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Consume Less, Live More |
Making the most of what you have isn’t just good for the environment. Bucking wasteful consumer culture can build community and save money as individuals team up to save the planet.
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E-Commerce Times |
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Jeff Bezos Puts Up $10B From His Pocket to Fight Climate Change |
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Monday announced a commitment of US$10 billion of his personal money to the newly launched Bezos Earth Fund to fight climate change.
"Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet," Bezos wrote. "This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) -- any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world."
The fund will begin issuing grants this summer, Bezos said. The $10 billion commitment is to start the effort, which suggests he will contribute more money in the future.
Whether he does so "likely will depend on what the reaction to this investment is," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.
Reactions to the Announcement
The $10 billion "is not sufficient," said Charlotte Tate, labor justice campaigns manager at Green America.
"While it's good that Jeff Bezos is finally recognizing that we're facing a climate crisis, he needs to tackle Amazon's massive climate emissions more quickly and effectively in order to create sustainable climate solutions," she told the E-Commerce Times.
Amazon emitted 44.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018, an amount Green America said was "larger than the emissions of UPS and FedEx, and the emissions of Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft.
"We applaud Jeff Bezos' philanthropy but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away," Amazon Employees for Climate Justice said in a statement.
AECJ pointed to Amazon's signing up oil and gas companies for its services; funding think tanks like the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which denies climate change; and the company's threat to fire employees for speaking out publicly about its role in the climate crisis.
"People often seem to want to be critical before learning what they are being critical about, and thus are working against the greater good in many cases rather than for it," Enderle told the E-Commerce Times. "If we want wealthy people to donate to causes like this it might be wise to cut back on the criticism."
Many tech companies have announced efforts to combat climate change.
"Almost every tech giant is focused on driving down the cost of datacenter energy usage," noted Ray Wang, principal analyst at Constellation Research.
"It's in their self-interest," he told the E-Commerce Times.
"However, not many tech CEOs have pledged green initiatives," Wang added.
The Business of Business
"Business decisions can no longer be made with only profits in mind," said Green America's Tate. "The future of our society and our planet must be incorporated into all business decisions, and corporations as large as Amazon have a responsibility to prioritize ethical decision making."
She suggested that Amazon take these steps:
- Not renew contracts with oil and gas companies;
- Not seek new contracts with them; and
- Publicly announce this commitment, giving a date for ending all contracts with oil and gas companies.
If Amazon were to pull out of servicing the oil and gas industry, it might lose ground to Google and Microsoft, which also work with the industry.
"There is no business rationale to get out of this business," Constellation's Wang said. "Being in the business may help Amazon find solutions for energy-intensive and carbon-based businesses to shift to greener alternatives."
The purpose of any business arguably is to make money first, last and always. That may be changing, though, with company staff, investors and shareholders now pressuring businesses on issues such as climate change.
AECJ wrote an open letter to Bezos and the Amazon Board of Directors last April. Nearly 1,800 Amazon employees staged a walkout in support of a global climate strike last fall.
Activist shareholders have been pressuring Amazon on climate change and other issues. Further, 251 institutional investors around the world with more than $16 trillion under management have called for corporate action over deforestation and the forest fire in the Amazon rainforest.
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission last fall proposed amendments to Rule 14a-8 to modernize the process for shareholder proposals' inclusion in proxy statements.
The amendment "would make it more difficult for shareholders to file and refile resolutions," Green America's Tate pointed out. "Shareholder resolutions have been highly effective in addressing environmental, social and governance issues at corporations for years."
Green America, together with Americans for Financial Reform and As You Sow, delivered a petition with 18,000 signatures opposing the amendment.
Being Good Needs More Work
The major high-tech companies have pledged to combat climate change. However, their plans may be more hype than reality, according to Greenpeace.
Amazon's commitment to renewable energy covers its own operations and electricity use but leaves out its supply chain, which constitutes more than 75 percent of its overall carbon footprint, for example.
Amazon, like Microsoft and Google, includes renewable energy credits (RECs) in its carbon footprint calculations. RECs confirm that one megawatt-hour (Meh) of electricity is generated and delivered to the grid from a renewal energy resource.
However, RECs can be purchased, and reporting RECs lets companies claim they run on clean energy while actually not doing so.
Getting rid of RECs is not a solution, though, because "this model ensures that they budget for offsets," Wang pointed out. "However, there is a need to take these investments and drive down the cost of renewable energy production and distribution."
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Your Best Path Financial Planning |
Gordon is a leader in the field of Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing (SRI), having received the CSRIC designation - the first-ever certification for study in the SRI discipline. Gordon is a Fairfax, VA Fee-Only financial planner and at Your Best Path Financial Planning, he provides comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, and investment management to help clients in any situation organize, grow, and protect their assets. He serves clients as a fiduciary at all times and never takes compensation from anyone, at any time, other than fees the client agrees to in advance.
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Sorry Jeff Bezos, a $10 billion commitment won't undo Amazon's climate impacts |
Jeff Bezos made news this week when he publicized an upcoming $10 billion donation to address the climate crisis. But, as the richest person on Earth, Bezos is making his money off Amazon.com, a company that is a major driver of climate change. As the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice aptly put it: “One hand cannot give what the other is taking away.”
While it’s good that Jeff Bezos is finally recognizing we’re facing a climate crisis, he needs to tackle Amazon’s massive climate emissions more quickly and effectively in order to create sustainable climate solutions. Last year, Amazon.com finally released some data on its climate emissions, which are staggering. The company emitted 44 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2018, including indirect sources. That is larger than the emissions of United Parcel Service and FedEx. It’s also larger than the emissions of tech competitors Apple, Alphabet (Google), and Microsoft. Amazon should be working aggressively to reduce those emissions and taking action to address prior years’ emissions on the planet, like Microsoft recently agreed to do.
Donating money is a nice gesture, but it doesn’t make up for the harm that Amazon is causing, and has caused, to people and the planet.
Bezos’ $10 billion commitment is a large sum of money, although it is a small percentage of his fortune. We do need huge investments into climate solutions, but $10 billion will eventually run out. More importantly, if Amazon hasn’t addressed its harmful impacts, people and the planet will continue to pay the price.
Steps Jeff Bezos and Amazon can take to address climate change
- Stop intimidating employees from speaking out on Amazon’s climate policies. Silencing workers and environmental activists will NOT solve the climate crisis.
- Commit to 100% renewable energy by 2020 and end the construction of any new data centers that rely on fossil fuel or nuclear power. Many of Amazon’s competitors reached 100% renewable energy already.
- Submit complete and accurate data to the Carbon Disclosure Project. Amazon is a laggard amongst large tech companies in refusing to report out fully on its climate emissions.
- End efforts to sell Amazon Web Services technology to the oil and gas industry to support increased exploration and drilling. You can’t end the climate crisis by fueling it.
- Take action to protect the health and well-being of employees in Amazon warehouses and throughout the supply chain.
- Addressing environmental justice issues in communities impacted by Amazon’s operations. Amazon’s warehouses cause massive pollution from shipping.
- Ensure no labor rights abuses are occurring throughout your operations, and allow workers through the entire supply chain – from factory, to warehouse, to the office – to raise concerns without fear of retaliation
- Ensure that companies manufacturing Amazon electronics are in compliance with local laws regarding wages and hours, providing a safe work environment, allowing for unions, and taking steps to move towards a living wage.
In addition to having a huge impact on the planet, Amazon workers report dangerous and grueling working conditions; within Amazon warehouses. Injury rates are more than double the industry average. Numerous reports have found Amazon violating human rights across its operations, impacting workers, consumers, and children. Through its various electronic devices (Alexa, Ring, etc.), Amazon may be listening to your conversations and sharing video footage without your permission. This behavior must stop!
Sustainable climate solutions prioritize both the planet and people. In order for Amazon to transform from a laggard to a climate leader, it must address its massive emissions and end the labor and human rights violations occurring throughout its operations.
Take Action on Amazon and Climate Change
Share the truth on social media!
 
Or paste the below message in your Facebook status or on Twitter:
Hey @jeffbezos $10 billion won’t erase @amazon ’s climate impact! You can’t end the #climatecrisis by fueling it: https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/sorry-bezos-10-billion-donation-wont-undo-amazons-climate-impact
Call Amazon's customer line!
Call (888) 280-4331
When the automated message prompts you to verify your Amazon account, just press # and then ask to speak to an associate about Amazon’s social and environmental policies:
"Hello, My name is ____ and I am concerned about Amazon’s impact on the people and the planet. While I appreciate that Jeff Bezos recently committed $10 billion to fight climate change, that money will not negate the massive damage that Amazon’s everyday operations are having on the climate crisis. I am joining Green America in calling on Amazon to get serious about addressing its negative impact on people and the planet."
Please feel free to select whichever points from the bulleted list below speaks to you most:
"When will Amazon:
- Cut ties with the oil and gas industry?
- Submit accurate and complete data to the Carbon Disclosure Project?
- Stop intimidating employees from speaking out on Amazon’s climate policies? Silencing workers and environmental activists will not solve the climate crisis.
- Reach 100% renewable energy? Some of Amazon’s competitors have already reached 100% - the planet cannot wait 10 years for Amazon to get to 100%!
- Address environmental justice issues in communities impacted by Amazon’s operations?
- Address worker health and safety concerns throughout Amazon’s entire supply chain?"
Let us know you called by simply clicking the button below.
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8 Black Leaders Who've Revolutionized the Climate Movement |
Black history is rich with connections to the natural environment, from the sustainable maroon communities that sprang up in the Carolinas and Florida, to the Great Migration and search for nature near urban spaces, to the modern environmental justice movement for clean land, air and water for all. Green America celebrates the contributions of these eight Black leader who have revolutionized the movement.
Dorceta Taylor
In 1991, the Jamaican-born sociologist Dorceta Taylor became the first Black woman to receive a doctoral degree from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. In 2014, Taylor authored the most comprehensive study of gender, racial and class diversity within the environmental movement, “The State of Diversity in Environmental Organizations,” which found a serious lag in the progress of racial diversity within environmental institution and that men are still more likely than women to hold executive positions. For 27 years, Taylor was a professor and director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. Inn 2021, she became the first Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Yale School of the Environment, where she still works and teaches today.
Robert Bullard
In 1979, sociologist Robert Bullard served as an expert witness for the landmark case, Bean vs. Southwestern Waste Management Inc. Bullard’s wife, Linda McKeever Bullard, was the attorney for a Black Houston couple who believed the decision to build a solid waste facility in their neighborhood was largely based on its racial demographics. Mr. Bullard led a study that found that toxic waste sites were most likely to be located in Houston’s predominantly Black neighborhoods, and eventually launched a national study that found this was true across the US. Since then, he’s served as Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, authored several books, and is fondly called the "father of environmental justice." In 2021, President Joe Biden named him to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.
