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In any given month, white Americans save and invest hundreds of dollars more into their accounts than their Black counterparts—76% more, to be exact. This information comes from the 2020 Ariel-Schwab Black Investor Survey (Ariel is a Black-owned investing company), highlighting the discrepancies faced by Black Americans when it comes to financial equity.

Investing remains exclusive, painting a more somber financial reality for Black Americans.
Leaders, activists, and progressive institutions, however, continue to fight for financial equity and the undoing of centuries of financial exclusion.

Access: Financial Inequity, For Centuries

Calvin Holmes, president of the Chicago Community Loan Fund {GBN}, sees racism and white supremacy at play in financial barriers, from a lack of workplace promotions and discrimination in the American education system, preventing Black Americans from a more lucrative resume.

“American history is full of examples of violent white supremacists stripping or blocking BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] wealth building,” Holmes states.

He offers the example of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and Viola Fletcher, who was seven when a white mob destroyed everything her family built. At the time, Tulsa’s affluent Black community, the Greenwood District, was known as “Black Wall Street.” White people in the area were resentful of their Black neighbors’ wealth and success. In the Massacre, white mobs burned the entire district, including churches, schools, a hospital, a library, and over 1,200 homes. Over 800 people were injured and as many as 300 died.

“She had never made enough money thereafter to cover her basic needs,” Holmes explains of Fletcher’s life following the Tulsa Massacre. “She instead was left to a penniless life of working as a domestic servant for whites.”

In 2021, a century later, Fletcher testified before Congress for the right to reparations.
Reparations, a system of remedies for egregious injustices, is the least the US owes to Black Americans for the enduring generational trauma of slavery and intentional financial inequity. The Land Back movement for Indigenous peoples, which you can read more about on p. 16, is a form of reparations, as was the 3.45 billion Deutsche Marks West Germany agreed to pay Holocaust survivors in 1952. But no reparations have been paid to Black Americans, intentionally keeping wealth-building opportunities from them and staying in line with a system that was built by and for white people.

“The financial services industry has a history of systemic racism, with systems to legally discriminate against Black Americans,” says Teri Williams, president and chief operating officer of OneUnited Bank. “From slavery to Jim Crow to redlining to predatory lending, changes in public policy are needed to reverse systemic racism and help Black Americans build wealth today.”

Investing and the Racial Wealth Gap

New technologies, apps, and companies are making investing easier for everyone, notes Williams. She cites things like “keep the change” apps, which round up payments and divert the extra to your savings. Another solution is automatic 401(k) enrollment, which should become easier since Congress passed the Secure Act 2.0 in March 2022, mandating employers enroll employees in the 401(k) program.

“From slavery to Jim Crow to redlining to predatory lending, changes in public policy are needed to reverse systemic racism and help Black Americans build wealth today.”

—Teri Williams, OneUnited Bank

“Corporations and government must continue to do more to hire lower-wealth Black and brown people into their highest paying jobs,” Holmes says. “They must diversify their cabinets and boards to help their operations generate more racial economic equity and thus create more wealth for non-white people to invest.”

Creating more wealth is crucial—especially while the racial wealth gap continues to exist. During the pandemic, about twice as many Black Americans than white had to borrow from their retirement savings and dip into emergency funds, according to the Ariel-Schwab survey.

Black Americans also continue to make less than their white counterparts, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, and hold 2.9% of the overall wealth in the country, compared to white Americans possessing 86.8% of wealth, according to the Federal Reserve.

Tools for Fighting Inequity

COVID-19 was a sobering reality for everyone. According to the survey, on 2020, Black Americans cut spending, put money into savings and investing accounts, and checked investment performance at higher rates than white Americans. This, combined with more recent financial optimism, led Black families to talk more about investing (27% compared to 18% of white families). Now younger generations of Black Americans are investing at higher rates and need to be supported.

“We believe in defining the Black community by our assets rather than our challenges, including the $1.3 trillion we spend annually,” offers Williams.

As outlined on the OneUnited website, one asset-focused strategy for closing the racial gap is prioritizing one of six transactions: savings & investments; profitable business; improved credit scores; home ownership; creating a will; insurance.

“All six strategic transactions are the cornerstones to building generational wealth, but we recommend each family choose one that is either the easiest to accomplish or creates the most economic reward,” Williams says. “Once you learn the steps necessary to accomplish your goal, your learning will become actionable rather than academic.”

Holmes also shares how the power of the internet has broken down many barriers for financial literacy.

Williams wants to see outreach work to Black communities, like that of DREAM and BlackFem.

Changing the Narrative

Tools, though, are not enough to create enduring change—and let white-dominated institutions off the hook. We must change the way society sees and the government acts on wealth equity, white supremacy, and systemic oppression.

“Government agencies, charitable foundations, and corporations often work in concert to stigmatize Black Americans to attract resources to address the problems they name,” Williams condemns. “They fail to realize that in doing so, they succeed at writing Black Americans into the public’s mind as a problem to be solved and a threat to be mitigated rather than aspiring and contributing human beings.”

This narrative must be changed for true economic justice and equity, Williams says.

A reimagined world where Black people can invest and grow wealth equitably has huge potential to improve individual lives and grow the green economy. It’s what’s required for true economic justice and equity, concludes Williams.

According to a 2021 report from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people with incomes of $80,000 a year report more happiness and confidence in weathering negative events than those making less. Unsurprisingly, when people have enough money to cover bills, unexpected events, have fun experiences, and higher quality of life, they are happier. Investing can be one step toward that goal.

A 2022 update to the Ariel-Schwab survey found that Black investors are 15% more likely to align their investments with their personal beliefs than white investors, and more likely to prioritize socially responsible investing (SRI). The Black financial leaders highlighted on p. 10 show examples of how that might be done with Black American’s collective $1 trillion in buying power. Prioritizing and improving Black Americans’ wealth, as well as their education and access to investing, will increase the power of SRI investing, and green our economy.

Simply put: it’s important to make investing equitable for Black Americans because it is what they are owed, and also because Black investors will add to the strength of the society and a healthy planet. ✺

Being the first in your family to have success can be empowering––and draining. When someone experiences upward mobility, it typically affects their immediate family. However, for Black people, sometimes someone making it can mean the entire family makes it. After all, it would take 228 years for the average Black family to obtain the same amount of wealth as white families, according to a report from the Institute for Policy Studies.

The media often highlights stories of Black people succeeding despite the odds. When we watch the NFL draft, we see a Black boy who grew up in an impoverished neighborhood surrounded by his closest loved ones, all ready to celebrate his success. We’ve also seen the same scenario for actors and singers.

In a 2010 interview with Oprah, singer Fantasia opened up about the pressure of being her family’s breadwinner at 19 after her American Idol success and the subsequent bankruptcies she faced.

“I was young, fresh in the game, and I just wanted to sing, without really understanding that you still have to watch after everything that you have going for you,” said Fantasia.

This phenomenon also extends to the average person who may be the first to obtain a bachelor’s degree, or someone like me, who is married with no children. Having a degree and no kids may seem to free up my finances, since children can be costly, so I may appear to be the right person to ask for a loan.

While Black individuals may be expected to pull their families up the class structure, growing strong financial legacies can empower families for future generations.

What is the Black Tax?

A. Donahue Baker, the co-founder and CEO of financial services firm Money Avenue, understands this situation firsthand. He was the first in his family to graduate college and the first to earn a six-figure income. Baker explains that the “Black Tax” describes the financial cost successful professionals of Black families pay to support less fortunate family members.

“It is exacerbated by societal pressure and an economic system that has historically denied Black people opportunities to build generational wealth,” Baker explains. He describes being the safety net in his family once he landed his first high-paying job.

“My family began to look at me as the source of funds for everything just because the perception was that I could afford it whether that was true or not,” Baker says. “Then later in life when I started my own CPA practice, I saw it play out repeatedly with entertainers, NBA players, and entrepreneurs.”

The expectation of better-off individuals to support their family members instead of putting money towards growing wealth, such as through housing or the stock market, impacts one’s ability to pass on a legacy to their loved ones.

“Despite the odds, many Blacks have still been able to achieve financial success, but some feel that success has left a sense of obligation or guilt to help less fortunate family members and friends,” Baker says. “Many realize it is usually those family members that have sacrificed and/or contributed to their success.”

Historical Factors for Income Inequity

The roots of the wealth gap took hold during the slave trade in the US, when Black people were kidnapped and forced to provide labor that built wealth for white families. The trauma of this era reverberates to this day, both psychologically and economically. Not every slave was freed in 1863, after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, and while some slave owners were given reparations, no slaves were.

Instead, vagrancy laws were enacted as early as 1866, which meant that anyone who appeared to be homeless or not working could be jailed. Freed Black men, without any wealth to purchase a home, were sent to prison to supply free labor (read more about the racist prison system on p. 18). General Sherman’s “40 acres and a mule” field order was also rescinded by President Johnson.

Black veterans were also unfairly treated despite fighting in the world wars. The G.I. Bill, signed in 1944 by President Roosevelt, offered veterans college funds, unemployment insurance, and access to affordable housing. Black veterans, while technically qualified for the Bill, came home to find themselves targets for lynching throughout the country instead, and were more likely to be dishonorably discharged than any other group. Not only that, they were denied access to vocational programs and scholarships, which made them more likely to be unemployed. While 1.2 million Black men served, only 12% were able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill, according to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

With these barriers in place, Black families struggled for longer to get their footing under them, and that is why, to this day, some families may still be working towards obtaining generational wealth.

Creating Financial Legacies

Several government programs have been started hoping to help families build a legacy and break down racial barriers to wealth creation. For instance, the Federal Housing Administration has programs that encourage people to buy their first homes, even for seniors. The Earned Income Tax Credit and Medicaid expansion have also helped to create equity for low income individuals, regardless of race. These ensure that they have access to healthcare and an extra cushion at tax time.

On the local level, cities like Evanston, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri, have started reparations programs for descendants of slaves. Evanston residents can take advantage of grants to buy or repair their homes. In April 2022, the city of St. Louis created a voluntary reparations program in which residents may voluntarily contribute funds to help struggling areas of the city. Black residents have expressed concern about not understanding how to apply or qualify for assistance through that fund.

For those looking to educate themselves, resources are even available from your phone. Podcasts such as Paychecks & Balances and Afronomics offer culturally competent financial advice on the go. Scholarships and loans for students can be a form of reparations to help create equity for those from families who can’t afford to send their children to school. Scholarship programs can alleviate the strain of carrying student loan debt, since it can impact your credit worthiness, and 48% of Black students owe 12.8% more than they’ve borrowed. Bold.org keeps a running list of scholarships that decrease the need for loans and/or encourage diverse representation in careers like STEM, law, and hospitality.

Another means of reparations can involve the average consumer supporting Black businesses. Employers can also work to close the pay gap that persists between people of color, and banks can revise their lending programs, since Black entrepreneurs are less likely to get venture capital funding.

It can be tempting to give your family the world as a breadwinner, but that doesn’t mean you should feel obligated to deplete yourself or your finances. We must take care of ourselves to take care of each other. Our ancestors built the foundation and planted the seeds for us. By creating financial legacies, we are replanting those seeds for the next generation. ✺

Tonya Russell is a South Jersey-based freelance writer who is passionate about health, wellness, and culture. Her words can be found in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post and Well and Good.

Families ripped apart. People stripped of second chances. And the inability to have a secure, financial future. All these are consequences of incarceration.

The prison system makes a profit off the lives of incarcerated peoples and their loved ones while deepening the wealth gap for Black and brown communities that are disproportionately more likely to be imprisoned.

Fees, fines, debts, and hiring discrimination follow formerly incarcerated people for their entire lives. Time in prison reduces someone’s lifetime earning potential by nearly half a million dollars on average, according to a 2021 report from the Brennan Center.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The cultural and economic benefits of prison reform would benefit everyone in US society, from those on the inside to those who might not think they even have ties to the justice system.

Prisons Keep Poor People of Color Poor

The US locks up 2.3 million people annually, which costs taxpayers and families of justice-involved people $182 billion per year, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. That funding could go to public goods like education, public health, and growing vibrant communities.

The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with roughly half that population incarcerated for drug-related crimes. The War on Drugs, started in 1971, resulted in mandatory minimum sentencing laws that began to incarcerate people for longer than ever before.

People who live below the poverty line are more likely to be incarcerated: according to a 2018 report from the Brookings Institute, boys who grew up in the bottom 10% of incomes (in families that earn less than $14,000) are 20 times more likely to be in jail by their early 30s than boys from the top 10% (families earning more than $143k). When Black Americans make up nearly 20% of those below the poverty line, and Hispanic people make up 17%—while their white counterparts don’t even break 9%—the racial wealth gap is deepened by a conviction.

The litany of fees criminal defendants must pay—from phone calls to probation fees—ensure that those without wealth stay that way. Bail is one such fee. In fact, most people in jail are not convicted, but are locked up awaiting trial, according to Prison Policy Initiative. A 2018 study by Princeton economists found that the average bail amount for Black defendants is more than $7,000 higher than white defendants. For people with a support system or money on the outside, the ability to post bail allows them to continue working, whereas those that cannot afford bail stay poor behind bars, and may stay for months to years before a trial.

Friends and families of incarcerated folks are forced to foot the bill for calls and commissary purchases, too. A 15-minute phone call can cost upwards of $5, depending on the state—an incarcerated person making 12 to 40 cents an hour on maintenance jobs would have to work over 40 hours to afford the call. Unpaid penal labor is legal under the 13th Amendment in the US Constitution.

Inside the prison, wealth disparity is visible on gendered lines, too.

The Cost of Prisons on Women

Julia Arroyo is the managing director at Young Women’s Freedom Center, a nonprofit in California that seeks to inspire young women and trans youth of all genders who have been disproportionately impacted by the prison system to create positive change in their lives and communities. She notes that even in prison there is a gender wealth gap.

“If we look at the way that some of the labor plays out inside, women were getting paid half the wage as male prisoners,” Arroyo says. “Folks are working for maybe 15 cents an hour. And they can take your 15 cents. Maybe you’ve altered a blanket, and now you need to pay the jail back for the blanket because you turned it into a pillow.”

For people that menstruate, necessary products are costly and often inadequate. In Missouri, the Department of Corrections offers free but nonabsorbent sanitary napkins. Incarcerated people make a base pay of $7.50-$8.50 a month, but absorbent menstrual products can cost them 70-80% of their monthly wage, according to MOST Policy Initiative.

Arroyo notes that outside, the caregivers for incarcerated men are often women, paying for phone calls and commissary allowances. But that doesn’t always carry over for incarcerated women.

“If you look at a men’s prison, lines are around the corner on visiting days,” says Arroyo. “When you look at a woman’s visiting room, it’s a very empty place. Mass incarceration affects [women] both ways. Either we’re caregiving for the loved ones that are incarcerated, or that we’re incarcerated and we’re less likely to ask our loved ones to support us because we know that we don’t want to take resources from our children or our families.”

Detention Centers: Jail for Asylum-Seekers

Immigration is technically a civil matter, not a criminal one, yet detention centers function much like prisons. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains hopeful immigrants, 69% of whom have no criminal record, according to 2022 data from Syracuse University. Yet for asylum seekers, seeking freedom from persecution in another country means being put behind bars in the US. ICE detains immigrants in approximately 200 jails, according to Detention Watch Network.

When Maribel Morales was 19, she fled the violence and poverty of Guatemala to seek refuge in the US. Morales crossed into Texas in 2014, claiming asylum, and spent nearly a month in detention in San Antonio before being transferred to the West County Detention Facility (WCDF) in California. US policy dictates that asylum seekers must be imprisoned and can seek bail if they are deemed to not be a threat to society.

After three months at WCDF, Morales’ $7,500 bail was reduced to $2,500 in San Francisco court. She was reunited with her father in Opelika, Alabama, after he paid bail, but nearly eight years after her release, her legal status is still unclear. Morales’ time in detention was short compared to others in situations like hers. Immigrants in detention centers for several months are often put to work for little to no pay.

