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Ninety-five percent of the US sugar supply made from sugar beets comes from Monsanto’s own genetically modified (GM) beets, engineered to be resistant to the company’s Roundup herbicide, which has been linked to birth defects, brain malformations, and DNA damage.

Also, most of the high-fructose corn syrup that sweetens many US processed foods comes from GM corn.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) themselves have been linked in several studies to increased severity of allergic reactions, irritable bowels, organ damage, and tumor growth. (For more on these studies, see the “Frankenfood” issue of the
Green American.)

In late 2012, scientists from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) discovered that a very common genetic sequence in GMOs—including sugar beets and corn—includes a potentially dangerous virus gene.

The Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMV) is a sequence of seven genes used in GMOs to force the newly introduced gene to increase production of its desired proteins. But overlapping with the CaMV is part of an actual virus gene, “gene VI.” The EFSA notes that many viral genes incapacitate the body’s antipathogen defenses so they can invade. Since plant and human viruses are often interchangeable, gene VI could result in suppressed immune systems in both plants and humans.

While there are plenty of reasons to avoid sugar, GMO sugar may significantly compound its health effects. Make any sugar you eat organic and Fair Trade to avoid GMOs, pesticides, and labor abuses.

—Tracy Fernandez Rysavy

Since Green America launched our “Break Up With Your Mega-Bank” campaign in 2008, we’ve heard from thousands of Green Americans who have broken up with their mega-banks, switching their bank accounts to community development banks or credit unions. And it’s no wonder why — for decades, mega-banks like Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and others have been engaging in predatory lending, investing in fossil fuels, and deceiving consumers with hidden charges and fees—and they were a central cause of the Great Recession.

But even if you’ve switched your bank account to a local credit union, you may still be linked to mega banks through credit cards. When you open a credit card account, your fees—annual fees, balance transfer fees, and any late fees, as well as the fees that the merchants pay and any interest you pay on your card balance—go to the issuing bank. The bank, in turn, makes loans to individuals and businesses.

“When you use a mega-bank’s card, you’re bolstering all the things the bank’s loans support, from clearcutting forests to new coal-fired power plants to predatory loans,” says Fran Teplitz, Green America’s director of social investing programs. “Community development banks and credit unions provide the best opportunity for cardholders to avoid supporting bad practices and to positively impact communities.”

The good news is that you can find a credit card issued by a community development bank or credit union, which will in turn use your fees to support operations you can feel good about. Using a responsible credit card, when combined with smart practices like minimizing debt and paying off your card on time, may change your relationship with that little piece of plastic in your wallet. If you use credit cards, you can put your money to work for change every time you make a charge.

What's Wrong with Mega-Banks?

You know those credit card offers that sometimes flood your mail or inbox? Odds are they are from a mega-bank, and odds are even better that the mega-bank has a history of engaging in unethical business practices and funding problematic projects.

• Foreclosure scandals: The economy continues to suffer from the downturn initiated by the wave of dishonest mortgages issued by mega-banks, and homeowners are still struggling through the foreclosure crisis. Early this year, Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo all agreed to pay billions of dollars to the US government to settle accusations that they improperly reviewed foreclosures and mishandled loan modifications in 2009 and 2010.

• Contributing to climate change: Banks and the companies they fund continue to engage in mountaintop-removal coal mining and to build carbonspewing coal-fired power plants, despite the threat of climate change. Dirty Money, a 2012 report released by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), BankTrack, and the Sierra Club, grades US Banks based on their connections to mountaintop-removal mining and coal-fired power plants. Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo were found to be the five worst banks when it comes to coal financing, with Bank of America leading the pack.

• Harming the Earth: Many megabanks are also underwriting projects in the tar sands of Canada; a practice that is destroying Canada’s Boreal Forest, which provides critical habitat for several species and is one of the largest intact forests remaining on Earth. According to 2010 research by RAN, Canadian and American banks continue to provide financing and underwriting to companies involved in tar sands extraction, including Canadian bank RBC, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and Bank of America.

And, says RAN, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch provided loan capital for China’s notorious Three Gorges Dam, an electrification project completed in 2012 that displaced over 1.4 million people, submerged toxic facilities, and destroyed critical wetlands.

• Playing politics: Many mega-banks make large political donations to parties and causes that may or may not mesh with your values. JP Morgan Chase, Citi-Group, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and US Bancorp all gave primarily to Republican candidates in 2011-2012, with some money also going to Democrats.

“Banks and other organizations that make political contributions generally [do so hoping] they have earned the right to be heard,” says Viveca Novak at the Center for Responsive Politics (CFRP). “Any industry with as many issues before Congress as banks have will do whatever it can to make its arguments to the right people.”

For detailed information on campaign donations from these institutions, visit CFRP’s opensecrets.org.

• Predatory lending: In 2009, the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act was put into place to protect consumers from some of the worst predatory lending practices once common in the credit card industry. The CARD Act protects consumers from retroactive interest rate increases, while giving them greater notice of changes in terms, more time to pay monthly bills, and more. However, mega-banks continue to work around these laws, enacting predatory policies like Wells Fargo’s policy to charge $15/month on checking accounts holding less than $7,500.

Some mega-banks have started offering new loan products with names like “Checking Account Advance” or “Direct Deposit Advance.” These products offer a customer an “advance” on the next direct deposit into their checking account, which is then deducted automatically by the bank—at a hugely infl ated interest rate—upon their customer’s direct deposit.

“Some of these loans have interests rates of 365 percent,” says Teplitz. “These are nothing more than predatory payday lending schemes by other names.”

Get a Card from Better Banks

You can direct your credit card fees and interest away from the mega-banks by using a credit card issued by a community development bank or credit union. Community development institutions use your fees to help small businesses thrive, provide loans to inventive entrepreneurs, and help homeowners manage their existing loans or purchase houses that fit in their budgets.

Visit BreakUpWithYourMegaBank.org or download our free Guide to Community Investing to find a local community development bank or credit union near you that issues a card.

Here are some of our favorite credit cards.

What about Affinity Cards?

Affinity cards promise the ability to support select nonprofits through your credit card purchases. Each time you use an affinity card, the issuing bank donates a set amount to a partner nonprofit—averaging half a penny for every dollar you charge or transfer, according to Bankrate.com. Such cards are often connected with a mega-bank; therefore, most of the fees associated with the card support that bank and any of its problematic practices. Also, APR fees tend to be higher for affinity credit cards.

Break Up Today!

Cutting up that mega-bank credit card is another step to breaking up with your mega bank and starting a healthier relationship with a local community development bank or credit union. Visit Green America’s BreakUpWithYourMegaBank.org to find a directory of community development institutions and for more tips and resources.

Updated 2022

Back in the 1980s, photographer James Balog didn’t believe in global warming. Part of the reason was that he didn’t trust the veracity of the computer models that predicted the Earth’s temperature was rising. And part was that he simply couldn’t wrap his head around the idea.

“I didn’t think that humans were capable of changing the entire physics and chemistry of this entire huge planet. It didn’t seem probable. It didn’t seem possible,” he says in the new documentary, Chasing Ice.

But Balog is also a scientist, holding a master’s degree in geomorphology from the University of Colorado, and he soon realized that the scientific evidence was too overwhelming to ignore. Then he decided to “capture climate change in photographs.”

He traveled with a crew to the Solheim Glacier in Greenland, setting up cameras to track how the glacier changed within six months, from April to October. Normally, he says, glaciers demonstrate “a little bit of advance in the winter, and a little bit of retreat in the summer.” Solheim, however, was in full retreat, shrinking several hundred feet in length and deflating by two-thirds from its full height within the six months in which Balog observed it.

“That glacier had changed so much, that for three hours, we stood there looking at the prints from six months ago and looking at the glacier, going, ‘We must be wrong. We can’t be in the right place,’” Balog tells the camera.

That moment birthed a labor of love and concern called the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS), where Balog and his crew set up 25 cameras to take hourly photographs over three years, documenting changes in some of the world’s largest glaciers—12 in Greenland, five in Iceland, five in Alaska, and two in Montana.

Some of the most stunning footage captured by the EIS is on full display in Chasing Ice. Balog and his crew slog through mud and blizzards, crash through Arctic seas on ice-breakers, roll wagons of equipment across treacherous terrain, rappel down sheer ice cliffs, and even travel by dog sled to capture images that are arrestingly beautiful and profoundly shocking.

Perhaps the most poignant scene comes in the form of EIS footage from what is now known as the largest calving event (when a giant chunk of ice breaks off a glacier) ever caught on film. When the crew set up at Llulissat Glacier in Greenland—thought to be the glacier that birthed the iceberg that sank the Titanic—they witnessed a 75 minute spectacle as an enormous ice chunk the size of Lower Manhattan started to rumble and quake and tumble into the ocean, shooting ice chunks 600 feet into the air.

Watching Chasing Ice is as close as most of us will ever come to witnessing the miracle and the horror of a dying glacier. But it’s powerful enough. Footage from the film convinced Richard Ward, a former executive with Shell Oil, to quit his job and dedicate his life to get involved in combatting the climate crisis “in a much more profound way.” And it’s getting standing ovations from climate deniers in audiences across the country.

“The public doesn’t want to hear about more statistical studies, more computer models, more projections. What they need is a believable, understandable piece of visual evidence. Something that grabs them in the gut,” says Balog.

That’s exactly what Chasing Ice does.

—Tracy Fernandez Rysavy

Chasing Ice filmmaker James Balog.

The top 200 oil, gas, and coal companies around the world hold the vast majority of the world’s remaining fossil fuel reserves. Burn these reserves, and the world is on track to catapult past the two-degree rise in world temperatures that scientists say would result in the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

The fossil-fuel divestment movement aims to change that trajectory, by encouraging powerful institutions, as well as individuals, to remove those top 200 oil, gas, and coal companies from their portfolios. Instead, it’s time to invest in clean-energy and energy-efficiency solutions that can curb the climate crisis.

Consider these three examples of clean-energy progress:

The Cloverleaf School District near Cleveland, OH, is combating climate change. Last August, all schools in the district installed energy-efficient lighting, occupancy-sensing light switches, super-efficient hot-water boilers, and other energy-efficiency upgrades, saving Ohio taxpayers $122,000 in annual energy costs.

In September, Delta Electronics Inc. announced a new project to install high-efficiency electric vehicle charging stations along major highways in Norway, one of the first countries widely to adopt electric vehicles as a climate-change solution. Simultaneously, Delta Electronics is working on a three-year contract with the US Department of Energy to research how the US might jump-start electric car adoption in this country.

And in October, in Quebec, the Innergex Renewable Energy Co. opened Stardale, its first operating solar farm in Canada. Featuring 144,000 solar photovoltaic modules, Stardale produces enough electricity to power more than 3,200 Ontario homes a year. Six future Innergex solar projects totaling 59 megawatts of power generation await approval for construction in 2013.

What do these three examples have in common? Each of the projects described above was implemented by a company held by mutual funds in which you could invest. As of this writing, mutual funds managed by Portfolio 21, the New Alternatives Fund, and Pax World Funds hold shares in Ameresco, Delta Electronics, and Innergex respectively. When you invest in companies that make it their mission to support clean energy, your responsible saving and retirement planning could be paying dividends not only for you, but for us all—in reduced climate emissions.

The Solana Generating Station under construction in Gila Bend, Arizona is a project of the Spanish company Abengoa Solar, a holding of the New Alternatives Fund portfolio. Expected to be completed in 2013, the solar farm will have a total capacity of 280 MW, enough electricity to power 70,000 homes and eliminate 475,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

“Investing in fossil fuel today seems like investing in the whaling industry in the mid 1800s—old technology, still dominant but clearly not the future,” says John Streur, president of Portfolio 21. “Our ability to power the global economy beyond the current age of fossil fuels will be the most important and difficult transformation ever made by our industrial society,”

Streur points out that global investors like Portfolio 21 are able to search the planet for the most stable and forward-thinking companies possible to fill out a responsible portfolio, while excluding US companies that are “emphasizing hydro-fracturing [fracking] and other forms of oil, gas, and coal production.”

To put your investments to work for a clean-energy future, consider the following:
 

1. Choose a fossil-free mutual fund: Three socially responsible mutual funds
exclude all companies involved in the extraction or production of fossil fuels—oil,
coal, or gas. The Green Century Balanced Fund, in addition to investing fossil-free, in 2009 became the first mutual fund publicly to release a carbon-footprint report of its holdings—which was 66 percent smaller than that of the companies making up the S&P 500.

Pax World Global Environmental Markets Fund invests pollution control, waste management, and water infrastructure, in addition to its investments in clean-energy and energy efficiency.

And Portfolio 21 maintains a company-wide policy of avoiding fossil-fuel investing.

In addition, responsible mutual funds also work for increased clean-energy development in this country. For example, last October, the Green Century Funds sent representatives to Washington, DC, to encourage Congress to renew the nation’s
Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind energy generation, which eventually passed as part of the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
 

2. Choose a clean-energy mutual fund: A mutual fund may focus overwhelmingly on clean-energy companies while not guaranteeing all of its holdings to be 100-percent fossil-free. For example, The New Alternatives Fund invests in some natural gas distribution, though the list of public holdings on its Web site reveals overwhelming investment in solar, wind, hydro-power, and geothermal.

And Calvert’s Global Alternative Energy Fund requires 80 percent of its holdings to be invested in clean energy. According to Calvert’s Melinda Lovins, the remaining 20 percent of the fund currently excludes fossil-fuel companies, though this can change, according to the fund manager’s preferences.
 

3. Invest in communities: Invest in local sustainable businesses, some focused on clean energy and energy efficiency, by investing in community development mutual funds or loan funds—or by opening accounts in a community development bank or credit union. Click “find options” at Green America’s breakupwithyourmegabank.org to find investments.
 