Rev. Lennox Yearwood
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. is a minister with the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) with penchants for community activism, political organizing and hip-hop culture. In 2004, he was a key organizer for Sean P. Combs ‘Vote or Die’ campaign and founded the nonprofit Hip Hop Caucus in the same year. Hip Hop Caucus describes itself as an organization that links policy and culture and operates with a mission to empower communities hit first and worst by injustice, including climate injustice. In 2008, Yearwood led Hip Hop Caucus’s ‘Respect My Vote’ campaign which registered 32,000 people to vote in a single day, setting a world record. Yearwood continues to lead Hip Hop Caucus’s campaigns and is the co-host of the podcast Think 100%--The Coolest Show On Climate Change. He also currently serves on The Climate Mobilization's advisory board.
Mustafa Santiago Ali
Mustafa Santiago Ali is the vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Before NWF, Ali served as vice president at Hip Hop Caucus and worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 24 years in the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ), of which he was a founding member. During his time at the EPA, Ali brought attention to social and environmental justice issues in the U.S. and abroad. In 2017, Ali resigned from the EPA. A snippet of his resignation letter to administrator Scott Pruitt read:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We may have come to these shores on different ships, but we are now all in the same boat”. The upcoming choices you make will have significant impacts on the public health and environment of our country. Those choices can stand as a beacon of hope, and as a powerful role model to the rest of the world on our priorities and values.
Catherine Flowers
Catherine Coleman Flowers is the founder and CEO of the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise (ACRE)—an organization working to fight poverty and provide water and sanitation equity. For years, Flowers has worked to address the persistent issue of substandard sewage systems in her native Lowndes County, Alabama that disproportionately affect African Americans in the area. In 2019, Flowers testified to Congress about the Alabama Department of Health and Lowndes County Health Department’s failure to provide affordable and effective septic systems to residents and called on policy makers to make meaningful investments at the local, state and federal levels to accomplish this. One year later, she was chosen as a MacArthur Fellow and published her first book, Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret.
Jacqueline Patterson
Jacqueline "Jacqui" Patterson has experience at a variety of organizations working at the intersection of race and climate justice, including as the director of the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice program, and at Women of Color United and ActionAid where she approached issues like climate change and food access from a gender lens. In 2021 she founded The Chrisholm Legacy Project, which serves to connect Black communities with resources for frontline climate justice leadership. The organization's name pays homage to Shirley Chrisholm, the first African American woman to be elected to Congress in 1968, and to later seek nomination for a presidential candidacy.
Rue Mapp
Due to a lack of representation, there's a misperception that African Americans don't like the outdoors. The most recent National Parks data shows that 78 percent of visitors are white and when African American, Asian American, and Latinx populations do visit, they often report feeling uncomfortable. In 2009, adventurer Rue Mapp founded the nonprofit Outdoor Afro to celebrate African Americans’ connections with nature and leadership in exploration spaces. Today, the organization has chapters in 30 states and 80 leaders who guide members through nature tours and other recreational activities.
Warren Washington
The landmark research by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) can be traced back to the trailblazing work of atmospheric scientist, Warren M. Washington. In 1964, he became the second African American to earn a doctorate degree in meteorology and started his career at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). There, he and fellow scientist Akira Kasahara created one of the firsts computer climate models that simulate weather patterns and make predictions about how changes in temperature will impact the earth over time. Washington has served multiple presidential administrations and has received several prestigious awards including the Nobel Peace Prize (2007), National Medal of Science (2010), and Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2019).
Updated February 2023.
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ThinkAdvisor |
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Business Wire |
A Berkshire Hathaway Company
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ValueWalk |
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Financial Advisor Magazine |
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Aspiration |
Fossil fuel free and firearm free deposits, personal sustainability score, automatic carbon offsets on gas purchases, cash back rewards for shopping at socially responsible businesses |
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WealthManagement.Com |
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Climate Campaigns Director |
Supervisor: Executive Co-Director, Consumer and Corporate Engagement
Hours: Full-time (4 days, 32 hours/week)
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Benefits: Generous benefits including medical, dental, disability insurance, sick leave, vacation
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 cooperative, environmentally sound economy. We have a participatory decision-making process, which aims to build consensus within the departments and teams.
The Climate Campaigns Director is part of Green America’s Corporate Responsibility Programs team, which works to educate consumers about various social and environmental issues and to push large companies to improve their practices. The Climate Campaigns Director will primarily work on Green America’s climate campaigns, with a focus on corporate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Climate Campaigns Director will lead Green America’s various campaigns focused on reducing emissions from various sources in several sectors and addressing environmental racism and impacts on frontline communities.
Duties and Responsibilities
Campaigns
- Plan and execute several, simultaneous campaigns to get large corporations to take action on climate change impacts (including greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and solid waste generation).
- Take existing campaigns to the next level to create greater corporate impacts and consumer education.
- Ensure that justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) impacts are a priority in all campaigns. Incorporate JEDI impacts into our existing campaigns and ensure that JEDI considerations are at the forefront in all future campaigns.
- Take a lead role in strategic partnerships with outside coalitions for our campaigns.
- Direct outreach to and engage productively with target companies.
- Draft comments to regulatory agencies, provide comments on legislation, and build support for government action on climate change.
Management
- Provide supervision to the campaign associate.
- Supervise interns and fellows working on climate issues.
Content and Outreach
- Work with the publications team to support content on climate issues.
- Oversee and work with the new campaign associate to research and develop content (blogs, e-blasts, webpages, social posts, and press releases) to educate consumers about various climate issues.
- Create actions for Green America members and the public to take to advance campaign goals and raise awareness on climate issues.
- Speak on behalf of Green America at events and to the media on campaigns and relevant topics.
- Work with consultants on generating earned media.
- Work with Web and Social Media Teams to ensure climate campaigns content is well-suited for the web and social media, reaching a wide audience.
- Work with Green America staff to integrate the campaign into Green America’s events, websites, social media, and publications.
Fundraising and Organizational Support
- Assist Development Team with fundraising and grant proposals and reports. Assist the marketing team in developing language for direct mail and online appeal.
- Take part in Green America staff meetings, annual planning meetings, and budgeting process.
- Participation in Green America Cross Departmental Teams: The success of our work and the strength of our organization depend on the voluntary participation of staff from all levels of the organization in various cross departmental teams, in addition to the core responsibilities of each staff position. While staff are not required to participate in a voluntary team every year, we do depend on volunteers throughout the year for teams such as: Space Team; Operating Plan & Budget Team; Justice, Equity Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Team; Pulse Survey Team; and the Fun Days Team. Please check-in with your supervisor about your interest in joining a team to ensure the time for team participation makes sense in a given period.
Qualified Candidates should have the following skills and qualities:
- Strong campaign skills. The ability to conduct powerful campaigns that result in substantive change in targeted entities with little supervision. Applicants will have 7 or more years’ experience and a track record of success.
- Experience with corporate campaigning, including strategy development, power mapping, and negotiating with senior management at corporations.
- Strong research and writing skills. Experience creating content for various audiences and for web and social media.
- A passion for climate issues.
- Experience with outreach to diverse communities including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and/or international communities.
- Ability to manage multiple projects at once and meet deadlines.
- Proven ability to use social media creatively and effectively, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Strong public speaking skills.
- Proven ability to lead coalitions and to reach consensus.
- Experience with fundraising.
- Bachelor’s degree in climate/environmental science or other related field or comparable experience preferred.
- Willingness to publicly present Green America’s campaigns and mission.
- Willingness for occasional travel.
To Apply:
Please email your cover letter and resume to cdhiring@greenamerica.org and note in your cover letter where you learned of the position.
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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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Thousands Of People Are Growing ‘Climate Victory Gardens’ To Save The Planet |
Right across from Atholton High School in Columbia, Maryland, sits a garden roughly a third of an acre with rows of vegetable beds and a newly added pond to encourage wildlife. The garden, located along the road so it’s the first thing people see when they drive past, is being managed mostly by students who planted their first perennial seeds to support pollinators last fall and are now eagerly waiting to see what springs up.
It is part of a 6.4-acre plot of farmland bought last June by the Community Ecology Institute, a nonprofit that seeks to reunite people with nature, from a retiring organic farmer who had managed it since the 1980s and didn’t want it to be lost to development. Fifty years ago, the entire area was agricultural land. Today, this plot is the only farm left. And one of the first things the Community Ecology Institute did when it took over the farm was to plant this “climate victory garden.”
The nonprofit is one of over 2,000 organizations and individuals across the country growing food in climate victory gardens ― be it on a balcony or in a backyard, a community garden or larger urban farm project ― in a bid to mitigate the climate crisis.
Climate change is “a tremendous crisis, but it’s also a really amazing opportunity to shift the way that we’ve been doing things that no longer work,” said Chiara D’Amore, the Community Ecology Institute’s executive director. “We want to use the entire farm as a way to teach about climate action… and we see land-based climate action as one of the more tangible, gratifying ways to help people feel like there’s some hope, feel like there’s something they can do.”
The climate victory garden movement was launched by nonprofit Green American two years ago. It is inspired by the estimated 20 million victory gardens planted across the U.S. by the end of World War II, responsible for producing 40% of all vegetables consumed in the country at the time. The environmental nonprofit is calling on people to use whatever outdoor space they have to grow fruits and vegetables, using “regenerative” methods to help tackle agriculture’s carbon footprint.
About a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from food production ― that includes emissions related to storing, transporting and selling food. However, the main climate contribution comes from growing crops and livestock and the effect of deforestation to create more cropland. In the U.S., the agriculture sector accounts for roughly 9% of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. Industrial agriculture can also contribute to water pollution from fertilizer runoff and a loss in biodiversity.
Individual gardening efforts alone aren’t enough to address these issues, but it’s a start. “Certainly the victory garden didn’t solve the problem, it didn’t win the war, but it was something people could be called on to do to feel like they were a part of the solution and doing something that was a benefit,” reflected D’Amore, who said the same goes for the climate crisis today.
Many of the goals of the victory garden in the 20th century are echoed in the modern environmental movement.
Herbert Hoover, head of the U.S. Food Administration during World War I, encouraged Americans to live simply, grow their own food and consume less. The Federal Bureau of Education also launched the U.S. School Garden Army, which enrolled 2.5 million children in 1919. Those school gardens are credited with helping produce food worth $48 million at the time. Thanks to efforts like these, the U.S. successfully avoided having to ration during that war.