Two years ago, her father returned to Guatemala and was no longer able to support her. Finding employment became vital for Morales, who was now pregnant.

“I applied for a Tax ID number and got it. I couldn’t work or get into school without an ID,” she says. “If I had a social security number, I could at least get a better job.”

Morales is currently working as a server in a restaurant earning $2.50/hr. plus tips, and going to school on her days off, but her impending court case has been postponed nearly three years due to the pandemic.

Unnecessary barriers to entry into the country and job growth make it harder for immigrants to contribute economically and culturally.

What Could Be

What could be possible if offenders were rehabilitated instead of incarcerated and innocent immigrants were not immediately put behind bars?

The reality is that many formerly incarcerated people have a great deal to contribute to the economy and to society, they just don’t know how. According to data from the Legislative Analyst’s Office of California, prisons spend more on maintenance of inmate records than on vocational training. And when, for example, California spends $106,000 on keeping a person in prison per year, with only $3,600 of that towards rehabilitation, it’s not hard to see why things aren’t changing.

In Norway, prisons are focused on rehabilitation and education. As a result, the nation has a 20% recidivism rate and former prisoners that once thought their only skill was selling drugs walk out with a diploma, vocational training, and the self-confidence that they are capable of more than their crimes.

Norway’s goal of creating good neighbors out of prisoners has been adopted by state prisons in North Dakota. Charles Butcher, who was in the Missouri River Correctional Center in Bismark in 2019, says that the prison’s transformation-based methods helped him learn conflict resolution skills.

“It took a lot of time for me to learn to just walk away. I picked it up here,” Butcher told US News & World Report.

While it’s too early to determine the amount of money formerly incarcerated people in North Dakota have contributed to society, a report from the ACLU noted that taxpayers would save over $125 million over the course of six years. That money could be invested in schools, social services, and other resources to strengthen communities.

Removing Incarceration from Immigration

For immigrants, coming to the states is about creating a better life—the same philosophy behind the American Dream that pilgrims were looking for when they first crossed the Atlantic. It’s what Morales was looking for when she fled Guatemala and why she continues to go to school.

The DACA program, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, ensures that the more than 825,000 people who immigrated to the US as undocumented young children can stay and work. More than three-quarters of that number are employed in essential jobs such as health care, education, and the food supply chain. Collectively, DACA households hold over $25 billion in spending power, strengthening their local economies. These contributions to the economy would not exist without DACA.

Transforming the System Starts at Home

Beyond money, what cultural contributions and thriving communities could we create if we focused on care instead of mass incarceration? This hope, called transformative justice, is what the Young Women’s Freedom Center works towards—to help people that have been impacted by the justice system or the street market to become positive leaders in their communities. Arroyo says that changing this system begins at home.

“I think our kitchen table is a place where we can start to have deeper conversations about what it means to see our communities thrive and be successful,” says Arroyo. “We all have to be brave and creative in thinking about ways to address poverty, oppression, racial and gender injustices.”

Just like how incarceration affects entire families and communities, it will take collaboration and collective action with neighbors and relatives to create a better justice system.

“It’s not just going to come from one of us,” says Arroyo, “it’s going to come from all of us.” ✺

NC Hernández is a Chicano writer from southern California who now lives in Mexico City with his partner and two cats. He has worked as a behaviorist for children with autism, a touring musician, and an immigrant rights activist who led the first visitation program in California for federally imprisoned immigrants.

In the beginning, a woman fell from the sky, clutching seeds and fruits. The animals helped her find safety on the back of a turtle and brought her mud, from which she grew the seeds and fruits into a wilderness. In these moments together, the animals and Skywoman created Turtle Island, later named North America by European colonists.

This creation story, shared among many tribes in the Great Lakes region, as told by Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, reflects the relationship Native tribes have shared with the land for countless generations—and one that was stolen from millions of people when colonists crossed the ocean and forcibly removed Native tribes from their lands. And while returning land back to Native peoples is a moral imperative, there are economic and environmental benefits that would come with doing the right thing.

Today, that movement is called Land Back, and is about putting Indigenous lands in Indigenous hands. Krystal Two Bulls (Oglala Lakota, Northern Cheyenne), the director of NDN Collective’s Landback campaign, says that reclaiming land is part of a bigger movement.

“It’s the reclamation of our kinship systems, our governance systems, our ceremony and spirituality, our language, our culture, our food systems, our housing, our health care…those are all based on our relationship to the land,” says Two Bulls. “The land provides for us and is a life source for us.”

From the Black Hills to the Amazon Basin

In 1868, the US entered a treaty with the Great Sioux Nation that designated the Black Hills, spanning 1.2 million acres in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, as “unceded Indian Territory” to be used exclusively by Indigenous peoples. But when Lieut. Col. Custer led an expedition to investigate rumors of gold deposits in the Black hills and found it, the US government violated the treaty to seize the gold. That led to the deadly Battle of Little Bighorn as Custer violently drove out Indigenous communities. Over a century later, the US Supreme Court awarded $100 million in reparations, but the Sioux Nation refused—the land was never for sale to begin with, and what is owed is not a monetary sum, but the land back.

Beyond the legal obligation to honor the treaty, there are economic benefits to honoring treaties. Helen Ding, a senior economist at World Resources Institute, published a report demonstrating just that.

The 2016 report titled Climate Benefits, Tenure Costs: The Economic Case for Securing Indigenous Land Rights, focuses on securing Indigenous land in Bolivia, Brazil, and Columbia, which collectively contain most of the Amazon Basin and is home to millions of Indigenous peoples. If these peoples could have secured land titles, the estimated benefits in ecosystem services—such as reduced pollution, erosion control, and carbon storage—could result in an estimated economic benefit of up to $119 billion for Bolivia, $1.2 billion for Brazil, and $277 billion for Colombia over a 20-year period, according to that report. As a climate mitigation strategy, the cost of securing Indigenous land titles in the Amazon Basin is five to 42 times lower than the average cost of carbon capture and storage for coal- and gas-fired power plants.

When it gets down to the dollar, protecting Indigenous land rights makes economic sense.
“Moving away from land rights as a legal issue and helping people to understand that increasing land tenure security is essentially an economic matter and helps to reduce carbon emissions and protect forests,” Ding says.

Ding says that the biggest barrier to securing Indigenous land rights comes down to economic opportunity costs on the land. If a nation deems that oil, forestry, or gold on the land is more valuable than treaties, then they likely won’t honor land rights. This case played out in the Black Hills during the 1800s.

“That whole area in the Black Hills has been a [gold and tourism] moneymaker for the US government and the state of South Dakota for hundreds of years now,” says Two Bulls. “The money made off those lands that we were removed from, our traditional territories, and by treaty, technically should go to the tribes.”

That is why Ding’s research team focused on the economic side; by demonstrating that respecting Indigenous land rights results in more long-term economic benefits than resource extraction proves that the better investment for governments is in Indigenous people.

Healing Happens on Ancestral Land

Settler colonialism has resulted in genocide, poverty, addiction, and much more harm to Native nations, which have the highest poverty rate among minorities according to Census data. Two Bulls states that the root of their ills comes from land theft; therefore, the solution is giving land back.

Across Turtle Island, Indigenous tribes are finding ways to return home. In 2020, the Esselen Tribe was returned nearly 1,200 acres of their ancestral lands near Big Sur, California, after 250 years. In late 2021, the Squaxin Island Tribe was gifted over a thousand acres of land near the southern Puget Sound in Washington. In April 2022, 465 acres in the Chesapeake Bay was donated to the Rappahannock Tribe.

These stories are examples of land back. While there are many ways in which land can return to Native hands, such as a land purchase or a trust, the 465 acres given to the Rappahannock was the result of collaboration between the tribe and the Chesapeake Conservancy. The Conservancy managed a massive fundraising effort to purchase the land to donate to the tribe. While 465 acres is a small fraction of the Rappahannock’s original territory, it is a step in the right direction.

“It has been a long journey for the tribe’s restoration to the lands of our forefathers,” said Chief Anne Richardson of the Rappahannock Tribe during a celebration event. “To be able to reconnect with the DNA that is in the ground and on the cliffs.”

“There’s more work to do,” says Joel Dunn, CEO of the Chesapeake Conservancy. “There’s more land to protect along this beautiful river. There’s more land that we can buy for the tribe.”

With that land, the Rappahannock Tribe will be able to reclaim their cultural ties and practices. Chief Richardson describes the land as the tribe’s “grocery store,” with more than 250 plant and animal species the tribe gathers for food, crafts, and medicinal purposes. The environmental stewardship the tribe promises to practice—including developing an Indigenous conservation education center to teach future generations—will help restore the wetlands and help declining species make a return.

“When we reclaim lands, it opens up economic opportunities for us to be able to have revenue streams that are able to address the issues in our communities,” says Two Bulls. Tourism is one such revenue stream, says Two Bulls, noting that NDN Collective’s Land Back campaign currently has a focus on public lands like national parks and monuments.

“The root of [the word] ‘economy’ means taking care of your home,” says Two Bulls. “We’re not trying to reclaim land ownership in a Western colonial way of thinking about it. We are trying to reclaim our ways of being, which was never based on money.”

And while giving land back creates economic and environmental incentives, it also means giving Indigenous peoples the means to care for themselves and their communities again through their relationship with the land. ✺

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“I have always believed in the healing power of nature,” says MuLondon’s founder, Bo. It is the idea at the center of the UK-based skincare company—using what our own planet provides us to thrive healthily and naturally. 

An appreciation for nature and its abundant beauty and resources was instilled in Bo from an early age. 

“As I was growing up, this love and fascination for the botanical world was reinforced by my mother,” he explains. “She would often talk to me about medicinal plants, their properties and their Latin names, and she would show me what natural remedy to use in case of cuts, bumps, bruises or an upset tummy. A whole new world opened up to me.” 

Nature remained a throughline for Bo. 

Next was a role at a biodynamic farm in Sweden. It was there, he said, that the “unspoilt coast of the magnificent Baltic Sea” made him realize the intimate connection between all things inhabiting this planet. 

There was an unexpected side effect to living in Sweden, however. The combination of genes, stress and the lack of sun caused Bo to develop eczema and psoriasis, which in turn led to a drop in self-confidence. Skin and self-esteem have always gone hand-in-hand—don't you remember the days of acne, puberty, and high school? But Bo was determined to do something about this. 

“I wanted an alternative to steroid creams, so I went back to my roots,” he says. “I started reading everything that I could about herbs, essential oils and natural skincare. I realized there were too many ingredients in everyday products, and most didn’t do much.” 

So, he began making his own, testing them on himself and friends, and when results were successful, the idea was born to create his own line—with higher standards. Because while it is important, of course, that skincare products are safe, Bo posits they should also be effective and kind. 

Revolutionary, huh? 

It’s not the only way MuLondon strives for progressive practices, though. When it comes to ethics as a company, MuLondon is committed on several fronts. 

“Being green is at the core of what we do. For us, it’s personal, so we choose to work with organizations and certifiers that are aligned with our values and beliefs.” 

Beyond being a Green America Gold certified business, MuLondon is also registered as organic, cruelty-free, and vegan, as well as a member of 1% For the Planet and a Certified B Corp. You can read more about how MuLondon strives for these high standards here. 

MuLondon is also a proud supporter of the UK LGBTQ organization Stonewall. 

What does that have to do with skincare and being a green business? (Besides being featured on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, of course!) 

As Bo, who is gay, put it to someone who emailed him about staying out of politics, “We are, and always have been, a political company. That is baked into our very core and what we stand for. Buying our products—buying any product—is in itself a very political act. When you do that, you’re supporting everything that company stands for. 

 “Our values are kindness, compassion and inclusion, and we will continue to speak up for that.” 

Bo, MuLondon's Founder

It goes back to Green America’s core principle of voting with your dollar. 

Being a good company is more than using recycled materials or posting Black Lives Matter on Twitter. To truly be a good company, it is about being a force for the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit. And that is where MuLondon’s support for Stonewall originates. 

By being a company that is kind to the planet and people—including fair wages and demanding inclusivity—it builds a more holistic and progressive approach to the economy, of which we are all a part. 

And that’s what Bo stresses—we're not alone. 

“I’ve learned to ask for help - from my peers, my customers, the organizations I work with and business support networks.” 
 
He suggests you do the same, because it can go a long way: “Ask how you can develop and what you can do better. I now understand that there’s always room for improvement. There’s so much I have learned by working with our certifiers. They have helped me see where my blind spots are. 

“We can all grow and thrive in harmony if we are mindful of our relationship with nature and ourselves.” 

May 25th marks two years since Minnesota police office Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. In that time, the United States has seen protests supporting Black Lives Matter (BLM), calls for more accountability and police budget reallocation, and promises to do better by BIPOC Americans. 

In the corporate world, promises abounded. 

As William Michael Cunningham, CEO of Creative Investment Research told Fran Teplitz, Green America’s executive co-director for business, investing & policy, as of June 2021, 261 corporations pledged $67.186 billion to BLM-related organizations—with little to no transparency or accountability. 

Companies boasted their commitments to diversity and progressive workplaces, even while reports revealed that companies making solidarity statements had 20% fewer Black employees on average than the ones that said nothing. 

It shouldn’t take police brutality or the deaths of Black people in the streets to catalyze change. The numbers show such a change is already both desired and beneficial. Numerous studies reveal most employees want inclusive workplaces, and diverse companies performing better financially, creatively, as well as in areas of engagement and decision-making. 

One action businesses—even the smallest ones—can take is prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through training and education. 

Green Business Network member Takoma Park Silver Spring (TPSS) Co-op has been undertaking such an endeavor since 2019. 

General Manager Mike Houston shared insights about this process, including its origins, areas that need improvement, and what it means to show up and do the work.  

What prompted TPSS to take this step? 

Houston: This started in the fall of 2019. We had our board elections and after seeing the Takoma Park City Council go through similar training, the board was interested in doing the same. 

We have 50 employees that come from 20 different countries, so we’re a diverse co-op to begin with, but that didn’t mean this wasn’t something we needed to do. 

TPSS began reaching out to consultants and getting proposals on scope, timing, resources, and cost for thorough and sincere DEI training. Then COVID hit. 

Houston: Everything got put on hold, and then put on hold again. But there was such a desire to do this and have the board and staff do it together. We picked back up again in fall 2021 and kicked off in February 2022. 

We had to make sure we dedicated enough time, especially for the staff. It’s a comprehensive program we’re going through, and we needed to make sure we could get everyone—even in a virtual space—together at the same time. 

Depending on the make-up of a business, as seen following the 2020 BLM protests, many DEI statements or commitments can come across as—or genuinely be—the work of a white savior complex. What expertise and choices did TPSS make when mapping out this training to avoid that? 

Houston: Leah Kedar is our trainer, she runs The Kedar Group. Part of her coaching focuses on the historical perspective. 

We’re incredibly lucky to be in Washington, DC. We’re going to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. We do those visits on our own and then come back for a debrief. 

We’re also fortunate to have a diverse staff to enrich this experience. But I’ve talked to other co-ops and they’re looking to increase the diversity of their staff. What I say to that is: change the pool you’re recruiting from, look in new places. 

What are TPSS’ ultimate goals with DEI training? 

Houston: The Board oversees the store with policy. And if we’re going to tackle issues that were done historically, intentionally—like systemic racism—we must be intentional in our direction and policies. 

It’s getting everyone to the same place in terms of learning the history of what's happened in this country. So that when we go to look at the policies of how the stores run, how we get people promotions, what we pay people, all the different things that go into running a business, we're working from the same set of facts and can make equitable policy decisions.  

Then there's the interpersonal. It's a good training opportunity for the staff. We so rarely get the time to step off the sales floor and think about big picture things. 

What did you wish you had known in hindsight? 

Houston: We’ve only had three sessions so far, with several more upcoming. 

