receive far less money for solar power they sell to the grid. The petition received bipartisan criticism across the country.
More than 450 organizations - including Green America and 8,500 of our members, 57,000 individuals and 37 states -- submitted comments opposing the NERA petition that could have upended net metering programs nationwide that helped grow the residential solar industry to over 2 million homes.
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Federal Judge rules against rollback of regulations on oil and gas waste |
For years, Green America and our allies have been fighting for regulations on methane leaks and pollution from oil and gas. In 2016, under the Obama administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) created regulations against wasting methane gas from wells and to require upgraded equipment to prevent leaks from oil and gas operators.
Under the Trump Administration, BLM rolled back these regulations to appease the oil and gas industries.
On July 16, 2020, a federal judge ruled that BLM falsely rolled back the regulations, stating BLM's action was “wholly inadequate” and that “In its haste, BLM ignored its statutory mandate under the Mineral Leasing Act, repeatedly failed to justify numerous reversals in policy positions previously taken, and failed to consider scientific findings and institutions relied upon by both prior Republican and Democratic administrations.”
This is a big victory for communities, people's health, and the climate.
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Tell Starbucks to Come Clean on Chocolate |
Starbucks' chocolate isn't that sweet, failing to pay cocoa farmers a living income, address child labor, or protect forests.
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4Elements Bath |
Contact 4Elements Bath: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
Charise Cowan-Leroy started 4Elements Bath on a dare.
It originally started with Cowan-Leroy’s struggle to find skin products that were suitable for her and her son. She searched for years to find products that would not worsen their skin allergies, picking out ointments, balms, and lotions from around the world. The last straw was a box of products made in the Amazon with supposedly organic ingredients—two days later, she tossed the entire box in frustration. Her skin was worse than before.
Her husband reminded her of her years in a research lab and suggested she try and make skin products herself.
“He said, ‘I double dog dare you to make your own products and see what happens,’” retells Cowan-Leroy. “And I’m from Chicago. So, if someone lays a double dog dare on you—as long as it’s not dangerous—you totally have to do it.”
Cowan-Leroy borrowed every book from the library on soap, soap-making, and chemistry to learn how to make products that would nurture the skin. After some trial and error, she sent out an email to friends and family, and 25 signed up to try her new creations.
“Everybody hated the products,” she says, laughing. “Which was a good thing now because their input was amazing.”
She reformulated the products and sent out a second batch. This time, the feedback was incredible.
"I started getting envelopes from my family,” Cowan-Leroy says. “I had these envelopes with hundred dollar bills that say, ‘can I have two number fives and three number fours and let me know if I owe you more.’”
Excited by the response, she and her husband incorporated, created logos, and found packaging for their new personal care business. For Cowan-Leroy, it was a dream come true.
“I had always dreamed of doing something like this, but I didn’t think I’d ever have the time; I didn’t know if there was going to be a need because there’s a lot of stuff like this already out there,” she says. “I didn’t know how I could be different.”
Eight years later, 4Elements continues to stand out among the rest with their artisan-crafted and environmentally responsible luxury skin care products. They have expanded with a successful men’s line of beard oils, balms, and shaving soap, among others. Cowan-Leroy keeps a close relationship with her customers and listens to their input on all her products.
“It’s nice to be able to meet people and talk to them—they’ll tell you what they love,” she says. “At the end of the year, we look at all the suggestions that we’ve gotten from customers to see what we want to make or what changes we need to make to existing products.”
“It’s all about the customer, for sure,” she adds.
4Elements newest creation is their line of shampoo bars. For now, the shampoo bars are Cowan-Leroy’s favorite because they create satisfying suds without harsh chemicals and have no plastic packaging.
4Elements is a certified Green Business Network member at Green America, meaning they have met rigorous standards for social and environmental responsibility. Shop 4Elements Bath on the Green Pages Online and find more personal care products on their website. If you are in the Chicago area, you can meet the Cowan-Leroy team in-person at a farmer’s market or browse their displays in one of several stores—see their website for updated location information.