4. Build your own fossil-free portfolio: Find an asset manager or financial planner willing to follow your fossil-free guidelines and help you create an investment portfolio without the 200 worst fossil-fuel companies. Find financial planners and asset management firms willing to help you build a fossil-free portfolio at greenamerica.org/fossilfree.

In fact, Natural Investments, a socially responsible investment management firm, launched a Fossil-Fuel-Free Portfolio in January 2013. It is available to investors who
want a conservative to a moderately aggressive portfolio.

“There are both moral and financial reasons for investors to reallocate their assets from oil and gas and into clean energy,” says Elizabeth Glenshaw, a portfolio manager for Clean Yield, a sustainable asset management firm. “While clean energy companies have struggled in recent years as a result of low natural gas prices, the financial crisis, and Chinese solar oversupply, there remains a compelling investment opportunity from this long-term shift. Both the science and recent weather-related disasters make it clear that we must move our economy off of fossil fuels as fast as possible.”

The Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) on the Big Island in Hawaii was a holding of Portfolio 21 at the time of this writing. The PGV project sells its electrical output to Hawaii Electric Light Company under three long-term power purchase agreements, with a total generating capacity of 38 megawatts.

A year ago, as then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama took jabs at each other in the media over the war in Afghanistan, the American auto industry bailout, and the national debt, one critical issue remained conspicuously absent—global warming.

Intensely frustrated over the fact that neither candidate had the courage to discuss this looming crisis, Bill McKibben, renowned writer, activist, and founder of 350.org, set out to talk to the American people about the dire state of the climate. He commissioned a bus to take himself and his staff on a cross-country tour called “Do the Math,” where he has been stepping onto stages in 21 cities—including at our San Francisco Green Festival—to lay out the numbers behind climate change in stark clarity, all of which add up to the end of life on Earth as we know it, he says, unless the world takes meaningful action, soon.

“In short, new research from financial analysts makes clear that the fossil fuel industry now has five times the carbon in its coal, oil, and gas reserves than the most conservative scientists and governments think would be safe to burn,” says McKibben, describing “the math” in a nutshell. “It’s a massive overkill—but it’s going to get dug up and sold unless we figure out how to stop them.”

A large part of the tour has been aimed at launching 350.org’s new divestment campaign, where McKibben has been asking students to pressure their colleges and universities to divest their endowments from fossil fuels. That’s right—to pull the top 200 oil, gas, and coal stocks completely out of their massive portfolios.

“We can’t stop climate change, but maybe we can keep it from getting utterly out of control,” says McKibben. “That will depend on reining in the fossil fuel industry. That’s why we’ve launched our massive divestment campaign (gofossilfree.org). We’ve got to turn fossil fuels into the new tobacco industry,” he says—one where people know its products are producing a cancer on the planet that must be curbed.

In planning the fossil-fuel divestment campaign, McKibben looked to the past, to the 1980s South Africa divestment movement. Divestment helped turn the tide in ending the brutal apartheid regime in South Africa, and McKibben and Green America hope that it will do the same for the fossil fuel industry. Signs are pointing to the fact that a massive shift in public and political will to heal the climate may be possible.

Bill McKibben speaks during the "Do the Math" tour across the US.

A Change in the Weather
To grasp the seriousness of the climate crisis, says McKibben, “you just have to do a little math.” Namely, the math behind three figures: 2 degrees, 565 gigatons, and 2, 795 gigatons.

The scientists behind almost every government in the world say that any rise in the Earths’ temperature above 2°C (3.6°F) would result in catastrophic damage worldwide. We’ve already raised the temperature 0.8°C, says McKibben.

These scientists estimate that humans can pump only 565 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and have a reasonable hope of staying below 2°C.

“Computer models calculate that even if we stopped increasing CO2 levels now, the temperature would still rise another 0.8 degrees above the 0.8 we’ve already warmed, which means that we’re already three-fourths of the way to the two-degree target,” says McKibben.

The Carbon Tracker Initiative, a team of London financial analysts and environmentalists, estimates that the world’s proven oil, coal, and gas reserves equal 2,795 gigatons of CO2, or five times the amount the world can release and stay below the two-degree threshold of safety.

What do all of those numbers mean? We’re already seeing the effects of our march towards two degrees:

• July 2012 was the hottest month in recorded US history, reported the Associated Press, and 2012 is officially the warmest year on record in the US, with no record lows reached on any 2012 date. Nine of the ten warmest years on record worldwide have occurred since 2000, according to NASA.

• American farmers suffered catastrophic crop losses as 64 percent of the contiguous US experienced “moderate to severe drought” in 2012, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

• Despite 2012 being a La Niña year—a weather phenomenon that results in cooler than-normal ocean temperatures—January through October of this year was the warmest on record for the Arctic, states a report from the United Nations. In September, Arctic sea ice melted to its lowest point ever, having shed a total of 4.57 million square miles of ice, an area larger than the continental US.

• Perhaps nothing changed the conversation around climate change more than Typhoon Bopha and Hurricane Sandy. Typhon Bopha hit the Philippines shortly after Thanksgiving 2012, killing 800 people in the archipelago. This bizarre super-storm was the southernmost typhoon in recorded history. On the other side of the world, Hurricane Sandy decimated parts of Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, and the US East Coast. Over 250 people died in the storm, and tens of thousands more were left homeless. Sandy was the strongest Atlantic storm to ever make landfall north of Cape Hatteras, NC.

Scientists have been linking increasingly violent storms to climate change for years, but it’s Hurricane Sandy that finally changed the conversation in the US.

A post-election survey by Penn Schoen Berland found that 60 percent of Americans who voted in the 2012 presidential election agree that “global warming made Hurricane Sandy worse,” and 73 percent agreed that “global warming is affecting extreme weather events in the US.”

“That debate is mostly over,” says McKibben. “Polling data show a huge upsurge in Americans believing in climate change. Our problem is not converting the last skeptics, its convincing the people who understand the problem to join in the fight.”

Time to Divest
As climate deniers become fewer in number and farther out on the fringe, the fossil fuel divestment movement is stepping in to increase the public will to catalyze meaningful action.

In under two months, the student bodies of over 210 campuses are solidly on board, from big state schools like the University of Michigan to small liberal arts colleges like Amherst. In comparison, 155 college campuses, together with churches, pension funds, and local governments, helped end apartheid through divestment.

Why divestment? As McKibben notes, “we can’t stop global warming one pipeline, coal plant, or fracking well at a time—the numbers just don’t add up.”

It’s time to go to the root of the problem, he says, and pull the financial rug out from under the fossil fuel companies themselves: “We’ll make sure they hear us in terms they might understand, like their share price.”

“Green America is throwing our full support behind the call for fossil fuel divestment, just as we played a leading role in the South African divestment movement in the 1980s,” says Alisa Gravitz, Green America president/CEO. “To me, what’s most powerful about divesting from fossil fuels is that it focuses on moving money from the worst planet-destroying companies to the green economy—reinvesting in companies that are involved in clean energy, clean water, sustainable agriculture, and restoring the health of the planet and communities.”

The roller coaster on Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, NJ, sits in the ocean in the aftermath of Hurrican Sandy.

–Tracy Fernandez Rysavy

Since 2006, more than 600 garment workers have died in sweatshop factory fires while sewing clothing for giant fashion companies, like Gap, H&M, JCPenney, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
 

These tragic deaths could be prevented these companies would follow the lead of competitors like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, by agreeing to a fire-safety program that includes worker input, transparency, and binding commitments to protect workers.

Six months ago Gap, publicly promised it would sign on to a worker safety program similar to the Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein agreement. Instead, this month Gap changed course. They announced their own, corporate-controlled, fire-safety program – one that includes no legal commitments to workers, no oversight by worker organizations, and no transparency. This is yet another instance of a giant corporation telling its customers: “Trust us; we care about our workers,” without actually implementing meaningful safety programs. Gap had already corporate-controlled programs in place when 29 workers were killed at their Bangladeshi supplier in December 2010.

Join Bangladeshi and international unions and labor groups that are calling on Gap to stop the public relations games and commit to a real fire-safety program that will save the lives of the company’s sweatshop workers.

1. Minimize Gifts

“In my family, we have to draw names to become a family member’s “Secret Santa,” so we limit our purchases to one gift each—especially good for big families.” — Elizabeth O’Connell, fair labor campaigns director

2. Make a Holiday Date

“Instead of exchanging gifts with my siblings, we have a Sibling Outing! In the past this has been as simple as going out to dinner or making dinner together ourselves, going to a hockey game, or pretty much doing anything together without spending too much money. It’s been working out really well, and it’s so much fun getting together!” —Kristin Brower, development manager

3. Eco-Helpful Ideas

“My brother and sister buy me carbon offsets from CarbonFund.org every year, because my parents live on the West Coast, so usually there's at least one cross-continental flight to take. And I bought my niece ten trees grown in the Amazon Rainforest through MyReforestation.com. After ten years, they are then sold, and you get a portion of the profit from the trees back. She was one year old at the time, so she wasn't going to miss getting "stuff." Maybe when she's 11, she'll appreciate the $200 it promises to return.” —Matt Grason, foundation fundraiser

4. Make Your Own Gifts

“You can transform recycled materials into unique gifts with super-low carbon footprints.
• Have some old jewelry and wine-corks? Check out this tutorial for making gorgeous tree ornaments.
• Cut out colorful little squares of used wrapping paper and holiday cards and write a few dozen things you appreciate about your loved one. Place the notes in a mason jar and decorate with recycled ribbon or a piece of colorful cloth.” —Martha van Gelder, associate editor

5. Gifts With Less Fuss

“A cookie swap is a great way to celebrate with friends—no gifts needed—and you only have to cook one batch of cookies, but you get a whole variety to take home! The few gifts I do give, I try to wrap in bags or carriers I can use again. My favorite is to go to Goodwill and find tins. And finally, many of your favorite nonprofits make e-holiday cards you can forward to friends and family. It saves on postage, paper and reminds people what to be thankful for.” —Dana Christianson, membership marketing director

6. Go For A Stroll

“My family has been taking a walk after the big holiday meal for my entire life. Depending on where we are, it’s a stroll on a country road or a quick drive/cab ride to a neighborhood with great lights, but it always gets us out of the house and bonding over more than presents.” —Alix Davidson, Green Business Network® director

9 More Tried and True Ideas

1. Stockings Stuffed With Sentiment

“In my family, each person writes a note to every other person, saying one thing they really love about that person. We put the notes in our family stockings, and we read them on Christmas day.” — Russ Gaskin, Green America Chief Business Officer
 

2. Secondhand Gifts

" My large family didn’t want to stop exchanging gifts, but we didn’t want Christmas to break the bank either—and we realized we were really losing the true Christmas spirit with all the stress of shopping. Probably 15 or 20 years ago, we decided to limit the amount spent to $5 per person and to encourage creativity. Many of us started resale shopping at places like Goodwill—or Value Village thrift stores, which support local nonprofits by paying them to collect used items.

"My family now spends one day shopping together in November, and we have lots of fun doing it. It has become a tradition that we all look forward to, and it has caused us to become resale shopping junkies. Now we buy most of our clothes at the resale shops as well. My sister and I have had numerous compliments on our outfits, and we often say Value Village is our clothing designer!" — Green America member Nancy Madsen, Oswego, IL
 

3. Reuse and Decorate

“When I was a kid, most of my family’s holiday decorations were made by hand by my mom, who was both frugal and creative. From holiday-themed tablecloths to centerpieces to seasonal throw pillows, my mom made it all, often from found objects, scraps of fabric, and recyclables. Better still, she found ways to engage us kids in the creative process, and we loved decorating the house with our own handiwork. — Green America member Corey Colwell-Lipson, co-author with Lynn Colwell of Celebrate Green! (The Green Year, LLC, 2008).

4. Holiday Free Stores

“This holiday season, I am organizing Free Stores in meeting rooms at local libraries. It is my request, although it is not mandatory, that everyone bring one or more items to give away. This is an opportunity for people to give away their unwanted items to others instead of throwing them away or giving them to all the overloaded thrift shops.” — Green America member Kim Loftness, Seattle, WA

[Editor’s note: Free stores are places where people assemble a selection of gently used items and everything is free for the taking.]
 

5. Homemade Food, Cleverly Packaged

“Every year, I give food items I make myself. This year, I’m giving organic spiced almonds and blueberry or peach jam. I package them in canning jars with pretty spoons I find at thrift and Fair Trade stores, tied with a ribbon made of scrap material.

“I also like to invite friends over every year to help me wrap my gifts. I set out some homemade salted caramels wrapped in parchment paper, put on a movie, and they get to eat as many caramels as they can in exchange for their help! The caramels make great gifts, too, packaged in canning jars, cloth bags, or random glassware I find in thrift stores." — Alix Davidson, Green America director of standards & Seal of Approval

6. Give the Gift of Time

“The best gift is time with family and friends. Extend your hands in invitation to have coffee, lunch, dinner at your home, a walk, a glass of wine. It’s so easy—pick up the phone, text, e-mail, Facebook, or even send a handwritten note. When you’re together, stay focused on your companions and the conversation; yes, put your phone away!

“My favorite yet has been our family’s four-generation holiday-cookie-making party. There is a great deal of laughter, creativity, and tasty treats. And the only technology allowed is a camera so we can savor and share the memories.” — Green America member Denise Hopkins, Wyoming, MI
 

7. A Book of Beloved Recipes

“My family has minimized exchanging gifts with extended family. We no longer want ‘stuff,’ since my sisters and I have purged our belongings and try to live simply. Therefore, when we give gifts, we only buy things that can be used up, like Fair Trade chocolate or tea, or things that are useful, like kitchen items.