There’s nothing I’d change, but it is crucial to understand this is a time commitment. It’s a good idea to plan not just a couple of one-hour sessions, but several longer sessions with a trainer. You want the trainer to get to know your organization to help create solutions and programs that are specific and helpful. 

For the board and employees, it comes down to acknowledging and accepting it’s a big part of what we’re doing this year, maybe the only big thing we do this year. You don't need to try to squeeze in extra things. You're saying, “We value this, this is worth our time, this is our priority.” It's okay to put other things off in service of that. 

Studies have shown there are bottom-line and financial benefits to having a diverse company. How do you view this? 

Houston: I certainly think there could be a bottom-line benefit. It wasn’t a factor in the decision for us, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be for other people or companies. 

For us, it was important to have that historical learning, to have that understanding as we make store policies, or advocate for policies more broadly. If you're doing business in this country, if you either have a diverse staff or desire to have a more diverse staff or customer base, we're not all coming from the same set of knowledge. 

What have you gotten from the DEI training so far? 

Houston: It’s been powerful. The Holocaust Museum left an impression as I went through the history—it all happened a lot faster than I realized. You can't help but connect these things back to current politics and policies, so, again, historical context is important for understanding the world that we exist in to do business.  

It's also seeing the staff from a different point of view, hearing them. Some have felt comfortable sharing personal things, things from countries that they grew up in. It's really powerful. These are people that I've worked with for years and years, but you know, you're hearing new stories and seeing them in a different light than, you know, walking through the aisles and figuring out what products to sell. 

Are vulnerability and being uncomfortable critical to the success of DEI training? 

Houston: I absolutely think so. It’s important to have those expectations that you’re going to be covering uncomfortable topics and confronting things in life you may not think about a lot. 

There are several organizations whose mission is to help businesses become more inclusive and just. Maybe your business will be next. 

We’re stronger together. United we stand, divided we fall.

When it comes to hardships, many of us take comfort and heartily believe these expressions. But when it comes to the economy, capitalism itself, it’s every person for themselves, let the free market decide, and pull yourself up by your bootstraps.

This kind of thinking costs us, a lot. Individualism and racism cost us a lot.

Measuring the Cost

The true cost of racism cannot be placed in a bank account—it costs real people every day. In cases like Emmett Till, Ahmaud Arbery, and Sandra Bland, it costs irreplaceable lives. At the other end of the spectrum, a subtly racist comment could ruin someone’s day and make them feel unsafe and unwanted. Safety and the right to the pursuit of happiness are profoundly valuable and yet intangible.

Yet, there are economic costs to racism for all of us. Several organizations and firms have tried to put a monetary price on what racist policy and society has cost in the economy. This is a cost not just for Black, brown, and other people of color who face it personally, but for every person in our country.

A February 2021 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says the cost of racial and gender inequity on the gross domestic product (GDP, a measure of the economy) is $2.6 trillion, and that’s just for 2019. Over the last 30 years, gender and racial gaps have created greater and greater losses in the US GDP that add up to approximately $71 trillion.

A 2020 report from analysts at Citi Bank calculated that if the US had closed the Black-white economic gap by the year 2000, the US economy would be worth $16 trillion more than it is now. That could have included $2.7 trillion in incomes, 6.1 million jobs created through investment in Black entrepreneurs, and 770,000 potential Black homeowners, with home ownership being a path to generational wealth over centuries.

Why Can’t We Close the Gap?

Workers Pitted Against Each Other

The gaps in pay and wealth stay open because racist, capitalist culture has Americans bathing in the lie that the economy is a zero-sum game—if people who are different from “us” are gaining, “our people” must be losing. White people are fed this idea by “divide-and-conquer” politicians and companies who benefit from upholding the belief, which can come from either side of the aisle, according to a 2019 social psychology study in Science Advances.

Economist and author Heather McGhee shared a story in her 2019 TED talk, about visiting an auto factory in Mississippi where workers were trying to form a union. The benefits—higher pay, a pension, and better healthcare—would have helped everyone, regardless of race. McGhee heard from white workers she interviewed that they planned to vote against the union if the Black workers were for it. The Black workers told her the same. Both groups believed that if someone that didn’t look like them was lifted up, then they would be left behind or even lowered. The union vote failed.

McGhee noted the importance of not blaming factory workers for their views. Companies keep money in their accounts when union votes fail. Indeed, sowing racial discord is an anti-union tactic companies may use purposefully or subliminally.

“I’m more interested in holding accountable people who are selling racist ideas for their profit than those who are desperate enough to buy it,” McGhee said.

For the people, Black and white, who didn’t get to join the union, they and their families lost out on higher wages, which would be good for the local economy, giving them more spending money, quality healthcare, and more. But what about for the rest of the country, outside that community?

“To a large degree, the story of the hollowing out of the American working class is a story of the Southern economy, with its deep legacy of exploitative labor and divide-and-conquer tactics, going national,” McGhee wrote in her book, The Sum of Us. In that book, McGhee uncovers the hidden economic costs of racism to the entire population.

Whether or not we choose to acknowledge it, our society’s tendency to “ladder” individuals is what keeps equitable policies back, says Amanda N. Jackson, economic justice campaigns director at Color of Change, a civil rights organization that uses online organizing to uplift Black communities.

“Folks need to feel that they are a rung higher than the person that is not them, or create a scenario where people are ‘below’ them,” Jackson says. “The government had racist redlining laws on the books nearing the 1970s to ensure that a whole class of folks, Black people, could not have home ownership, and therefore wealth, that was on par with white society.”

Education Alone is Not the Fix

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco report shows that disparities in labor market outcomes, like earnings and ability to get a job, have persisted “despite changes in laws, policies, and programs meant to remove barriers and prevent discriminatory practices.” It even says that the gaps cannot be explained by measures of talent or skill—meaning race and gender mean more to your job outlook than your degree.

Pervasive anti-Black stereotypes might cause people to think—if more people of color and women got degrees, then they would be able to get better jobs. But the data shows that’s not true. According to 2021 report from think tank The Insight Center, education might be increasing the earning power for white people, but only increasing debt for Black families. Black households with advanced degrees have about half the wealth as a white household with a bachelor’s degree according to that report.

Jhumpa Bhattacharya, vice president for programs and strategy at the Insight Center, says that paradoxically, the more education that Black people obtain, the bigger the gap in wealth becomes, because they are forced deeper into debt. For example, median wealth held by a white person with a bachelor’s degree is $278,200, whereas for a Black person that figure is $49,700. For a white person with a master’s or doctorate, median wealth is $634,900 where a Black person in the same circumstances median wealth is only $132,000, still less than half of a white person with a bachelor’s degree.

“The system was built for you to stay in a certain place and for particularly white men to be able to move forward, so we cannot expect the same solutions that helped white folks gain wealth to do the same for Black and brown people. We actually have to change the system,” Bhattacharya told a group of philanthropists in a talk for the Asset Funders Network.

How do we Imagine and Implement Solutions?

Investing in People is a Proven Solution

Bhattacharya explains when looking for solutions to an economic gap like this, the people are the economy. When you balance a household budget, what you spend must be covered by your income that month—but that’s not how an effective government invests in its people, she explains. Bhattacharya says a government that’s by the people and for the people should be investing in people, not always looking for direct revenue to make it up.

“Let’s say you invest in the child tax credit [from the Build Back Better bill]. What does that do? It gives people money. That’s money going out the door, but it’s also money that people can spend in the economy,” Bhattacharya says. “It allows people to live healthy lives. That’s the way we should be thinking about revenue and the economy.”

The child tax credit was a payment sent by the government to help cover the cost of raising children, which is a common benefit citizens of other wealthy countries receive. This was part of the American Rescue Plan for COVID-19 relief, increasing and expanding a previous benefit, as well as making it monthly. The benefit gave families a dependable source of income and closed a loophole excluding half of all Black and Hispanic children from fully benefiting because their families earned too little income, according to NPR. The child tax credit under the American Rescue Plan cut child poverty by roughly a third and cut food insufficiency by 26%.

Another example of investing in the people was a coalitional campaign Bhattacharya and her colleagues at the Insight Center helped drive, that led to the passage of The Families Over Fees Act in California in September 2020, which forgave $16 billion in criminal legal fees and fines, such as arrest fees, parole fees, and jurisdictional transfer fees, among 20 others, debt that was mostly held by Black people. In theory, these fees are billed to fund the legal system but end up acting as their own form of punishment to people charged of crimes as they pursue justice and to those released from incarceration.

“We talked about the impact it really has on people—the mental stress that folks have to deal with when their wages are being garnished to pay off these really unjust debts,” Bhattacharya says. “Think about balancing a budget to bring into government coffers by charging a surcharge on mostly Black and brown people who are struggling to make ends meet anyway.”

We cannot expect the same solutions that helped white folks gain wealth to do the same for Black and brown people. We actually have to change the system.

—Jhumpa Bhattacharya, Insight Center

Eliminating these debts is an important step in dismantling centuries of racist economic practices. Unfortunately, many states still charge fees that end up costing Black and brown people more. Changes in narrative and information about these successes create shifts toward justice. We need large and small shifts to move us closer to closing the wealth gap and ending economic oppression.

Build on the Social Shifts of the Pandemic

The last two years have been game-changing in work that seeks to close gaps and end economic injustice. The pandemic and the summer of Black Lives Matter protests following the 2020 murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, moved the needle on social justice movements. According to experts across sectors, white people became more aware of social injustices, from violent policing to Black people dying at disproportionate rates from COVID-19.

For example, James Malone, chief financial and diversity officer at Community Capital Management (CCM) {GBN}, says 2020 was a tipping point for many investors, who became more willing to put more money toward impact investing for Black and brown communities. The Land Back movement also gained traction—which is a win for social justice and the economy. In so many ways, imaginative solutions to social inequality will benefit all of us.

Jackson says we need to make sure these changes persist in the coming years.

“Many Black households and households of color are still struggling to rebuild—normal was never a context to apply to these communities,” Jackson says. “If we aren’t grounding economic injustice now in the pandemic, I think it just becomes a greater challenge to do so.”

Systemic issues, economic racism, and individualism costs so much more than money—it costs people the vast possibilities their futures could hold. That’s not the status quo we want to continue; social change is possible if we continue the momentum. Fighting for justice for all communities in policies and opening our minds to unlearning beliefs can propel us forward to a world built on thriving communities and care. Our country is held back by racism in countless systems—there is no wrong place to start dismantling it.

We can do it for the equitable chance at a bright future and well-being. Because united, we stand. Together, we rise. ✺

Imagine you’re driving. Your partner in the passenger seat says to you, “Oh, looks like you’re driving with your parking brake on.” What do you do? You disengage the brake and have a smoother drive. If you were a new driver, you might ask, “How do I do turn it off?” What you wouldn’t do is say, “I like driving with the brake on.”

Daryn Dodson uses this metaphor to explain how removing bias from investing means greater impact for women and Black and brown communities, as well as greater returns for investors. Dodson is the managing director of Illumen Capital, an investment management firm that is leveraging diversity for the betterment of society and investors.

Dodson’s firm is part of a growing tide of companies offering unique solutions to diversify the investing industry and increase impact investments that target Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

Pictured above is the National Memorial for Peace & Justice in Montgomery Alabama. Illumen Capital brings investment managers to this site to learn about the history of racism in the U.S. in an anti-bias workshop. Photo by DiAnna Paulk, 2019.

Disengaging the Bias Brake

In Dodson’s metaphor, the brake is unconscious bias and the car is the returns on investments. Illumen Capital has created a bias-reduction program aimed at reducing racial and gender bias and helping investment managers find and invest in entrepreneurs who have been overlooked and underestimated.

Investors dedicated to socially responsible investing (SRI), or “impact investors,” wake up every day to change the world and make money for investors, he explains. His business bets on the idea that those impact investors will be excited to unlearn their biases when they discover that they’re missing out on impact, and financial returns, by holding unconscious bias.

“We’re helping people remove their blinders to notice and recruit to boards, to their portfolios and to their teams,” Dodson says.

This program includes taking impact investment managers, fund managers, and leading asset owners to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, also known as the Lynching Memorial, in Montgomery, Alabama. There they take part in an immersive experience, going on listening tours, learning about empathy, and specifically focusing on the Black American experience, says Maria Lopez Rosas, executive assistant at Illumen, who participated in the program in 2020.

The ethos behind this program comes from collaboration with Stanford University psychology professor and researcher Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt and her team. With other Stanford researchers, Dr. Eberhardt and Dodson co-wrote a 2019 peer-reviewed report on the subject. Their study found that top-performing financial managers of color may be most harmed by racial biases.

“In financial services—an industry grounded in the principle of avoiding uncompensated risk—investors are ironically taking on such risk by not investing in more diverse managers, as diverse teams are shown to outperform homogeneous teams,” the paper states. So Illumen set out to fix that.

Illumen’s portfolio of people-of-color- and women-led investments includes startups in health and wellness; education; climate and sustainability; and financial inclusion.

“We had one foundation shift [its total investments] from $50 million in strategy around women and people of color and impact to $1 billion,” Dodson says. “Our insights were one of the critical factors in that shift and transformation of their commitment to the sector, because they realized they could do it in a market driven way. They realized that, without reducing biases, they might miss opportunities.”

Opportunities Down the Line

While Illumen works directly with impact investors interested in reducing bias to deepen their impact and results, other strategies for combating systemic racism have been introduced for investors—be they individuals, foundations, university endowments, or religious organizations.

James Malone, chief financial and diversity officer at Community Capital Management (CCM){GBN} says that just as there was a reckoning with racism in our country amidst COVID and the high-profile murders of numerous Black people in 2020, so too was there a reckoning amidst investors.

“We’ve been investing in low- and moderate-income communities for 20 years and many of the beneficiaries of that capital have been Black and brown individuals, families, and minority communities,” Malone says. “Our investors were looking for a way to be more affirmative in their support for minorities and the BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Color] communities.”

Malone, whose background is in socially responsible investing and impact investing (i.e. investing that targets specific communities and social issues for funding) and has been with CCM for 11 years, was heartened to see this surge in enthusiasm for the work he does. CCM was already putting capital to work benefiting minorities, and after an increased interest by clients, the company created the Minority CARES strategy, which focuses on eight impact themes that target and aim to make a positive impact on minority individuals, businesses, and communities. These themes include affordable health and housing, enterprise development and jobs, education and childcare, and more.

Since creating this layered investing strategy, CCM has raised over $100 million in investments, mostly from banks, foundations, and religious organizations that were looking to specifically support minority communities and diversify their investments.

CCM and Illumen’s strategies represent two ways of financing projects that will uplift Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous people in our society who have been systemically underfunded due to racist policies and bias.

Feeling the Impact

These strategies are proof that the SRI industry is growing—and the numbers back that up. Malone saw 2020 as a tipping point for investors, who became more willing to put more money toward impact investing for Black and brown communities. Investing in Black-owned businesses could have a huge impact, according to a December 2020 report from the Brookings Institute, which showed that if Black-owned businesses matched the population size and revenue matched non-Black businesses’ revenue, the total revenue of Black-owned businesses would increase by $5.9 trillion. There are bound to be more innovations and racial-justice focused investing products as investment managers and entrepreneurs see growing interest from investors.

“All investments are impact investments, but the question is, what are you impacting?” Malone says. “If you’re investing, it does have an impact. But is it the impact you want?” ✺

I once thought I had to choose between advocating for my Black identity and the planet,” author, activist, and founder of Intersectional Environmentalist Leah Thomas writes in her new book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet.

Leah Thomas makes a compelling case that we can only achieve environmental justice when we are activists for both communities of color and the environment.

What Is Intersectionality?

Civil Rights activist and scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw first coined the term “intersectionality” in a 1989 University of Chicago Legal Forum paper examining how ignoring the intersection of race and gender in Black women marginalizes their experiences.

