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WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 9, 2024 – Green America launched a first-of-its-kind searchable directory to connect consumers with insurance companies that do not underwrite fossil fuel extraction projects or invest heavily in the fossil fuel industry. With options in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the Climate Smart Insurance Directory lists local and regional home and auto insurance providers that offer competitive pricing and opportunities for policy-bundling, but without contributing to the climate crisis that is raising rates and limiting coverage options.The Directory provides consumers with climate smart insurers that:

• Offer home, renters and auto insurance (with very few exceptions), so consumers can save by bundling.
• Do not insure fossil fuel projects (per publicly available information).
• Have no indication of direct investments in the fossil fuel industry (Grade A), have investments under $200 million (Grade B), or investments under $500 million (Grade C), as listed in the Investing in Climate Chaos database by Urgewald, a German environmental and human rights NGO.
• Have a rating of A- or above for financial stability from AM Best.

Most states have at least four climate smart insurers listed that consumers can compare. Many of the companies are regional insurers or mutuals that do not spend large amounts of money on advertising. The announcement comes as the online real-estate marketplace Zillow rolls out new climate risk data so home shoppers can view flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality risks, for considering specific insurance needs and costs in risk-prone areas.   

Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act and 350.org, said: "No one really enjoys buying insurance—but this new tool helps make it both easy and constructive. This is the industry that should really understand risk; let’s support the companies that are using their knowledge to help not hurt."

Cathy Becker, Responsible Finance Campaign Director at Green America, said: “As the U.S. continues to see a record-shattering onslaught of extreme weather disasters fueled by climate change, insurance companies are seeing the most immediate impact through increased claims. So the fact that the very largest insurance companies are also investing billions of dollars in fossil fuels is a puzzling example of an industry directly funding its own downfall. Consumers are taking note, and they’re taking their business elsewhere.”

The insurance industry stands on the immediate front lines of the climate crisis. Every time a climate-related fire, flood, or storm damages or destroys property, policyholders expect their insurance policy to help foot the bill. But as natural disasters become more common, major insurance companies have begun to cancel or restrict coverage in climate-vulnerable states like Florida, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona and others. Hurricane Helene is just the latest multibillion-dollar superstorm to test the already-battered private insurance industry.

Despite increasing climate risks, the nation’s major insurance companies continue to support the chief cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels. By insuring risky fossil fuel projects and investing billions of dollars in fossil fuel companies, major insurance companies are financially entangled with an industry whose interests conflict with the interests of its own customers.

Below are the U.S. insurance companies with the most total fossil fuel investments:

Michael Richardson, co-founder of Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith, which co-sponsored the project, said: “The scientific and moral imperative is clear: climate scientists have issued a clarion call to immediately stop all new fossil fuel projects if we are to avert critical tipping points in the climate system.  So, we must ask why the insurance industry continues to insure and fund new projects. At long last consumers have the Climate Smart Insurance Directory to connect them with insurance companies that are contributing the least possible into the money pipeline leading to climate chaos. This tool is one more way to mobilize people to take environmental action by making something we all have to do just a little easier – shopping for insurance.”

In 2023, the United States experienced a record number of weather- and climate-related disasters, causing $95 billion in damages. Meanwhile, average property insurance premiums increased 21% nationwide, even in places without heightened risk. Some states were hit harder than others. Homeowners insurance premiums increased the most in Florida (35%), Idaho (31%), Colorado (30%), South Dakota (28%), Louisiana (27%), Texas (27%) and Oklahoma (27%).

According to a recent report by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), 7.4% of all homeowners in the country are currently uninsured, resulting in $1.6 trillion in unprotected market value, with many forced to go without insurance because they can’t afford rising premiums. Known as “going bare,” CFA warned that the problem of uninsured homes will worsen without significant investments in climate change adaptation and stronger oversight of the insurance industry.

Fourteen organizations have endorsed the Climate Smart Insurance Directory, including: Third Act, GreenFaith, American Sustainable Business Network, Stand.earth, Rainforest Action Network, Oil and Gas Action Network, Intentional Endowments Network, BankFWD, Center for International Environmental Law, Climate First!, Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith, Environmental Advocates NY, 350 Conejo San Fernando Valley, and Divest Washington.