During World War II, citizens were once again encouraged to grow everything from potatoes to peach trees, and many women, as part of the Women’s Land Army, stepped in to manage urban victory gardens and rural farms. In 1943, first lady Eleanore Roosevelt planted a victory garden on the front lawn of the White House in an effort to show that anyone could successfully grow food.
Soy was promoted as an alternative protein to meat ― although more because meat was being rationed to feed the military rather than over environmental concerns. Soybeans were marketed as “wonder” or “miracle” beans that were easier to grow and store than meat. Canning, drying and preserving were also encouraged to help foods last longer.
“For us, the inspiration grew from knowing how many people were involved [in these victory gardens], how many people wanted to make a difference, and how many people really wanted to be involved in this food culture,” said Jillian Semaan, food campaigns director for Green America. “Knowing those numbers and what victory gardens did at that time, we felt we had a great opportunity.”
The difference now, though, is that Green America hopes to harness this same spirit through the potential of what’s known as “regenerative agriculture” ― a way of farming that’s dedicated to enriching the soil while also producing healthful food, with the added benefit of storing carbon in the ground. As the government’s 2018 National Climate Assessment, along with many other scientists, acknowledges, “agriculture is one of the few sectors with the potential for significant increases in carbon sequestration to offset [greenhouse gas] emissions.”
The challenge, however, will be to scale it up. There’s a long way to go before reaching wartime levels, but Green America hopes to more than double the number of climate victory gardens this year to 5,000.
The term “regenerative agriculture” was coined in the 1980s by Robert Rodale, son of the man who applied the term “organic” to food. The most important idea behind regenerative farming (or “carbon farming”) is soil health. This means relying far less on fertilizers and chemicals and focusing more on methods like planting cover crops, applying compost to build up nutrients in the soil and make it more fertile, and not tilling.
Tilling ― breaking up the soil’s surface ― is used to fight weeds and prepare soil for growing. But it reduces the soil’s structural integrity, meaning it won’t hold as much water and will erode more easily ― two qualities of increasing importance as climate change brings extreme weather, such as the devastating floods the Midwest experienced last year.
Tilling also releases carbon that has been locked into the earth throughout the plant’s life cycle. The more carbon-rich the soil becomes, the better plants grow.
Prioritizing soil health is what differentiates climate victory gardens from organic or wildlife gardens, D’Amore said. “Starting from that literally ground-up perspective, we need to make sure that the soil is really healthy to be mindful of what we’re growing,” she said, describing roots as a “whole underground infrastructure” that helps sequester carbon. In practice, this means finding some edible perennial plants with deep roots, such as currant bushes, which her farm will be growing along with other berries.
Meanwhile, cover crops ― like clover, turnips, barley and spinach ― help keep the soil in place and act as a protective blanket in winter.
“If a farmer is practicing regenerative agriculture on his or her land, the soil is getting improved over time. It’s going to get healthier,” said Jeff Tkach, chief impact officer at the Rodale Institute, an educational nonprofit that researches and promotes regenerative organic farming. “If the soil is improving, well, then the food that the farmer is producing is going to become more nutrient-dense over time. And if those consuming that food are eating more nutrient-dense food, then they’re going to get healthier over time… and the community’s going to thrive.”
A healthy community is at the heart of BLISS Meadows, a climate victory garden that launched last March in Baltimore. The urban farm is run by Backyard Basecamp, an organization that seeks to connect communities of color with nature.
It’s founder and executive director, Atiya Wells, is a nurse practitioner by trade, and her approach is to promote the health benefits of having a local green space and of growing your own food. The community garden is in the process of renovating a vacant home next door to the farm and plans to transform it into a community kitchen that will host cooking classes and tastings, Wells said, “to show people we can eat healthier and it can be delicious.”
But it’s also about community resilience. “When we all think about climate change and what’s going to happen, we know that people who have means can just pick up and go, and the rest of us are going to be here,” Wells said. The BLISS Meadows garden is in a predominantly black and brown neighborhood.
“So this is kind of us really starting things so that when that time comes, we already have a self-sustaining neighborhood where we’re growing food for our neighbors,” she explained, “[and] we’re able to continue to survive.”
Many who support the regenerative agriculture movement see it as a clear, easy climate win with enormous potential. Some, including Green America, go so far as to claim we can “reverse” climate change by simply changing how we farm.
According to a 40-year trial conducted by the Rodale Institute of growing conventional and regenerative crops side-by-side, adopting regenerative methods brought 40% higher crop yields during drought times, used 45% less energy and produced 40% fewer emissions compared to conventional farming.
However, as David Montgomery, a geologist at the University of Washington and author of two books on dirt and soil, told Civil Eats last October, regenerative agriculture should be seen as a “good down-payment on reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide” as opposed to a panacea. Claims that it can reverse climate change, he said, are a stretch.
The hope is that climate victory gardens will nudge us toward climate action. But how can something as seemingly small as one person growing tomatoes in their backyard help tackle a problem as immense as agriculture’s effect on climate?
“Everything starts with incremental change,” Semaan said. It begins with reconnecting people to their food and how it got to their plates.
Working with high school students in the Maryland area, the Community Ecology Institute plans to help set up a youth-led program to encourage others to start climate victory gardens throughout the community. “I think our youth get it in a way that many of our leaders and older generations, in general, don’t,” D’Amore said. “They see climate change as the crisis it is. It’s going to impact all our lives, and they want to feel like they can do something that matters.”
Every item grown at home also means one less thing purchased from the store, cutting down on transportation. Even if it’s just a patch of chives, Semaan said, each gardener knows the resources, from water to gas money, that are saved with those plants. “It’s all incremental change,” she said, “and the more people who do it, even if it’s just herbs on a windowsill, the better the planet is for it.”
Tkach agreed. He views the climate victory gardens as a way to “shift people’s consciousness by getting people to just take some kind of action in their own backyards.”
By growing your own food, you have a better understanding of what goes into it, he echoed. “I think as consumers become more attuned to that, it’s going to influence their own decisions,” so people might pay closer attention to food labels that tell you how and where something was grown. “When they go to the grocery store, they’re going to be more adept at [knowing] what to look for.”
Eventually, if enough people are doing this, they can help shift society toward a tipping point, where consumer demand for regenerative farming disrupts the conventional system, Tkach explained.
“I feel like it’s our moment in history. If we could just continue to change the way people eat, it changes everything.”
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Breakthrough Soil Health Management Systems |
<p>Focus on the validation and adoption of innovative soil solutions to speed soil regeneration. Field trails embedded in systems to scale start fall 2019. Paper on the science behind breakthrough soil health innovations: fall 2019.</p>
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Policy |
<p>Supply chain education about the role of healthy soil. Webinars, special forums, C-Suite and board briefings.</p>
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Soil SuperHeroes |
<p>Public campaign to build the narrative that soil health is essential for climate and food system solutions. Phase I launched Earth Day, 2019. Phase II launched Labor Day 2019, targeting 40 million through network members’ media channels.<br />
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Poor soil stewardship is creating a crisis in top soil available for food production – at the rate we’re going, according to the international Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) we only have 50 years of topsoil left. Because conventional farming practices have released so much carbon from the soil, farming is also fueling climate change. Soil SuperHeroes are working to reverse that damage and turn soil into a carbon sink to store the excess carbon contributing to climate change. We need to regenerate the soil to save farming and to save the planet – SoilSuperHeroes are showing us how. To learn more or to nominate a Soil SuperHero, visit Soil SuperHeroes home page.</p>
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Regional Implementation |
<p>Bringing all of the Center's agricultural initiatives together into large-scale commercial projects. Currently focused on small grains in the Midwest and Dairy in the Northeast.</p>
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Investors Oppose SEC’s restriction on shareholder rights |
WASHINGTON, DC (Feb. 5, 2020) – As of Monday’s deadline for public comments on the SEC’s proposed restriction on shareholder rights, a broad group of investors has weighed in strongly against the SEC’s proposal to limit shareholders’ rights to file proposals for shareholders to consider and vote on at annual shareholders meetings.
Commenters opposing the new restrictions on shareholder rights include large investment funds, pension funds, religious institutions, foundations, investment managers, university endowments, individual investors and the SEC’s own Investor Advisory Committee. These investor letters describe in detail the immense benefits from many important ideas that originated with shareholder proposals that would not have been allowed if the SEC’s new restrictions had been in effect.
Criticism On SEC's Proposed Restrictions On Shareholder Rights
Many of these investors also criticized the SEC’s companion proposal to require independent proxy advisors to clear their advice with the subject companies before providing it to their investor clients. These investors lamented that corporate involvement in proxy advice will jeopardize the independence and reliability of a critical resource for investors to hold management accountable for delivering long-term shareholder value.
“Investors’ comments on the SEC proposals staunchly defended their rights to continue to file and vote on shareholder proposals, as well as to continue to obtain independent proxy voting advice,” said Sanford Lewis, Director of the Shareholder Rights Group. “The current changes, proposed by SEC Chair Jay Clayton and adopted on a 3-2 party-line vote, were not asked for by any investors. They are the result of an intense, multi-year lobbying campaign funded by corporate trade associations led by the Chamber and the Business Roundtable.”
Comments on SEC proposals
As of the February 3 deadline, more than 14,000 comment letters have been filed and listed on the SEC’s website on the SEC’s proposed amendments to restrict shareholder proposals, including from more than 31 asset managers, 7 pension funds, 73 faith-based groups, 60 prominent scholars, 9 state or local government officials, 2 unions and several thousand individual investors. Numerous investor groups also filed letters opposing the SEC proposals to place "restrictions on shareholder rights", including:
- the Council of Institutional Investors (a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of U.S. public, corporate and union employee benefit funds, other employee benefit plans, state and local entities charged with investing public assets, and foundations and endowments with combined assets under management of approximately $4 trillion),
- US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (with members comprised of investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, asset owners, research firms, financial planners, advisors and broker-dealers, represent more than $3 trillion in assets under management or advisement),
- the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (a coalition of more than 300 faith-based institutional investors collectively representing more than $500 billion in invested capital),
- the U.N. Principles of Responsible Investing (an international network of 2,800 investor signatories that manage more than $90 trillion in assets, including more than 500 U.S. signatories managing more than $45 trillion in assets),
- the Shareholder Rights Group (an association of investors formed in 2016 to strengthen and support shareowners’ rights to engage with public companies on governance and long-term value creation).
Comments were also filed by several civil society groups, including Public Citizen, Green America, Oxfam and the Thirty Percent Coalition. More than 500 individual investors filed their own comment letters, and 13,000 additional individuals weighed in through petitions organized by As You Sow, Public Citizen and the Friends of the Earth.
SEC's Proposals Placing "Restrictions On Shareholder Rights" Reflect A Disturbing Anti-Investor Bias?