This is the backbone of Thomas’ work and the environmental liberation movement—that is, widespread organizing and community building to achieve Black liberation, climate justice, and environmental justice, as defined by Ayana Albertini-Fleurant at Generation Green.

“Sometimes people may say, ‘It feels so overwhelming considering everything at once,’” Thomas explains. “Maybe it’s going to take more work to consider the economic impacts, the health impacts. But if you consider them, you can create solutions that address everything. I don’t think it’s a pipe dream.”

What you can do: Education is a form of activism, so the first step is learning the history from the Black, brown, and Indigenous voices at the forefront of this movement.

A Safe Planet Means Safe Workers

In 1968, more than 1,300 Black men from the Memphis Department of Public Works demanded higher wages and environmental safety measures during the Memphis sanitation strike. The Environmental Protection Agency considered this “the first time Black Americans mobilized… ‘to oppose what they considered environmental injustice.’”

This is only one piece of historical evidence highlighting intersectionality in Thomas’ book.

“Paying people poorly shows how a system values them,” she explains. “If you treat people better, I think you’re also going to treat the Earth better. A disregard for both people and planet leads to unsafe working conditions.”

Another example is the fashion industry, and the dangers of fast fashion: endangering and not paying garment factory workers, mostly women, to create clothing quickly and cheaply while working with toxic chemicals. Green America is working to address this injustice in our Toxic Textiles campaign. Read more about it in the winter 2019 Green American, “Unraveling the Fashion Industry”.

What you can do: Vote with your dollars. Learn where your money is going and prioritize your financial support for ethical employers, businesses owned by Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous, and other members of communities of color, and sustainable companies.

Recognize Climate Change is Already Fatal

Those who contribute the least to climate change—from the employees outlined above to unassuming residents—will be some of the hardest hit by its devastating consequences.

Thomas uses the example of Cancer Alley, a stretch of land along the Mississippi River in Louisiana that is home to 150 petrochemical plants and refineries—and higher rates of cancer compared to the national average.

For people living in majority Black and low-income areas of Cancer Alley, their cancer risk is over 10% higher than in majority-white areas.

This goes straight back to events like the Memphis sanitation strike and Thomas’ call for intersecting solutions. Multi-pronged solutions, like Green America’s Clean Energy Victory Bonds, which would provide safe, green jobs while supporting a just transition to clean energy, is how we need to address intersectional, environmental justice.

What you can do: Think and act locally. Seek out voices from community members who are not in majority groups, like people of color, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ neighbors about their realities of where you live. Volunteer locally, vote locally, and pay attention.

A Healthy Environment? That’s a Benefit of White Supremacy

In a country built on white supremacy, it is important to remember that racism endures as the most insidious intersection of all systems and social issues. Beyond Memphis and Cancer Alley, Thomas recalls environmental history to show this.

“If we take it back to the first Earth Day [April 22, 1970], it was a movement that wasn’t inclusive,” Thomas says. “With it, we saw a ‘Not in my backyard,’ type of approach to environmental policy.”
Thomas cited Arturo Sandoval, an organizer of the first Earth Day, who said, “After Earth Day, there was a succession of a lot of national federal legislation… enacted specifically to protect the environment.”

That success was primarily, sometimes exclusively, felt by more affluent and whiter communities. This outcome, Sandoval argues, led the largely white middle- and upper-class environmental groups to believe such success was enough and there was no need to reach out to marginalized groups. As Thomas further explains, some of the legislation following Earth Day “directly diverted toxic waste into Black, Brown, and low-income communities.”

“This is what happens when you don’t have intersectional advocacy,” Thomas explains. “It diverts the problem to other people, where it becomes out-of-sight, out-of-mind for those more privileged.”

Another historical example is from Warren County, North Carolina, where, in 1982, activists protested the placement of a hazardous waste landfill in the predominantly Black community.
“The common feeling was that these communities were targeted based on their demographics,” the Department of Energy states on its page on environmental justice history. “They all felt that but for their race and economic status, their communities would not have been designated to host a hazardous waste disposal facility.”

As of 2019, race is still the main indicator of where toxic landfills are placed, and “even when socioeconomic factors are similar across white and non-white communities, the minority community is still more likely to be near environmental hazards,” Thomas quoted activist and professor Paul Mohai as saying.

Studies continuously show the connection of corporations and industries consciously and actively choosing to pollute these communities, while systemically racist housing policies, like zoning and redlining, keep communities of color in these unhealthy neighborhoods.

What you can do: Look inward and examine your own advantages. Lean into learning how to center voices of communities of color and how to know when to speak, listen, and prioritize action. For white allies, a good first step can be joining your local SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) chapter.

What Lesson Will Be Next?

Equipped with this information, now where do you go? Thomas wrote this book for her younger self and for emerging environmentalists of any age. There will always be more to learn, starting with intersectionality.

“I love it when people learn about the history of the environmental justice movement,” Thomas says, suggesting learning about the “mother” and “father” of environmental justice, Hazel M. Johnson and Dr. Robert Bullard as first steps.

“But I know spending a Saturday learning doesn’t sound super fun,” she continues. “Look around for some local protests, get involved in grassroots organizing. You’ll be surprised at the things you can get passed in a city council meeting.”

For example, in April 2016, the LA City Council approved land-use restrictions and mandates for higher-rated air filters, earning a win for residents in the most polluted neighborhoods of the city, who had been fighting for more environmental health protections.

The book isn’t perfect, Thomas notes, but neither is activism. Thomas advocates for any starting points, big or small, and making mistakes.

“You never have to silence parts of your identity or force them to take a back seat in order to advance a cause,” Thomas writes. “We can create our own environmentalism that is intersectional in nature and that truly advocates for the protection of all people and the planet.”

What you can do: Before you go out and fight the good fight, remember that not all activism looks the same. For disabled activists and Black and brown protesters, physical demonstrations can be more dangerous. Check out the toolkit at the end of Thomas’ book, which offers a breadth of resources on different kinds of activism.

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Investigating the costs of racism to all of us.

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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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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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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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Test

This week I have bar soaps, shower gels, and body washes facing off in a suds-filled arena to see which will emerge from the fray awash in victory. Also in this issue: Do spare tires expire, and which is better for your oral health, an electric or manual toothbrush? 

Green America has released a number of scorecards that evaluate...

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The Chocolate Retailer Scorecard rates the stores carrying your favorite chocolate on child labor, deforestation and fair trade.

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How good is the chocolate we buy? Some companies enable deforestation, farmer poverty, and child labor.

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Apparel Retailers

How do popular apparel brands, leading fast fashion brands, and retailers stack up on chemical management? 

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Wireless Service Providers

The Clean Energy Wireless Scorecard grades the top U.S. telecommunications companies on their renewable energy usage.

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CBD Certifications

The CBD (cannabidiol) certification scorecard addresses sustainable CBD farming, manufacturing, and production practices.

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Receipt Practices

Green America's Receipt Scorecard groups reviews retailers and businesses by in-store receipt practices.

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WASHINGTON DC – APRIL 19, 2022 – With “Invest in Our Planet” as the theme of Earth Day this year, Americans will be looking for ways they can move their money to support the planet. With many of the largest banks in the US actively supporting fossil fuels and mutual funds holding the stocks of corporate polluters, Americans who care about climate change and other environmental issues need a trusted source of information for where they can learn how to bank and invest for a greener planet.

Green America, with 40 years of experience in offering advice on green finance, provides a complete set of free resources for green banking and investing:

• The Break Up With Your Megabank campaign helps people move their money from polluting banks to banks and credit unions that serve their communities and the planet. 
• The Get a Better Bank database provides a useful list of community development and minority depository institutions in the US, so people can find a responsible bank or credit union near them.
• The Find a Socially and Environmentally Responsible Credit Card resource helps people ensure that with each charge they are supporting people and the planet.
• The Divest & Reinvest campaign provides resources to help everyday investors move their money away from supporting fossil fuels to supporting renewable energy instead.
• The Shareholder Activism hub has resources to help people vote their proxies to urge corporations to green their practices, including a list of the Key Resolutions to Vote in 2022.
• The Guide to Socially Responsible Investing & Better Banking has resources for everyone, from a novice investor to high-net worth individuals, to promote a better world with their money.

“Increasingly people are looking for ways to use their banking and investing to support the planet and Green America has all the free resources they need to get started,” said Fran Teplitz, Executive Co-Director for Business, Investing & Policy at Green America. “Whether it’s banking for a better planet or using our investments to create greener corporate practices, we can all vote with our dollars for a greener world.”

“Many people have changed the foods they eat, the car they drive, and reduced their purchases to create a greener world, but have yet to look at the impacts of their banking and investing,” said Todd Larsen, Executive Co-Director of Consumer and Corporate Engagement at Green America.  “Earth Day 2022, with a theme of Investing for Our World, provides the perfect opportunity for people to look at the impacts their banks or mutual funds are having on the world, and move their money to greener options if those institutions are actively harming the planet.” 

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. 

Our kitchens should be a safe space where families create and serve healthy meals, but all too often there are toxic chemicals and other hazards lurking. When our kitchens are healthier, so is our planet.

The kitchen, after all, is closely linked to the climate, and our choices in the heart of our homes can be actions against climate change. The food we buy and eat has huge potential for benefits to our body and the planet. Agriculture, the way our food is grown, is one of the most important industries in the world, but also makes a major impact on the changing climate. The food supply chain includes cutting down trees to create grazing lands, cows passing gas, applying pesticides to plants, and the food that gets tossed without ever being tasted. The food supply chain is responsible for 16.5 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, according to a 2021 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report.

Read more about how your food choices can make your family and the climate healthier:

Then there’s the energy pent up in your kitchen. Besides heating and cooling, your refrigerator is the top energy consumer in your house, according to the US Energy Information Administration. These big appliances are historically cooled by hydrofluorocarbons (HFC gases), a super potent greenhouse gas. Now non-HFC refrigerators are coming to market that are cleaner and far more efficient than the models of years past.

Dirty energy and greenhouse gases have no place in your family dinner but they’re there—the natural gas that powers a gas stove comes from dirty energy and likely fracking that harms communities and the Earth in the US and around the world. Even when the stove is off, it’s leaking methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, according to a 2022 study from Stanford University. Plus it contributes to indoor air pollution that can lead to health problems like asthma, according to a 2013 study. By switching to clean energy like solar or wind and swapping out gas stoves for electric or induction models, we can save energy and money.

Then there’s the chemicals. There are tens of thousands of chemicals in use in US manufacturing, most of which are unregulated—so we don’t really know if they’re safe. Many of them likely are not. In the US in particular, regulating agencies allow industries to claim that their products are safe, even if there is no evidence. Plus, workers who are involved in making products with toxic chemicals, from plastics to cleaning supplies, are put at even more risk than we are.

As we find safe foods, protect our ourselves from toxic chemicals, and choose clean energy when we can, we also have the power to put pressure on companies to clean up their acts. Green America has long worked for consumers and workers in these crucial areas. Find our active campaigns to sign on to our actions or tell companies how you feel in a letter.

From the most recent issue of our magazine, Green American, where we update readers on the progress we've made over the last quarter on climate, finance, food, labor, social justice, and more.

Green America: Leading on Climate

Wildfires, heat waves, and massive storms were just a few of the ways people across the globe experienced the climate crisis in 2021. Yet the United Nations’ COP26 climate summit fell far short of what is needed to keep global warming and its associated disasters in check. The US Senate failed to pass the Build Back Better Act, which would have provided $500 billion in government spending on clean energy and other climate solutions.

Yet youth and Indigenous leaders gave us reason to hope, as they put pressure on world leaders and corporations at COP26 and are a major reason progress was made on forests, methane, and climate finance at COP26.

The Clean Energy Future is Now

Solar and wind installations around the world are soaring. There are now 100,000 MW of solar installed nationwide, enough to power 20 million homes, and over 130,000 MW of wind, enough to power over 40 million homes.

Green America’s work helped drive this tremendous growth in renewable energy, with our Solar Catalyst thought leadership papers and Solar Circle network providing the blueprints for taking solar to scale. Our campaigns lead several of the largest corporate clean energy purchases ever. Our “No New Coal” campaign resulted in 15 coal-fire power plants not being constructed.

Moving Forward on Policy

Green America and our more than 250,000 activist followers are promoting the solutions we’ll need to ensure a livable planet for future generations. We’re mobilizing consumers, investors and businesses to support up to $500 billion in climate-related spending. We collected 165,000 comments from Green Americans to support stricter methane regulations by the EPA. We’re working to enact regulations in the US and Europe to get banks to end their financing of fossil fuels. And, we’re working to ensure that the upcoming Farm Bill focuses on building regenerative agriculture while supporting Black, Indigenous, women, young and small-scale farmers.

In the financial world, our work with allies resulted in the Department of Labor proposing that employer-sponsored retirement plans like 401(k) plans be allowed to take the economic impacts of climate change into account when selecting investments.

Changing the Way America Does Business

While we work on better climate policy, Green America has never waited for the government to create the change we need. Here’s where we’re going with our climate programs:

Energy:

Green America’s Hang Up on Fossil Fuels campaign has already resulted in major progress, with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile making several of the largest corporate purchases of clean energy ever. We are building on this campaign to:

• Get all telecom companies to reach 100% renewable energy by 2025. Plus, we’ll ensure that as telecom companies announce “net zero” goals for all their emissions they are not using dubious carbon offsets and vague commitments in place of meaningful climate emissions reductions.
• Ensure that as the big three telecoms adopt renewable energy, the benefits of those changes go to communities and workers, especially people of color.

Refrigerants:

HFC refrigerants are a major driver of the climate crisis with up to thousands of times the global warming potential of CO2. Our Cool It campaign, with the Environmental Investigation Agency, mobilized over 100,000 consumers and shareholders and has already resulted in a commitment from Walmart to move on from HFCs by 2040. We’ll keep the pressure on, since its goals and timeline are still weak. This year we will:

• Continue to build shareholder pressure on Walmart and other major grocers to urge them to move faster on switching to climate-friendly refrigerants.
• Increase public pressure on the laggards—on social media and in traditional news outlets.
• Highlight the environmental justice benefits of switching from HFCs to lower-impact refrigerants.

Agriculture:

Green America is a leader in promoting regenerative agriculture that builds soil health and sequesters carbon. Regenerative agriculture can transform agriculture from a major polluter to a vital climate solution. Working with several of the largest food companies and farmers across the country, we are working to transition 90% of North America’s food and agriculture acres to the regenerative pathway by 2030. We are also leading the way in getting all Americans involved in regenerative practices through Climate Victory Gardens in their yards and communities. This year we will:

• Launch a Soil Carbon Initiative label for farms and food companies that verifies progress toward regenerative agriculture goals. This will be a game-changer for agriculture, communities, and the climate!
• Grow the number of registered Climate Victory Gardens from 15,000 to 20,000 and reach millions of Americans with tools they need to launch a regenerative garden of their own.

Finance:

Green America has been mobilizing investors to support a green economy for decades. Our Climate Safe Lending Network works with banks, investors, nonprofits, regulators and others to bring bank lending in line with the Paris Agreement. Green America is mobilizing our members to pressure the largest banks to stop financing fossil fuels.
This year we will:

• Work with leading corporations to use their relationships with major banks to get those banks to end their financing of the climate crisis.
• Work with our nonprofit ally As You Sow, to mobilize employees to urge their employers to offer fossil-fuel free options in their retirement plans.

We can’t do it without you! When Green America calls on corporations to protect climate, people, and the planet, they listen to us because we have 250,000 people and 2,000 green businesses joining us in our calls to action. Thanks to you we’re making progress on climate and we look forward to further gains in 2022!

Make sure the heart of your home is healthy for your family and safe for the planet.

States and municipalities raise money through issuing bonds, but they rarely fund green infrastructure or activities, and they are usually too pricey for most individual investors. But a new bond from Connecticut offers a new way for any investor to support clean energy.