“One of my sisters usually gives gifts from thrift stores. We also make our own gifts, such as herbal teas, body and hair oil blends, or poems. Last year, I made a book out of my grandmother’s recipes for my mother and aunt, with family photos and copies of the original recipes in her handwriting.” — Shireen Karimi, Green America Director of Digital Communications
 

8. Homemade Body Care -- “I like to make homemade personal care products for gifts, such as sugar and salt scrubs or body oil with organic essential oils. One of my favorites is this recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs:

Vanilla Apricot Sugar Scrub
3/4 cup Fair Trade granulated sugar or fine sea salt
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. organic apricot kernel oil (or carrier oil of your choice)
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Fair Trade vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. powdered organic vanilla beans (optional)

Combine sugar and powdered vanilla beans in a bowl. Add oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Package in jars, and enjoy! — Dana Christiansen, Green America membership marketing director
 

9. Help a Loved One Invest in Communities

“To get more people involved with community investing, I often give gift cards from Kiva.org, which helps lift up low-income communities in need through microloans. Through Kiva, you lend to individual borrowers via local community development nonprofits. These small, low-interest loans give impoverished people a hand up by helping them go back to school or start or improve a small business. Minimum investment is $25, and it’s returned to you (or the gift card recipient) as your borrower pays his/her loan back. In fact, you can watch that happen on the Kiva website.

“GlobalGiving.org has a similar gift card, except it’s a donation to a development project, rather than an investment in an individual, and the minimum is $10.” — Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, Green America editor-in-chief

Updated November 2022
Originally published in Nov/Dec 2012 issue

Peter Zoe (not his real name) thinks about water every day. For the past five years, he’s been hauling water to his home in a water truck.

Zoe moved into his property in the California foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains 21 years ago. Five years ago, his well water dropped to such an extent that it became undrinkable, even with heavy treatment.

“We had a neighbor who moved in, built a four-million-dollar house, and drilled two new wells and had a 40,000-square-foot lawn with two huge swimming pools and a huge pond—just pumping water every day, all day,” says Zoe. “He did that for about six weeks until he ran the aquifer dry. All of us got affected. These things have a limited ability to recover.”

As Zoe’s situation demonstrates, lack of clean water can affect nearly everything we do. Drought-related US agricultural losses were valued at $12 billion this year—and climate change is expected to increase water shortages worldwide.

“Water tables are falling in several of the world’s key farming regions, including under the North China Plain, which produces nearly one third of China’s grain harvest; in the Punjab, which is India’s breadbasket; and in the US southern Great Plains, a leading grain-producing region,” notes Earth Policy Institute president Lester Brown.

And the United Nations projects that by 2050, one in four people worldwide will “live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.”

A growing number of people are using their investment power to combat the scarcity of clean, fresh water. Investing with water issues in mind can have dual benefits: your investments will provide capital to companies working on solutions, while your portfolio may benefit from the growing demand for these solutions.

Investing for Water Security

Water-related socially responsible investing (SRI) generally takes one of two approaches to push for business solutions to the world water crisis.

First, investors can use their shareholder might to engage with companies that are wasting or polluting the world’s increasingly precious water resources, pushing them to act in a manner that preserves clean water for future generations.

Second, investors can put their money into vehicles that support water solutions, such as stock in companies that provide water sanitation technology and clean drinking water infrastructure. According to the World Health Organization, when it comes to drinking water sanitation and water resource management, “every dollar invested leads to up to eight dollars in [societal] benefits.”

In addition to delivering vital social and environmental solutions, good water practices just make good business sense—a 2011 report by investment research firm EIRIS suggests that water scarcity poses a “greater threat to business than the loss of any other natural resource, including oil.”

Invest in Targeted Mutual Funds

Investing in a socially responsible mutual fund can be a great way to put your money towards water solutions. Several mutual funds, including the New Alternatives Fund, Pax World Environmental Markets Fund, and Calvert Global Water Fund include investments in water-solution companies.

The New Alternatives Fund includes substantial investments in water utilities and sewage treatment.

“We invested in these utilities because we felt they were proactive in emphasizing water conservation and access to water in the communities they served,” says Murray Rosenblith, fund director.

Calvert’s Global Water Fund targets water-solution companies, and it also includes water solutions in its other funds.

“We see tremendous opportunity in the water market, given the limited supply of water and the increasing demands,” says Julie Frieder, senior sustainability analyst with Calvert.

In the past, the fund has included stock in companies like Kurita Water Industries, which is working on technoogy to reverse groundwater contamination, and Pentair Inc, which has worked in municipal desalination.

SRI mutual funds also use their shareholder power to engage with companies on water issues. For example, Calvert introduced a resolution at Fossil in 2012, asking the watch and clothing company to report on its risks associated with water scarcity and pollution.

“Leather sourcing and tanning are both water intensive, and Fossil had zero disclosure on how its operations affect water scarcity,” says Frieder. “Our hope is that by asking these questions, we would set in motion some internal action that ends up with improved water management, operation, and disclosure.”

The Fossil resolution received a 31 percent vote, a record amount of support.
 

Work With a Financial Advisor

As a socially responsible investor, you can invest with water issues in mind—in individual stocks, mutual funds, and more. For assistance, find several financial advisors who specialize in SRI in the “Financial—Advisors & Planners” category at GreenPages.org.

Larry Dohrs of Newground Social Investments in Seattle, WA, notes that an SRI advisor can help you avoid investing in companies with records of polluting or wasting water resources.

“Companies involved in natural gas fracking are probably the ones that are at the most severe risk of being screened out due to water use,” he says. Fracking involves fracturing layers of rock deep within the Earth’s surface, a process that uses millions of gallons of water and has been tied to severe groundwater pollution in nearby communities.

A good advisor can also help you “screen in” positive investments in companies that work on water security.

If you want to make more change, says Dohrs, finding an SRI advisor who helps you engage in shareholder activism is a great way to go. Your proxy ballots from individual stocks that you hold will go to your advisor, not to you. Let your advisor know that you want him/her to pass them on to you, so you can vote with your values. If you don’t vote your proxies, your votes default to management’s recommendations.

Water-Related Community Investments

“Land use is important for protecting and maintaining our water supply, says Charlotte Kaiser of the Nature Conservancy. “How the lands surrounding our rivers and lakes are used and developed affects quantity and quality of water.”

This nonprofit’s Conservation Note helps channel capital to high-priority conservation projects around the world. In exchange for a lower-than-average rate of return, you’ll maximize the environmental impact of your investment, helping to fund projects that conserve natural areas, restore drinking water supplies, and improve lives, says Kaiser.

High-net-worth individuals can invest in a Conservation Note for a minimum of $25,000 for one, three, or five years. Investors may select a rate of return between zero and two percent.

Last year, Oikocredit, a microfinance investing organization, began a $1 million project in India to boost sanitary facilities, water purification, and other infrastructure. With as little as $20, you can invest in projects through its international loan fund: oikocreditusa.org/invest/. Investments are for one, three, or five years and earn two percent interest.

Get Your Feet Wet!

By making a shift in your investments— choosing a water-conscious mutual fund, talking to your financial advisor about your water options, and voting your proxies for water rights—you help lay the groundwork the world needs to face the coming water challenges.

“Water is [one of] the biggest resource issues,” says Zoe. “It’s just a fact of life that we are dependent on a finite amount of water.”

—Martha van Gelder

Vote Your Proxies on Water Rights

2012 was a busy year for shareholder activists, with over 25 resolutions filed on water issues alone. For example, shareholders filed resolutions at Chevron, ExxonMobil, and UltraPetroleum, asking these companies to report on the water pollution and other environmental risks of natural gas “fracking.” All three resolutions received significant backing from shareholders—21.5 percent at Chevron, 29.6 percent at Exxon, and 35.4 percent at Ultra.

“These resolutions have moved companies to take action,” says Michael Passoff,
senior strategist at As You Sow, which filed the resolutions at Exxon and Ultra. “All three companies have improved water recycling for the most part, but they still have a long way to go.”

Look for water issues to keep appearing on proxy ballots in 2013. In fact, Newground Social Investments, a Seattle-based group of financial advisors, recently submitted a resolution to Nordstrom, asking the retailer to report on plans to reduce water use and pollution in its supply chain.

Newground’s Larry Dohrs says that instead of waiting for the resolution to come to a vote, Nordstrom contacted Newground right away. The clothing retailer agreed to improve how it measures the environmental impacts of its products and to join the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a coalition of apparel companies and nonprofits working to reduce the environmental impact of clothing and footwear.

Dohrs encourages everyone to watch for proxy ballots to arrive in the mail next spring, and to vote for social and environmental resolutions, including those on water rights. “At Newground, we feel that if we want to make change, [engaging] with management and owners is an effective way to carry things forward,” he says.

When Tim O’Neil approached fellow Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association member Stephanie Stewart in 2009 about starting a solar buying cooperative in their suburban Portland, Oregon, community, she loved the idea.

“Literally within a couple of days, Stephanie had created a Web site and a logo,” says O’Neil.

Then O’Neil and Stewart turned to Lizzie Rubado of the nonprofit Energy Trust of Oregon to help them put together workshops on installing solar panels. Originally, the new team expected to sign up 50 or so people, and they hoped that about 10-20 would go through with the installation. After all, 2008 saw only 38 solar panel installations across the entire city of Portland, Rubado says.

To their surprise, about 300 people signed up for what would become the Solarize Portland solar buying co-op. One-hundred and twenty homeowners installed solar panels that year.

“We were blown away at how many people came to the workshops,” says Rubado. “Tim and Stephanie and I realized that this concept really jibed with people.”

Solar buying cooperatives have sprung up across the country, as neighbors interested in going solar join together to share in the pre-purchase research and negotiate group discounts. With Energy Trust’s help, the Solarize Portland co-op obtained bids from contractors, eventually choosing one that gave a very competitive price, offered a group discount, and fit with the community’s values. In addition, the co op held workshops to help members take full advantage of local, state, and federal tax incentives for solar energy. So instead of paying $6,000 to $8,000 for each kilowatt of capacity (most systems are between one and three KWs), Solarize Portland members shave 70 to 80 percent off the cost of their solar systems.

Ed Lortz (right) with One Block Off the Grid's (1BOG) CEO David Llorens in front of Lortz's home, which features nine solar panels he purchased at a discount through 1BOG.

After Solarize Portland’s success, the city government stepped in to replicate the program in other areas. In total, the Solarize programs have installed 754 residential systems in Portland to date.

In the end, not only was going solar the environmental thing to do, but it also brought the community together. The model relies upon tried-and-true concepts of community organizing, O’Neil and Rubado say, with neighbors telling neighbors about the idea and helping each other through the process. Rubado likens the co-op to a “solar support group.”

“I feel like it gave the neighborhood an identity,” O’Neil says.

A Little Help from One Block Off the Grid

Solar buying co-ops are popping up all over, but if you don’t already have one in your area, Pure Solar (formerly One Block off the Grid, 1BOG) may be able to help you start one. This company does much of the work involved in forming a solar cooperative for you—from finding interested people in your area to vetting potential solar companies to negotiating with those companies for the lowest prices on solar home systems. The majority of 1BOG customers see a savings of 15-20 percent, before tax incentives.

Ed Lortz, a resident of San Francisco, had spent a couple of years conducting his own research on switching to solar power, but he was still unsure about which solar company to purchase from. “I received about five different proposals from companies, and they were all over the map in terms of price,” he says.

Then he attended a briefing about 1BOG, and he liked what he heard. 1BOG had already pre qualified the solar contractors and pre-negotiated a discounted group price for the briefing attendees. That price was significantly lower than what Lortz had been able to find on his own, and he was so pleased, he ended up getting nine solar panels through IBOG instead of the eight panels he’d originally planned.

Currently, 1BOG has hundreds of group deals in over 40 states throughout the US. If there’s one in your area, all you have to do is sign up to enjoy a group discount on solar. If there is not a 1BOG deal in your city, the company can set one up. 1BOG representatives will keep you updated on how close your area is to having a group deal. While 1BOG will assemble your group, it doesn’t hurt to spread the word to your neighbors. 1BOG also can help you hold a meeting to get people interested.

Once your area reaches a critical mass of around 100 potential participants, 1BOG will begin vetting and negotiating with solar installers. The more people who sign up for the program, the bigger and better the terms 1BOG can negotiate.

“Before we choose an installation company, we’ll meet with them, view their facility, and take a look at some of their work to make sure they are the best for the job,” says CEO David Llorens. “We want every customer to be satisfied.”

Once 1BOG chooses a company, it provides personal consultations to educate members about the solar systems, including how they will operate and whether customers will receive a credit on their energy bill if their panels produce more energy than they use.

In addition, 1BOG’s experts will help customers unearth all available federal, state, and local tax incentives. For Ed Lortz’s nine-panel, 1.8 kw system, the original price with tax was $17,244 after the group discount. However, after taking advantage of tax incentives, his total out-of-pocket cost was just $3,600.

In addition, Lortz sees an average of $40 per month in savings during the summer on his energy bill, and $15 in monthly savings during the winter. This past May also brought Lortz more savings, as California just passed a net-metering law requiring utilities to pay for excess energy generated by solar panels.

“I am unbelievably pleased,” says Lortz, who recommends 1BOG to anybody who asks him about going solar. 1BOG’s program is open to all who own a home. Not all homes are ideally suited for solar panels, but 1BOG will take care of your home evaluation for free. It also offers solar leases.

“I liked the people at 1BOG,” Lortz said. “I didn’t feel any pressure, and they give you a good product. If you can swing it, now is the time to do it.

Originally published in our 2011 magazine issue, Growing Community Solar.

• Regenerative, Organic Agriculture: Cool the Climate, Feed the World
Can organic farming feed the world and curb the climate crisis? The nonprofit Rodale Institute, PA, has one of the longest-running field trials showing that it can.

• INFOGRAPHIC: Living Soil vs. Dead Dirt
95% of our food is grown in soil. But one-third of the world’s soils have become degraded—turning them from living soil to degraded dirt.

• Upcycled Gifts for the Holidays
Looking for thoughtful green gift ideas for the holidays but worried about holiday-related resource use? Iif you want to find gifts that maximize recycling/upcycling and minimize waste, consider the green companies that made it into the list of top ten finalists for the Summer 2015 round of Green America’s People & Planet Award.