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Alley Cat |
As a rodent exclusion company we are focused on the non-toxic and non-chemical extermination of pests. We primarily focus on green methods of rodent proofing which includes UV Light sanitation and Fogger steam sanitation for residential homes.
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GreenPrint Holdings, Inc. |
Our company started with one product, the Reduced Emissions Program, targeting one industry, retail fuel/convenience stores with the goal of helping empower consumers to make a better choice by offering a ‘purpose drive fuel’ - where carbon emissions were offset through the retailer. The positive attribute created brand differentiation for the retailer and the concept grew into a new business category: sustainability as a service.
Together with our partners, our environmental impact is significant. Since 2015, our programs have offset more than 3 billion gallons of fuel by investing in more than 7.5 million of carbon credits. The equivalent of carbon sequestered by 10 million acres of U.S. forests in one year
As a B-corp we have a stated purpose of creating positive environmental impact through renewable energy and green offsets. In light of current events with the BLM movement, we realized we can do better in terms of creating a more positive social impact. Our Corporate Social Responsibility Committee has created three company-wide initiatives to foster relationships with minority communities and support environmental justice:
- A donation to Campaign Zero, which is an organization working to end police violence.
- Reaching out to Atlanta’s historically Black colleges & universities to build a pipeline of diverse candidates for positions.
- Supporting the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice team by offering pro-bono consultation to reduce the environmental footprint of inner cities.
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More Green Businesses Getting Creative During COVID-19 |
Stories of businesses getting creative during the pandemic haven brought us hope. Times are tough, but these resilient businesses have kept their stores open by doing what they do best—tailoring their product focus to meeting the needs of the community. We share these stories to bring you inspiration and hope that you support them and other small businesses if you are able.
Naturepedic
For nearly two decades, Naturepedic has changed the lives of their customers through a healthier night’s sleep. Naturepedic makes mattresses from certified organic materials, free from flame retardants and polyurethane foam. Lately, they have pivoted to making face masks from their organic cotton materials.
“The main driver for us was recognizing that most face masks are made from synthetic, and perhaps even toxic, materials and chemicals,” says Barry Cik, founder of Naturepedic. “There’s no positive value of having these chemicals directly on your face and mouth and nose. So, we just started making face masks from organic cotton fabric. Then we did some marketing, and it sold very well.”
Naturepedic has sold over 100,000 masks and has donated upwards of 5,000 masks to environmental organizations (including Green America) and hospitals.
Be Green Bath and Body
Be Green Bath and Body is an EWG certified skincare business that has seen success during the pandemic, too. The company is a family-owned and operated green business that makes safe, affordable personal care products using organic ingredients that cause no unnecessary harm to the environment.
“Our soap sales have been way up,” says Karen Roche, founder of Be Green Bath and Body. “A lot of customers have been ordering the foaming soaps and then coming back for the 64 oz refill size.”
Be Green Bath and Body caters to those who are sensitive to scents or have chemical sensitivities. People are washing their hands more often, which can cause skin irritation when using harsh soaps, so Roche finds that the most popular soaps among consumers are the unscented options.
Green Plate Catering
Green Plate Catering began as a vegetarian brown-bag service in 1982 and has since evolved into a farm-to-table menu catered throughout the DC metro region. Founder Kit Wood emphasizes the importance of sustainability in all aspects of the business—from the kitchen to the dishware. As in-person events were canceled throughout the country, Wood rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
“I have been in business for 36 years,” says Wood. “I have no intention of losing it to this pandemic.”
Green Plate Catering started a contract with the county to provide 133 boxed lunches for five days a week to senior citizen apartment complexes for the food insecure through the Montgomery County Food Hub. The company is also offering catering for micro backyard weddings and collaborating with the Friends Meeting House as well.
“GPC staff are practicing all COVID-19 precautions and working in shifts,” says Wood. “I was able to hire back all my workers with this contract opportunity. We are very grateful to the county.”