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ABOUT

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

Third Act is a growing community of Americans aged 60 and older determined to change the world for the better. Third Act harnesses an unparalleled generational power to protect our climate and safeguard our democracy. Using our life experiences, skills, and resources, we unite to tackle the unfinished work of our lifetimes and ensure a safe and stable planet for generations to come. https://thirdact.org

Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith, based in the Hudson Valley of New York, acts in coalition with Third Act and GreenFaith to mobilize climate and environmental action to end the era of fossil fuels and transition to a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. It participates in national, regional and local coalitions in forums, rallies, demonstrations and other actions directed at financial institutions to stop funding climate chaos. https://www.rivers-mountains-greenfaith.org

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

Founded in 1895, PSBA is a private, nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving Pennsylvania’s elected school board directors. We provide our members with services, support and counsel as they lead their districts, navigate relationships and promote public education across Pennsylvania.

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Green America harnesses economic power — the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace — to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Together, we can protect our beautiful planet and all its people!

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As the leaves begin to turn and the air grows crisp, there’s no better time to celebrate the sweet and sticky wonder of honey. September is National Honey Month, a perfect moment to highlight honey’s diverse benefits and appreciate the importance of honeybees and their contribution to agriculture and biodiversity. This fall, Green America encourages you to make mindful honey products that support both your health and the environment.  

Celebrate National Honey Month with these products from our certified Green Business Network {GBN)} members.  

Raw, Sustainable Honey Products  

Raw honey is valued for its natural properties, health benefits, and versatility in culinary, medicinal and cosmetic uses. It’s unprocessed, nutrient-rich, antibacterial and can soothe stress and inflammation in the body. See more benefits at the National Institutes of Health. 

Find totally unprocessed honey at Really Raw Honey Inc. A company committed to advocating environmentally sound beekeeping, it packs honey straight from the hive at beekeeper’s homes and farms.  

Indian River Bee Company offers 100% raw honey from the Indian River area of Florida, famous for some of the best honey, grapefruits, and oranges in the world. 

Bath Products and Soaps 

A popular ingredient in hair and skin products, honey is a natural moisturizer. According to Vogue India, it is soothing, healing and non-irritating, keeping skin and hair healthy and soft. Incorporating honey into your daily self-care routine promotes natural cosmetic health.  

4 Elements Bath Products creates products made from primarily organic or wild harvested ingredients. Artisan crafted bar soaps like its Harmony Oat and Honey Soap are a great product to take care of your body with honey.  

Many of Soap For Goodness Sake LLC’s organic soaps and skincare are made with honey in small batches with top-quality sourced honey. The Oatmeal and Honey Goat Milk Soap is made with local honey. 

What’s Good, an online market for eco-friendly and socially responsible products, offers locally-sourced honey skin balms, shampoos, and conditioners.  

Beeswax Products 

Beeswax is a popular sustainable alternative to toxic ingredients in candles, sealants, cosmetic products, and much more.  

Essential Wholesale & Labs offers natural and organic hair and body care, including balms containing beeswax and honey in its lotions.  

Daddy Van’s creates all-natural beeswax furniture polish and finishing wax. These wood and countertop care products are non-toxic, chemical free, and safe for both people and the planet.  

If you’re looking for more environmentally friendly candle options, try out beeswax candles. They produce clean fumes with little smoke and are completely biodegradable.  

Big Dipper Wax Works makes handcrafted beeswax candles produced in small batches. Committed to sourcing from ethical farms, beeswax is collected from Northwest beekeepers, an area where crops rank the lowest in exposure to pesticides in North America.  

What’s Good also sells pure beeswax candles, including birthday candles, and beeswax tapers. 

 As you’re shopping for your favorite Fall products this season, remember to add some sustainably sourced honey into the mix!     

The Green Business Network is the first and most diverse network of socially and environmentally responsible businesses in the country, home to both rising social and eco enterprises and the most established green businesses around.   

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In the wake of the home mortgage crisis of 2008, Green America launched its Get A Better Bank map, listing hundreds of community development banks and credit unions as alternatives to the megabanks that tanked the economy and heavily finance fossil fuel projects.  

Now in the wake of the home insurance crisis, Green America is launching a similar tool: its Climate Smart Insurance Directory to connect consumers with insurance companies that do not underwrite fossil fuel projects or invest heavily in the fossil fuel industry while leaving homeowners in the lurch when climate disasters strike. 