• Hasbro and Disney: Protect Toy Workers!
Toy companies like Hasbro and Disney that do business in China are hiding a dark secret—millions of workers toil in the Chinese factories in their supply chains under cruel, backbreaking conditions.

Dr. Vandana Shiva on how preserving healthy soil is key to curbing climate change, feeding the world, and lifting up the poor.
Read "Living Soil"

Creating clothes from field to factory can result in toxic chemicals being unleashed on workers, on the planet, and even on you and your family. Here’s how you can avoid fashion disasters and start your search for less toxic clothing
 

If you think you don’t have enough money to become a socially responsible investor, think again—for the health of our planet.
Read "Investing in Change" »

• The 5 Coolest Calculators for Financial Wellness
From Retirement, to saving for a child's education, to mortgages, find the calculators you need.

• Invest For Your Future and a Better World
Three strategies to help your money work for you and for social and environmental responsibility.

• 5 Green Ways to Save More Than $8,000 a Year
Part of making a difference with your money is ensuring that you save enough to put it into the saving and investing vehicles that can do the most good.

• Green Your Intimate Moments
You may have thought about greening your bedroom, but have you thought about greening what goes on in your bedroom?

• WEB EXCLUSIVE: NY Cracks Down on Toxic Nail Salons
On top of forced overtime, wage theft, and poverty-level wages, the workers are routinely exposed to toxic chemicals linked to skin and respiratory conditions, reproductive harm, and cancer. Read more »

21st century sweatshops produce goods for unsuspecting consumers. Here are 6 common things made with slave labor. Read "A World of Hurt"

This issue of the Green American marks our 100th issue. While we’ve had some terrific victories over the years since we published our first issue (then called Building Economic Alternatives) in 1985, we’ve been seeing more rapid results in recent years to our action campaigns, most markedly in 2014, where our campaigns enjoyed their most impactful year yet. Read "7 Green Reasons to Celebrate" »

Americans eat too much red meat—with tremendous impacts on our health, our environment, and the climate crisis. It’s time to tell everyone you know to eat less beef—or none at all. Read "Don't Have A Cow"

Workers who make smartphones and other electronics overseas are being poisoned by the toxins used inside supplier factories. You can end this. Read "Toxic Gadgets."

Whether it's GMOs, pesticides, or other experiments that affect our health, why don't we require corporations to wait for science to prove safety?

Aren't we better safe than sorry? Read "GMO's & the Case for Precaution" »

"Green" practices have spread from a few innovators to the business mainstream. Major shifts toward sustainability are not only possible -- they're happening. Are we reaching a "green-economy tipping point"?
 

You want to eat organic, buy what you need green and Fair Trade, and support renewable energy, but you worry that green living can be expensive.

Our latest Green American gives you tips and resources for living green on a budget.
 

Wage theft, sweatshop conditions, and slave labor happen in the US, especially to immigrant workers. But they aren't passive victims of exploitation, they're leading the movement for fair labor conditions for all.
 

You no doubt know about sugar's contribution to obesity and diabetes -- but new research tells the increasingly alarming story about how sugar is at the root of many major illnesses, from Alzheimer's to cancer to heart disease and stroke.

Researching this issue inspired our editorial team to detox from sugar. To join with us in giving sugar the boot, check out our "how to" entries at blog.greenamerica.org.
 

In the 1980s, the financial industry said that divesting from companies doing business in South Africa was unreasonable. But people of conscience who didn't want to profit from oppression divested anyway.

Fast forward to 2013. We have another issue of global impact where government is failing to lead, and where people of conscience may choose to divest -- the climate crisis.
 

Eco-friendly holiday celebrations are a great excuse to take another green stop in your life (think New Year's Resolutions) and also an excellent gateway to enticing your friends into greening their lives.

May your celebrations be filled with love, laughter, and all things green. Here's to less tinsel and more joy!

There’s a new generation of cooperatives taking action on serious problems in our economy.

This issue shows you how people are
cooperating to revitalize cities, create
affordable housing, scale up organic food
and clean transportation, and more. Plus,
7 DIY cooperative models for you to try at home.

In 2011, US clothing sales totaled more than $329 billion. That's 329 billion reasons to stop buying conventional clothing and turn to green fashion -- whether you take to the sewing machine to update the clothes you already have, buy used, organize clothing swaps, or choose from the beautiful collections of fashion-forward green companies.

Our latest Green American shows you more about what's at stake with your clothing choices, and points you toward the green businessess that are taking green fashion mainstream. 

Genetically modified foods are bad for our health, the environment, and farmers worldwide. In the US, more than 94 percent of the soy crop, 95 percent of the sugar-beet crop, and 88 percent of the corn crop are genetically modified.

Because of the prevalence of soy, corn, and sugar in processed foods, more than 30,000 GM food products sit on US grocery shelves unlabeled. This issue lays out the case against GMOs, and shows you how to keep them off your plate.

Not all plastic is bad. Plastics have made lifesaving surgical and water filtration equipment possible, and they've been molded into integral components for solar panels, personal computers, and other devices that make our lives possible.

But our use of "stupid plastic" (single-use items destined for our landfills) is out of control. Follow along on our blog as our editors challenge themselves to stop using "stupid plastic," and check out the Green American for more on the plastics problem -- and how to solve it. 

It's possible to go solar without breaking the bank -- and due to the accelerating climate crisis, along with concerns over jobs and national security, it's more necessary than ever before.

While Washington bickers, it's up to us to create a critical mass of support for solar. This issue of the Green American explores how all across the country, people are joining together in community solar programs to make going solar easier and more affordable than ever. 

Industrial agriculture is the world's largest industry, and one of the most destructive. As we reach for climate solutions, we can't afford to be growing mega-farms of petro-chemical-dependent crops.

This issue of the Green American explores how all across the country, local communities are developing food systems that protect our food, farm workers, animals, soil, air, and water from chemicals and pesticides, all without the enormous carbon footprint of shipping food around the world.

The average American uses nine personal care products every day, with 126 unique chemical ingredients. Many are linked to cancer and other serious health effects.

This issue of the Green American points you toward the healthiest products, explains the US system for reviewing the chemicals in body care products, and dives into strategies for making green living more affordable. 

When we wrote about the city of San Francisco's recent cell-phone radiation precautions in the Nov/Dec 2010 Green American, not all of our readers and members were thrilled. And not all took the warnings seriously.

So for the Jan/Feb 2011 issue, we decided to tackle the subject in depth. Editor Tracy Fernandez Rysavy says she expected to turn up "inconclusive evidence ... that people should be a bit careful about talking on a cell for hours a day." Then she dug into the research, and what she found was truly frightening.

To curb the climate crisis, increase national security, and avoid economic disaster as peak oil looms, it's time to accelerate energy efficiency.

Green America's simple, doable proposition is this: Let's each cut our energy use by 50 percent in the next five years -- just ten percent per year. Sound ambitious? The city of Juneau, AK, nearly reached that threshold in just four weeks. Our magazine walks you through tips for how to do this yourself.

One month after the pipeline was effectively put “on hold” by the Army Corps of Engineers, major commercial banks are still banking on the project -- and losing thousands of customers a week as a result.

Standing Rock, ND - For the last six weeks, a global coalition has been pressuring banks providing project loans to the Dakota Access Pipeline to renegotiate or cancel their loans. In December, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Indigenous leaders requested that each of these banks meet with tribal representatives to hear their concerns. 

The deadline for banks to respond to the Tribe’s meeting request was January 10, and as of this statement:

• Four banks have declined: BayernLB, BNP Paribas, Mizuho Bank, and Suntrust

• Six banks have not responded at all: Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, BBVA Compass, ICBC, Intesa Sanpaolo, Natixis, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation

• Seven banks have met or agreed to meet with the Tribe and its allies: Citi, Crédit Agricole, DNB, ING, Société Générale, TD, and Wells Fargo

In response, organizers are escalating their pressure on banks that refuse to engage. The Indigenous coalition at Standing Rock has a running billboard in Times Square asking millions of people to #DefundDAPL. Organizers continue a drumbeat of protests and bank occupations, along with brand-damaging campaigns that have already led to the closure of thousands of accounts worth a self-reported $46,314,727.18.

Protests have increased in fervor and frequency over the last few weeks, including multiple occupations of Wells Fargo, US Bank and Citibank branches, as well as a daring banner drop during a nationally televised Vikings/Bears NFL game at US Bank Stadium in protest of their bankrolling of DAPL project sponsors Sunoco Logistics and Energy Transfer Partners.

Backed by hundreds of thousands of online signatures and commitments to #DefundDAPL, organizers from more than 25 grassroots groups vowed the campaign will continue and intensify in the coming weeks, building up to a planned “global week of action” unless all 17 of the banks act. The ask for the banks is to discontinue loan disbursements in consultation with Native leaders until outstanding issues are resolved, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent from Indigenous peoples is upheld.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II said: “We are pleased that some of the banks behind DAPL are willing to engage Standing Rock Sioux leadership, but maintain that all 17 should not be helping a company who deliberately ignores our concerns. We call on the remaining banks to agree to a meeting with the Tribe. We know that they have heard Energy Transfer Partners’ side of the story, and they need to hear our perspective as well.”

Ladonna Bravebull Allard, Sacred Stone Camp said: “I want the banks to know that the power of their investment comes from the people, and the people are saying we have the right to water, and we will stand for the water. Stop investing in destruction of the earth.”

Tara Houska, National Campaigns Director, Honor the Earth said: “This movement has shown again and again that the power and strength of the people is incredible. Banks need our dollars to make their investments. We can and must hold these financial backers accountable for supporting destruction of our shared planet and futures. Move past dated fuels and justly transition to a green economy.”

Eryn Wise, International Indigenous Youth Council said: “What began as a protection of the earth has now become a reclamation of power. We are demanding that our interests as a prospering people be put before banks and their investments. We hold in our hands the ability to encourage divestment to the point of fruition and we will not back down.”

Dallas Goldtooth, Keep it in the Ground Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network said: “As a movement to stop this dirty Bakken oil pipeline, we are demonstrating the inherent power of organized communities and mobilized citizens. We are showing Big Oil and government leaders that we know the power of our capital, and as such we collectively choose to invest in life and water, not death and oil. As first peoples of the land and in defense of our Indigenous rights, we will continue to rise, resist, self-determine and divest until the Dakota Access pipeline is nothing but the defeated aspirations of a Energy Transfer Partners’ dream.”

Judith LeBlanc, Director, Native Organizers Alliance said: “The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has a spiritual obligation to protect the Missouri River for all. The best way for the banks to meet their obligation to protect their investor’s interest is to meet with the Tribal leadership. Mother Earth and all of our ancestors deserve the opportunity for an exchange on our shared moral obligations to protect Mother Earth for generations to come.”

Sara Nelson, Executive Director, Romero Institute and the Lakota People’s Law Project said: “We are moving our financial accounts from Wells Fargo to a local bank that does not invest in companies who violate Indigenous rights and environmental impact requirements, and will not endanger clean water for millions of people. We want our money used to support positive solutions for our children’s future, not to float big companies who send oil overseas, make the American people pay for inevitable spills, and generate profits for banks and billion dollar global companies.”

Leila Salazar López, Executive Director, Amazon Watch said: “From Standing Rock to the Amazon, Indigenous peoples are defending their territories and providing a model for a fossil free world. It’s time banks listen to Indigenous peoples and their allies in our call to Keep It In The Ground.”

Lindsey Allen, Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network said: “Investing in a project of Energy Transfer Partners, a company that has abused Indigenous and human rights, was a big mistake. These banks now have a chance to fix it by meeting with the Standing Rock Sioux, and upholding Free, Prior and Informed Consent from Indigenous peoples.”

Dr. Gabriela Lemus, President of Progressive Congress Action Fund said: “No bank should support poisoning communities’ land and water- yet too many banks still have investments in Energy Transfer Partners and the Dakota Access Pipeline. We call on these banks to divest completely. Families’ lives are at risk, and that should always take priority over profits. All banks have a responsibility not only to their shareholders and customers, but to the communities that are impacted by their investments. Don’t keep funding this dangerous project.”

Todd Larsen, Executive Co-Director of Green America said: “Banks need to end investments that harm the rights and lives of Indigenous peoples. We call on all banks to divest entirely from the Dakota Access Pipeline. Until these banks do so, all Americans should divest their money from any bank providing financing to this ruinous pipeline.”

Erich Pica, President, Friends of the Earth U.S. said: “The voices of Indigenous peoples have been ignored for too long – by the US government, corporations and big banks. By not acknowledging Indigenous peoples, or outright refusing to meet with them, these ten banks are perpetuating a pattern of colonialism and failing to respect Indigenous peoples’ rights to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.”

Johan Frijns, Director of BankTrack said: “The Dakota Access Pipeline project is supposed to be in compliance with the Equator Principles, and therefore guarantee Indigenous peoples’ rights to be properly consulted. The refusal of leading EP banks to meet with the Sioux Tribe not only makes a complete mockery of that commitment, but also poses a severe risk to the very credibility of the Equator Principles.”

Vanessa Green, Director of DivestInvest Individual said: “DAPL is simply the wrong kind of investment, and people don’t want their money behind it. With government mandates to scale up clean energy investments, a market increasingly supportive of a low carbon future, and unprecedented consumer and investor interest in moving money into climate and community solutions, the question now is which banks will lose the most in this historic energy transition.”

Mary Sweeters, Arctic Campaigner with Greenpeace USA, said: “People across the world have pledged their solidarity with the Indigenous communities who reject this dirty pipeline and the threat it poses to the water and climate. The banks must choose whether they want to continue to invest their money in yesterday or listen to the millions of people who stand with Standing Rock.”