In 2008, the World Bank was the first institution to issue a green bond—a bond designated for environmental and climate projects—and ever since, green bonds have been available from a variety of institutions. However, municipal bonds often require several thousand dollars to invest, making it hard for the average American to participate.

For the past several years, Connecticut raised millions to fund residential solar projects by issuing Green Liberty Bonds. In December 2021, the bank issued a short-term green bond (called a “note”) for $100, to support small business’ energy efficiency, making investing even more accessible to the average person. This Green Liberty Note was offered through FINRA-regulated funding portal Raise Green and closed in January 2022.

“Green America has been encouraging governments at all levels to offer affordable green bonds for investors, and it is great to see Connecticut’s innovative Green Bank taking the lead,” says Todd Larsen, Green America’s executive co-director for consumer & corporate engagement.

Green America proposed this idea to Connecticut and several other states beginning in 2012. We are excited to see the green bond come to fruition. Connecticut Green Bank partnered with Amalgamated Bank{GBN}, a Green America ally, on the bond.

Connecticut’s Green Bank will next issue a Green Liberty Note on Earth Day 2022. Learn more at greenlibertybonds.com.

Fridges tend to last a long time, which is great for sustainability in your home. But if you’ve heard about Green America’s Cool It! campaign and the not-so-cool greenhouse gases hidden inside of refrigerators you might be wondering if your fridge could be a climate problem.

Our campaign targets grocery companies that own millions of fridges that leak HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) into the atmosphere and escalate the climate crisis. These refrigerant gases regularly leak out of poorly maintained equipment and through irresponsible disposal of appliances.

While our focus is not fridges in people’s homes, appliances have other hazardous components besides HFCs that can also pose threats to the environment and communities if (and when) they leak out. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to safely manage that old fridge and protect the environment.

Refrigerants called HFCs are 9,000 to 12,000 times more potent than CO₂ as greenhouse gases

Keep Your Fridge Working Well

Move your fridge a few inches away from walls. This helps hot air from the compressor disperse, making it easier for the appliance to stay cool. Place a board behind (and on the side if it’s in a corner) to keep it from inching back to the wall.

Vacuum the coils in the back of your fridge (or across the bottom front, behind a grille) at least annually.

Keep it full—if you’ve got chronically bare shelves, add some jugs of water—then the fridge doesn’t have to work so hard to cool warm air that rushes in every time you open the door.

Keep an eye on the temperature. Your fridge doesn’t have a check engine light, so keep a thermometer inside if it doesn’t have one built in, to make sure you’re not in the danger zone (over 40 degrees). For less than $10 you will potentially save hundreds in food or fridge replacement costs.

Be aware of the signs of a coolant leak, which compromise the freshness of your food and also your health. Warning signs that you may have a leak: food feels warm; electric bill is unusually high; the motor runs constantly; odd musty smell. A prolonged leak could also cause physical symptoms such as headache, nausea, fainting, or other inexplicable symptoms.

If your fridge makes loud or prolonged sounds, that’s another way to know to call for repairs.

My fridge isn’t working right

When hiring a technician to make repairs in your home ask if they are certified under Section 608 from the Clean Air Act.

Renters, urge your landlord to hire section 608-certified technicians and create a schedule for monitoring leaks on your property annually.

If you suspect that a repair technician you hire is venting out gases instead of responsibly containing them, you can report it on the EPA’s tip line—search online for “Report Environmental Violations EPA.” If the technician is emptying the gas into a plastic jug or no container at all, it’s not being recovered properly and should be reported. If the refrigerant is being properly recovered, your technician will be using a machine and a reusable cylinder to capture the gas.

My fridge is beyond repair

Check out Energy Star’s Flip Your Fridge calculator to see how much you could save by replacing your fridge with an energy-efficient one based on its size, shape, age, and your electricity rate. You can also use that tool to find a free pickup and rebate for recycling an old fridge.

Check with your electric utility to see if it sponsors a turn-in program that will pay you for your old appliance. Many do!

Use the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program to find retailers and utility companies who will dispose of your old appliance. These partners send appliances to certified technicians to responsibly remove the substances. See affiliated cities and utility partners at epa.gov/rad.

Do not attempt to cut any refrigerant line yourself or remove items like the compressor, which will result in venting out the gases.

I’m ready to buy

When you’re ready to get a new fridge, get one that’s Energy Star-rated or HFC-free. Energy Star is a high-efficiency ranking from the EPA. Fridges with this rating are 9% more efficient than the federal standard for that year and are sold by most major brands. Energy Star also certifies A/C units and other appliances. HFC-free refrigerators are sold in the US by many major brands, though they are not yet the standard. Find a list of HFC-free models by searching “EIA HFC-Fridge Buyer’s Guide” online.

I own fridges (and A/C units) at a business

Commit to monitoring leaks on a quarterly or annual basis.

Make a plan so you can make a quick repair if you detect a refrigerant leak, and make sure to contract with technicians who are Section 608 certified under the Clean Air Act.

How can I help supermarkets and other retailers be climate-friendly?

You’re working to cut HFC emissions—tell companies to do their part. Supermarkets in the United States are a major source of HFCs. Their refrigerant leaks are responsible for the emissions equivalent to having 9.5 million more cars on the road each year.

Green Americans have already made a difference—100,000 petition-signers pushed Walmart and in 2021, it announced it will transition to “low-impact” refrigerants by 2040. But 20 years is too long to wait, so we’re asking Walmart to release a detailed plan to meet the scale of this crisis. We’re also asking Walmart to commit to all its new stores being HFC-free. We’re asking Trader Joe’s, a company known for being a friendly market, to be more transparent and up its game after entering a settlement for its violation of the Clean Air Act after allegedly leaking refrigerant greenhouse gases. Join Green America in urging popular grocers Walmart and Trader Joe’s to cut HFCs at coolitforclimate.org.

Green America is also working with Walmart shareholders for direct shareholder action. If you own Walmart shares and would like to get involved, email Todd Larsen at toddlarsen (at) greenamerica.org.

It’s hard to grasp the sheer volume of plastic in our lives, and many people are wondering, is it really safe? Since 1950, more than 8.5 billion tons of plastic have been produced. In the seven or so minutes it will take you to read this article, there will be seven million more plastic water bottles on the planet. Half of plastic produced is designed only to be used once. If you look around your kitchen you’ll see a lot of it. This article aims to answer five of the biggest questions on plastics safety we get at Green America.

Don’t see your question? This article is the second in a series—check out “Your Top 10 Plastics Questions, Answered” for the answers to questions about single-use plastics, how China processes our recycling, and more.

Is BPA still a concern? Wasn’t it banned?

The FDA banned BPA from infant formula packaging and sippy cups for kids in 2013 following many states and counties banning the plastic chemical from various packaging items.

Since BPA has gotten a lot of bad press, many companies are phasing it out, including in invisible inner liners of canned goods and coating on receipt paper. But now, those products that may be labeled “BPA-free” are likely using similar chemicals with less regulation but similar effects, so they should still be avoided. The journal of Environmental Research published a report showing over 100 studies confirming significant effects from exposure even to low doses of BPA, enough to cause hormone disruption or cancer. We can expect that may be true of BPS and other chemicals of this group, though we don’t know for sure.

How much plastic actually gets recycled?

Only about 9% of plastic is recycled, the EPA reported in 2018 (the most recent year with reported data). Plastic is the most complicated material to recycle because each number (noted on the bottom usually, but not always) designates a different chemical makeup. With current technology, the numbers can’t be mixed because they melt at different temperatures. Municipal funding, community pressure, and demand for recycled plastics determine what gets recycled.

Only 9% of plastic is recycled

It’s not the fault of regular people that more plastic isn’t recycled. While tossing your water bottle into the trash instead of the recycling bin isn’t ideal, most of the problem comes from manufacturers making plastics that are difficult to recycle or inadequate infrastructure to facilitate recycling. A 2020 report from NPR and PBS Frontline found that the plastic industry, as early as 1974, spent millions on campaigns to convince the public that recycling could keep the environment clean, then made billions on selling plastic. Check out our Plastic Free Toolkit for dozens of tips on how to reduce the amount of plastic you add to your life at
greenamerica.org/plastic-free-toolkit.

What happens to recycled plastic? Is it made back into the bottles and food packaging it comes from?

Even though only about 9% of plastic is recycled, that’s over 3 million tons, which can get made into a lot of recycled plastic items.

Plastics degrade each time they’re processed, unlike glass and aluminum which are infinitely recyclable. That means plastic is unlikely to be recycled into something of equal value. Recycled plastic bottles often get made into polyester fabrics, building materials, and more.

Should we be more concerned about consuming microplastics or about creating microplastic waste?

…Unfortunately, we should be concerned about both.

As far as creating microplastics, we don’t have much control over that. Microplastics are prevalent because there is so much plastic out there that breaks apart relatively easily—but corporations are to blame for both situations. Besides reducing your demand for plastics, one thing you can do at home is to be gentle to your laundry, since so much of our clothing is also made from synthetic materials. Washing only full loads and only when items are truly dirty are great first steps for reducing microplastics from your laundry.

A 2019 study commissioned by WWF and carried out by the University of Newcastle Australia, combined data on microplastic ingestion by people and found that we could be ingesting about 5 grams of plastic a week in drinking water—that’s the weight of a nickel. People who drink bottled water are exposed to much more than those who drink tap, since their water is stored in plastic. Most water filters have not been tested for microplastics filtration, but pore size in filters should be a good measure. A 2018 study from State University of New York, Fredonia, found microplastics as small as 6.5 microns.

We could be ingesting about 5 grams of plastic a week in drinking water—that's the weight of a nickel.

The effect of plastic particles on our bodies is not yet understood. The smaller the particle, the harder it is to study its effects. It’s potentially similar to other tiny particles that can build up and cause serious damage, like particle pollution from car exhaust, or thin fibers of asbestos, according to a 2021 article from the journal Nature.

Is plastic less toxic as it ages? So that Tupperware (and other brands of plastic containers) I have had for 10 years is harmless now?

It’s probably time to toss your Tupperware and other very old plastic containers. Dr. Larry Silver, medical advisor for the Collaborative on Health and the Environment wrote that the older the plastic container, the greater the leaching activity. The same is true for non-food-grade plastics too, like shower curtains, which shed phthalates more as they age, especially when encouraged by heat and moisture—like your food containers—according to Mike Schade at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.

The Tupperware brand has officially been manufacturing without BPA since March 2010, but as we learned before, that means they are likely manufacturing with one of thousands of lesser-known chemicals. Truly vintage Tupperware should not be used for food either—the stuff made famous by parties in the 70s has tested positive for lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium, depending on the color and style.

If your plastics, no matter the brand, are scratched up or cloudy, it’s time for them to go. To make the most of the newer containers you do have, don’t put them in the microwave or dishwasher, and avoid storing acidic or greasy foods in plastic.

Have more questions about plastic safety? If you have an unanswered question, send us an email!

When it comes to eating green, making sure your leftovers don’t go to waste is important. But not all storage containers for those leftovers are created equal. Avoid harmful chemicals entering your food by choosing safer storage and cooking options.

Avoid plastic containers (plastic numbers 1-7)

You might have heard of BPA (p. 14), a chemical used in plastic until around 2013 when increasing regulations reduced its use in products that touched food. Manufacturers replaced BPA with BPS or BPF, which are similar in structure and effects in animal studies but are not yet regulated, so companies that use them to make containers can claim their products are BPA-free. Food-grade plastics have recycling numbers 1-7 on the package, but that doesn’t mean they’re truly safe for food.

However, if you spend time on restaurant supply store websites, you will find lots of claims that say “safe to microwave,” particularly as regards #5 plastic, polypropylene, which is often used in takeout containers and is easily poised for reuse.

Endocrinologist Dr. Frederick Vom Saal of University of Missouri explains that plastics like BPA are harmful to human health, though not technically “toxic,” because toxicology studies what quantity a material could kill a person. Hormone-disrupting chemicals like BPA are harmful at trace amounts, far before the level at which they could kill you, Dr. Vom Saal explained.

Although it’s environmentally friendly to reuse takeout containers, avoid heating food in those containers or putting hot food in them, as plastics shed chemicals faster when exposed to heat and moisture. It’s better to reuse them to store dry foods. If you choose to use them to store cold leftovers that have cooled on the counter before putting them in plastic in the fridge, be sure to transfer the contents to a glass or ceramic bowl before heating.

Choose this: Stainless steel or glass storage containers are both safe for hot foods; glass is safe for microwaving food. You can get a set of glass containers for $30, or use jars from items like pasta sauce.

Avoid plastic films (numbers 3 or 4)

Unfortunately, these plastic films pose the same risks as other plastics when heating food, as far as chemicals interacting with heat and moisture. Furthermore, plastic films for wrapping cold foods are not sustainable because they are a petroleum product, cannot be recycled, and don’t break down in the landfill. They are designed to be used once and tossed.

Choose this for heating: When heating food in the microwave, place a bowl or glass casserole topper over your plate to prevent splatter.

Choose this for wrapping: For a more sustainable and healthy option for wrapping cold foods like a cut apple or a sandwich, use wax wraps. Wax wraps come in various sizes and are made of cotton cloth and nontoxic beeswax (or vegan wax like soy) and can be molded with the heat of your hand to fit around foods or plates going into the fridge. They can’t be heated in a microwave, but they can be washed and reused for years then composted for disposal. Get one wrap from Beeswrap{GBN} for $7, or a set for around $18.

Avoid aluminum foil

Made with bauxite, which is extracted through damaging open-pit mining, aluminum is infinitely recyclable. Yet as of 2018, only about 35% is actually recycled, according to the EPA—though aluminum cans are recycled at about 50%, making them the most successful recycling item. It is far less energy-intensive and damaging to recycle aluminum than to make it new from raw materials. A 2019 study published in Food Science & Nutrition found that using aluminum foil when baking contaminates food, particularly meat and fish, with some level of aluminum. Even though the aluminum amounts found in baked foods were not alarming, the researchers noted that aluminum can present a risk for children and certain susceptible adults. Another study from 2020 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health came to the same conclusions.

Choose this: In 2018, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families and Toxic-Free Future investigated the toxic chemical PFAS in food packaging from paper-based takeout containers and found it absent in baking and cooking supplies like paper baking cups and parchment paper sold in the grocery section. Parchment paper comes in both sheets and rolls and can be used in baking, grilling, frying, and steaming.

Silicone baking tray liners or mats are often used for lining baking pans, and are considered inert (non-leaching) as long as the silicone is marked food grade, baked at the temperatures recommended, and not scratched or heavily worn. Silicone is not made from plastic, so if it smells plasticky out of the package that is a sign it might not be 100% silicone. Since there is no at-home test for pure silicone, the safest bet is to skip the silicone and use a longer-lasting nontoxic option.

We spend 90% of our time inside, where the concentration of air pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoors. One 2019 study from the University of Colorado found roasting meat and vegetables for just a few hours can produce higher amounts of air pollutants than the streets of Delhi, India, one of the most polluted cities worldwide.

It doesn’t need to be this way. Follow these five steps for better kitchen air quality.

1. Check Your Stove

We know the lure of the blue flame of the gas stove. But do you know their dangerously high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde, and other pollutants? A 2020 UCLA report found levels of NO2 and CO when cooking with natural gas appliances exceeded national and state air quality standards. In addition, children growing up in households with gas stoves were 24% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma and 42% more likely to have asthma symptoms than kids who grew up in homes with other types of stoves, according to a 2013 study from the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Gas stoves are also associated with bad climate outcomes, as even gas stoves that are turned off release methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The methane emissions of gas stoves in the US is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of half a million cars per year, according to a study in Environmental Science and Technology in 2022. Another 2022 study, from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, confirmed these findings and determined gas fittings and connections in gas lines are responsible for emissions, not age of the appliance or amount of use.

A New York Times article originally recommended not ditching your gas stove yet but was retracted in September 2022, for these health and climate reasons, and because of new government rebates for electric stoves.