With options in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, this first-of-its-kind directory lists local and regional home and auto insurance providers that offer competitive pricing and opportunities for policy-bundling, but without contributing to the climate crisis that is raising rates and limiting coverage options nationwide. 

The directory provides consumers with climate-smart insurers that: 

• Offer home, renters and auto insurance (with very few exceptions), so consumers can save by bundling.  

• Do not insure fossil fuel projects (per publicly available information). 

• Have no indication of direct investments in the fossil fuel industry (Grade A), or have investments under $200 million (Grade B), as listed in Investing in Climate Chaos by Urgewald, a German environmental and human rights NGO. 

• Have a rating of A- or above for financial stability from AM Best. 

Most states have at least four climate-smart insurers listed that consumers can compare. Many of the companies are local and regional mutuals that have been serving their communities for decades but do not spend large amounts of money on advertising. 

Why this directory? 

In 2023, the United States experienced a record 28 climate-related disasters, causing a total of $95.1 billion in damages. So far 2024 has seen 20 such events, including tornadoes, hail storms, winter storms, wildfires, and a major hurricane, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  

The insurance industry stands on the front lines of this crisis. Every time a climate-related fire, flood, or storm damages or destroys property, policyholders expect their insurance company to help foot the bill. Unfortunately, as climate events become more common, major insurance companies are canceling or restricting coverage in Florida, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Utah, Texas, and other states. 

Despite increasing climate risks, the nation’s major insurance companies continue to support the chief cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels. By insuring risky fossil fuel projects and investing billions of dollars in fossil fuel companies, major insurance companies are financially entangled with an industry whose interests conflict with the interests of its own customers. 

Here are fossil fuel investments for nine major U.S. insurance companies: 

Information about which companies insure fossil fuel projects is more difficult to find, but is available from organizations like Insure Our Future. For example, eight Gulf South LNG terminals, each the carbon bomb equivalent of dozens of coal plants, are insured by Liberty Mutual, AIG, Chubb, The Hartford, Travelers, Lloyd's of London, and more. 

Premium price increases 

Meanwhile, average property insurance premiums increased 21% nationwide, even in areas without heightened risk. Some states were hit harder than others. Homeowners insurance premiums increased the most in Florida (35%), Idaho (31%), Colorado (30%), South Dakota (28%), Louisiana (27%), Texas (27%) and Oklahoma (27%). 

According to the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), 7.4% of all homeowners in the country are now uninsured, resulting in $1.6 trillion in unprotected market value. With so many people “going bare” -- forced to go without insurance because they can’t afford rising premiums -- CFA warned that the problem will worsen without investments in climate change adaptation and stronger oversight of the insurance industry. 

While companies in the Climate Smart Insurance Directory were not vetted for price, several people have experienced saving hundreds of dollars by switching from a major national insurance company to a local or regional mutual that doesn’t pay advertisers. 

What else can you do? 

Take Action! Tell over 70 executives at Berkshire Hathaway/Geico/Guard, State Farm, AIG, Nationwide, Allstate, Liberty, Mutual, Travelers, and The Hartford to insure our communities, not fossil fuels! 

Seek out regional mutual insurance companies: The best option for consumers seeking home and auto insurance is to shop in your local area. Call three independent insurance agents and ask them to quote costs and coverage for policies at regional mutual insurance companies, or speak with companies directly. Different agents work with different companies, so talking to more than one will give you a fuller picture of what is available in your area. Regional insurance companies are no more risky than large insurance and could save you money on your premium for the same coverage. Be sure to ask about a company’s holdings and policies before purchasing an insurance plan. 

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are key for a just financial and sustainable future. They are a tenet of the free market, ensuring individuals have all the necessary information before making decisions about where to invest their money. Across the country, however, state legislators and executives are risking a safe future for people and planet by pushing anti-ESG bills across the country. 

“Research shows that returns on socially responsible investing are on par or better than investing not based on ESG principles, especially over the long term,” says Cathy Cowan Becker, Responsible Finance Campaign Director at Green America. 

With clear and proven benefits of ESG principles, Green Americans understand how important this fight is. And across the country, anti-ESG bills and resolutions are failing from the pressure of this understanding. 

There have been a lot of victories in stopping anti-ESG actions, but Republicans continue to paint investing freedom as a threat to profits—specifically the profits of the fossil fuel industry. And they’re not wrong. Using your voice, and your dollar, is a great way to fight for a greener future. 