Lena Moffitt, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Director, said, “People power can, does, and will continue to prevail over corporate polluters. The people will not stop until the banks financing these operations invest in our clean air and water — not fossil fuels.”

Press Contacts:

For inquiries to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, contact Nick Pelosi, Director Corporate Engagement, First Peoples Worldwide, standingrockdapl@gmail.com, 540-899-6545

For inquiries to the Indigenous Coalition at Standing Rock, contact Tara Houska, National Campaign Director, Honor the Earth, tara@honortheearth.org, 612-226-9404

The Problem

Many of the things we buy are a product of unfair labor practices. Workers throughout the world often experience unsafe workplaces and wages that keep them in the cycle of poverty. Although there is no simple solution that will magically solve labor problems around the world, there are still tangible actions consumers can take to make a difference.

Fair Labor Alternatives

When you vote with your dollar for fair alternatives, you are supporting businesses that promote fair labor practices. Companies are growing more aware of consumer interest in purchasing items that do not exploit workers. The choices you make with your shopping habits can make huge impacts on the lives of workers.

One of the first and more widely recognized avenues to purchase fairly made products is the Fair Trade model. It is a model for the global economy rooted in people-to-people connections, justice, and sustainability. Many of the pioneers of the fair trade model continue to be leaders in the industry, and are members of Green America’s Green Business Network.

Learn more about Fair Trade here.

The trend of shopping for sustainable goods only begins with Fair Trade products. Studies have shown that millennials are more conscious about their purchases, leading to an increase of socially-minded retailers. Models such as transparency pricing provide additional ways for consumers to make ethical purchases that support workers. Sustainable shopping is no longer just for hippies; it is also the hip way to shop now.

Milk Factory Farms

The dairy industry is not what it once was. Despite consumer cheap nfl jerseys ad campaigns showing happy cows, the industry in general is more concerned with profit and efficiency than the welfare of the cows themselves. Dairy production is concentrated in only a few states, with 86% of the US milk supply produced on only 26% of the nation’s farms.[5]

In the last few years, the dairy industry has become so consolidated that a few select groups control 83% of the US milk supply; Dean Foods controls 40% of the market, and combined, the four largest co-ops (Dairy Farmers of America, California Dairies, Land O’ Lakes, and the Northwest Dairy Association) control 43%.[6] Consolidation of the industry resulted in the prevalence of dairy cows raised in large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs, also known as factory farms), defined as farms with 500 or more cows.

Because of the sheer number of animals packed into tighter and tighter spaces, CAFOs are linked to animal welfare problems and public, as well as environmental health concerns.[7] The number of cows on all American industrial dairies nearly doubled to 4.7 million between 1997 and 2007.[8] With such large numbers in a herd, dairy cows have little to no access to grazing, instead consuming a diet of mostly genetically engineered (GE) corn, soy, cottonseed, and alfalfa.

When it comes to dairy cows, there is one key thing to remember: in order for a cow to produce milk, it must first give birth to a calf. In industrialized dairy operations, calves are seen more as a byproduct of milk production rather than as actual living beings. Immediately after birth, they are taken from their mothers. Bull calves are either killed, sent to veal production cheap jerseys wholesale facilitates, or raised for hamburger meat.[9] Female calves become milk producers at fifteen months.[10]

Every year, farm operators impregnate dairy cows through artificial insemination (the industry standard) so these animals can spend the year continually lactating. Once lactation has stopped, the farmers quickly start the cycle again. Throughout the process of impregnations and lactation, cows live in extremely crowded and unnatural conditions such as standing on the concrete floor of a barn surrounded by their own urine and feces.[11]

Once industrial dairy cows have completed their 4-5 prime years of production, they are sent to a slaughterhouse and sold off as hamburger meat (despite the fact that a healthy cow’s natural lifespan is 15-20 years).[12]

Then there are the repercussions that CAFOs have on people and the planet. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report “Understanding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Their Impact on Communities” notes that the problematic environmental and health impacts of CAFOs are a result of the concentration of animals who produce 3 to 20 times more waste than humans every year.[13] One large dairy factory farm (1,000+ cows) produces as much sewage as most large cities, such as Los Angeles.[14] Cattle manure and gases, such as methane, have a drastic impact on ambient air quality and are a major contributor to climate change. In addition, not only is dairy production extremely water intensive, with producers using up to 150 gallons of water per cow per day, the waste can leach into ground water, polluting numerous ecosystems and potable water sources.[15]

Antibiotics in Livestock Production

While antibiotics are a key resource for human health, one of the many dirty secrets of industrialized dairy production is the widespread misuse of them. The livestock industry uses 80% of the annual antibiotics supply in the US, equaling 24.6 million pounds.[16] CAFO conditions increase animal stress and poor hygiene, which increase pathogen development and decrease growth, resulting in the overuse of antibiotics.

In the dairy industry, antibiotics are most often used to treat cows who suffer from mastitis, a condition that results in painful inflammation of the cow’s udders. The most common antibiotic used to treat mastitis is penicillin.[17] Mastitis is directly linked to unsanitary conditions, exposure to high levels of feces and stagnant water, confinement, poor nutrition, and high frequency of milking.[18] All of these conditions are a result of an industrialized dairy system; and many of the mastitis infections could be prevented with improved living conditions and access to pasture.

Antibiotics are also commonly employed cheap nba jerseys in a non-therapeutic manner (any use of antibiotics in food animals without disease or documented disease exposure) on US dairy feedlots. The most common non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in the livestock industry is for prevention of disease and growth promotion. Using antibiotics for non-therapeutic purposes has led to the development of antibiotic resistant (AR) bacteria (“superbugs”) in the American food system, which poses a major risk to human health.

CAFOs serve as a perfect breeding ground for bacteria; and bacteria (and their genes) can transfer from animals to humans through contact with animals, infected meat, and the consumption of crops fertilized with manure from feedlots.[19] These bacteria have been overly exposed to antibiotics and have developed a resistance to our most depended upon antibiotics. According to the 2013 CDC report “Threat Report on Antimicrobial Resistance,” of the 2 million people who contact AR disease each year, 23,000 of them result in death.[20] Many of these infections and deaths could be prevented by stopping the unnecessary use of antibiotics in factory farms.

GMO Crops for Milk

Dairy products rely heavily on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The US animal feed industry is the largest purchaser of US corn and soybean meal.[21] Soy and corn are not only the top crops grown in the US, but are also the most likely to be genetically engineered (GE). 94% of corn, 93% of soy, and 96% of cottonseed grown in the US are GMO.[22] Yet, this vast section of our food system is controlled by only a few powerful corporations. Monsanto’s biotech seeds and traits accounted for 87% of the total world area planted with GE seeds in 2007.[23]

Contrary to industry assertions, GE corn and soy does not feed the world. Nearly 48.7% of GE corn goes to animal feed, 30.8% to ethanol production, and 12.1% makes up the many hidden additives found in 70% of processed foods.[24] Additionally, only 1% of soybeans are used to feed people.[25] The modern cow’s diet is a direct result of the consolidation of the dairy industry and the CAFO lifestyle, despite the fact that cows were not intended to live on a diet of corn and soy.

Furthermore, contrary to industry claims, GE corn and soy have not been proven safe for consumption by livestock (or humans). Several animal studies have demonstrated significant biological impacts resulting from the ingestion of GMOs; and the health implications are still unknown and require additional research.[26] There is no scientific consensus regarding the safety of GMOs.

GE crops designed in partnership with herbicides put a heavy toll on soil quality; together, the GE system results in the elimination of key soil microbes, causing a decrease in biodiversity.[27] The prevalence of GE crops has led to the mass adoption of industrialized mono-cropping, causing a decline in soil quality by reducing its water absorbability and retention.[28]

Ongoing depletion of soil quality is directly linked to an increased need for synthetic fertilizers. The heavy use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in key agricultural regions, such as the Mississippi River Delta, run off into waterways and increase nutrients, causing algal blooms and resulting in large oceanic dead zones.[29] The high levels of algal blooms decrease the available oxygen for fish species causing large die offs and uninhabitable areas, impacting aquatic biodiversity and oceanic health. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico reaches high points during summer months, growing to the size of Connecticut in 2014.[30]

Combined, these environmental impacts of GE dairy feed make conventional dairy and extremely resource-intensive product.

Pesticides for Dairy Crops

The majority of GE corn and soy are engineered to resist toxic pesticides, most commonly glyphosate, a key component of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready line of products. Though these crops came with a promise of decreased pesticide usage, the reality is starkly different: between 1996 and 2011, herbicide use increased by 527 million pounds.[31] Not only do these pesticides kill soil health and biodiversity, they also have concerning implications for human and pollinator health. Exposure to pesticides is linked to increased rates of cancer and neurological disorders, especially in children, as well as reproductive harm.[32] Recently, the World Health Organization determined that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen to humans.[33]

Overuse of glyphosate is resulting in the prevalence of weed resistance, causing “super weeds.” Farmers are on a pesticide treadmill where using higher levels of herbicide on their GMO crops no longer kills the weeds in the field; and so they are seeking stronger, more toxic chemicals.[34] Despite the already visible environmental harm and health impacts of pesticides like glyphosate, the Environmental Protection Agency recently approved three that are even more toxic to human health and the environment: 2,4-D (a component of Agent Orange), Enlist Duo (a Roundup and 2,4-D combo), and dicamba.[35]

Pesticides used on dairy feed crops also negatively impact key pollinators species such as butterflies and bees, which are responsible for pollinating at least 30% of the world’s food crop.[36] Neonicotinoids (neonics), a class of insecticides, appear to significantly harm honey bee colonies over the winter and are linked to colony collapse disorder.[37] 90% of US corn is pretreated with neonics.[38] In 2009, the neonicotinoid global market, of which Bayer, Syngenta, and Sumitomo (Bayer) share a collective majority, made $2.6 billion. [39] Monsanto is the top seller of seeds pre-treated with neonics.[40] Since one in three bites of food is pollinated, the danger pesticides present to pollinators is of major concern.[41]

Conclusion

The facts are clear: Because organic certification prohibits the use of antibiotics, hormones, GE feed, and feed treated with synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, organic, small- to medium-scale dairy farms have clear environmental and health benefits over industrialized conventional dairy operations. The current industrialized system is input-intensive, with negative impacts on environmental and human health. Additionally, the animal welfare impacts of the current system are inexcusable, and it is time for things to change.

We believe Starbucks can make a positive impact at every step along the supply chain by transitioning to organic milk. Ultimately, this commitment would build the market for organic dairy overall, thereby opening up access to organic dairy for smaller coffee companies and cafes. Green America understands the current strains on the supply of organic dairy and does not expect Starbucks to make this transition overnight, but rather make a long-term commitment Cheap nfl Jerseys to more sustainable practices.

We urge Starbucks to make the following changes:

• Transition all of its dairy across its 22,000 stores to organic. In making this transition, it will support more sustainable local dairies and work to prevent further industrialization of the industry.
• Make a commitment to higher animal welfare standards for dairy cows, including clearly defining responsible usage of antibiotics, as stated in recent company welfare commitments.[43]
• Make a commitment to giving animals the maximum amount of access to pasture and grass, going beyond the organic standards.
• Be a leader in the organic milk sector and create programs for to support and train farmer the transition to organic. By doing so, the company will guarantee a fair price to the farmers and help increase the supply of organic milk in the US.
• Do not pass the cost of transitioning to organics onto consumers. Starbucks can reduce the costs of organic milk adoption with an orderly transition over 5-10 years.
• Make a public statement supporting consumers’ right to know about GMOs in their food, and commit not to fund oppositional campaigns at the state and federal level.

By purchasing a large volume of organic milk, a company like Starbucks is in a unique position to trigger positive change along the entire supply chain. With its purchasing power and clout, it can be a part of making organics and grass-fed principles the norm rather than the exception, improving the landscape of dairy in the US overall.

Want to take this report with you or share it with others? Download the PDF »

Endnotes

[1] Starbucks. (2015). Starbucks Coffee International. Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com/business/international-stores

[2] Molla, R. (2014). cheap nfl jerseys shop New York has nine Starbucks for every square mile in Manhattan. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/new-york-has-nine-starbucks-for-every-square-mile-in-manhattan-1647/

[3] Lepore, M. (2011). 15 facts about Starbucks that will blow your mind. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/15-facts-about-starbucks-that-will-blow-your-mind-2011-3?op=1 *estimate based on prior calculations; Lepore, M. (2011). 15 facts about Starbucks that will blow your mind. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/15-facts-about-starbucks-that-will-blow-your-mind-2011-3?op=1 *estimate based on prior calculations

[4] Starbucks. (2015). Our Company –Our Heritage. Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information

[5] Kurlansky, M. (2014). Inside the milk machine: How modern dairy works. Modern Farmer. Retrieved from http://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/real-talk-milk/

[6] Hauter, W. (2012). Foodopoly: The battle over the future of food and farming in America. New York: New Press.; Dairy Foods. (2014). The dairy 100: Enhanced dairy 100 report. Retrieved from http://www.dairyfoods.com/ext/resources/files/2014-Dairy100-Table-links…

[7] Hauter, W. (2012). Foodopoly: The battle over the future of food and farming in America. New York: New Press.

[8] Food & Water Watch. (2012). Factory farm map. Retrieved from http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/states/us/

[9] Kurlansky, M. (2014). Inside the milk machine: How modern dairy works. Modern Farmer. Retrieved from http://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/real-talk-milk/; Eicher, S. (2010).