The lesser-known induction stove uses electromagnetic energy, making it the safest choice and the best for air quality. However, it also comes with a high price tag.

Electric stoves are a great option that pollute less than gas and are more affordable than induction. If electric is your choice, choose an Energy Star model to meet strict Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy standards. Finally, if you aren’t replacing your gas stove, invest in a range hood that covers the entirety of your stove, to collect and vent or filter fumes. If you can’t install a hood or new stove, simply opening the windows will help improve the air quality and consider a portable induction or electric cooktop, both of which can be found for around $100, to reduce air pollution or see to which you’d prefer to switch.

2. Avoid VOCs

Just like any room, you want the kitchen to be a space that fits your vibe. But before you paint it a bright, sunflower-yellow, make sure you get VOC-free or low-VOC paint.

Many traditional paints contain VOCs, which emit as noxious fumes as the paint dries. The EPA has identified numerous health effects—headaches; damage to liver, kidney, and the central nervous system; possible carcinogen—of VOCs in the air and they are believed to contribute to negative environmental air quality.

Luckily, VOC-free and low-VOC paints are available at regular hardware and paint stores for not much more than their noxious counterparts. Shop the Green Business Network for eco-friendly paints and stains.

3. Swap Cleaning Products

A healthy kitchen is vital—no one wants bacteria as a side dish, and the cleaning products you use are key.

Less is more: For daily cleaning, water and unscented soap will do the trick. When using harsh chemicals, apply only as much as you need. Stay away from air fresheners and scented products. Scents are chemically manufactured and add toxic chemicals to the air.

Wet mop—don’t sweep. While sweeping moves dust around, mops capture it. Chemicals emitted from paint or plastics can collect in dust, making it toxic and close to little hands or paws in your home.

See which cleaning products Green America staff love. Or learn 10 eco-friendly ways to clean green.

4. Ditch Nonstick

Do you know how cookware becomes nonstick? Manufacturers apply fluoropolymer coatings, or, as you may know it, Teflon. The main chemical in Teflon is PTFE (see p. 14), which breaks down and releases toxic fumes when met with hot temperatures.

The safest bet is switching your cookware for safer material. Better options include cast iron, stainless steel, and ceramic.

5. Refresh the Air

There are many tools big and small to better your home’s air quality. The simplest? Your windows. Provided the outdoor air quality is good (most weather apps provide information on this), open them wide! Windows will vent bad kitchen and other indoor fumes while letting the fresh air in. And your neighbor will be jealous of that delicious paella dish you’re making.

It’s not just you who has to do all the work, though, which means it’s time to invest in a high-efficiency filter for your air system and vacuum. Most filters use the MERV rating system, which stands for “measure particle removal efficiency.” The higher the MERV number, from 1 to 20, the more efficient the filter is at removing fine particles. The best of the best are filters that meet the high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) standard, though they are not compatible with every system.

In rooms that have particularly bad air—like a kitchen—you can also get a portable air purifier.

Want to take the next steps? Consider growing plants that clean the air in your home. Or read the issue of Green America Magazine devoted to "Your Home, Detoxed."

Updated December 2022

The refrigerator is stocked with fresh veggies, the pantry is full of whole grains, and the windowsill is glowing with sun-kissed tomatoes and herbs. Yet the pots and pans hiding in the cabinets threaten to derail all your carefully laid efforts to eat healthy.

What’s the Problem with Nonstick?

Nonstick cookware is popular because it’s cheap and easy to clean. Yet behind that convenience lies a secret: many nonstick pots and pans are coated with Teflon, the brand name for polytetrafluoethylene (PTFE). Before it was banned in 2013, Teflon cookware was sold with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical that has been linked to cancer, thyroid issues, damage to the immune and reproductive systems, high cholesterol, hypertension, and birth defects. While Teflon cookware is not made with PFOAs in the US anymore, it is made with other perifluorinated substances (PFAS) that have lesser-known effects. See the glossary on p. 14 for more on PTEE and PFAS.

All in all, the chemicals in nonstick cookware are better to keep out of your body. Teflon cookware typically lasts one to five years, so if it’s not scratched up or older, yours might be relatively safe to use at medium to low temperatures. If you’re not sure what your cookware is made of, but it is nonstick and not ceramic, cast iron, or carbon steel, it’s probably coated with Teflon or PFAS.
Ready to get nontoxic cookware now? We’ve created a list with some alternatives. Choose among these options based on your cooking habits and budget.

CAST IRON: 8” skillet starts at $13

Cast iron cookware is loved by generations for a reason—it is nonstick when seasoned properly; it’s durable and tolerates all stovetops, as well as the oven and broiler; and it’s easy to clean. Cast iron handles high heat well and can last for generations when treated right. It leaches iron, which is a necessary micronutrient and can be beneficial especially for vegans, vegetarians, and people who menstruate. Ask your doctor if you’re concerned about extra iron in your diet.

Watch out: Cast iron and Dutch ovens with a decorative coating may contain lead if it predates 1978, the year lead was outlawed in consumer goods. Cast iron can also be used to melt other metals, so if you have a vintage cast iron, get an inexpensive lead test to make sure it’s safe. One of the biggest disadvantages of cast iron is its weight—a 12 inch pan can weigh almost nine pounds—and that it needs to be seasoned regularly and should not be soaked in water.

STAINLESS STEEL: 8” 18/0 coated pan starts at $40

Stainless steel cookware can tolerate high heat on all stovetops, is durable, and is even safe to use in the oven. Be generous with oil or soak in the sink to make it easier to clean.

Watch out: Stainless steel cookware is stamped with numbers like “18/10,” which stands for 18% chromium and 10% nickel. The nickel makes the stainless steel corrosion- and rust-resistant, but a 2017 study in the National Library of Medicine shows that trace amounts of nickel may leach out when cooking acidic foods for several hours. If you prefer nickel-free stainless steel, purchase cookware with the numbers “18/0” for 18% chromium and 0% nickel—although the legal limit for “nickel-free” is 0.75%, so if you are very sensitive it might be best to avoid stainless steel altogether. 18/0 stainless steel pans may contain an aluminum core to conduct heat evenly and reduce the weight of the pan, and are safe to use.

CERAMIC: 8” ceramic-coated pan starts at $20

Ceramic does not leach toxic chemicals, is easy to clean, is safe to use on the stovetop, and 100% ceramic is safe to use in the microwave and oven. It is nonstick when used at low to medium temperatures, which is why crock pots and instant pressure cookers are often ceramic. Check out Xtrema{GBN} for 100% ceramic skillets, pots, Dutch ovens, and even tea ware.

Watch out: Cheap ceramic-coated pots and pans may have a nonstick coating of PTFE or PFAS. Check the label or contact its maker to make sure there’s no unwanted coatings to your ceramic cookware.

GLASS: Small saucepan starts at $25

Glass cookware is a safe, nontoxic option that does not leach chemicals and can be cleaned easily when soaked. The major disadvantage of glass cookware is that it can break if dropped or exposed to rapid changes in temperature. That’s why it is most often used in the oven, where the temperature change occurs evenly and slowly. Some pots are safe on the stovetop, but it’s best to check the seller’s use recommendations first.

CARBON STEEL: 8” carbon steel skillet starts at $20

Carbon steel is cast iron’s lighter cousin. It is made with 99% iron and 1% carbon, two nontoxic materials. Since it has no additional coatings, it doesn’t release toxic gases, although it does release iron like cast iron does. It tolerates all stove tops, ovens, and broilers, making it as versatile as a cast iron or stainless steel. Carbon steel pans usually have round walls, making them ideal for woks and stir-frying foods. With proper care, carbon steel can last generations.

Choosing the eco-eating lifestyle doesn’t have to be boring—it’s not just shopping at a health food store and eating organic bran (but it can be, if that’s what you’re into). Whether you’re all-in for a nontoxic pantry or just dipping your toe into farmers market shopping, follow these tips for a menu that’s whole-planet oriented.

Sunday: Shopping Day

Going to the grocery store is a great way to vote with your dollars about what kind of world you want to see. Get to know labels like Non-GMO Project, Animal Welfare Approved, USDA Organic, FairTrade, and other labels pertaining to environmental, human, and animal health. The best of the best labels offer assurance by third-party organizations that audit, test, and check standards at supply chain providers. The worst labels, which you can ignore, are just marketing phrases like “all-natural,” “farm fresh,” and “cage-free.”

Monday: Meatless/Vegan Monday

During WWI, the government encouraged Americans to reduce their intake of staple foods to aid the war effort—in part by adopting Meatless Mondays. Nowadays, climate activists have also pushed for people to eat meat-free at least one day per week, to reduce emissions from animal agriculture, which is responsible for about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Nature Food.

Tuesday: Try Local Flavors

Ever heard the term “locavore,” meaning someone who eats local food? It’s not possible for all foods all the time, but there are great benefits to eating local when you can:

• Taste: Local food might taste better because it was picked at its peak, instead of weeks earlier, like produce you find at the grocery store.
• Climate impact: It travels less of a distance to get to you, which lowers your carbon footprint.
•  Supporting local economies: Buying local keeps money circulating in your local economy. Plus, knowing the farmers means you can ask questions about how your food was grown and engage in conversations about important topics, like how regenerative agriculture helps soil health and fights climate change.

Incorporate local food by finding a farmers market in your area or joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which delivers boxes of local food to your door or an easily accessible location every week.

Wednesday: Feeling Fishy

Fish is broadly considered a healthy food, with less fat and just as much protein as other meats, plus omega-3s, calcium, and other minerals. There’s not currently certification for USDA organic fish. But some methods of fishing aren’t sustainable, like bottom-trawling, which can speed up coral reef destruction, and is used in some regions for bottom-feeders like catfish. Other types of fish may not be as sustainable because they are chronically over-fished, like cod and Chilean sea bass, or unhealthy because they may have high concentrations of mercury, like swordfish.

These examples all come from Monterey Bay Aquarium’s SeafoodWatch.org which has resources for finding safe, sustainable options of whatever you have a taste for. There’s also an app you can use in the grocery store.

The best way to get high-quality seafood that’s caught in an eco-friendly way is to buy local and check labels. If you have a fish market in your community, talk to the employees about where fish comes from. In stores, look for labels including Marine Stewardship Council, Fishwise, and Seafood Safe.

Thursday: Be Aware of Food Waste

A study from the Natural Resources Defense Council found that 40% of food in the US is wasted. Much of it never makes it to fridges and pantries as it goes bad on farms, in trucks, or at grocery stores. But it’s estimated that households waste a quarter of the groceries they bring home—that’s like leaving a bag of groceries you’ve paid for at the store every week!

Make sure you use up the food you buy. Make sure to keep and safely reheat those leftovers.

Friday: Eating Out and Staying Green

Many folks who are interested in their health and the health of the Earth avoid restaurant food because it tends to be more processed, or when it’s organic and unprocessed, it can get rather pricey. That doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to a night out once in a while. Check GreenPages.org for certified green restaurants, as well as the Green Restaurant Association{GBN} dinegreen.com. The Happy Cow app is an easy resource to find vegan and vegetarian restaurants near you, at all price points.

Saturday: In Search of Healthier Soils

Corporate agriculture is driving the climate crisis and flooding the market with processed products and food grown on degraded land. Instead, opt for food grown in healthy ways, like using regenerative agriculture practices. Regenerative agriculture is a holistic land-management practice that uses the power of photosynthesis in plants to sequester carbon in the soil while improving soil health, crop yields, water resilience, and nutrient density.

Regeneratively grown food isn’t just better for the Earth; those healthier soils mean your fruits, veggies, and even regeneratively raised meats have higher nutritional value, and you lessen your exposure to toxic pesticides. Food companies should be driving the use of sustainable practices, including pesticide reduction, through their supply chains.

Until that is a widespread practice, buying whole foods from regenerative farmers is your best bet. Ask questions, like “who grew this and what farming practices did they use?” And listen for answers that involve not using synthetic chemicals, growing diverse crops, and composting.

There is currently no way to tell what soil health practices are being used in the supply chains of foods at your grocery store, but Green America’s Soil Carbon Initiative is working on a label. Until that comes to stores near you, look for USDA organic, Non-GMO Project, and biodynamic certifications.

One of the best ways to be an eco warrior is to be an eco eater, whatever that might look like for you! The most important thing is to be healthy, which you can do by exploring the world's flavors and experimenting with various eco-friendly foods and diets.

Taking Action for the Climate & Community: United Methodist Women at Chevy Chase, MD Switch to a Better Bank

Judy Smith, past president and current secretary-treasurer for United Methodist Women at Chevy Chase (CCUMW) in Maryland, is devoted to Creation Care and the well-being of communities, the environment, and our precious Earth – including the climate. 

As treasurer for the group, she would go to the bank regularly to make deposits. Like most people, her focus was on the good works that the funds would ultimately make possible – not on the funds’ impact by virtue of being held at Bank of America.

Problems with a Big Bank

Eventually, however, Judy learned that big US banks are driving the climate crisis through their investments in fossil fuels. With that knowledge, going to the bank just didn’t feel the same.

Judy learned more about her bank’s role in financing the crisis from Green America. And she brought her concern – and that of United Methodist Women/Baltimore Washington Conference – for racial justice and climate justice to her thinking about what a better bank would look like.

What to Consider When Switching Banks

Fran Teplitz, Green America’s Responsible Finance director, talked through with Judy the range of banking institutions that might work for UMW. Whether for an individual or an institution, choosing a bank or credit union needs to meet a variety of needs that are specific to the customer. 

• Is a brick and mortar bank needed? 
• Do you need/are you comfortable with mobile banking? 
• Is the account minimum an issue?
• What fees might be incurred? 
• What banking products do you need?

What Are Better Banks?

Fran introduced Judy to the concept of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs). The U.S. Treasury offers a certification to CDFIs for working constructively with low-to-moderate income communities to build financial stability and local wealth.    MDIs, as defined by the federal government, have minority ownership and/or have a majority of board directors who are minority and a customer base that is predominantly minority.

As smaller institutions with community-based missions, unlike many conventional big banks, CDFIs and MDIs are also not financing the way forward for fossil fuel infrastructure. 

Even as many big US banks announce plans to support renewable energy and to “decarbonize” their portfolios, they are still providing the financing for new fossil fuel development. 

Collectively from US big banks alone, this comes to hundreds of billions of dollars in new fossil fuel financing. 

“I could not have switched banks without the resources from Green America,” Judy said. “I studied the resources and got our group to agree to use Industrial Bank, a leading African American-owned bank that is also a federally certified CDFI that supports community development. It was a bit of a long process since they are in Washington, DC and UMW is in Maryland, and I needed to provide additional paperwork. But I feel much better about our banking now.”

Saying Goodbye

Judy sent a “goodbye” letter to her local Bank of America branch and to customer service, explaining her multiple reasons for leaving. The “last straw” for Judy was the big bank’s refusal to be flexible with its fees when the CCUMW bank balance fell during the COVID-19 pandemic which prevented the group from holding their usual fundraisers. 

“Those funds were intended to support children and women world-wide, so it felt terrible to see the balance drop every month due to bank fees,” Judy explained. She tried negotiating with the bank, but ultimately her outreach went nowhere.

During the process of switching banks, Judy realized that switching banks can actually be a strategy for addressing the climate crisis. She also learned that some banks play a significantly bigger role than others in supporting community businesses and the success of economically marginalized communities.

In the end, with Industrial Bank, she was able to meet all her organization’s banking needs, from basic bank services and better fee structures to mission alignment with their core values and faith.

Does your bank reflect your values? Use Green America’s Get a Better Bank resources to help you switch to a bank or credit union that supports people and the planet.

GMO foods and pesticides have a toxic relationship that’s playing out in your grocery store and probably your kitchen. Here’s why, and how, to steer clear of toxic pesticides and their GMO partners.

What are GMOs?

As defined by the Non-GMO Project, “a GMO, or genetically modified organism, is a plant, animal, microorganism or other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using genetic engineering or transgenic technology. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.”