Tim Smith of Boston Trust Walden, a member of the Shareholder Rights Group, stated, “We have seen an outpouring of investor opposition to these new restrictive rules coming from a significant cross-section of investors. The SEC’s role is to be the investor’s advocate, protecting investor interests. The message from these comments is clear that the SEC should put aside these two proposals that reflect a disturbing anti-investor bias.”
Since the 1940s, shareholder proposals have been a critical tool for investors to raise issues of concern at annual shareholders meetings and hold corporate CEOs and boards accountable to their owners. Proposals allow shareholders to speak to, inform and test the waters on an issue with their fellow shareholders. Over the last 50-plus years, shareholder resolutions have spurred numerous changes in corporate governance, policy and disclosure.
The investor comments filed in opposition to the SEC’s proposal reflect deep research, analysis and experience, and reveal serious flaws in the SEC’s analysis and economic justification.
The Shareholder Rights Group (SRG) is distributing this information on behalf of its members as well as numerous other investment organizations affected by the rulemaking proposals.
For more information visit www.investorrightsforum.com.
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People and Planet Winners: Local Community Action |
Since 2012, Green America's People and Planet Award has recognized outstanding small businesses with deep commitments to social justice and environmental sustainability. This project has been made possible thanks to a special donor committed to giving a boost to innovative entrepreneurs. The People and Planet Award has bestowed over $300,000 on green businesses since its inception.
The three winners of the first award cycle were Green Kid Crafts, Raleigh City Farm, and Sonoma Compost Company.
Penny Bauder of Green Kid Crafts holding a craft box
Volunteers with Raleigh City Farm
Where are they now?
At the conclusion of the People and Planet Award, we reached out to the winners to learn how the prize helped their business. Below are their answers. Sonoma Compost Company did not respond.
How did the People and Planet Award money help your business?
Penny of Green Kid Crafts: Thanks to the People and Planet Award, Green Kid Crafts has grown from a boot-strapped company operating out of my garage to an award-winning, multi-million-dollar company. Motivated by a passion to raise a generation of environmental leaders, in 2010 I founded Green Kid Crafts, a children’s media company that provides kids around the world with convenient and sustainable STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) activities. Today, it’s become a leader in the subscription industry, with over 1 million packages shipped worldwide.
Every month’s package is packed with up to 6 science and art kits designed by teachers and STEAM experts to foster a child’s creativity and confidence while helping to raise the nation's next generation of creative leaders. Each package includes a 12-page STEAM activity magazine and achievement badges. Each month brings a new theme; past themes have included Botany Nocturnal Animals, Green Energy, Around the World, and Volcanoes.
My company mission to foster the next generation of creative, environmental leaders by engaging kids with the planet in hands-on, creative ways has exposed over one million kids to think about and take a leadership role in sustainability. Winning the People and Planet Award money helped to take us to the next level by providing us with financial resources during a particular cash-strapped time.
Raleigh City Farm: In the spring of 2012, the first group of volunteers gathered on the site of Raleigh City Farm with shovels in hand to begin the transformation of a largely abandoned one-acre site. This groundbreaking was the result of three years of planning and dreaming and fundraising by the founding board members whose vision was to “create a place where anyone can learn about farming.” Early donations, including prize money from the “People and Planet Award” fueled the continued growth, change and evolution of Raleigh City Farm.
What did you use the prize money for?
Penny of GKC: When we applied for the People and Planet Award grant, we were limping by on a pretty inefficient website that had many problems. We put the grant money towards the strategy, design, construction and launch of a new mobile-optimized website, with sophisticated marketing, e-commerce and website management tools. The launch of our new website a few months later resulted in the immediate growth and long-term success of Green Kid Crafts.
Raleigh City Farm: Our current mission is to grow the next generation of farmers by connecting our community to sustainable agriculture and we’ve partnered and helped incubate many farmers including Farmers’ Collective, Endless Sun Farms, High Country Firs, Farmer James and Infinity Hundred Farms. Our Impact can be broken down into three strategies: grow, connect and dig. We grow farmers by providing the site, marketing and volunteer infrastructure and resources necessary to support their success. We connect the community by leading workdays and tours, hosting special events and providing a variety of educational programming. The "dig" strategy ties to the many benefits of urban farms to support more healthy eating habits and lifestyles while protecting the environment.
What is your business up to now?
Penny of GKC: Now that we’ve reached our goal of selling our one millionth kit this past August, we are now focusing on selling our two millionth kit! Also, in the next month we will be releasing many new STEM and STEAM kits. Green Kid Crafts' themes generally fall within four categories: Ecosystem Science, Environmental Activism, Wildlife Science, and Earth Science. Past kits have included Outer Space, Save our Oceans, Green Energy, Rocket Science, and Arctic Science. Our new packs will follow along these thematic lines and will include an Ecosystem Pack, an Environmental Activist Pack, an Animal Science Pack, a Chemistry Pack, and an Ultimate STEM pack. We are also working on the launch of a Climate Change Box and a Save our Bees Box. These and current STEM and STEAM boxes are available for purchase here.
The next year will see Green Kid Crafts building out our international program and shipping to more counties. My passions include environmental and youth advocacy, STEAM education, and international connections so it makes sense that Green Kid Crafts’ STEM and STEAM kids become available around the world! We are also working on a new program that will connect kids all over the world to learn from each other, help the environment, and develop the skills to make the world a better place. Through online and offline opportunities, kids around the world will be connected through monthly STEM and STEAM activities linked to international conservation projects, so stay tuned! In this age of global divide, I believe that art and science are the most powerful unifying force we have at our disposal, and I want to do what I can to put these skills in the hands of the world’s youth.
Raleigh City Farm: The impact of Raleigh CIty Farm is far-reaching: our nonprofit farm is nestled in a very busy expanding urban area with over 15,000 cars passing by each day and over 20,000 eyeballs following us on social media (11K Instagram, and 5K/5K Fbook and Twitter). In many respects, we can be considered a "billboard" for farming and farmers - an important reminder that food is grown in the ground by human beings (as opposed to being sold in a supermarket) and that it is both nourishing for the body and pleasing to the eyes! We collaborate with a variety of partners to host fun events and educational programming that celebrates sustainability and urban agriculture. The success of the nonprofit has been overseen by a dedicated board of directors with widespread support from the community. We enter into 2020 with a new vision to donate over 50% of our produce to nonprofits increasing food access and addressing food insecurity. We’re excited about envisioning our community more deeply rooted in appreciation and cultivation of local food and horticulture and taking the lead in connecting them through Raleigh City Farm.
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Advocacy Groups Charge SEC With Limiting Shareholder Votes |
A coalition of environmental and advocacy groups is petitioning the Securities and Exchange Commission asking that it not adopt changes to its regulations that would reduce the number of shareholders who can present resolutions to a corporation.
The coalition claims the regulation changes would “muzzle” many smaller groups of shareholders that are trying to change corporate policies involving such things as environmental, social and governance issues, as well as executive compensation. The coalition is made up of Green America, Americans for Financial Reform, As You Sow and Public Citizen. The groups on Monday delivered petitions with more than 18,000 signatures to the SEC.
The groups oppose the changes because they would “bar many investors from pushing corporations for action on major issues, including greenhouse gas reduction goals, lobbying and election spending discussion, human rights abuses and discrimination,” according to a statement they put out. “The proposed changes will weaken the ability of investors to raise important concerns and thereby give corporations more unchecked power, including the ability to essentially ignore the views of shareholders and other stakeholders.”
One proposed change would increase the stock ownership level needed to submit a resolution to a public corporation from $2,000 to $25,000. Increasing the percentage of support a shareholder resolution needs to get in one year in order for it to be resubmitted in a subsequent year is another proposal, as is limiting investors or their representatives to one shareholder resolution per shareholder meeting.
The SEC does not comment on petitions that are submitted to it.
Shareholders can present resolutions proposing changes in corporate policies at shareholder meetings to be voted on. If the resolution passes, it becomes corporation policy. Resolutions can cover a range of policies and practices for a corporation from the handling of supply chains for materials to transparency in corporate actions to executive compensation.
The petition says, “We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the need to build an economy that will be successful over the long term. This means we need to ensure that social, environmental, and corporate governance issues facing corporations are effectively addressed.
“Investors, including small investors, have an important role to play in identifying for corporations a number of risks and corporate impacts … that may damage specific companies and the larger economy,” the petition continued.
Green America executive co-director Fran Teplitz said, “There is no democracy for shareholders in America unless they have a right to engage in meaningful shareholder advocacy and to be heard. The SEC is contemplating locking many shareholders out of the process.”
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Opposition to SEC Proxy Proposals Grows |
On the final day of public comment on two related proposals by the Securities and Exchange Commission on proxy voting rules, a petition signed by more than 18,000 individuals opposing the policy change was submitted to the SEC, which was also the subject of a protest by some of the signatories.
Green America, a not-for-profit membership organization focused on the economic power of consumers, investors and businesses to create a environmentally sustainable economy, along with Americans for Financial Reform and As You Sow, delivered the petition.
Both SEC proposals, if finalized, would make it harder for investors to challenge corporate management on environmental, social and governance issues.
In one proposal, a shareholder would have to own at least $2,000 worth of stock for three years to sponsor a first-time proxy proposal, up from one year currently. A $25,000 stake would be required if they owned the stock for one year and $15,000 if they owned it for two years.
The rule also raises the minimum vote percentage required to resubmit a proxy proposal for the first time from 3% to 5%. For the second and third resubmissions, the requirement moves from 6% and 10%, respectively, to 15% and 25%, and it restricts the activities of proxy advisor firms.
In the related proposal, proxy advisory firms would be required to give a company a chance to comment on its recommendations and include a link to those companies in its distributions to clients and disclose any conflicts of interest. In recommending a vote against management, for example, a proxy advisory firm would need to include management’s opinion in their final report to shareholders.
SEC Jay Clayton has said that the amendments are long overdue and were “carefully crafted to more appropriately balance the benefits and burdens to all shareholders.”
The Green America petitioners don’t agree.
They are “deeply concerned about the need to build an economy that will be successful over the long term,” which requires “that social, environmental, and corporate governance issues facing corporations are effectively addressed, “according to the petition.
The shareholder proposal process, known as Rule 14a-8, has worked well since 1934 and “should certainly not be weakened.”
“There is no democracy for shareholders in America unless they have a right to engage in meaningful shareholder advocacy and to be heard,” said Green America Executive Co-Director Fran Teplitz. “Many of the major advances of recent corporate history — going back to the rejection of racist apartheid South Africa and as recently as action on climate change — owe their success to shareholder advocacy.“
Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, said, “With this vote, the SEC has apparently inverted its mandate of protecting shareholders to that of protecting companies from shareholder input — even where company action creates increasing risk to shareholders, people, or the environment.”