[10] Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Lifecycle production phases. Ag 101. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/dairyphases.html

[11] Kurlansky, M. (2014). Inside the milk machine: How modern dairy works. Modern Farmer. Retrieved from http://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/real-talk-milk/; Eicher, S. (2010). Dairy cow welfare fact sheet. United States Department of Agriculture Livestock Behavior Research Unit. Retrieved from http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/50201500/Dairy%20Cow%20Lamen…

[12] Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Lifecycle production phases. Ag 101. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/dairyphases.html

[13] Hribar, C. (2014). Understanding concentrated animal feeding operations and their impact on communities. Center for Disease Control. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/understanding_cafos_nalboh.pdf

[14] Food & Water Watch. (2010). Factory farm nation: How America turned its livestock farms into factories. Retrieved from http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/FactoryFarmNation-web.pdf

[15] Bohanec, H. (2014). California’s drought-Who is really using all the water?. One Green Planet. Retrieved from http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/californias-drought-whos-really-usin…

[16] Food & Water Watch. (2014). Antibiotic resistance 101: How antibiotic misuse on factory farms can make you sick. Retrieved from http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/dairy/downloads/dairy07/Dairy07_is_ContMastitis.pdf; Benbrook, C., Benbrook, K. L., & Mellon, M. (2014). Hogging it: Estimates of antimicrobial abuse in livestock. Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/indu…

[17] Animal Welfare Approved. (2010). Dairy cattle antibiotic residue review. Retrieved from http://animalwelfareapproved.org/2010/09/27/dairy-cattle-antibiotic-res…; Wageningen UR. (2012). Antibiotic usage in dairy cows. Retrieved from http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Research-Results/Projects-and-programmes/…

[18] Schroedery, J.W. (2012). Bovine mastitis and milking management. North Dakota State University Extension Service. Retrieved from http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/dairy/as1129.pdf

[19] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threat-report-2013/

[20] Centers for Disease Control Language and Prevention. (2013). Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threat-report-2013/

[21] National Corn Growers Association. (2012). World of corn: Unlimited possibilities. Retrieved from http://www.ncga.com/upload/files/documents/pdf/WOC%202013.pdf

[22] United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. (2014). Adoption of genetically engineered crops in the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineere…

[23] ETC Group. (2011). Who will control the green economy?. Retrieved from http://www.etcgroup.org/content/who-will-control-green-economy-

[24] National Corn Growers Association. (2013). World of corn: Unlimited possibilities. Retrieved from http://www.ncga.com/upload/files/documents/pdf/WOC%202013.pdf; Hauter, W. (2012). Foodopoly: The battle over the future of food and farming in America. New York: New Press

[25] Wills, K. (2013). Where to do all these soybeans go. Michigan State University Extension. Retrieved from http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/where_do_all_these_soybeans_go

[26] Carman, J. A., Clinch-Jones, C.A., Edwards, J.W., Haynes, J.I., Robinson, G.W., Sneller, V.E., … Vlieger, H.R. (2014). A long-term toxicology study on pigs fed a combined genetically modified (GM) soy and GM maize diet. Journal of Organic Systems. Retrieved from http://www.organic-systems.org/journal/81/8106.pdf; Hilbeck, A. (2014). No scientific consensus on GMO safety. Environmental Sciences Europe. Retrieved from http://www.enveurope.com/content/pdf/s12302-014-0034-1.pdf

[27] Friends of the Earth Europe. (2013). The environmental impacts of glyphosate. Retrieved from http://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/press_releases/foee_5_envi…

[28] Benites, Jose & Bot, Alexandra. (2005). The importance of soil organic matter: Key to drought-resistant soil and sustained food production. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved from http://www.sustainabletable.org/207/soil-quality#

[29] Bruckner, M. (2012). The Gulf of Mexico dead zone. Microbial Life: Educational Resources. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/index.html

[30] Environmental Protection Agency Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds. (2014). Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/named/msbasin/zone.cfm

[31] Gillam, C. (2012). Pesticide use ramping up as GMO crop technology backfires: study. Reuter. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/us-usa-study-pesticides-idUSBRE89100X20121002

[32] Abrahamson, J., Leu, A., Swanson, N. L., & Wallet, B. (2014). Genetically engineered crops, glyphosate and the deterioration of health in the United State of America. Journal of Organic Systems, 9(2). Retrieved from http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/Swanson_et_al_2014.pdf; Antoniiou, M., Habib, M. E. M., Howard, C. V., Jennnings, R. C., Leifert, C., Nodari R. Ro., … Fagan, R. (2012). Teratogenic effects of glyphosate-based herbicides: Divergence of regulatory decisions from scientific evidence. Journal of Environmental and Analytical Toxicology. Retrieved from http://earthopensource.org/wp-content/uploads/Antoniou-Teratogenic-Effe…; Leon, M. E. & Schinasi, L. (2014). Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and occupational exposure to agrucltural pesticide chemical groups and active ingredients: A systematic review and meta-anlysis. International journal of environmental research and public health. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph110404449

[33] Benbrahim-Tallaa, L., El Ghissassi, F., Grosse, Y., Guha, N., Guyton, K. Z. … Straif, K.(2015). Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate. The Lancet Oncology. Retrieved from http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(15)70134…

[34] Food & Water Watch. (2013). Superweeds: How biotech crops bolster the pesticide industry. Retrieved from http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/Superweeds.pdf#_ga=1.7998197…

[35] Gurian-Sherman, D. (2015). The next phase of genetic engineering: A flood of new crops evading environmental regulation. Civil Eats. Retrieved from http://civileats.com/2015/01/27/the-next-phase-of-genetic-engineering-a…

[36] Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. (2014). Biodiversity for a world without hunger: Pollinators. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/biodiversity/components/pollinators/en/

[37] Callahan, R., Lu C., & Warchol, K. (2012). In situ replication of honey bee colony collapse disorder. Bulletin of Insectology 64(1). Retrieved from http://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/216/2012/10/in-sit…

[38] Philpott, T. (2012). 90 percent of corn seeds are coated with Bayer’s bee-decimating pesticide. Mother Jones. Retrieved from http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/05/catching-my-reading-ahe…

[39] Simon, M. (2014). Follow the honey: 7 ways pesticide companies are spinning the bee crisis to protect profits. Friends of the Earth. Retrieved from http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/93/f0/f/4656/FollowTheHoneyReport.pdf

[40] Simon, M. (2014). Follow the honey: 7 ways pesticide companies are spinning the bee crisis to protect profits. Friends of the Earth. Retrieved from http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/93/f0/f/4656/FollowTheHoneyReport.pdf

[41] Natural Resource Defense Council. (2011). Why we need bees: Nature’s tiny workers put food on our tables. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/files/bees.pdf

[42] USDA Organic. (2011). Organic Production and Handling Standards. Retrieved from http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004445 and http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0082429

[43] Pacelle, W. (2014). Starbucks: That’s a latte progress. A Humane Nation. Retrieved from http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2014/12/starbucks-goes-cage-free.ht…

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In many ways, the holiday season celebrates the light. The Winter Solstice marks the lengthening of the light as the season passes from autumn into winter. Christmastime reminds us of the guiding light of the Star of Bethlehem. And Hanukkah celebrates the miraculous “renewable energy” of the oil lamps in the Jerusalem Temple that failed to run dry. What better way to celebrate the holiday season than by tapping into the renewable energy of the sun, and sharing solar powered gifts with everybody on your list?

1. Solar toys

Find fun toys that will also help the young ones on your holiday list learn about renewable energy. Helios Solar Toys sells solar-powered model racecars ($10+), Dulaney-Solar.com sells solar-powered transforming robots and vehicles ($20-$35), and FatBrainToys.com sells a range of solar-educational items: solar hopping frogs, solar jumping grasshoppers, and solar walking crabs (around $18). If you give non-solar toys or other gifts that require batteries you can always lower that gift’s impact by pairing it with a set of solar-rechargeable batteries (greenbatteries.com).

2. Solar spark lighter

Does someone on your gift list love to go camping? They’ll never have to throw away another disposable lighter or fire-starter after they unwrap their new solar spark lighter. Sundance Solar (store.sundancesolar.com) sells a foldable parabolic mirror that directs sunlight to a single focal point. It’s great for starting grills and bonfires, and at $12 it’s a great lower-cost gift for hikers and backpackers; plus, it’s made in the USA.

3. Solar bike lights

For the dedicated bicyclist in your life, visit your local bike shop for solar-powered front and back bike lights that can run from $10 to $30. Looking for something a little more cutting edge? Check out the new pedal-powered bike light from EcoXGear. More expensive at $100, the EcoXGear system (ecoxgear.com/
ecoxpower/) powers your front and back light, and simultaneously can charge a handheld electronic device, such as your GPS.

4. Solar flashlights and lanterns

When fully charged, HybridLight.com’s solar flashlights and lanterns can provide up to eight hours of bright light before needing to take a new charge. Flashlights range from $25 to $60; lanterns range from $35 to $40.

5. Solar bags

Help your loved ones keep their gadgets charged while on the go by using the power of the sun. The solar-charger company Eclipse Solar manufactures its “juice bags” in the USA, and offers several different styles, such as camera bag, messenger bag, and backpack. Each bag features a flexible solar panel which can power smartphones, digital cameras, MP3 players, and more on free sunlight, without moving parts, heat, or sound. Bags start at around $175.

6. Solar iPad case

Wireless NRG has created the KudoCase (kudocase.com), a solar-powered iPad case (in black, gray, red, green, blue, or pink) made from biodegradable corn-based plastic. The panel on the front cover can generate electricity from both indoor and outdoor light sources, and charges a battery that can juice your iPad for about 20 hours longer than the iPad can run on its battery alone. The KudoCase (for iPad original, 2, and 3) costs $200. You can also find solar chargers for your gadgets, like the solar iPhone charger from solargoose.com.

7. Solar-powered music system

The Eton Corporation (etoncorp.com) has been making solar-powered and crank-powered radios for 25 years, including a line of emergency radio products for the American Red Cross. Eton is now producing MP3- and Bluetooth-compatible sound systems, powered on the sun, under brand names like Rukus and Soulra. Use the sun to play music from your iPod or iPhone, or stream music through your Bluetooth.

8. Solar oven

A made-in-the-USA solar oven can make your picnic waste-free, fossil-fuel-free, and impact-free. Ranging from $95 for an economical fully solar “hot pot” cooker to a large-capacity $600 solar-electric hybrid cooker (also made in the USA), a Reflections solar oven (solarovens.net) cooks food at about the same rate as a conventional oven, on a sunny day.

9. Go solar at home

Consider making this the year that your family pools its gift money to give each other the gift of going solar. A solar hot water heater can cost as little as $500. Full solar photovoltaic systems can be offset by state and federal tax incentives (available at dsireusa.org), and all solar systems will eventually pay for themselves in lower electric bills.

Residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, DC, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York can get $500 off a solar home system from Sungevity by visiting sungevity.org/green-america. The company will also donate $500 to Green America.

And after purchasing a solar system through Real Goods Solar—which does business in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont—you’ll get a $500 Real Goods Solar gift card, and Green America gets a $1,500 donation. Visit
realgoodssolar.com/partners/greenamerica/.

10. Give others the gift of solar energy

Among the many gift ideas available at Alternative Gifts International (altgifts.org), you can purchase a share of a solar heating panel for a Native American family in South Dakota. Lakota Solar Enterprises produces these innovative solar heating systems that save tribal families 20-30 percent

Find more green, solar, and energy-efficient holiday gifts from the companies in our Green Business Network™ at greenpages.org.

New Reports of Abusive Labor Conditions Adds Urgency; Renewed Push as Petition Drive Approaches 20,000 Messages Sent.

WASHINGTON, DC – December 19, 2016– As millions of Americans look to purchase electronics for the holiday season, Green America is increasing its pressure on Samsung to improve the treatment of workers in its factories. The group is calling on Samsung to address the exposure of workers to toxins in its factories and improve working conditions overall.

Adding to the urgency, recent investigations of Samsung factories worldwide by International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), have also found widespread abusive labor conditions, including excessive hours, abuse of employees, and violations of employee rights, including the right to organize a union.

“Samsung is still second in smartphone sales in the U.S., after Apple, even after the disastrous rollout of the Note 7 phone. That means millions of Americans may purchase Samsung phones without realizing the terrible labor conditions under which these phones were manufactured,” said Todd Larsen, co-executive director on Consumer Engagement for Green America. “Without a plan to monitor and remove hazardous chemicals from Samsung factories, young workers continue to risk their lives every day, just by doing their jobs.”

Since 2007, more than 70 Samsung factory workers have died due to work-related diseases and hundreds have fallen ill, according to SHARPS, an occupational health advocacy group in South Korea. After years of protests by activists, in July 2015, Samsung finally agreed to pay victims $85.8 million in compensation.

However, Samsung has ignored the core recommendation of the mediation committee set up to address toxins in its factories: To fund an independent non-profit foundation that will determine how to fairly distribute compensation to workers for their diseases and how to develop an effective strategy for assessing and incorporating safer chemicals into production, in order to prevent future diseases. Victims have engaged in a sit-in in front of Samsung headquarters in order to get the electronics giant to protect workers from toxins and work with the Mediation Committee.

Green America’s petition, located at http://greenam.org/1hvUrGi, calls on Samsung to commit to the Mediation Process started in 2015 involving workers and families, as well as advocates. It also urges Samsung to end its practices of worker exploitation in general, including excessive hours, abuse of employees, and violations of employee rights, including the right to organize a union.

Green America’s campaign to End Smartphone Sweatshops, http://www.greenamerica.org/end-smartphone-sweatshops/, has been working for four years to get major smartphone manufacturers to remove toxins from the factories that manufacture their phones.

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA 
Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America (formerly Co-op America) provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today's social and environmental problems. www.GreenAmerica.org

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

Santa’s been making a list and checking it twice, and so have we! Here’s the definitive GMOInside list of naughty and nice cookies to leave out for Santa this Christmas. With all his hard work getting everyone’s presents ready for Christmas morning, Santa deserves delicious cookies with ingredients that are natural and festive. Here’s our naughty and nice list to guide you on which brands to support for a merry, non-GMO Christmas.