What foods are GMOs in?

Genetically engineered (GE) crops currently on the market are: corn, soy, alfalfa, canola, cotton, papaya, sugar beets, zucchini, yellow summer squash, potatoes, and apples.

In the US, GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food and more than 95% of animals used for meat and dairy eat GMO crops.

The following product ingredients are likely derived from GE crops: Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Dextrose, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Citrate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Yeast Products, and many more.

GMOs can also be found in newer products like plant-based meat substitutes, such as the genetically modified yeast in the Impossible Burger.

Note that the USDA’s bioengineered (BE) label has a narrower definition of GMOs, meaning several food products are exempt from carrying the label or have a QR code label, putting the onus on consumers to get out their phones and do research themselves while in the store.

In addition, when modified seeds spread pollen, or seeds are spread from birds or fruit, GMO foods can contaminate non-GMO crops.

Globally, GMOs are treated as more of a concern than they are in North America, with several countries banning their cultivation.

Should I avoid GMO foods?

GMO foods are modified and grown to be resistant to synthetic pesticides and herbicides, which can easily lead to overuse of these chemicals linked to serious health problems.

Pesticides are substances meant to protect crops from various pests. In industrial agriculture, synthetic chemical pesticides are commonly used to protect plants from insects, weeds, and fungi. GMO foods are modified and grown to be resistant to synthetic pesticides, which can easily lead to overuse.

The herbicide RoundUp’s usage rose 1500% between 1995 and 2015—because GMO crops had been grown to be resistant to it. In 2015, the World Health Organization classified glyphosate, the main chemical in RoundUp, as a possible carcinogen. Since then, there have been several successful lawsuits against RoundUp producer Monsanto/Bayer for people who developed cancer after exposure to RoundUp. Monsanto/Bayer is also one of companies that manufactures GMO seeds.

The toxicity of pesticides most directly affects farmworkers but can also have negative impacts on consumers over time. Research on the effects of glyphosate residues on the foods we eat are in the early stages but scientists in the Environmental Working Group warn that the chemical is biologically persistent and chronic, and that food companies should be driving the reduction of glyphosate use by their supply chains.

As weeds and other pests evolve to become resistant to glyphosate, the agricultural industry is turning to even more toxic pesticides.

A 2022 report from George Washington University revealed that one in three Americans have detectable levels of the herbicide 2,4-D—a 23% rise since 2001. This chemical is one of the main ingredients in the bioweapon Agent Orange.

How do GMO crops affect the environment?

Another big question surrounding GMOs is how they interact with the world around them. The production of GMO foods requires mono-cropping—growing the same variety of crop in the same area year after year. This depletes nutrients and fertility in the soil, thereby forcing farmers to turn to damaging products like nitrogen fertilizers made from fossil fuels.

In addition, overuse of pesticides doesn’t just pose a risk to health. Increasing their use has also led to pollinator decline, creation of chemical-resistant superweeds and pests, and disruption of local ecosystems.

How can I avoid GMOs and pesticides?

Avoid GMOs by looking for products that carry the Non-GMO Project Verified label. To avoid pesticides, look for the USDA Organic label. The best option, when available, are products with both labels.

Why Switch Banks? On Account of the Climate and Chickadees (and whatever you love) 

Not too long ago, those sentences would not have made sense to many people. And while there is still a big learning curve, more and more people are understanding the role that conventional big banks play in financing the climate crisis.

Unfortunately for people and the planet, the big US banks continue to dominate global financing of oil, natural gas, and coal infrastructure. And – unconscionably – even the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. All this, despite the increasingly dire warnings about the escalation of the climate emergency.

Clearly we need to take every action we can, individually and collectively, to build the clean energy economy that the times demand. And one more important strategy to pursue is to use a bank or credit union that does not invest in fossil fuels and that supports the well-being of communities.

Joelle Novey, a former Green America staff member and now the executive director of Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA), shared her banking switching experience with Fran Teplitz, Green America’s executive co-director for business, investing, & policy.

Fran: Joelle, it’s great to reconnect with you! I was delighted to hear about your bank switch, but before we dive into that, please tell our readers a bit about your background and how green living became a priority for you.

Joelle: I grew up in Baltimore and remember receiving what was then called “Co-op” America’s publications in the mail as a teenager, which first introduced me to the idea that our choices to buy and not buy could advance or contradict our values.

Many years later, I re-discovered the organization through the DC Green Festivals, and then for several years I joined the Green America staff as a writer and screener of applicants to the business network.

For the last dozen years, I’ve been working with communities of faith and spirit as the director of Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) inviting communities to reflect on how their own values call them to respond to the climate crisis.

And in that time, I’ve also become the parent of two kids, ages 7 and 3, with both the deepened purpose and endless balancing and distraction that brings.

Fran: When did you first start thinking about the social and environmental impacts of your banking?

Joelle: To be honest, more than a decade ago, when I was still a writer at Green America, I interviewed someone for the National Green Pages, who was an avid bird watcher who changed financial institutions out of concern about the impact climate change was having on the animals she loved.

And I got to write one of my favorite opening lines I ever wrote for a piece in a Green America publication: “It was on account of the chickadees” that this lady “switched banks.”

Why, more than twelve years after I myself wrote an article celebrating switching banks, with step-by-step instructions, was my own day-to-day checking account still in a conventional name-brand bank that invests in fossil fuels?

It’s not something I’m proud of, but perhaps those reading this can relate. Every time I looked into it over the years, I got tripped up by the conveniences of my old bank, which seemed to me to be unavailable at the better banks. As the demands on my time had grown, I’d become completely reliant on the conveniences of mobile deposit, of my bank having an app on my phone, and of having a major brand debit card tied to that checking account.

Fran: What spurred your leap to a better banking option, in your case, a credit union?

Joelle: I’d explored and rejected switching banks a few times over the years, but finally a friend posted on social media that the Clean Energy Credit Union had mobile deposit, a phone app, and a name brand debit card, and it got me to look again.

So one lesson is – share the green steps you’re taking publicly! Don’t be shy. We can get so much encouragement and good information from each other on this journey.

When I looked into the Clean Energy Credit Union and concluded I’d at last found my new, green, everyday checking bank, I recalled the advice of my long-ago interviewee who switched banks on account of the chickadees. She advised people seeking to switch banks, as does Green America, to do things incrementally, over a number of months, which is what I did: open the new bank account first, move routine things like direct deposit of one’s salary and other regular payments over to the new account and new card over time, and then the very last step of all is the closing of the old account – and telling the old bank why you left

Over time, various different apps I use that had my old debit card information stored had to be set up with my new account, taking a little bit of work each time, but spread out over a long time: the rideshare apps, the Paypal and venmo apps, subscriptions to various media, parking and car-charging apps. One at a time, I just had to remember, “oh I have to update this too,” and take the moment to enter new payment information.  

But I took it slow and just let myself get it done incrementally over the course of a number of months, as each thing arose in the course of daily life.  

Fran:  What were the most important reasons for you personally to switch banks? 

Joelle: Look, we’re not in a climate crisis because I was keeping a few thousand dollars in a conventional bank’s checking account, or because of the daily purchasing or recycling or lightbulb choices of anyone reading this. We’re in a climate crisis because a few enormous corporate polluters have been allowed to damage our earth’s climate without limit or consequence for the last few generations.  

And the only answer to that is the formation of a grassroots movement strong enough to change laws and shift our entire society off of the extraction and burning of fossil fuels.  

That said, we are all deeply enmeshed in the fossil fuel-based economy of the past, and I think it’s important and meaningful to try and disengage our daily lives from those systems even as we come together to fight for systemic change.  

I once heard the prison abolitionist Mariame Kaba say that every single time you resolve a conflict successfully without involving the state or the police, you are helping to create openings in your own life for the future we need.  

And that’s a little bit how I feel about my new green steps this year, which were that my family finally had the opportunity to transition to an electric (hybrid) car, around the same time that I also began moving my daily checking to a bank that reflects my values.  

I have a lot of compassion for all of us in this generation who find ourselves so enmeshed in fossil fuel-based systems of transportation, food, and finance that we have come to understand are inconsistent with a livable future. Living partly or mostly stuck in those systems while carrying that knowledge with more and more urgency and clarity takes a psychic toll on all of us; it makes me heartsick and requires compartmentalization to keep carrying on like that.  

But every time we successfully get where we’re going, manage to prepare a meal or cash a check, without burning more fossil fuels, we’re showing ourselves and each other that another world is possible. Around the Jewish holiday of Passover this year, I’m planning to participate in an action in DC that will be calling out Bank of America, BlackRock, Chase, CitiGroup, and Wells Fargo. It feels liberating this Passover to know I’ll take that action having removed at least the most frequently used bank account in my name from its complicity in what these financial institutions are doing. 

Fran: So what ultimately made the bank switch possible for you? 

Joelle:  For me, the technical and practical convenience was a precondition for doing this. The other thing I was looking for was a bank that didn’t just not invest in dirty energy but was actively hastening the clean energy transition. I know from my work with congregations that the availability of financing for solar panels, for example, can make all the difference in moving clean energy projects forward. So I wanted my funds not to just stop being complicit in bad things but actively invested in support of good things.  For these reasons, I chose the Clean Energy Credit Union.  

Fran: That’s terrific! The Clean Energy Credit Union is also a certified member of Green America’s Green Business Network.  

Every credit union has membership requirements, and it’s great that your membership in Green America and Solar United Neighbors opened the door to your eligibility to join the credit union. 

We’re very pleased that all Green America members -- and the people in their households -- are eligible to join the Clean Energy Credit Union. 

So how’s it going with the credit union? What advice do you have for others who want their banking life to reflect their values? 

Joelle: It’s great! This is a small and symbolic thing, but the Clean Energy Credit Union debit card actually has a happy painting of a future climate stable world on it, with a vegetable garden, solar panels, a rain barrel, people biking and charging up vehicles, and a wind turbine in the background against a blue sky. Several times a day as I took out my old debit card – too often because I needed to gas up my old car – I used to just try and push aside the misalignment I felt, or the futility I felt that even I, a full-time climate activist, couldn’t manage to do any better. Now each of those little moments of feeling defeated has been transformed by my happy little debit card into a jolt of hope, a reminder that we’re prototyping and creating the new world we need already, inside the shell of the old.  

Fran: How are you spreading the word and encouraging others, whether individuals or institutions/congregations, to ensure their banking is in accord with their values and the imperative of building a clean energy economy? 

Joelle: Doing things in community is always easier – that’s the insight that makes Green America such a powerful and encouraging organization, by letting people know we’re all working to shift into the kind of life and world we need together. I know one synagogue near me, Adat Shalom, had a months-long campaign during which dozens of members opened a Green America credit card in community, and began the process of shifting away from their old cards. 

Fran: That’s right! We worked with that congregation and feature the congregation’s “card switch”. What are your next green finance steps?  

Joelle: As we speak, I’m waiting for one more thing to clear through my old account, and then I’ll be closing the account for good. I’ll use Green America’s resources to make sure to tell my bank why I’m leaving – they’re well known for investing in mountain-top removal coal mining and other destructive practices – and share what I did on social media to spread the word. 

The next steps are to work with my spouse on some of the accounts that we share jointly. In cases where we can’t get the absolutely lowest rates or best conveniences with the better banks, then we need to have the serious conversations about how much it’s worth to us to align in this way.  

It was on account of everything and everyone I love that I finally switched banks.  

In the wise words of Donna Summer, “She works hard for the money.”

And shouldn’t she get to decide what happens to it, how it’s invested, where it goes? Shouldn’t you? That’s why socially responsible investing (SRI) options in an employer’s 401(k) package are so crucial to maintaining a healthy economy for both people and the planet.

An Intro to SRI

SRI (also called mission-based investing, sustainable investing, or impact investing) is an approach to investing, which adheres to ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria. Recently, ESG has become the more widely used term.

There are many long-term benefits to practicing SRI, including improving corporate conduct through shareholder action, community development, and reducing financial risk.

“Offering SRI retirement options is an excellent way for employers to help secure the financial well-being of their employees,” says Fran Teplitz, Green America’s executive co-director. “For employees, it means putting their money where their values are, while saving for retirement at the same time.”

The Employee and the 401(k)

According to The Investment Company Institute’s (ICI) 401(k) Resource Center, only 60 million Americans were participating in a 401(k) program, as of September 2021.

But that doesn’t need to be the case.

“Research shows that Americans will save more through defined contribution plans [editor’s note: defined contribution plans are retirement plans that either or both the employee and the employer contribute to] with proper incentives, services, and guidance,” ICI states on its Resource Center page. “Better understanding of 401(k)s, through education and disclosure, will also boost participation.”

There are ways to encourage and foster participation, including offering more ESG investment options.

According to the 2019 Defined Contribution Plan Participant Survey by Natixis Investment Managers, 61% of “all workers surveyed would start saving or would save more for retirement if they had SRI/ESG options.” Of those surveyed, only 13% had access to ESG options within their employer-provided retirement plan at the time.

Three-quarters of all surveyed employees also said it was important “to make positive social and environmental impacts while increasing one’s assets.”

Unfortunately, the benefits of a 401(k) are only available to employees who have access to them at all—and many don’t. According to a 2018 Stanford report, “only half of all households are offered work-based retirement plans.”

If you’re fortunate to have access to one, what does a 401(k) with SRI options actually get you? Control of your money and financial health.

Make Your Finances Work for the World

“A lot of people don’t know there are investment opportunities that consider environmental and social justice and good corporate governance factors,” says Jeff Scales, Managing Principal at JSA Sustainable Wealth Management{GBN}. “And this may be the only place that they’re doing anything more than a bank account and a savings account.”

Spending and investing your money where your values lie is called voting with your dollars, and it’s a great way to support local communities and a healthy planet.

It goes back to the stats showing people will be more likely to join a 401(k) program if it offers ESG options.

“If you’re offering me a choice between General Motors, Exxon and Pfizer,” warns Rob Thomas of Social(K) on employer-provided 401(k)s. “I’m going to opt out.”

Before you opt out, consider that having a retirement plan, whether it includes a 401(k) or other financial products, is key to building a retirement safety net. According to PwC’s Retirement in America report, one in four Americans have no retirement savings. With SRI-oriented mutual funds plans, employees can build a retirement savings that avoid fossil fuels, tobacco, and firearms. They still hold many Fortune 500 companies, and push these companies to improve on their social and environmental performance.

Easily accessible and ethical retirement programs could make a major contribution to making saving for retirement far more egalitarian than it has been historically.

It’s going to take a huge amount of education and an enormous activist movement to drive this change, but if we did that, the shift of capital would be immense.

Jeff Scales, JSA Sustainable Wealth Management

How to Approach Your Employer for SRI Options

An employer offering an ethical, comprehensive, and progressive 401(k) plan may seem like a no-brainer.

“Many companies don’t offer SRI plans,” says Teplitz, “even when they would boost employee morale and loyalty. That’s why Green America and Social(k) created this great resource to help employees vouch for SRI plans at work.”

Follow these steps from Green America and Social(k)’s Plan for a Better Future, which you can download at greenamerica.org/SRIretirement:

• Educate yourself about SRI, including its benefits, example SRI example providers, and data on SRI performance. A good place to start is The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment’s (US SIF) Resource Guide for Plan Sponsors.
• Identify and meet with co-workers who share interest in having ESG options in your 401(k) plan. This can be done via informal emails or instant messages, staff meetings, or wherever your water cooler conversations happen.
• Schedule a meeting with HR and plan a presentation detailing why employees want greater investor choice and why you are requesting SRI options.
• Follow up with HR after your presentation. As Scales boldly puts it: “Don’t take no for an answer.” Especially since the Biden administration has proposed a new rule to make adding ESG options to an employer’s retirement plan easier, according to the Federal Register.

Visit investyourvalues.org for resources to launch conversations with your employer about offering SRI retirement options. The site includes information on the retirement plan offerings at several large employers and more corporate employers will be added. Even if your employer isn’t currently listed, you can still use the employee tips provided wherever you work.