Behar said the proposal to limit shareholder proxies “has the potential to increase shareholder and company risk, particularly regarding growing climate concerns” and is unlikely to face “public or legal scrutiny.”
In its comment letter filed Monday, the PRI, which represents the world’s largest institutional investors that support the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, wrote that the SEC shareholder proxy proposal would block hundreds of shareholder proposals and lock out smaller and medium-size investors from influencing outcomes of votes.
“By erecting hurdles to the resubmission of proposals, the SEC will effectively hamper U.S. companies’ ability to make progress on ESG goals,” said Fiona Reynolds, CEO of Principles for Responsible Investment. “U.S. corporations will inevitably fall behind on sustainable business practices compared to their competitors in the global market, losing out on both a competitive advantage and changes necessary for a more sustainable marketplace.”
PRI noted in its press release that the proposed rule on proxy advisor firms” would impose prohibitive costs on proxy advisory firms,” which many institutional investors use to supplement their own research and understanding of proxies for their portfolio.
The SEC will first review public comments before proceeding with the proposal. It could potentially revise the proposal, which would involve additional public comments. No meetings on the current proposals have been scheduled yet.
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Green America: 18,000 Signatures Delivered Urging SEC Not to Muzzle Voice of Shareholders |
Vital Shareholder Proposal Process Has Allowed Investors to Raise Important Social, Environmental and Governance Issues with Corporate America.
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Concerned citizens delivered over 18,000 signatures to the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) in a major show of opposition to a SEC rule proposal that would bar many investors from pushing corporations for action on major issues, including greenhouse gas reduction goals, lobbying and election spending discussion, human rights abuses and discrimination.
The proposed changes will weaken the ability of investors to raise important concerns and thereby give corporations more unchecked power, including the ability to essentially ignore the views of shareholders and other stakeholders.
Green America, Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) and As You Sow delivered the signatures today to the SEC at its Washington, D.C., offices at 100 F Street NE. Signatures also were gathered by Public Citizen.
The Green America petition states: “We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the need to build an economy that will be successful over the long term. This means we need to ensure that social, environmental, and corporate governance issues facing corporations are effectively addressed. As we know, significant improvement across these issues is needed if our economy and society are to thrive for generations to come.
“Investors, including small investors, have an important role to play in identifying for corporations a number of risks and corporate impacts of which they may not be aware. These risks and impacts may damage specific companies and the larger economy.
“Since 1934, the shareholder proposal process (Rule 14a-8) has been a positive tool that enables investors to share important information with fellow investors and with corporate management. It is working well and should certainly not be weakened.”
Green America Executive Co-Director Fran Teplitz said: “There is no democracy for shareholders in America unless they have a right to engage in meaningful shareholder advocacy and to be heard. The SEC is contemplating locking many shareholders out of the process. Many of the major advances of recent corporate history – going back to the rejection of racist apartheid South Africa and as recently as action on climate change – owe their success to shareholder advocacy. Today, we are fighting for democracy and against a world that is run even more than it is today by corporations that can ignore the public. We are pleased that over 10,000 Green America members signed our petition to the SEC.”
Along with Green America, several groups also urged the SEC to uphold the current shareholder resolution process:
Marcus Stanley, policy director at AFR, said, “This administration has consistently weakened regulations that foster corporate accountability. Now the SEC is weakening even the mechanisms by which the majority of shareholders can advocate for responsible corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.”
Bartlett Naylor, financial policy advocate, Public Citizen said, “Shareholder activists serve on the front line with whistleblowers, unions and even the police to keep American corporations honest. It’s not quantum physics to figure why big business through its U.S. Chamber front wants to stifle these agents of reform.”
Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, said, “With this vote, the SEC has apparently inverted its mandate of protecting shareholders to that of protecting companies from shareholder input — even where company action creates increasing risk to shareholders, people, or the environment. This proposal flies in the face of the SEC’s mandate of ensuring transparency, open discussion, and company responsiveness to shareholder concerns; it has the potential to increase shareholder and company risk, particularly regarding growing climate concerns. We don’t believe that it will withstand public or legal scrutiny.”
Josh Zinner, CEO of Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), said, “The current proxy process offers shareholders of all sizes a straightforward channel to company management, board, and other investors to provide constructive feedback and, when needed, raise concerns about critical ESG risks. This important give and take process has been demonstrably beneficial for the long value of companies and investors and should be safeguarded by the SEC."
Sanford Lewis, director of the Shareholder Rights Group (a group of leading proponents of shareholder proposals), said: “The SEC rule change proposals are fatally flawed. The SEC failed to conduct the needed research prior to issuing the proposals, and therefore they lacked the necessary legal and economic foundation for a rule proposal. The proposals undermine the rights of investors to file proposals, hire representatives, and to aggregate stock with other concerned shareholders.”
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
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Advocates Say SEC Proxy Change Limits Corporate Owners' Oversight |
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Press Release: Child Labor Has Always Been Here, Now It's on the Rise |
On this World Social Justice Day, the Campaign to End US Child Labor calls for justice for the hundreds of thousands of children across the United States who are forced to work, often in hazardous conditions.
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How To Be a Sustainable Apparel Business |
Green businesses adopt principles, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life for its customers, employees, communities, and planet. But just because a business claims it is “green” doesn’t mean it upholds the standards of social responsibility and sustainability. So how can you determine what is in fact a sustainable business, or how can your business achieve that high standard?
That’s where third-party certifications come in. A third-party certification serves to verify a business’s claims against their independently developed criterion. Such certifications reduce conflicts of interest and provide accountability to a business’s claims. Studies show that customers look for such things from businesses and are willing to pay more for high-quality products with safety and sustainability standards.
Green America's Green Business Certification is the leading trust mark for true green business practices. Our program recognizes businesses that excel in social and environmental responsibility, and the businesses found in our Green Pages directory have met or exceeded our certification standards to become leaders in the green economy.
The Green Business Network at Green America recommends businesses consider both environmental and social justice issues when making decisions. To earn our certification, businesses must meet both standards of social and environmental responsibility. If you are interested in becoming a green business, we’ve highlighted a few important steps—and if you’ve reached these steps, check out the full requirements of our Apparel certification. You may be ready to apply.
Environmental Responsibility
"Green" or sustainable business make planet health a core part of their mission. The following steps are ways your apparel business can account for environmental responsibility in its operations.
Certified organic, reclaimed and recycled fibers, or other sustainable materials.
Organic and sustainable materials are a requirement of our apparel businesses. That includes no genetically-modified cotton, which poses threats to the surrounding ecosystem through pesticides and a disruption of natural processes through a monoculture. Conversely, organic cotton greatly decreases the amount of harmful chemicals that workers and their communities are exposed to during the farming level of the supply chain. Additional fabrics made from post or pre-consumer recycled fibers are acceptable if the process does not result in toxic waste, and if the materials can be recycled or composted. There must be transparency around animal derivatives if there are animals in your supply chain.
Packaging and transportation.
We expect green apparel businesses to have environmentally and socially positive packaging. It must be from recycled sources and must be recyclable or compostable. We love to see businesses take back packaging for reuse, too.
Your business must have a program in place to reduce emissions from company vehicles and work with your distributors to take steps to reduce emissions from transportation and shipping. Since transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions in the US, it’s very important that your business does its part!
Educating consumers.
Conscious consumers are what keep sustainable businesses running. Therefore, we require apparel companies to educate consumers on the life cycle of their product, such as how to properly dispose of the product when it is no longer usable. We love to see established take back programs, too. To be an industry leader, we expect your business to advocate for green practices in your field and be open to feedback from internal and external stakeholders.
Green office or facility.
Not only do we count the steps in the supply chain, we are also interested in your business’s operational and administrative fronts. Our definition of a green office or facility includes reusing resources, recyclability, and maximum water and energy efficiency. Your office space must divert its waste appropriately, including using a certified E-Steward for electronics and composting all food waste. Your office must be energy efficient and must be taking action on clean energy, such as purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or using on-site clean energy.
Your business must also use 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and have procedures in place to maximize office resources. Using non-toxic cleaning supplies and pest control products is important in-house, too. A green office is a testament to your business’s values—not only do you care about people and the planet in your products, but also in the treatment of your employees.
Social Responsibility
Triple bottom line businesses are not only kind to the planet, but kind to people—hence, social responsibility. The following points are a handful of ways your business can be an ethical one.
Safe and fair manufacturing.
Whether you partner with workers in the US or abroad, we expect you to offer your workers safe and healthy working conditions, a living wage, and transparency. Offshore factories are okay if the factory has an established worker representation mechanism, a code of conduct with an enforcement mechanism is in place, and your business has long-term contracts with the manufacturers. Many of our businesses are certified fair trade and work with unions to help demonstrate this.
Safe and quality company employment.
Your company’s workplace culture should reflect the values of your mission. Employees should have access to quality benefits and be paid wages that ensure well-being. Your company culture should encourage work/life balance, inclusivity, and have non-discrimination and whistle blower protection policies in place. Your business is only as good as its people, so having a thriving workplace will help your employees be the best they can be.
Uphold transparency.
Transparency is weaker in the apparel industry than it should be—which is why we make it a requirement of our certification. Your business must share its social and environmental mission on its website. For each individual product, the country of manufacture should be clearly visible. If all products come from the same country, that should be disclosed on the front page. Your business must also be transparent in its supply chain, including sub-contracting, and be committed to the continuous improvement of sustainable labor practices.
Customers are increasingly interested in the people behind the product. According to Harvard Business Review, customers prefer products that are handmade or can see the person behind the product; compared to mass automation, the presence of a human signals intent, meaning, and effort.
Why Certify?
In a sea of businesses claiming to be “conscious" or "natura," it’s hard for the average consumer to weed out the green from the greenwashed. Third-party certifications demonstrate that your business has withstood the vetting of an outside body and come out as a truly socially and environmentally responsible business. With certification, your customers will know your business has the credentials to back up claims of environmental and social responsibility—and they’ll wear your values on their sleeves.
While these requirements are comprehensive, they are not definite. We love seeing businesses exceed these standards and take steps beyond certification to be even greener. In addition, our certification analyzes business practices and not individual products. We believe a sustainable future is also an ethical one and ensure the businesses that earn our certification reflect that.
If you believe you meet these criteria, you can view the full requirements for Apparel businesses at our Apparel certification standard and begin the process of becoming a member and official sustainable business.