Do you have a story about businesses getting creative?
Green America is continuing to publicize the creative and crucial changes that green businesses are making, including advocacy for small green businesses. If you are a business owner, please sign the American Sustainable Business Council petition to Congress to provide meaningful support to small businesses with respect to healthcare, disaster relief, and expanded unemployment benefits at greenamerica.org/savesmallbusiness.
Previously:
3 Green Businesses Getting Creative During COVID-19
4 Green Businesses Getting Creative During COVID-19
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The Rise of the Hemp-CBD Industry |
One of the biggest trends of 2019 was green, but not in the circular economy sense—hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) experienced a meteoric rise in popularity, with industry growth surging at 706 percent throughout the year.
What is Hemp-CBD?
The Farm Bill of 2018 legalized hemp and CBD at the federal level for the first time in 80 years, making it easier for farmers to enter the market and for the crop to move across state lines. There are two kinds of CBD: CBD derived from hemp, and CBD derived from the federally illegal cannabis plant. To classify as hemp, the plant must contain less than 0.3 percent THC, a chemical that induces psychological effects. Unlike THC, CBD does not dampen mental acuity. In this blog, we will focus on hemp-CBD, which is legal on the federal level.
While the chemical is claimed to have a myriad of benefits, it is most widely known to relieve anxiety, depression, pain, inflammation, and epilepsy. The versatility of CBD has made it attractive to the food and beverage industry as well as health and beauty markets in the form of tinctures, balms, oils, and more.
A Popular Plant-Based Alternative
As a plant-based product, hemp-CBD aligns with many health and wellness brands that market vegan lifestyles. The budding industry hit the market at an opportune time since 2019 saw the plant-based alternatives hit the mainstream with Impossible Foods and Beyond Meats products sold in numerous fast-food chains. Between the growing interest in plant-based lifestyles and the consumer acceptance of hemp-CBD, the market is estimated to hit $22 billion by 2022 in the US alone, according to the Brightfold Group.
Additionally, hemp-CBD products have found a niche on social media. Over the last year, Google Trends shows that there has been a significant increase in searches for the word CBD. Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit have communities dedicated to sharing knowledge and views about CBD, where official media accounts and everyday people advertise the purported benefits of CBD products. Demographic studies also show that CBD appeals to both men and women—it is just as popular with older generations as it is with young professionals for its supposed benefits.
More Research Needed
While many entrepreneurs have jumped on the CBD train, the Food and Drug Administration states that it cannot conclude that CBD is “generally recognized as safe” since there is little research and data on the chemical’s short and long-term safety. The agency updated its stance in late 2019 to say that marketing CBD by adding it to food products or labeling it as a dietary supplement is illegal.
These remarks are a warning to be cautious. The FDA is still exploring uses for CBD, including pharmaceuticals, which may affect its standing as an over-the-counter product as research continues. So far, the only FDA-approved CBD oil is Epidiolex, which treats rare and severe forms of epilepsy.
Despite these limitations, most CBD businesses' main source of revenue is tinctures—liquid concentrates administered orally—which are not at risk under the FDA’s statement. Balms and other CBD-infused products are also okay if they do not claim to be a dietary supplement.
"It ultimately needs to be regulated so the end-user knows what they're getting," says Robert Rosania, a consultant to the hemp industry. "When I talk to people now, they're confused, mostly because of marketing."
An Opportunity for Certification
Despite the recent abundance of hemp-CBD products, some consumers report discrepancies between products—some oils would work while others wouldn’t. The market is saturated with different brands, but the industry is missing universal standards.
Today’s consumers are conscious of ingredients and check for certifications. As the hemp-CBD business booms, more people will be on the lookout for businesses that are certified by credible third-party organizations. Some hemp-CBD farms are already starting this process by passing the USDA organic certification. Other businesses are tapping into other innovative uses of hemp, such as Green Business Network member Dama Distributing, which offers hemp-made packaging.