“It’s going to take a huge amount of education and an enormous activist movement to drive this change [to widespread availability of SRI retirement plans], but if we did that, the shift of capital would be immense,” says Scales. “We must insist in all the products and services that we choose—as consumers and investment professionals—that they provide us with carbon disclosure, compensation practices, diversity and inclusion information and more. And if we don’t like what we see—we need to engage, speak up and in some cases divest.”

Wasted food comes at a cost to the planet, to your wallet, and to hungry bellies everywhere. The monetary value of that cost is over $408 billion just in the US—accounting for 130 billion meals thrown in the trash. Globally, 11% of all food waste occurs in the home, compared to the 7% that occurs in food service and retail, according to a 2021 UN study. It’s time to stop wasting food in any way we can. Whether you have two minutes or a few hours, make room in your schedule for these ways to reduce food waste!

Check the Expiration Dates: 1 Minute

Don’t be fooled by the “best by” and “sell by” dates on food. These time stamps do not indicate safety, but rather when a manufacturer thinks the food is at peak freshness. Yet because this is not made clear to the buyer, people automatically throw out food past its stamped date, resulting in wasted food. Instead of depending on arbitrary sell dates, get used to sniffing out spoilage—such as sour or rancid smells, and looking for discoloration, slimy film, or mold—to make your food and your dollar last a little longer.

Properly Store Your Produce: 5-10 minutes

Keeping fruits and veggies perky is possible when stored properly. Plastic bags can hasten the ripening of potatoes, which need to breathe. Refrigerated fruits and veggies can benefit from being stored in airtight containers, which prevent the cold air of the refrigerator from drying them out. Leafy greens and spring onions will stay fresh and crunchy when their ends are placed in a jar with water, much like a bouquet of flowers, or when they are swaddled in a damp towel and placed in the refrigerator. Lastly, some produce release ethylene gas as they ripen, such as bananas, apples, and tomatoes. Others, such as lettuce, broccoli, and onions are sensitive to ethylene and will age faster next to them. It’s best to keep the ethylene-emitting produce away from the ethylene-sensitive ones.

Arrange Your Refrigerator for Your Eating Habits: 20 Minutes

We often grab what’s at eye level—it’s the most convenient. That’s why the leftovers in the back are forgotten and the produce in the bottom drawer goes bad. Instead of loading the door full of sauces, try putting those in the bottom drawer—you’ll dig for what you want when you need it. Put produce and healthy snacks in the door. Put your prepped meals at eye level and in order by the days it will be eaten. Choices that are easy to find are more likely to be eaten and less likely to go bad.

Plan Your Meals: 2-3 Hours

The more precise you are about what you’re going to eat and when, the less food you’ll waste. Meal-planning apps can help! For example, Yummly (free online or for iOS, Android), features millions of recipes, allowing you to choose your meals and export grocery lists. Visit your local food co-op or browse their website for recipe inspiration. French Broad Food Co-op{GBN} has several recipes on their blog—your local co-op probably has some, too!

Start a Little Free Pantry: 1 Hour a Week

A little free pantry is a publicly accessible cabinet, bookshelf, or drawers stationed in a neighborhood and filled with pantry goods. Little free pantries, created and managed by the community, operate best when supplies are stocked organically—meaning someone gives when they have excess, and someone takes when they need. This can include produce, dry foods, canned goods, and personal care items.

Volunteer With Food Rescue Groups: 4 Hours or More

Find groups across the country that are gleaning dropped produce from fields or rescuing wasted food from stores and restaurants and sending it to food pantries for food-insecure households. The National Gleaning Project has a nationwide map to help you find a gleaning group in your state or city. Additionally, you can volunteer at a food bank, where you can sort food in the warehouse, pass out food at distribution sites, or make home deliveries.

Wasting less food in a food system focused on mass production will not solve the issue completely. Choosing to purchase from slow food and seasonal restaurants, and shopping locally bring the food system to a smaller scale. When growers don’t have to focus on the mass production of food, they can grow smaller batches that are less wasteful to begin with.

As we know, where our money is invested it’s having an impact – either benefiting or harming people and the planet. If we’re fortunate enough to have a retirement plan, we also know it can be hard to know all the companies we “own” by investing in them and what their social and environmental impacts are. 

Green America is pleased to partner with As You Sow to help you find out what you own in your retirement plan – and how to be an advocate for better investment options from your employer. 

If you are employed at one of these large US companies:  

You can get information on your employer’s 401(k) plan by simply selecting the company where you work.

You’ll find out the extent to which you are invested in fossil fuels, deforestation, weapons, for-profit prisons, and more. 

Chances are you won’t like what you see – what then? 

You can be a force for change!  

These 5 Steps to a Sustainable Retirement Plan outline the steps for knowing what you own, working with the person in charge of selecting your investment plan options, and tips for reaching out to co-workers to build support for sustainable investment options.   

If your employer is not one of these large US companies: 

You can still find out how individual mutual funds in your retirement plan rate on key issues.  

1.    Identify the funds you own by logging in to your retirement plan portal.  

2.    Look up each fund for its investment rating on fossil fuels, gender equality, guns, military weapons, deforestation, prisons, and tobacco.  

3.    To find a fund’s rating across all seven of these issues, visit this website and scroll down to Search Mutual Funds & ETFs by Name or Ticker and type in the fund’s name for a full report. 

More corporate employers will be added to this list over time by As You Sow – you can sign-up for updates. 

Thank you for taking stock – and then changing your stocks as needed so that your investments match your values.  

Let’s make our money work for the kind of world we really want – where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the abundance of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come.  

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Coming soon.

Contact GreenMark Media: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn 

To provide the seed money for starting GreenMark Media in April 2006, Sue Markgraf sold her collector car—a red Corvette. 

"I like to say it ‘revved’ the engine for something else – something very green,” she says. 

In fact, it sparked her life’s mission to help share information and education about the glorious, wonderful planet we live on. GreenMark Media was born with a mission to provide custom, specialized professional communications services to green spaces, places and issues™. 

Nearly 16 years later, GreenMark Media continues to share news of sustainability and environmental justice for its green-collar clients. But what exactly does that mean and how does the firm achieve its goals? 

“GreenMark Media's clients represent the pillars of the sustainable industry,” Markgraf says. “This provides networking and cross-promotable synergies that impacts their bottom line and grows their business, while elevating awareness of important sustainable issues. It all works together.” 

As a strategic storytelling firm for business-to-business and business-to-consumer clients, GreenMark Media offers an important messaging workshop at the start of every professional client relationship. The Grow Your Message Workshop™ helps businesses “articulate their values and purpose in the marketplace.” 

“It’s surprising how eye-opening this workshop can be,” she says. “There is oftentimes a direct disconnect between the branding of the company in the c-suite and the branding of the company at the team level.” 

After all, you don’t know what you don’t know, and Markgraf is on a mission to help people know more. That matters because she believes that getting everyone on the same page in a business means not only better success for the company – but correct storytelling about the company’s work to B2B and B2C publics. “When a message is clear and a company’s work is clearly defined – success happens and the Earth wins,” she says. 

Markgraf’s own passion for our blue-and-green planet started with a red tomato. 

“When I was very young, my parents gave me a small area of our yard, and I grew tomatoes,” she reveals. “I gave the very first tomato I grew to my mother. The delight on her face! That’s where the connection between Earth and goodness was made for me, and where my passion in my work comes from.” 

Markgraf’s career in sustainability was nurtured through her career along the way and grew to fruition through her work at the Chicago Botanic Garden. There, she essentially created a viable public relations and marketing communications department that helped take the messaging of the Garden to a creative new level. During her time there, the Garden launched science initiatives and exciting new gardens. She was also part of the team that created a major branding and fundraising campaign.  

“I remember the day distinctly when I knew I had to leave the Garden, a place I truly love to this day,” she says. “It was early October and the morning was beautiful – the start of a crisp, fall day. As I opened my bedroom curtains and I said to myself, ‘I absolutely love my job. I could retire from there.’ And I literally plopped myself down on the side of my bed and broke out in a cold sweat. I then knew there was something else I was meant to do. GreenMark Media, I know now, is it.”  

So GreenMark Media was born and Markgraf’s mission to do her part for the industry-at-large was truly ignited. Her skillset uniquely blends years of experience in journalism and strategic storytelling for business. 

“It is a very good planet” she says, “and we all have a responsibility to ensure that it lives and breathes as it was created to do. I do not want to see us make the mistakes we are making just because we don't know any better. “Increasing awareness, supplying education, and communicating while supporting our clients’ work is near and dear to me. It isn’t my job – it’s my calling.” 

Beyond the Grow Your Message Workshop, GreenMark Media provides a full suite of professional communications services, including content creation, digital marketing, social media, reputation management, and much more. 

“GreenMark Media is part of the sustainable industry, too,” Markgraf says. “By adopting our own green policies and sustainable practices – by being invested in the industry overall – we provide a unique platform for communicating about issues and getting straight to the heart of our clients’ work in sustainability.”  

For green businesses who may be intimidated about costs when working with a professional communications and marketing firm, Markgraf offers one piece of advice: 

“Don’t be scared. Reach out and let’s talk,” she says. “We have a unique gift as an industry. That is to articulately guide and lead so others will understand why Earth not only matters – but why its life needs protecting.” 

In the new year, the Green Business Network ® launched programming tied to a resolution we want to help all of our business members achieve--moving toward zero waste.

The concept of “zero waste” addresses the entire lifecycle of a product, including its initial design, reuse, repurposing, composting, and other strategies that support a circular economy in which resources are valued and circulate in the economy and society in new forms to avoid waste. Although zero waste goals require rethinking production and consumption, businesses’ bottom lines benefit when they effectively steward resources.

GBN and our business members have addressed waste issues for many years, and we know there is always room for improvement. For those newer to the concept of “zero waste,” it can also be challenging to rethink one’s business operations and related waste production.

For that reason, we turned to Moji Igun, founder of Blue Daisi Consulting {GBN}, who is dedicated to helping small businesses become more environmentally sustainable, to explain what she calls the “zero waste mindset.” On our recent webinar, Moji partnered with Green Business Network member and CEO Gloria Ware who described her sustainability journey. Ware’s quarterly subscription and online community for Black women entrepreneurs, Get the Bag {GBN}, is dedicated to supporting the success of Black women in business.

Moji teaches that while achievements like getting all of one’s trash to fit into a small jar, might get a lot of views on social media, that isn’t exactly the goal. The zero-waste goal is actually much larger – it is to understand “how did we get into a society, into circumstances, where we are outputting so much waste, and sending it all to a landfill with no real regard for how much resources we are using?”

The linear economy – a straight line from store, to use, to the trash - is destroying the planet and needs to be replaced with a circular economy, Moji explains.

So how do we proceed towards zero waste?

With the zero waste mindset – “a lens for adjusting our consumption and production habits through intentional and consistent action.” Moji helps businesses make small shifts over time, which results in real change that builds over time without the overwhelm that can lead to inaction. She’s inspired by Arthur Ashe, the great tennis star and civil rights icon, who said: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Gloria explained that Moji affirmed her decision to offer quarterly versus monthly Get the Bag subscriptions, gave her a broader list of environmentally friendly vendors, and encouraged her to provide educational materials to her customers on how to properly recycle or creatively repurpose the boxes. “The biggest take-away from my session with Moji was to start where I am and take steps in the right direction over time. That was important, because it reduced the stress of trying to do all the green things at once,” Gloria underscored.

Now Ware is educating her audience of Black women entrepreneurs on an ongoing basis about waste reduction. Those many steps are making a real difference, especially as Get the Bag network members learn and make changes too. Gloria notes that the number of Black women business owners in the US has increased 168% from 2008-2018, and Get the Bag is providing resources to help this audience adopt sustainability practices so they and the planet can thrive.

If you are an entrepreneur seeking to improve your social and environmental impacts, learn more:

Green Business Network | BlueDaisi | GetheBag

For a recording of this session:

The header image features products from FariOrganics, a Black woman-owned business that works with Ware, using compostable packaging.

Get The Bag, LLC is a community to connect with Black women who are aspiring and current entrepreneurs, motivated, courageous and fired-up about becoming more financially informed to start and scale successful businesses. For community members, Get The Bag helps you:

Get The Bag delivers three forms of capital to our community members and their champions:

Financial Capital -  Source real grants, pitch competitions and funding opportunities designed to help more Black women get the bag. Bonus: Finance and funding focused content to help you to get funding ready.

Social Capital - Connect with a network of value-aligned businesses, professionals and business support organizations ready to help Black women power-up our businesses.

Customer Capital - Purchase a Get The Bag Boss box for yourself or the Boss in your life to make an immediate economic impact supporting the lovingly curated collection Black- and Black-women owned makers, artisans and brands featured.

Are you a values-aligned business or non-profit? Purchase our Get The Bag giftboxes for your team, students, clients or next event. We ship nationally.

Industrial agriculture is a leading source of the climate crisis. Big Ag causes continual topsoil loss (costing the US more than a trillion dollars every year), and pollutes our waterways.  

Restoring soil health and its natural ability to draw down carbon from the atmosphere to slow global warming is a critical step to addressing these crises. 

Healthier soil also produces more nutrient-rich food for us.  

That’s why Green America, in partnership with over 150 farms, companies, NGOs, and soil scientists, launched the first-of-its-kind certification for regenerative agriculture in 2019, open to all farms and food companies: Soil Carbon Initiative.  

We’re looking for the next 100 farmers and food companies to become part of our “2022 Go-to-Market” pilots.

What is regenerative agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture is farming with, not against, Mother Nature and improves soil health, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water quality, climate resiliency, food security, farm profitability, and rural community economics.

What is the Soil Carbon Initiative?

The Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI) is a world-changing, outcomes-based, commitment and verification program that empowers and incentivizes farmers, food companies, and the entire food supply chain to transition acreage to regenerative farming.

The initiative requires demonstrated improvement of soil health and carbon sequestration, which means real benefits for the climate, our soils, and our health. Backed by farmers and other leaders in this space, the standard is designed to be practical, accessible, and both farmer- and business-friendly.  

And it’s changing the way we do agriculture.  

Steve Tucker at Tucker Farms in Venango, Nebraska, said: 

SCI is the most encompassing soil health program that I have ever seen, and the fact that it is non-exclusive with other certifications makes it even better! There are so many great aspects to SCI – access to guidance and support with farm planning, an emphasis on outcomes and progress, and the opportunity to improve farm profitability and market recognition.

Benefits to farmers participating in the 2022 Go-to-Market Pilots Program include:

• Information: Access to the world’s best soil health tests that provide real data on soil health progress – and interpretive guidance and planning for the producer’s best next steps, depending on farm goals, since every farm is different  
  
• Farm Profitability: Focusing on soil health helps farms reduce input costs and increase profitability
  
• Network: Farmers who are part of the Go-to-Market pilots become part of SCI’s Founding Farmer network to exchange ideas with other farmers – and provide advice to shape the future of SCI
  
• Market: SCI helps farmers get ready for the growing market of companies and consumers looking to connect with farms focusing on soil health and climate outcomes
  
• Label & Verification: Farmers earn the SCI label to very their soil health progress for consumers and companies
  
• 2022 Financial Benefits: Pilot costs are covered for soil health tests and a cost share for expert regenerative consultants 
  
• 2023 and Beyond Financial Benefits: Annual fees will always be waived for members of the SCI Founding Farmers network, and members have first eligibility for the SCI Farm Fund for transition investments and ongoing dividends (starting in 2023).

Please share this pilot with a farmer or company who might be interested.

Erin Gorman, Soil Carbon Initiative director and Maryland-based farmer, said:

We welcome all producers who are interested in beginning or deepening their soil health journey to join our Go-to-Market pilots.

The deadline for applications is April 5.

Together, we can transform our food system into one that is sustainable, healthy, and beneficial for all.