NAUGHTY:

Oreo, Pillsbury, Mrs. Fields, and Nestlé Toll House may seem like Christmas classics, but there’s nothing traditional about genetically engineered (GE) ingredients and artificial flavors. If these companies don’t ditch the GMOs and improve their unsustainable practices, Santa will be bringing these brands coal for Christmas. Take a look at our nice list for alternative brands that will really show Santa you care.

NICE:

Newman’s Own

Searching for that classic Oreo-like treat to leave out for Santa, but want to skip the GE
ingredients? Newman-O’s are the ideal solution. With Vanilla, Chocolate, Hint-O-Mint , and Peanut Butter Newman-O’s, Santa will not be missing the Oreo’s this Christmas. Newman’s uses organic ingredients and their proceeds go to charity! Santa will definitely approve.

Enjoy Life

Enjoy Life is the perfect brand for ready-made treats as well as baking necessities to cook something up in the kitchen. Delicious and super allergy-friendly, Enjoy Life products are all wheat, dairy, peanut, tree nut, egg, and soy free, because Santa wants to be able to share his cookies with everyone! Some of his favorites are Soft Baked Gingerbread Spice Cookies and Vanilla Honey Graham Cookies.

Mary’s Gone Crackers

Santa will go crackers over these organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan wonder cookies. Available in flavors like Ginger Snap and Chocolate Chip, you can’t go wrong with these yummy treats. Also, if Santa’s craving a savory snack, Mary’s Gone Crackers has a wide variety of, you guessed it, crackers like their Garlic & Onion and Italian Herb.

Barbara’s Snackimals

Made with organic grains and non GMO-verified, Snackimals cookies are as healthy as they are delightfully shaped. These fun animal-shaped cookies are available in flavors like vanilla, oatmeal and chocolate chip. Santa is clearly an animal lover, (he does, after all, have eight pet reindeer) so these cookies are sure to make him smile.

Lucy’s

Non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan, Lucy’s cookies are fit for any diet. They also come in tasty flavors like Maple Bliss, Cinnamon Thin, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, and Sugar. The “Chocolate Merry Mint” is perfect for Christmas. Skip the baking and pick up some Lucy’s cookies, Santa will thank you.

Immaculate Baking Company

Immaculate Baking Company has both refrigerated doughs and boxed mixes to greet Santa with something fresh-baked at the bottom of the chimney. Immaculate Baking Co. has multiple certified organic flavors like Vanilla Sugar Cookie, Chocolate Chunk, and Oatmeal Raisin. With these amazing cookies, you will be Santa’s favorite house on his route.

Eat Pastry

A great plant-based option for when you want to have fresh from the oven cookies ready for Santa is Eat Pastry treats. Eat Pastry has a variety of cookie dough flavors including Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle. Eat Pastry uses organic sweeteners and is non-GMO project verified.

Make sure your cookies for Santa are on the nice list this year, and you will be too! (All cookies taste great paired with organic milk or your favorite non-dairy alternative)

Small Businesses in New York, California and North Carolina Named ‘Top Dogs.’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — December 8, 2016 — Three small green businesses offering green pet and animal products in New York, California and North Carolina, today were announced as the winners of Green America’s “People & Planet Award.” The winners of $5,000 prizes are: The Honest Kitchen in San Diego, CA and Front Yard Coop in Asheville, NC. The grand prize winner, Full Circle Seed, will receive $10,000 in recognition of having received the highest number of votes.

The People & Planet Award recognizes innovative U.S. small businesses that integrate environmental and social considerations into their strategies and operations. The winners were selected by the public during a month-long online voting period.

“When we talk about benefiting people and the planet, it’s important not to forget how animals play a role,” said Fran Teplitz, Green America’s executive co-director. “Some business practices, including ones commonly used by the agriculture industry, put profits over corporate responsibility. Pet and animal products that are environmentally friendly and produced ethically are just as important today as ever.”

The winning companies are:

• Full Circle Feed, Syracuse, NY. http://www.greenamerica.org/green-business-people-and-planet-award/Fall2016/Full-Circle-Feed.cfm. Full Circle Feed believes dogs should enjoy food that's good enough for humans. Their treats are made with vegetables, meats, fruits, and breads from restaurant buffets that were prepared but not served. The result is a healthy, delicious, environmentally-sustainable dog treat! For too long, our society has disposed of billions of tons of extra food, which Full Circle Feed now “upcycles” into high quality food.

• The Honest Kitchen, San Diego, CA. http://www.greenamerica.org/green-business-people-and-planet-award/Fall2016/Honest-Kitchen.cfm. The Honest Kitchen offers 100 percent free-range, antibiotic-free and sustainably raised chicken and turkey. Only wild-caught, MSC-certified fish and non-GMO produce and organic seeds and grains are used. All of The Honest Kitchen’s manufacturing takes place in North America to reduce transportation and carbon emissions.

• Front Yard Coop, Asheville, NC. http://www.greenamerica.org/green-business-people-and-planet-award/Fall2016/Front-Yard-Coop.cfm. The Front Yard Coop is the world’s first solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop. While chicken coops are a booming business and a growing segment of the DIY community, the Front Yard Coop is unique, offering technological innovations, solar power and contemporary design.

Michael Amadori, founder of Full Circle Feed, said, “Full Circle Feed will use the funds to set up a more environmentally friendly production process and drying method. In particular, instead of using electricity or natural gas we plan to use waste heat or biogas generated from anaerobic digestion to bake our dog biscuits. This will greatly reduce our ecological footprint and give us the most sustainable dog treats on the market! We are very grateful to Green America for the recognition and being selected in the People & Planet award.”

Lucy Postins, founder of The Honest Kitchen, said, “It’s a huge honor to have our commitments to sustainable and humane ingredient sourcing and other environmental efforts recognized in this way. We’re working towards furthering our goals in these areas, including the integration of free-range eggs into our supply chain and increasing our usage of grass fed beef, as well as other initiatives for packaging reduction and recycling. We’ll be using our prize to make a direct impact at our home office, by building a vegetable garden in our outdoor space and adding office kitchen composting facilities to help further reduce our environmental paw-print.”

Peter Zander, founder of Front Yard Coop said, "Winning this award will especially help with new product initiatives as we continue to grow in our new home of North Carolina. The small homestead movement is particularly vigorous in the Asheville region, and we hope that the Front Yard Coop will be a helpful product for the new age homesteader. The front yard coop was created from equal parts passion, creativity, determination and experimentation. Follow your dreams and wherever possible live what you believe."

The theme for the next round of Green America’s award will be announced in 2017.

The businesses that the public vote on are determined by public nominations and an expert panel of judges: Gigi Abbadie, Aveda; Justin Conway, Calvert Foundation; Tess O’Brien, Clean Power Perks, Jennifer Snyder, Clif Bar; Erlene Howard, Collective Resource, Inc., Dale Luckwitz, Naturepedic;  Jonathan Reinbold, Organic Valley; Martin Wolf, Seventh Generation; and Andrew Korfhage and Fran Teplitz, both of Green America.

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA

Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America (formerly Co-op 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, (703) 276-3255 or mkarlin@hastingsgroup.com.

With the recent election and current politically divisive climate, there is a lot of uncertainty about the future, including the economic direction of our country. One troubling uncertainty, for example, is whether the Monsanto-Bayer merger will occur.  Bayer, a pharmaceutical giant, and Monsanto, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, are set to merge in a $66 billion dollar acquisition by Bayer that could have dire implications for our food system.

The combined power of these companies to increase the production and distribution of GE seeds (commonly referred to as GMOs) and harmful agricultural chemicals is a threat to the environment as well as consumer health.  Additionally, Bayer is a German company so the political power of this conglomerate could pressure the EU to allow the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) where they are currently banned or labeled.

Whether a Trump administration will endorse the merger is yet to be seen. Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has accepted money from both Monsanto and Bayer and believes that large companies don’t deter a competitive marketplace. Bayer’s CEO, however, admitted concern over protectionist policies Trump might support. Despite this, he remains confident the merger will go through.

While the situation may appear grim, there is hope that the acquisition will be blocked by regulatory crackdowns both in the U.S. and Germany.  The market shares of these two companies combined could be too large, causing regulatory agencies, like the Justice Department, to deem the merger unfit.

Further complicating the transition, Monsanto was recently sued on behalf of its shareholders for having conflicts of interest in its merger with Bayer. Shareholders claim the CEO stood to profit greatly from the merger and withheld important information from investors to ensure the deal would go through. This class action law suit was filed on November 16^th, 2016 and shareholders will vote on the merger on December 13^th. Representatives of Monsanto believe the suit is unwarranted.

There is more cause for optimism that the merger will not proceed, as the economic viability of GE seeds has come under question. Farmers are finding it harder to justify the high prices of GE seeds with the productivity of GE crops decreasing over time.  The merger of Bayer and Monsanto would further increase the price of GE seeds, making them an even less desirable option.

We at GMO Inside are determined to continue educating the public about the dangers of products containing GMOs and how they can be avoided. Our resources counter the willfully deceitful marketing by agrochemical companies like Monsanto and Bayer. You can play an active part by taking action in the fight to remove GMOs from our food supply.

The Obama administration's new overtime rule, originally set to take effect on December 1, 2016, has hit a roadblock in court. A federal judge issued an injunction, thereby stalling President Obama's attempted overtime reform that would have impacted 4.2 million workers in the US. The original rule would have allowed employees to earn overtime if they make under $47,476 a year, more than double the previous threshold of $23,660 a year. Under the existing regulations, only seven percent of salaried workers are eligible for overtime pay, compared to 62 percent of workers in 1975. The new rule would have increased that figure to 35 percent. Reaction to this rule has been decidedly mixed since it was announced in May 2016. Labor groups applauded this move as a major victory, citing the fact that overtime regulations had not been updated in over a decade. Employees who put in long hours without overtime could actually be making less than minimum wage when all hours worked are factored in. On the other hand, some small business owners have criticized the new measure, saying they may have to switch some salaried workers to hourly positions to afford the new threshold. For workers, this could mean fewer hours instead of bigger paychecks. With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on January 20, 2017, this rule was already in jeopardy.

 The Department of Labor estimates 4.2 million additional workers would have been eligible for overtime pay under the rule (see map above), and it has updated its website to reflect the recent news:

"The Department strongly disagrees with the decision by the court, which has the effect of delaying a fair day's pay for a long day’s work for millions of hardworking Americans.  The Department's Overtime Final Rule is the result of a comprehensive, inclusive rule-making process, and we remain confident in the legality of all aspects of the rule.  We are currently considering all of our legal options."

The Department of Labor said it is confident it was within its legal power when it made the changes. Photo credit: Empty Timesheet by Brenderous © CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

In 2001, with inflation soaring and the value of the Argentine peso dropping, Buenos Aires shoe salesman Pedro Perez found himself shut out of the market economy.

Shoe sales had plummeted as prices soared, and Perez found that his salary could no longer cover the needs of his family.

With the country’s monetary system failing him, Perez joined with many other Argentinians in providing for his family’s needs without the use of money by participating in a resurrected barter system.

At the height of the crisis, the New York Times reported that about a million Argentinians had turned to an alternative, moneyless economy to solve at least some of their financial problems, including Perez, who would carry sacks of shoes to the treuques (exchange clubs) once a week to barter for fresh fruits and vegetables.

“It’s a different kind of economy,” observed Peruvian economist Humberto Ortiz at the time. “This ‘grassroots’ economy is one not oriented toward profit, but oriented toward sharing well-being.”

The barter system sustained much of the Argentinian lower and middle classes through the money crisis, but the benefits of moneyless trade can apply anywhere. Moneyless transactions provide mutual enrichment while preserving cash for other needs, and exchanging unwanted goods delays their obsolescence and preserves resources.

Whether you’re looking to give your old belongings new life by recycling them through a barter exchange, or to emphasize the human connections in your economic transactions by intentionally seeking cooperative swaps, the ‘grassroots economy’ of bartering can be a way for you, like Perez, to advance economic well-being.

Web-based Bartering

Long before the development of the market economy, people were trading their livestock, textiles, food, and more. Long before money was ever printed in the United States, arriving settlers were trading amongst themselves and with the indigenous people already living on the land.

Bartering in the 21st century is essentially no different from the bartering of ancient civilizations or early American settlers, though increasingly, the forum of choice for setting up a successful trade is an entirely modern one—the public square of cyberspace. Internet trading options help people make connections with one another.

Online, you can find bartering sites designed to cater to specific demographics (like busy mothers at www.mommysavers.com), specific geographic areas (like the cities served at www.craigslist.org), or specific types of barters.

Thom Rogers, an art teacher in San Marcos, Texas, says his experience with bartering through online sites has been very productive. Recently, when Rogers decided to add computer animation instruction to his middle school art classes, he discovered that he didn’t have the budget to afford the computer equipment and software necessary. He did, however, have an old laptop that he wasn’t using, so he posted the laptop to Craig’s List as a barter. Another Craig’s List user had the “solid workhorse” computer equipment Rogers sought for his classroom and was looking to exchange for a lighter, more portable computer.

“It was a solid trade for both of us,” says Rogers. “My exchange partner got exactly what he was looking for, and now my seventh and eighth graders are creating their own claymation movies with the new equipment I got.” Rogers also points out that the trade kept two unused computers from being landfilled.

Business Exchanges

On a larger scale, companies, nonprofits, schools, and community groups are also developing creative ways to operate without always using money.

Barter among companies means access to new markets and new customers for more than 300,000 US businesses, according to the International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA). In 2001 (no statistics after that, updated 2017), barter resulted in more than $7.5 billion worth of exchanged goods, as businesses find new outlets for their excess inventory (eliminating unsustainable disposal of surpluses) and are able to hold onto their cash reserves for other needed expenses.

Barter relationships between businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations can be set up individually on a case by case basis, but also, as with personal barter, you can find Internet resources designed to help you make the connections you need. For example, Kansas City-based Surplus Exchange is a barter system that offers surplus office equipment and supplies to organizations that need it. Surplus Exchange executive director Rick Goring says the exchange includes about 1,400 members and saves them around $400,000 a year (quote from 2004). (2020 Editor's Note: Surplus Exchange has been acquired by Connecting for Good.)