Organizations that are interested in adding hemp-CBD to their business strategy should budget for certification. While Green America does not have a CBD certification, we do certify businesses in the hemp industry for social and environmental responsibility.
Learn more about certification and if it's right for your business.
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Add your garden to the map |
Join the movement of Climate Victory Gardeners growing food to support their communities and the planet. |
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Your Climate Victory Gardening questions answered! |
From how it works to learning specific practices for your own garden, these resources are for you |
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Plastics Industry Uses the Pandemic to Boost Production |
The COVID-19 crisis has touched every aspect of our society and laid bare the fundamental, unjust problems in many of our systems, particularly in healthcare, agriculture, and housing. The waste system is also one that has been significantly impacted by the pandemic, causing problems for communities and sustainability goals, but has gotten less attention:
- Many communities experienced temporary suspensions of curbside recycling while areas are also reporting residential waste increases up to 35 percent.
- Hundreds of waste management professionals have become ill, stressing the need for greater safeguards including hazard pay and more PPE.
- There have been spikes in demand for certain materials, like recovered fiber for tissue and paper towels, while commercial sources for recyclables have stalled with closures.
Meanwhile, the plastics industry has used the global pandemic to try to improve its image, while fighting efforts to reduce waste and improve the recycling system.
Globally, 300 million tons of plastic waste is produced every year. Demand for plastics is a growing source of greenhouse gases as it increasingly drives the world’s consumption of oil and gas. Plastic pollution has reached crisis levels, with a dump truck’s worth of plastic pouring into our oceans every minute. This threatens over 800 species of wildlife. Microplastics are rapidly filling our water, soil, and even our air. This problem devastating our environment and we’re just beginning to understand the potent affects it can have on our health.
There are many reasons why plastics have such a bad reputation and the industry has seized this time to improve its image and ramp up consumption. Industry efforts have been effective, as some companies report double-digit percentage sale increases.
The bottom line is that single-use plastics are not the solution. And the plastic industry’s arguments will lead to a decrease in recycling and reusables that will be harmful to public health nationwide.
Plastics and the Pandemic
At the start of the pandemic, the Plastics Industry Association sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, urging it to publicly state single-use plastics as a safer choice than reusable options. Though plastics are a common material in the healthcare industry, there are still efforts in healthcare to replace harmful plastics with non-toxic alternatives and reduce unnecessary plastic waste.
But there is a lack of substantive evidence to back up claims that daily items such as single-use plastic bags and food service ware are less likely to transmit the coronavirus. The industry has commonly cited older studies that only confirm bacteria can accumulate on unwashed bags (and that washing reusable bags destroys the bacteria).
Recently, over 100 scientists from 18 countries affirmed that reusables are safe and don’t increase the chance of virus transmission. They state that single-use plastics are not inherently safer and cause additional public health concerns.
The plastics industry has also taken part in requesting $1 billion from any Congressional infrastructure support due to COVID-19. This request would provide grants for improvement in recycling collection and processing infrastructure. The US recycling system does need infrastructure improvements – for example, we have limited mills that produce recycled paper products and limited glass refineries which contributes to lower glass recovery rates. But simply focusing on infrastructure does not address the fundamental problem: plastic production.
There are global, multi-stakeholder efforts to reduce plastic pollution and improve its circularity that go well beyond infrastructure improvements. But the industry continues to push back on efforts that will achieve these goals.
Problems with Plastic Recycling
In the 1980s, people and companies were throwing out more trash than ever, and there were concerns that landfills would reach their capacity. Plastic products faced public scrutiny and local officials were considering product-specific bans to reduce waste. The industry fought reduction efforts and instead pushed for recycling, even though it didn’t believe plastic recycling would ever work in a significant, widespread way.
Plastics have yet to achieve significant recycling rates and new plastics production is expected to triple by 2050. A recent World Wildlife Fund report found that five major brands (Coca-Cola, Keurig, Dr Pepper, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, and Starbucks) collectively use 4.2 million metric tons of plastic annually. Only eight percent of this was recycled plastic (compare to aluminum cans, which average 73 percent recycled material per container).