Join Today
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When it comes to bills and receipts, are you Team Paper or Team Digital? |
Like many soon-to-be empty-nesters, Vered DeLeeuw and her husband have been thinking about downsizing. Surveying her garage, DeLeeuw noticed boxes of documents, pay stubs, bills, credit card statements — 20 years worth — and realized the harsh truth: She was a paper pack rat.
Using a paper shredder, it took her two months to trash everything. “I don’t want to do this again in 20 years,” she says. “That’s why when a business asks if I want to go paperless or receive a receipt by email, I think, ‘Why not?’ ”
There was a time when your only checkout decision was paper or plastic bag. Now, the question is “paper or digital receipt?” We must decide whether we want to collect all the receipts we need — for tax purposes, warranties, insurance benefits, mail-in rebates and more — in paper or virtual file folders. And we need to make the same choice about bills and all kinds of statements — credit card, bank, investment and insurance — as well as health records.
“The world is changing into an expectation of convenience, what I call ‘B-To-Me’ (business to me). Thanks to technology, not only can we bank through our smartphones, but receive bills and receipts digitally,” says Alice Frazier, president and chief executive of Bank of Charles Town in West Virginia.
Digital bills, statements and receipts alleviate the costs of handling and processing for businesses. For customers, digital receipts save space and allow them to quickly look things up. And overall, digital bills, statements and receipts are friendlier for the environment, because they waste less money and require no physical delivery. The use of paper receipts consumes more than 3 million trees, 9 billion gallons of water and generates more than 4 billion pounds of carbon dioxide and 302 million pounds of solid waste during production, according to the 2019 report from Green America, a nonprofit group focused on environmental issues related to consumerism.
Roberto Castaneda, program director for Walden University’s online master’s in finance degree, says: “As we move into a digital world, we will see more retailers, medical offices, businesses and a host of venues taking advantage of digital processing of transactions.”
Still, many of us grew up with paper, and it’s hard to let go. You shouldn’t beat yourself up if you like paper, says Eileen Roth, co-author of “Organizing For Dummies.” “For bills that change monthly, like credit cards, I like the paper version to match to my paper receipts from the store. I could print a digital bill, but why do I want to spend my ink, my computer space and my time when the company will mail me the bill for free?”
Whether you prefer paper or digital, you need an organizational system that works, especially for receipts. Otherwise, you risk turning your disorganized receipt-stuffed cardboard shoe box into a digital one. Here’s a look at both options.
Team Paper
●Provides a sense of security because the process has been in place for a long time.
●Accurate paper trail at your fingertips.
●No need for computer or smartphone.
●Printed bill is a reminder when bills are due.
●You’re more likely to look at it.
●May make it difficult to find a specific receipt.
●Receipt may deteriorate over time.
●Not environmentally friendly.
●Slower response time between payment and confirmation of receipt.
●Could get lost in the mail.
Tips for handling paper receipts, bills, statements:
Roth suggests a two-pronged approach: one for bills and statements (bank, brokerage, credit card), and one for receipts. Label one large plastic file folder “To Pay” in which to sort all incoming bills. Once a week, open this file. Mark each bill with the date paid. Sort paid bills into paper file folders labeled by category, such as utilities, insurance, medical, donations and warranties. Place statements in appropriately labeled folders for future reference.
For your receipts, buy a 12-month check file folder. This is where you will temporarily store all your small paper receipts. Sort by categories such as groceries, restaurants, office, gasoline, hardware stores, hobby/craft. Each month, when your credit card statement arrives, match the receipts to your statement. After matching, you can pitch grocery, restaurant, carwash, gasoline and similar receipts. Pull out any receipt for warranties and place it into the appropriate folder. Staple the remaining receipts to your credit card statement. After a year, shred or destroy the statement and attached receipts.
You can toss warranties when you no longer have the product or the warranty expires. Hang onto bank statements for one year until you file your taxes. However, says Roth, if you have no write-offs, there is no need to keep them more than two months once you have balanced your statements.
Castaneda advises keeping investment and brokerage statements until six years after you’ve sold your stocks or bonds. Likewise, retain physical receipts of the purchase of your home and remodeling costs for, at minimum, six years after selling your home and filing your taxes.
Though Castaneda prefers digital records, he does print and store tax return documents in a large envelope marked “Tax Return” and the year. “Many organizations provide digital copies of tax documents such as W-2s, brokerage and mortgage statements, and real estate taxes, which I also print and store in my tax return file,” he says. “Keeping tax documents in one folder eliminates the hassle of trying to gather them later if the IRS calls.”
Team Digital
●Eliminates the need for shredding.
●Environmentally friendly.
●Searchable from your computer
●Can file and store receipts in multiple categories.
●Can confirm your payment was submitted properly and received on time.
●Easier to overlook or miss a bill payment.
●Requires general technology skills.
●Often requires signing into a website to view.
●May require a scanner to digitize receipts.
●Risks someone compromising your data.
●Could lose data in case of a computer crash, unless you store your data in the cloud.
●May require an online storage service or external hard drive large enough to hold your data.
Tips for handling digital receipts, bills statements:
Robert Berger, deputy editor of Forbes Money Advisor and author of “Retire Before Mom and Dad,” figured converting from paper to digital was as simple as buying a scanner to digitize his receipts and bills, giving each a unique name, then putting them all into an online folder. “Because I was selling my house and moving into a new one, I became super-focused on decluttering and finding an organizational method that worked,” he says. What sounded good in theory didn’t pan out. “My paper mess became a digital mess,” he says.
His solution: Create an online filing system involving Dropbox for storage and several Google docs organized by topic, such as “house” or “medical.” Invoices, receipts for large purchases and bills that come as attachments instead of embedded within an email get scanned and converted to a PDF, as do any important paper receipts such as his home inspection and deed. Either the email or PDF is saved to Dropbox. A link for each is copied and pasted into the appropriate Google doc.
“I can see every service call for home repairs by looking at one master document. If I need the receipt, it’s one click away,” says Berger, who adds that you can even give your master document with embedded links to receipts and statements to your accountant come tax season. There’s no need to send credit card statements or similar documentation unless your tax preparer asks for it.
For those who prefer what Frazier calls “a virtual file cabinet,” consider downloading statements and/or investment reports to your online storage. Categorize them into labeled folders such as “retirement” or “Visa card.” Another option is to use a free online financial management tool — for example, Mint, which can automatically connect to and import your financial data, including credit cards, bank and retirement accounts, into one easily accessible place.
DeLeeuw’s two-month shredding slog was worth it. Now she stores all her bills and receipts on an external hard drive in folders sorted by topic and year. “It was amazingly scary to shred all that paper,” she says, “but once I got started I realized, ‘Who needs a 20-year-old utility bill?’ ”
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As Valentine's Approaches, Major Retailers Rated on Whether Chocolate Products Address Child Labor, Deforestation and Fair Trade |
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 8, 2020 – Green America released a chocolate scorecard for retailers ahead of Valentine’s Day, rating top US grocery stores and pharmacies on how well their product offerings address child labor conditions and sustainability, which are major problems in the chocolate industry. Aldi, Food Lion and Kroger received the best grades, while Trader’s Joe and CVS got the lowest marks.
“For decades the chocolate industry, including retailers, has known about child labor in chocolate production, but we are still seeing major retailers, like Trader Joe’s, doing relatively little to address this issue,” said Charlotte Tate, manager, Labor Justice Campaigns, Green America. “Complex problems like child labor and deforestation need holistic solutions, and if retailers do not prioritize human and environmental rights, those needed holistic solutions will remain out of reach.”
Aldi, Food Lion and Kroger were the top-ranking retailers on the Scorecard for addressing child labor, poverty and deforestation. Walmart, Whole Foods, Safeway, Target, Costco and Walgreens received middle scores. Trader’s Joe and CVS were the worst-ranking retailers. See the detailed chart here.
It is estimated that retailers take more than 40 percent of the profits from the annual billions of dollars in chocolate sales in the US, while cocoa farmers in West Africa, where 60 percent of the world’s cocoa is produced, earn around a dollar a day. The US Department of Labor estimates that two million children in West Africa are engaged in hazardous work in cocoa fields.
“Retailers control what chocolate brands the public sees and eventually buys, and they should take a leading role in promoting products that benefit cocoa farmers and the environment,” said Todd Larsen, executive co-director, Consumer and Corporate Engagement, Green America. “The unfair division of chocolate profits must change. Farmers must be paid fairly, or we have no hope of ending child labor in the cocoa industry.”
While solving the child labor problem in cocoa and addressing deforestation involves working with the entire supply chain, paying farmers a living wage is a necessary part of the solution, and retailers can play a major role by selling chocolate with higher labor and environmental standards. If retailers and chocolate companies remain unwilling to ensure farmers are paid fairly, then poverty, child labor and deforestation will continue to grow.
The new Chocolate Retailer Scorecard is a tool that allows consumers to make more informed choices about where they shop for their chocolate. In addition, annually, Green America maintains a scorecard that examines the chocolate brands’ efforts to address child labor in their chocolate supply chain.
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
Media Contact: Max Karlin for Green America, (703) 276-3255, or mkarlin@hastingsgroup.com.
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Chocolate Retailer Scorecard |
Child labor in the chocolate industry has been a well-known problem for decades, and despite numerous stakeholders pressuring big chocolate companies to address the issue, child labor remains prevalent in West Africa’s cocoa industry. In addition to our annual Chocolate Scorecard rating major US chocolate companies, this scorecard rates stores carrying chocolates.
Why a retailer scorecard?
Green America issues an annual Chocolate Scorecard, which rates major US chocolate companies on its efforts to address child labor. Building on that scorecard, we think it is important to highlight the role that grocery stores and pharmacies have in perpetuating child labor issues in cocoa. Store brand or ‘own brand’ chocolate is gaining a bigger and bigger market share, but grocery stores or retailers have not received the same kind of consumer and civil society pressure that chocolate companies, like Godiva, have received.
Retailers make billions of dollars on chocolate sales, taking up to 44% of the profits while cocoa farmers earn a measly 6.6%, according to the Cocoa Barometer.
This unfair division of chocolate profits must change. Farmers need to be paid more, or we have no hope of ending child labor in the cocoa industry.
One of the results of consumer, civil society, and government pressure on the chocolate industry is big chocolate brands developing sustainability initiatives. This pressure has also led to greater transparency about what chocolate brands are doing to address social and environmental harms, including child labor and deforestation.
But, it is retailers that control what chocolates the public sees, and likely buys. And, since these retailers make the bulk of the profit off of chocolate, they should take the lead in promoting products that benefit farmers and the environment.
Grocery stores and chocolate companies’ commitments to fair trade chocolate vary widely. Many chocolate companies have made time-bound commitments to fair trade chocolate, but as you can see in the scorecard, far fewer grocery stores have a fair trade option of chocolate for their store brand, let alone commitment to 100% fair trade chocolate – and this must change!