Additionally, in some communities with local exchange systems in place, businesses can not only interact with one another without money, but can offer their customers the same choice. For example, Philadelphia’s White Dog Café does business using the local “Equal Dollars” program, a Philadelphia-based system designed to encourage local trading relationships and to bring people without access to traditional capital into the economy. The White Dog Café accepts partial payment for meals in Equal Dollars, and seeks local vendors who trade in Equal Dollars for the café’s business-related transactions.

It works like this: Juanita, who runs a babysitting business, becomes an Equal Dollars member. She babysits for Mary, who cannot pay Juanita with money, but pays her 20 Equal Dollars from her Equal Dollars account. Now Juanita’s Equal Dollars account is credited with 20 Equal Dollars, which she spends on dinner at the café. White Dog Café’s account is then credited with 20 Equal Dollars, which it uses to hire Mary fix a broken appliance at the restaurant, bringing Mary’s account back to zero—and saving US dollars for everyone involved. The result is increased business for local suppliers and workers in a system that encourages people to save their US dollars by bartering. (To find programs like “Equal Dollars” near you, visit E.F Schumacher Society.)

Time Dollars

In addition to encompassing the strictly practical applications of an exchange system, the Time Dollar program also has a social change mission at its core. As first conceived by Edgar Cahn—author of Our Brother’s Keeper and 1998 winner of Green America’s Building Economic Alternatives Award—the Time Dollars system is a way to get what you need without money that also maximizes connections between people and community involvement. Cahn developed the idea while “feeling useless” during recuperation from a heart attack. Determined to continue making a difference to others, and to emphasize that everyone has something to share, he founded Time Dollar USA.

In the Time Dollar system, members trade hours of labor. One hour equals one service credit in the system no matter what the service (i.e., house-painting, computer services, accounting), a structure that values everyone’s contributions equally. The IRS has ruled that the Time Dollars program is tax-exempt. However, in general, income generated by bartering is not tax-exempt.

The IRS says: “Bartering occurs when you exchange goods or services without exchanging money .… The fair market value of goods and services exchanged must be included in the income of both parties.” Since its beginnings in the 1990s, the Time Dollar system has spread out into local communities across the US, including a large New England Time Dollar system headquartered in Maine.

“The two core values that Time Dollars bring to every exchange are the principles of equality and reciprocity,” says Auta Main, director of New England Time Dollars. “[In the mainstream economy], we pay someone $10 an hour to take care of our kids, or $100 an hour to take care of our computer. Isn’t that crazy? With Time Dollars it’s different. Time Dollars remind us that we’re all uniquely and equally valuable human beings with something to contribute.”

Main says she’s seen complete weddings paid for by Time Dollars, babies delivered by midwives trading with Time Dollars, and even knows of a man who credits an hour of Time Dollar health care with saving his life. “He didn’t have health insurance, but the True North Health Center here in Maine takes Time Dollars,” says Main. “He went in for a check-up, and his physician found a lump that needed immediate attention or it could have turned cancerous.”

Main notes that the Time Dollars system is not quite as simple as person-to-person bartering, and requires the dedication of a group of individuals with some start-up capital to launch a database for keeping the accounting, and to actively promote the use of Time Dollars by the community. However, she also points out that a successful Time Dollars program can become virtually self-managing by its members after about the first three years, because “the members like it so much, and they get so vested in the process.”

“We find that once members have swapped four or five services, they really get into the groove. The average member swaps about nine hours their first year, and 30 hours their fifth year,” says Main. “People begin to understand that their economic transactions are about more than money. They’re building community, alleviating isolation, building trust, and connecting with neighbors in a world that can feel like it’s becoming more and more disconnected.”

Visit TimeBanks.org to see if there’s a Time Dollars system near you

Bob Quinn is the man behind KAMUT® Brand khorasan wheat, a unique ancient grain from Mesopotamia. After receiving a Ph.D in Plant Biochemistry from UC Davis and selling his business interests in Northern California, he moved back to his family farm in Montana. Through the use of a trademark he has dedicated his company to protecting the integrity of khorasan wheat and is able to set high standards for the ways in which it is grown. Kamut khorasan wheat can never be cross-bred with modern wheat and must always be grown organically.

There are a growing number of wheat growers joining Quinn in a movement to reestablish ancient grains and turn to organic growing methods. This is a forward thinking movement looking at the least chemically intensive, environmentally destructive, while being the most profitable to farmers. At the same time there is a band of biotech companies determined to introduce genetically engineered (GE) wheat.

What’s wrong with modern wheat?

To understand the implications of GE wheat it is important to understand the concerns surrounding modern wheat in general and what differentiates it from ancient grains, such as Kamut khorasan. Ancient grains are those that are derived from ancient civilizations and have been left practically unaltered by human interference since that time. Ancient grains are gaining in popularity, with grains such as spelt, khorasan, einkorn, and emmer (faro) becoming more common to consumers.

The vast majority of the wheat we consume today has been drastically altered from its original form. While wheat has yet to be genetically engineered it has been altered through intensive conventional breeding. According to Bob “what is inherent and drives modern wheat breeding programs are higher yields and more loaves of bread, linked with the national drive to sell cheap food in this country. Cheap food is the main food policy these days. With that being the main goal many things have been changed.  To make higher yields, plants were made shorter and more uniform, they were made more disease resistant, and more resistant to insects.” But all of these changes plus others have had many unintended consequences. “What is probably even more significant is the change in the proteins and starches in the kernel to make more loaves of bread with less wheat.  This is significant because this is the part we actually eat,” says Bob.

The cheap wheat most often consumed today is stripped of much of its nutrients and removes many of the benefits that can be found in ancient grains. All of this is done to lower costs. Research shows that it is how we have altered modern wheat that is resulting in so many health complications linked to wheat. The health implications of modern compared to ancient grains are a major focus area for Kamut International. Bob thinks, “recent changes made to modern wheat is probably at the heart of the troubles that people are having eating wheat, these unintended consequences are what people are struggling with.”

Why GE wheat isn’t the answer?

The most common types of GE crops, such as corn, soy, and alfalfa, are developed to be herbicide-resistant, allowing entire fields to be sprayed with herbicides without damaging the crops. This increases the amount of pesticide residue left on food and increasingly studies are finding high levels of pesticide residue in our water and our bodies. Major biotech companies are pursuing GE wheat developed to be resistant to glyphosate, dicamba, 2,4-D, and glufosinate.

For Quinn there are a number of reasons that GE wheat simply isn’t the answer. There is the general concern for the impacts resulting from the type of agriculture promoted by GE crops: costly chemical inputs, monocropping, and the impact on surrounding ecosystems. But his concerns go far beyond these and are focused on the farmers growing wheat and consumers. In Bob’s own words, here are some of the main concerns surrounding GE wheat:

• The increased cost of production incurred to the farmer:

“In Montana the cost of chemicals is so high compared to what people are getting for their wheat, they can’t afford to grow it anymore. They can’t afford to farm in this way. They can’t pay their chemical bills with the amount they are receiving for the grain they are harvesting. I think that this is a crazy and unsustainable system that is going to lead, many into financial ruin.  Many will be forced to sell their farms and suicide by those who feel trapped has already started to occur. Right now, the price of organic wheat is at 4 or 5 times the price of conventional. With organic you are taking so much more net profit to the bank that it puts you in a very comfortable position rather than being on the edge of break even all the time or even worse, farming at a consistent loss. The current system is an artificial system that is only propped up by large government subsidies, which are starting to disappear. This leaves farmers in a system where they are completely vulnerable and almost unable to make a living.”

• Health concerns with herbicide use:

“More and more research is starting to point to the chemicals causing some of the trouble that people are having with wheat. Research in Canada has demonstrated that glypohsate residue is mimicking the symptoms that people have from wheat sensitivities and there have been all kinds of health problems that disappear, in children when they go on an organic diet.”

• The economic viability of US wheat abroad:

“Montana’s main customers are Japan and South Korea, both countries have made it abundantly clear that they will not purchase GE wheat. The problem with wheat will be that there is no way to distinguish a GMO kernel from a non-GMO kernel. This will be the problem in the marketplace; there is no way to differentiate it. The first time we end up with a boatload of wheat in Tokyo bay where they find traces of GMOs will produce a huge fall out. Who will pay for the GMO contaminated wheat that is rejected in faraway countries. We have already seen some boycotts of US wheat in 2013 when unapproved GE wheat was discovered in fields in Oregon.  More recently there were other cases of unauthorized, unapproved GE wheat found in a Montana experiment station and in a field in Washington.  Although these finds did not trigger the economic fall out that the Oregon find triggered, they raise serious doubts about how GE wheat will be controlled if it is approved and released.  Contamination seems a certainly and huge loss of markets to the detriment of US wheat growers seem a high probability. “

• Lack of control of the seed system:

“The other problem is stripping farmers’ control over the seed and agricultural system. Surrendering those choices to just a few agrochemical companies who prohibit farmers from keeping seed they grow for planting means that the companies will now provide all the seed and all the chemicals in a very controlled way.  Farmers will have no say over price, they will have no say over what seeds they can use, and what chemicals they can spray with. Farmers will be sold a promise that this will make them more money but once they buy into it they will be worse off than they already are now, because they bought into a closed system which is totally dependent on the chemical company. When the prices of the commodities go down and the prices for the chemicals go up they are stuck in a system they cannot escape.”

Beyond the many concerns around the impacts of GE wheat on both the farmer and the environment there is an underlying tension that is being propagated by the chemical companies pitting the conventional and organic farmers against one another. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Bob believes that “farmers don’t need to be at odds. They are being put at odds. The chemical companies are putting out the image of conflict and controversy and battle. Of course they are afraid to lose market share. There main claim is that only they [the chemical companies] can feed the world and now people are starting to see research coming out more and more that debunks that notion.” The chemical companies are misleading consumers and policy makers. At the end of the day farmers simply want to support their families and farms and grow nutritious food for a hungry world, and chemical intensive crops are not the solution.

“The path forward is organic agriculture. The future is organically produced food.  Only this type of agriculture can feed the world.  It is important to understand that with every dollar consumers spend on food; they are voting for chemical or organic agriculture. If people would make the connections between organic food and health and nutrition, then it would be easy to justify choosing organic food. There are other benefits of organic agriculture compared to chemical agriculture such as the reduction of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from the production of chemical fertilizer and the reduction in chemical pesticides contaminating our water and soil. The impacts of chemical agriculture can be significantly reduced if we move towards more acres under organic production.,” says Quinn.

This interview has been edited for length. All photos are courtesy of Kamut International. 

This post is sponsored by Kamut International. Thank you for supporting the brands that support us. GMO Inside is a non-profit campaign and we are thankful for the brands that support our work to change the food system.

As a green-economy activist, you demand that companies improve their social and environmental practices. But what’s going on behind the scenes in these campaigns? Here’s an insider’s look at how Green America leverages your voice to engineer green tipping points—in this case, against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food, starting with Cheerios. Why Cheerios? Targeting America’s favorite cereal raises the profile of the anti-GMO movement. Plus, if this well-known brand were to market itself as non GMO, it would pressure competing brands to follow suit.

Individual Members are at the core of our Green America campaigns. By
pressuring the target company through phone calls, e-mails, petitions, social media, and protests, you let the company know the public outrage is real. When you take action and then educate your friends, it builds awareness in a stronger, more personal way. When members call the target company, it forces it to staff its phones, costing more than an e-mail or petition. E-mails and petitions add to the momentum. Social media can put a unique type of public pressure on a company. Last year, we asked our members to give Cheerios feedback on GMOs though its Facebook page. Cheerios social-media staff were so embarrassed, they shut down a Cheerios app and stopped posts for over two weeks. Anti-GMO Facebook comments continue to plague Cheerios a year after this action first began.
 

Green Business Network Members Our campaigns nearly always include a strategy to mobilize the influence of our Green Business Network® members. Business pressure was instrumental in getting Hershey to agree to certify its products.
For our GMO Inside campaign, we asked hundreds of member businesses to stop carrying products containing GMOs and to let their customers know why. We also allied with Friends of the Earth to encourage nutritionists, chefs, and retailers to pledge not to promote or sell genetically engineered salmon, should it be released into the market. If a target company is hearing from both individuals and retailers, it’s more likely to change, as angering both of those groups could mean a significant hit to its bottom line.
 

Mobilizing Shareholders Publicly owned companies have to answer to their shareholders at every annual meeting. Anyone who owns stock in a company can go to the meeting—and Green America happens to own exactly two shares of General Mills. Our campaigns director Elizabeth O’Connell voiced concerns at the General Mills meeting last September. She brought petitions signed by tens of thousands of our members and told shareholders that the public outcry against GMOs could hurt company profits. CEO Ken Powell responded that “GMOs are safe and poised to feed the world,” and indicated no interest in addressing GMO concerns. This means we’ll increase the campaign’s pressure and return to next year’s annual meeting.
 

Allies Green America reaches out to allies who have complementary strengths or represent different groups of people. GMO Inside is a coalition of organizations representing grassroots activists, food companies, and food-education groups. In addition, our Non-GMO Working Group complements the activist-side of our GMO work by bringing together stakeholders from all along the food supply chain. We’re working with multi-billion dollar stakeholders—from agribusiness companies, to seed companies, to food manufacturers—to identify and remove the barriers to non-GMO food production.
 

Drawing Media Attention All this collective outrage—as well as carefully staged protests—often draws media attention. “Businesses don’t like their competitors to see that they’re being called unethical—they absolutely hate it,” says Todd Larsen, Green America’s director of corporate responsibility. Media coverage may encourage the brand’s competitors to decide to make the ethical choice, putting further pressure on the target company and moving the industry in the right direction.