The US recycling rate for plastics is a dismal 8 percent, propped up by plastic beverage bottles, jugs, and containers made with PET and HDPE (also known as recycling numbers #1 and #2). These items have recycling rates at around 30 percent. Other plastic resins are a large burden on the recycling system, including plastic film, cups, bowls, clamshells, and to-go containers, which do not have any significant recycling rates.
There are important climate benefits to a functional recycling system that curbs resource extraction. The use of recycled glass and certain plastics instead of brand-new materials cuts environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions and energy by more than half. Using recycled paper and aluminum reduces impacts up to 85 percent. To see these benefits, we need to close the loop and use recyclables. But there are challenges to plastic recycling that other materials don’t face.
Glass and metal can be recycled infinitely without degrading quality. Paper fibers can be recycled around seven times before they become too weak and can then be composted. But plastic polymers break down in the mechanical recycling process and can only be recycled once or twice before the material is too degraded for further use. Additionally, up to one third of plastic is lost when recycling products like PET bottles.
Proposed alternatives like chemical recycling present more problems than solutions. This process uses a combination of heat, pressure, depleted oxygen, or solvents to take plastic waste back to a “like new” state. But GAIA reports that chemical recycling is energy-intensive, ineffective, and bad for the climate and communities. It releases air pollutants and more plastic waste gets turned into greenhouse gas emissions than turned back into plastic.
The Association of Mission-Based Recyclers warn against unproven and unregulated technologies like chemical recycling. These recyclers have affirmed that the point of recycling is to protect our human health and the environment, reduce our carbon footprint, strengthen regional economies, and prevent the need for more resource extraction. If a process doesn’t do this, it’s simply not recycling.
Low Demand for Recycled Plastic
According to the Association of Plastics Recyclers, the biggest issue is decades-old technology and collection infrastructure. There is certainly a need for better infrastructure to collect, sort, and process recyclables within the US, but producers have continued to churn out products that our recycling system can’t process.
Brands are flooding our waste streams with single-use plastics and complex packaging and insisting that recyclers make it work. But the plastics industry reportedly does little to nothing to increase recyclability of its products, use recycled materials, or invest in recovery infrastructure.
Many plastic products beyond bottles and jars aren’t accepted in local recycling programs, since the system was not created to process this range of plastics and there’s very low market demand for them. For decades, the market “playing field” between new and recycled materials has been inconsistent and uneven. Plastics are petroleum byproducts from the oil and gas industry. The cost of new plastic changes with the cost of oil and gas, and federal subsidies have long supported these extractive industries. Infrastructure to extract and refine the gas for plastic production has been heavily subsidized by the government.
Some of these antiquated natural resource development policies date back to the 20th century, but industry lobbying efforts have kept them intact, preventing recycled goods from being able to evenly compete with virgin materials. While other materials do have higher market value, plastics continue to drag the entire recycling system with its low value. Additionally, the harmful impacts aren’t reflected in the low cost of new plastics.
Plastics Pollute Communities
Air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and intensive resource use are the impacts not included in the full cost of plastics. This is part of why plastic products have remained cheap and plentiful. It’s past time for this to change.
Plastics pose threats to communities from extraction to disposal. Plastics mostly end up in landfills and incinerators which are disproportionately placed in Black and Latino communities, landfills and incinerators pollute the air and water. Race is the prominent factor in predicting where toxic, industrial facilities are built and operated, even more than income or other socio-economic factors. And as environmental justice leader Dr. Robert Bullard identifies, there are no laws that would prohibit a neighborhood from being saturated with these facilities, compounding historical injustices and health risks to communities where they are built.
One example of a community impacted by industry is the Taiwanese Formosa Plastics plant proposed for construction in the 5th District of Louisiana’s St. James parish, where 87 percent of the residents are Black. The air is among the most polluted in the country due to the high concentration of industrial facilities and this new project is set to be one of the largest plastic plants in the country. The permit allows it to emit 800 tons of toxic air pollutants and 13.6 million tons of greenhouse gases each year. Local residents are fighting the construction, calling for the parish council to rescind its vote approving the permits and urging Governor John Bel Edwards to intervene.