What can you do?
- If your favorite retailer received a low score, you can reach out to its customer service team to let them know this is an issue you care about and that you hope they will make advances in addressing child labor and deforestation in chocolate production in 2020.
- If your favorite retailer did well, you can also let them know! It is important that companies know what their consumers care about and keep prioritizing the issue.
- If you have the option, you can also use your purchasing power to shop with local stores with a wide variety of fair trade chocolate options or shop from some of the higher scoring retailers, like Aldi.
- You can also buy your Valentine's Day chocolates directly from these A-rated chocolate companies!
How we determined the ratings:
We chose some of the largest US retailers to look at its efforts to address child labor in cocoa; we also included Trader Joe’s, as after the release of the 2019 Chocolate Scorecard, we had numerous members reach out with questions about Trader Joe’s chocolate. Food Lion is owned by Ahold Delhaize, and we used Ahold’s reporting information for this scorecard; similarly, Safeway is owned by Albertsons, so we used Albertsons' reporting information for this scorecard. Only publicly available information was used for the scorecard (sustainability information from company websites and products listed on company websites or found in stores).
For grading, a mix of colors and thumbs up, down, or sideways was used. For the overall company ratings, green is the highest rating, while there is likely room for improvement, the retailers in green came out on top; yellow indicates that the retailer should be doing more; and red indicates that much more needs to be done in addressing child labor and deforestation in chocolate production.
For each category, thumbs up is the highest rating; a sideways thumb indicates that the retailer should be doing more; and thumbs down indicates that the retailer is either doing nothing or very little.
Companies receiving one or more thumbs down ratings in any category were not eligible for an overall green rating. The categories all carried the same weight. For this scorecard, only chocolate candy and chocolate baking products were considered.
Categories:
- Addressing child labor in the store's brand(s) of chocolate:
 = Offers at least one fair trade option.
 = Offers at least one organic option.
 = No fair trade or organic option.
- Has a commitment to no deforestation:
= There is a commitment to zero deforestation.
= There is a deforestation policy, but the company does not commit to zero deforestation.
= There was no public deforestation policy.
- Beyond fair trade:
= The retailer notes that child labor or poverty are an issue in the cocoa industry, and it is doing something to address it.
= The retailer mentions the connection between cocoa and child labor or poverty but is not clearly doing something to specifically address it, or if a company had a strong no child labor policy across multiple commodities.
= There was no mention of child labor and cocoa, and/or a weak child labor policy.
- Note, nearly every retailer did have a no child labor policy, though we believe it is important that all companies publicly recognize those goods that are at a higher risk for child labor.
- Fair trade options:
= The retailer offers 11 or more fair trade certified chocolate brands.
= The retailer offers between 6-10 different brands.
= The retailer offered 5 or less fair trade options of chocolate brands.
- This category consisted of estimates, and retailers' inventory can vary by location and may differ online versus in-store. We looked at information available online in most cases. In the case of Trader Joe’s, we visited a few store locations in the DC area. As Albertsons owns multiple grocery store chains, we looked at Safeway for this category; Ahold Delhaize also owns multiple grocery store chains, and we looked at Food Lion for this category. In the case of Aldi, since it sells very few other brands of chocolate and as its own brand is fair trade certified, we made an exception for this category, and Aldi received a sideways thumb.
- If a retailer's own brand is fair trade, it was not counted in this category as they already received credit for this in the first category. Only chocolate candy was included for this category.
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Senior Director, Climate & Agriculture Networks |
Senior Director, Climate and Agriculture Network
Hours: Full-time (4-days, 32 hours/week)
Salary: $70,000 - $80,000
Benefits: medical, dental, sick days, holidays
Supervisor: CEO
Green America is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a just and sustainable society by harnessing economic power for positive change. Our unique approach involves working with consumers, investors and businesses to create a world that works for all. We deploy marketplace solutions to solve the most pressing social and environmental problems facing society today.
The Center of Sustainability Solutions builds on Green America’s work over the years, where we’ve brought together industry groups across supply chains to create major shifts in such areas as solar, community investing, sustainable agriculture and fair labor. The Center supports Innovation Networks, focused working groups of stakeholders with the objective of making significant, industry-wide system change.
The Climate and Agriculture Network is a multi-stakeholder, cross- industry working group supporting initiatives that focus on improving agricultural and food system outcomes in the areas of carbon sequestration, soil health, water quality, and ecosystem impacts (the “network”).
The Senior Director will provide leadership and team support in all facets of the network including: strategic direction, fundraising, stakeholder engagement, Network and team management, facilitation and operations management. Working with network managers, project managers, as well as senior Center staff, the Senior Director will help to ensure progress against project objectives, timelines, and targets.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Participant Vetting and Cultivation and Fundraising -30%
- Work closely with network manager, design team and CEO to identify qualified, collaborative participants and support processes for stakeholder outreach, engagement and recruitment across all working groups and initiatives.
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       Senior Director is responsible for ensuring revenue targets are attained for both the network and the initiatives. Revenue sources include: participant fees, corporate and foundation grants, major donors, and special project funding from private entities. Support includes development of proposals and partnership agreements. Senior Director will work closely with the network manager and CEO
Strategy, Planning and Networks Management – 20%
- In concert with senior Center staff, develop and implement strategy of the network including working groups and initiatives, and work to oversee and support network directors and their teams as they implement project strategy.
- In collaboration with agriculture team, identify priorities, coordinate team work plans, assess capacity, monitor and evaluate progress to ensure the Networks is effective, meaningful, and timely.
- Work with CEO to coordinate the work of the network with other Green America priorities.
- Work closely with senior Center staff on budget and operating plan development
- Track working group and initiative progress against goals and timelines using work management software.
- Lead efforts to successfully launch, maintain, and evaluate initiatives within the Agriculture and Food Network.
- Attend and contribute to network meetings.
- Ensure team produces accurate, high-quality project deliverables in a timely manner, including: meeting reports, special research projects, and other outputs.
- Coordinate team in producing communications materials for variety of audiences
- Ensure knowledge gained is converted into “knowledge capital” for Center and Green America teams, including how to launch and manage working groups successfully and shift markets toward sustainability.
Soil Carbon Initiative Management – 50%
- Provide direction, oversight and coordination for the continued development of the Soil Carbon Initiative. In 2020 this work will developing a go to market plan for the standard including identifying the technical development partners needed for the full launch, the supply chain partners needed for the pilot phase, and the funding resources needed
- The Senior Director will work closely with the CEO and Design Team to develop a strategic work plan for SCI that covers the next 12 month.
The position involves domestic travel for Network meetings, conferences and business cultivation meetings, staff training, and other purposes. Position has direct supervisory responsibility for agricultural Network Manager, the Climate and Agriculture Program Manager, and some contract positions as applicable.
 Qualified Candidates should have the following skills and qualities:
- Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to develop trusting relationships with senior executives and high-level leaders across the food and agriculture sector.
- A strong knowledge of food and agriculture issues, including GMOs, food supply chains, local foods, and organics.
- The ability to understand and converse competently about complex supply chain issues with a broad range of stakeholders, and to provide useful frameworks for analysis and action on key supply chain issues.
- Strong project management skills, with 5+ years of experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
- Negotiating experience and the ability to move groups both quickly and collaboratively on key priorities. Experience facilitating large and small group discussions.
- Proven experience with business and client development (5-10 years)
- Strong research and writing skills.
- Strong speaking skills.
- MBA or equivalent strongly preferred.
How to apply: Please email your cover letter and resume/CV to CenterAgHire@greenamerica.org. No phone calls.
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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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Goldman Sachs to End Oil & Gas Financing in the Arctic |
33 banks have funneled 1.9 trillion into fossil fuels since 2016. Of these banks, Goldman Sachs ranks number 12 in the biggest financiers of fossil fuels, pouring approximately $59.26 billion dollars over the last three years. Yet in December of 2019, the US firm announced its decision to end the financing of new oil drilling and exploration projects in the Arctic, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Goldman Sachs’ decision includes a ban on funding new thermal coal mines worldwide.
The megabank acknowledged the scientific consensus behind climate change and stated that “climate change is one of the most significant environmental challenges of the 21st century” in its revised environmental policy framework. It also stated to more effectively help its clients manage climate impacts, including through the sale of weather-related catastrophe bonds. The revisions were reportedly a result of meetings between leaders of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, the Sierra Club, and representatives from Goldman Sachs.
Goldman Sachs is the first US megabank to end financing of Arctic oil and gas projects, as well as cite the climate crisis as a reason for its decision. This is a good sign for environmentalists and Arctic indigenous groups, who hope other banks will follow suit. However, the Goldman Sachs announcement doesn’t completely sever ties with the fossil fuel industry since it has not mentioned any commitments to end the financing of fracking projects.
There is a financial incentive to sever investments to the fossil fuel industry. Over the last decade, BlackRock has lost an estimated $90 billion by ignoring the risks of investing in fossil fuel companies instead of renewable energy. With solar photovoltaic installers and wind turbine service technicians as the two fastest-growing occupations in the US as of 2018, clean energy alternatives have increased accessibility and competitiveness.
While Goldman Sachs is the first US megabank to draw a red line over oil and gas projects, other major financial institutions are still pouring billions of dollars into the climate crisis. JPMorgan Chase is the single largest funder of fossil fuels in the world—it has financed a total of $195 billion over the last three years. As a green business leader, your voice matters in pressuring JPMorgan Chase to stop funding fossil fuels and invest in clean energy. Take action with us today.
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DC Concepts, LLC |
DC Concepts, LLC strives to reduce our carbon footprint by using 100% recycled materials to manufacture our products. We enourage Fair Trade by having honest and transparent dialogues with international distributors in an effort to establish an equitable relationship. We outsource our production and fulfillment to companies who share our practices. We provide free or low-cost products to persons, organizations, and countries in need. In addition, we volunteer our time in educational and service settings nationally and internationally on an as needed basis. |
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When Will Verizon Plug into Clean Energy? |
A lot can happen in a year…except at Verizon.
One year ago, the telecom giant quietly released its first major commitment to clean energy. After years of using a feeble amount of renewable power in its massive network, Verizon had finally set a goal to reach 50 percent clean energy by 2025.
Unfortunately, Verizon hasn’t announced any progress, meanwhile its competitors have made strides in clean energy.
This year, T-Mobile announced new wind and solar purchases that will bring the company to 95 percent of its 100 percent clean energy goal. AT&T announced two new deals and stated that its clean energy usage is equal to removing 690,000 cars off the road each year. Sprint also announced its first clean energy project this year, which will provide 30 percent of the company’s energy.