This project is among the hundreds of new plastic plants and expansions that are set to happen in the coming years. The industry clearly has no intent of slowing extraction and production of this polluting material. But a growing movement of activists and organizations are pushing back on the plastics boom and demanding real solutions.
Solving the Plastics Problem
Better infrastructure is needed to make recycling more effective for all materials. But companies must also use recycled content and drive down new resource extraction. This is how recycling can be a better piece of circularity along with reduction, reuse, and repair. We need holistic solutions that eliminate nonrecyclable, single-use plastics, grow reusable options, and close the loop with recycled content requirements.
New policy is one key mechanism to create system change. The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act would place more accountability on producing companies, put a moratorium on new plastic production sites, restrict pollutant discharge, and require investigation into health impacts of these facilities. It would ban numerous non-recyclable plastics and require recycled materials in containers.
Businesses can take responsibility and begin to make these shifts now by redesigning products and packaging and invest in better recovery systems. Companies are setting commitments to reduce plastic use and reach reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging. But this is only the first step and we need transparency and accountability from these companies to ensure real results.
As You Sow analyzed 50 companies for corporate leadership on packaging design, reusables, recycled content, transparency, recycling support, and producer responsibility. The report gave most of these companies a D or an F. As You Sow advocates that companies should increase transparency, use recycled content, pursue plans for reusables, and invest at least one percent of their annual revenue towards the needed recovery infrastructure to manage their products.
If plastics has any intention of achieving a circular management of its products, now is the time to make aggressive changes to how it engages with policies like extended producer responsibility and systemic shifts rather than devote its efforts to using the pandemic to improve its reputation.
Take Action to Eliminate Plastic Pollution
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Source Vital Apothecary |
Social and Environmental Philosophy
We care about you and we care about the earth. It's not only crucial that we connect to the Earth for its healing powers, but we must also protect it. Source Vitál takes great pride in being as environmentally friendly as we can be. Here's how:
- We only work with partners and vendors that share our philosophy on natural ingredients.
- We practice an internal recycling program for all plastic, glass, paper, etc.
- Our facility is powered by renewable energy
- We practice energy conservation through internal processes and technology
- Our product packaging comes in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles or high-density polyethylene (HDPE), also known by the recycling codes #1 and #2 respectively. These are accepted by most curb-side recycling pick-ups.
- We use Energy Star certified appliances where possible.
And we never test on animals. We are committed to creating cruelty free products and sourcing ingredients in a responsible manner. Additionally, we do not use any animal byproducts in our formulas.
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Bluprint Financial, LLC. |
We are a fee‐based, wealth management firm providing comprehensive financial life planning and investment management services to individuals and institutions. We specialize in transcending traditional wealth management solutions by aligning our client’s investments with their unique goals and values through sustainable, responsible and impact investing.
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FairTrade Caravans LLC |
FairTrade Caravans is a social enterprise believing in people and planet before profit. Our mission is to educate, inspire and give back by demonstrating how fair trade directly helps people in developing countries earn a sustainable living, all while supporting local communities.
FairTrade Caravans partners with nonprofits and schools, providing an online fundraising platform where their communities can buy ethically made and sustainable products and they receive 25% of sales for their own fundraising goals.
Fair trade products are made or grown with no child labor, fair wages safe working conditions and sustainable practices.
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Report: The Pathway to Decarbonization is Clear, But Banks Resist Needed Action |
LONDON – 2 JULY 2020 – A new report by the Climate Safe Lending (CSL) Network details the urgent and pivotal role banks around the globe can play in moving economies in time to avert the worst damage from climate change. “Taking the Carbon Out of Credit: An Integrated Approach to Removing Climate Emissions from Lending” details a strategy toolkit outlining 10 approaches that banks should adopt to accelerate their decarbonization.
The report comes as investors, activists and even industry insiders express frustration with the banking sector, its growing commitments to fossil fuels, and the failure to develop strategies for decarbonization. The CSL Network lays out how banking institutions can take more concrete and comprehensive strategies to decarbonize their lending business within the next five years to avert the imminent climate tipping point of a two-degree Celsius global temperature rise, ensure a just transition, and address climate justice.
These are the 10 elements of the CSL decarbonization “toolkit” for banks:

The report also puts forward the new notion of “Triple A” ratings for banks that “Anticipate risk,” “Add value” and “Act now” when it comes to dealing with the challenges of climate safety, sustainability and resilience.
James Vaccaro, report author and interim director, CSL Network, said: “Banks need to understand the imperative to get their climate strategies right - for the future success of their business and to make a demonstrable positive impact for their customers and the economies they serve. Turning positive impact approaches into sustainable business models will be critical as economies emerge from COVID-19 and transition towards a just, sustainable economy of the future.”
Sandrine Dixson Declève, president, the Club of Rome, said: “The planet and humanity are facing a deep systems crisis rooted in a number of interconnected global challenges. This is the moment to show collective leadership between government, business and citizens to shift our financial and economic systems beyond a growth paradigm and towards a more equitable well-being economy that will ensure resilience to future shocks.”
Geeta Aiyer, founder and president, Boston Common Asset Management, LLC, said: “We have the capital, technology, and scientific knowledge to address climate change. Proactive leadership from financial institutions is required now to make the most of this opportunity.”
Fran Boait, executive director, Positive Money and CSL Network design team member, said: “Taking the Carbon out of Credit lays out how a banking institution can move through target setting into the practical strategies to decarbonize their lending business at a pace that is commensurate with the scale of the challenge.”
Ivan Frishberg, director of Impact Policy, Sustainability Banking at Amalgamated Bank and CSL Network design team member, said: “The banking sector can no longer sit in the world of institutional risk mitigation and think that we will avoid systemic risk. The agenda now has to be about comprehensive action and real pathways for decarbonization, and that is what the Climate Safe Lending Network has outlined.”
Tjeerd Krumpelman, global head of Advisory, Reporting & Engagement, ABN AMRO Bank N.V., and CSL Network design team member, said: “Instead of waiting for a perfect strategy for assessing climate impact, the Three Horizons Approach to Climate Safe Lending described in Taking the Carbon Out of Credit offers banks an iterative process for setting and reporting on targets for reducing climate emissions. This approach helps us to align our portfolio with the Paris Climate Agreement.”
Michael Swack, professor, Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire and CSL Network Policy Initiative advisor, said: “Managing risks is necessary for banks but not sufficient for the planet; Managing impact and innovation is necessary for the planet but needs sound strategy to become a tangible opportunity for banks. Taking the Carbon out of Credit offers a strategy toolkit outlining 10 complementary approaches that banks could adopt to accelerate their decarbonization pathways.”
The Climate Safe Lending Network consists of diverse bank stakeholders from across North America and Europe who are collaborating to align bank lending with a well below two-degree Celsius global temperature rise. The CSL Network brings together senior leaders and changemakers within banks, stakeholders and influencers (including clients, foundations, shareholders), policy experts and civil society groups, connecting with one another to collectively explore how they can play their optimum role in accelerating change. https://www.climatesafelending.org/
The CSL Network is part of Green America's Center for Sustainability Solutions, which brings together diverse stakeholders to solve complex systemic problems that no one company, organization or governmental agency can solve alone. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today’s most serious social and environmental problems. http://www.GreenAmerica.org http://www.centerforsustainabilitysolutions.org/
MEDIA CONTACT: Alex Frank for Green America, +1 (703) 276-3264, afrank@hastingsgroup.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A video recording of the webinar will be available shortly after the live event on the CSL Network’s website: https://www.climatesafelending.org.
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Remi Escudié |
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