Verizon has not announced any new clean energy contracts, despite obtaining a $1 billion Green Bond in February 2019. These funds could be used for renewable energy, energy efficiency, conservation efforts, and more.
But Verizon reported that renewables were a mere 1% of its total energy use in 2018. Since it hasn’t announced any new contracts, it doesn’t seem promising that Verizon will reach its goal anytime soon.
The clock is ticking to act on the climate crisis. Every year, impacts escalate and grow more intense, threatening communities worldwide. We need industries to take aggressive steps to address their impacts.
The four largest telecom companies collectively use over 30 million MWh of electric power annually, which could power all the households in New York City. That’s why we’re urging Verizon to Hang Up on Fossil Fuels and plug into clean energy.
Join us by signing and sharing our petition today!
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Green and Eco-friendly Trends: Reflecting on 2019 |
By Guest Blogger: Kurt Whitt, Green Business Network Member and Founder/Chief Visionary Architect of EcoPlanetMedia
As an earth-friendly creative agency, Eco Planet Media gets a firsthand look at the green trends occurring across business sectors. Concern about the environment continues unabated, but researchers and everyday citizens of the earth are waking up to new ideas and technologies to counter the growing problems with climate change and pollution. In 2019, these eco-friendly trends hit the front page of environmental consciousness and green living.
Youth Climate Change Movement - Youth Climate Activists Ramp Up the Pressure
From school strikes to the global stage, young climate activists are making their voices heard and are increasingly politically engaged. You can't browse social media without seeing the name Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist whose campaigning has gained international recognition. Businesses are responding by including younger generations in the conversation, ranging from messaging and marketing to product development and sponsoring young brilliant minds to come up with innovative technological or political solutions.
An End to Plastic? Alternate Materials
As off-shore recycling takes a hit, companies looking for alternatives to plastic have a greater impetus to find a solution. Biodegradable packaging and products are the response to the tons of plastic dumped into the ocean every year. Companies are creating alternate materials from waste products like grape skins, natural polyesters, corn starches, and even fungi. Industries are restructuring their messaging to get consumers on board with these alternate materials and play a key role in educating the public on what is possible.
Renewable and Alternative Energy
Countries across the globe are going green with alternative energy. With more affordable options in solar and wind energy production, people are taking control of their own systems and local microgrids are gaining popularity. These pioneers in energy industries are up against monopolies and entrenched systems; they must have solid social media influence and powerful marketing to gain and maintain momentum that will change the energy marketplace in a meaningful way.
Minimalism and Anti-Consumerism Mindset
Excessive consumption leads to larger houses, latest model cars, trendier clothes, unnecessary new smartphone technology, and overfilled drawers. People are turning away from over-consumerism and toward a simpler and more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Buying less, living in smaller homes, and generating less waste become the consumer’s goals. This expands into the desire for less packaging and support for companies that waste less. Companies and businesses are driving attention to these practices in an effort to raise awareness among consumers through smart marketing campaigns and meaningful and transparent business practices.
Smart Buildings and Construction
Smart homes and the Internet of Things continue to grow in popularity. Green construction materials and increased efficiency in HVAC and other systems means cleaner indoor air and less post-construction waste. To counter the ecological effect of increases in new electronics prevalent in smart homes, more construction companies and technology developers turn to ecologically sound building techniques, including developing new materials with fewer potential pollutants. This deviation from ‘business as usual’ requires educating the public about these eco-friendly innovative practices through strong marketing and social awareness.
Eco-Tourism and Low-Impact Travel
Besides vacationing in environmentally interesting areas, more travelers in 2019 took into account what impact their visits have on the local ecology. A recent survey found that 86% of respondents would adopt green protocols or even volunteer for eco-friendly activities while on vacation. Businesses in the tourist industry are increasing awareness amongst travelers through eco-friendly advertising and partnering with local environmental efforts to create such opportunities.
Electric and Self-Driving Vehicles
Driverless cars consume less fuel, wear out more slowly, and decrease overall pollution. Combine them with electric or alternative fuel vehicles, and you have one of the great eco-friendly trends for 2019 and beyond. Businesses in this industry face the obstacle of educating a potentially reluctant public through strategic campaigns showcasing the benefits of turning over the wheel to a computer in order to save the planet.
Organic Foods - The Certified Organic Label
Consumers are aware that organically raised produce or livestock have not been touched by growth hormones nor have they been genetically altered. The yield for the organic grower is much smaller than that of growers using conventional techniques, resulting in higher prices. But for many consumers, the expense is worth it. Brands are driving social awareness of the real health effects of conventional agricultural practices on our personal and collective ecosystems through powerful advertising and positioning
Buying Green
To sustain our natural resources, we need to consume less by thinking about what we buy and how we use the products we buy. The less consumers consume, the smaller their footprint. So, what is a green product? Simply, it is a product that has very little, if any, negative effect on the environment. Consumers can identify green products easily by the labels. And more and more green products are showing up on store shelves. Currently, it is these businesses that are responsible for bringing awareness of consumerism and footprints by changing the language consumers identify with when making purchases.
Buying Local
Produce at the local grocery store is sourced from all over the world; it has been picked unripe and has been sitting in trucks and ships for many days or weeks, and it’s impossible to ascertain if they’ve been grown in a healthy, sustainable environment. When we buy locally, we can be certain our food is fresh and lessens the carbon footprint of transportation and storage costs. Local producers require targeted marketing to make their presence known in their communities, by closely identifying with their specific populations and providing solutions to problems their neighbors have.
Businesses and corporations are learning that globalization includes fair arrangements with their trading partners. Fair Trade Certified labels are becoming more visible. It is up to true, eco-friendly brands to think about every aspect of their business, including who they partner with to handle their marketing. The weight of informing the public of eco-friendly alternatives to traditional business practices rests on these pioneers.
At Eco Planet Media, we do our part to ensure consumers know how these businesses are changing the world. We help innovative companies achieve their online potential through branding, website design, ecommerce and digital marketing. As partners with Green America, we donate a percentage of every client project to One Tree Planted towards reforestation projects around the world.
Ultimately, if consumers make well-considered choices in their purchases, and adopt eco-friendly trends, we will have a healthier, happier world.
Along with helping you live green, for over 40 years, Green America has been working for safe food, a healthy climate, fair labor, responsible finance, and social justice.
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Issue #116, Green American Magazine - Unraveling the Fashion Industry (Winter 2019) |
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10 Ways Amazon Violates Human Rights |
As the world’s largest company, Amazon has a huge affect on the global economy. It also employs between 500,000 and 1 million individuals, and the way it treats those employees matters. Here are some of the worst human rights abuses that Amazon has either directly or indirectly contributed to.
10 Ways Amazon Violates Human Rights
- Amazon risks the health of workers in US. During the pandemic, nearly 20,000 Amazon employees have contracted COVID-19. Additionally throughout the pandemic, warehouse workers have voiced concerns of Amazon not taking enough precautions, which was supported by lawmakers when they made a surprise visit to an Amazon facility. Additionally, injury records analyzed by Reveal at the Center for Investigative Reporting demonstrate that injury rates within Amazon warehouses are more than DOUBLE the industry average; this is attributed in part to high production quotas.
- Amazon risks the health of workers in their supply chain. While Amazon does have a Restricted Substances List (RSL) of restricted or banned chemicals to protect consumers of some products from toxic exposures, it does not apply to electronics or apparel. Amazon does not share which harmful chemicals are and are not allowed in their electronics or apparel supply chain; this means workers and consumers could be exposed to harmful chemicals with potentially lasting negative health consequences. Amazon does not have an MRSL (a list of chemicals that are restricted or banned from the manufacturing process) for any product and is therefore failing to protect workers.
- Amazon is STILL selling dangerous electronics and electronics accessories to consumers. CNN reports: “Since 2016, at least 1,500 reviews, covering more than 70 items, have described products exploding, catching on fire, smoking, melting, causing electrical malfunctions or otherwise posing risks, according to an analysis of Amazon Basics electronics and appliances listed on its website.”
- Amazon tries to silence workers. The National Labor Relations Board is accusing Amazon of illegally firing a warehouse worker who spoke out for safer working conditions. During the pandemic, Amazon has fired several other employees who were organizing for safer working condition. All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace – silencing and firing workers only makes the problem worse.
- In some Amazon Ring call centers, workers have ‘no choice’ but to sleep at work. NBC News reported that in the Philippines, after speaking up about their terrible working conditions, such as having no choice but to sleep at work, the conditions got even worse afterwards. During the pandemic, requests to work from home have been denied, resulting in workers coming to the call center with flu-like symptoms. "People are scared because we don't know who has it and who doesn't have it," an Amazon Ring contractor said. "But people don't have a choice, because it's either you will be infected or you will die of starvation."
- Amazon sells clothing from a factory blacklisted for its poor safety conditions. The Wall Street Journal found that sellers on Amazon have been listing clothing from a factory so dangerous that most other major retailers will not buy from it. This factory has no fire alarms and doors that lock from the outside to keep workers trapped inside.
- Facilitates the human rights crisis on the US-Mexico border. The Guardian reported that Amazon Web Services hosts the Department of Homeland Security's databases which allows "the department and its agencies to track and apprehend immigrants.” Amazon also works with Palantir, which has over $150 million in contracts with US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE).
- Fights unions, resisting workers' right to freedom of association. Amazon is known for pushing back against unionization. Amazon reportedly has Whole Foods managers watch anti-union training videos and has fired numerous workers who were organizing their coworkers during the time of firing. And Amazon doesn’t stop there – Vice reported that, along with surveilling worker and union organizing, “Amazon uses social media to track environmental activism and social movements in Europe—including Greenpeace and Fridays For Future, environmental activist Greta Thunberg's global climate strike movement—and perceives such groups as a threat to its operations.”
- Amazon’s Ring allows police to access your video footage. Forbes reports that you can opt out of allowing police access to your data, but “they can request the footage directly from Amazon if it has been uploaded to the cloud and the request is sent within 60 days of recording - even if you deny police access to that footage.” Though a similar video doorbell service, Nest, has stated that it would not share footage directly with police, experts do have privacy concerns about both services.
- Amazon is listening to your private conversations. Amazon hires thousands of people to listen to your conversations. CBS reported individuals that are hired to review recordings from Alexa and noted that sometimes they review private conversations.
Learn more about Amazon's worker's rights issues at home and abroad. If you're ready to make the switch, here are sustainable alternatives to Amazon. Amazon’s profits are only possible due to the work of individuals around the world, from apparel supply chains to delivery drivers – Join us in calling on Amazon to step it up on workers’ rights!
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