Crushing Anti-ESG Bills and Resolutions 

In 2023, political critics of ESG investing introduced 198 bills and resolutions in 38 states attacking investors’ freedom and prohibiting considerations of things like fossil fuels, firearms, agriculture, timber, and animal products, according to researching and advising firm Pleiades Strategy. State officials issued a further 44 executive actions targeting ESG investing. Overall, 31 laws and resolutions passed. 

In 2024, politicians have introduced 108 anti-ESG bills across the country. There have also been 27 executive actions, comprising orders, letters, issuing rulings, and lawsuits. 

What’s to account for the 10% drop in anti-ESG success rate? People are fighting back. 

In Texas, a 2024 report from The Perryman Group showed anti-ESG legislation could cost the state $821.1 million and nearly 8,800 job-years by the end of the year. Since these laws’ introduction in 2021, Texas has lost $700 million in local economic activity. 

North in Oklahoma, a district court judge Sheila Stinson issued an injunction on an anti-ESG law prohibiting “pension funds and localities from doing business with financial firms accused of boycotting fossil fuels.” 

The people testifying against anti-responsible investing legislation and resolutions are “everyday investors, local bankers, local insurance, state retirement plan officers, city administrators, etc.,” says Becker. “They say these bills would cost them a lot of money, and indeed they have.” 

Inside the Crusade for Anti-ESG Bills 

Pleiades Strategy’s reports for 2024 shows the continuation of targeted attacks on ESG investing. Most anti-ESG bills fall into specific categories, such as: 

• Limits on Public Pensions: 13 bills in 2024 seek to ban consideration of “non-pecuniary” factors, or “fiduciary commitment,” particularly the consideration of long-term investment risks posted by hazardous industries. 

• Bans of ESG Scores: 4 bills seek to prohibit the private sector from using ESG scores in risk assessment for loans and insurances. 

• Contracting Bans: These bills, 23 from this year, would block state and local governments from contracting with financial institutions that consider ESG factors, mostly through blacklists. 

State executives like attorney generals and state treasurers do their part to stop ESG investing in its tracks. Their strategies include federal opposition to pro-ESG laws and nominees, threatening the private sector’s freedom to “guide their own business strategies” through withdrawn funds and canceled contracts, and bullying and regulating the private sector with legal interventions. 

Many bills are evolving from previous iterations. 

The 2023 “Fair Access to Financial Services” bill failed in every state in which it was introduced, so this year Republicans replaced it with the “Equality in Financial Services Act.” 

This bill promises the “threat of widespread civil litigation, significant fines and damages, and harassment from state attorneys general to coerce companies into ignoring risk when offering financial services.” The justification is the “discrimination” against select industries, despite their proven harm. 

What You Can Do, Right Now  

Only six states have active anti-ESG legislation at play, but the bills could do a lot of harm. 

If you live in one of the states currently considering bills and resolutions that would limit responsible investing, the most effective thing you can do is contact your state legislator to voice your disapproval. 

• Find your state legislators by inputting your address at openstates.org  

• You may also be able to find your state representatives on your state legislature’s website, which you can find at congress.gov/state-legislature-websites 

You can also support responsible investing by: 

• Checking out our guide on adding socially and environmentally responsible investment options to your employer’s retirement plan.  

• Checking out our 10 steps to breaking up with your megabank and switching to a community development bank or credit union.   

• Checking out how you can use your own investments to create a greener world by engaging in shareholder activism such as voting your proxy ballots. 

• Supporting bills protecting ESG investing, like Oregon’s COAL Act, making the Beaver State the third in the US (after Maine and California) and fourth in the world (after Ireland) to pass fossil fuel divestment legislation. 

• Reach out to GBN members who assist with socially responsible investment strategies, including but not limited to: 
  • Athens Impact Socially Responsible Investments
  • Natural Investments
  • Longwave Financial
  • Your Best Path Financial Planning
  • Horizons Sustainable Financial Services
  • Transformative Wealth Management

Conservative anti-ESG strategies, Becker says, encompass the “third stage of climate denial.” Through varying levels of legislation and Congressional resolutions, ESG investing faces an onslaught of pushback. 

By actively preventing people from investing based on their morals, politicians are effectively picking winners and losers, supporting planet-harming industries like gas, oil, and fossil fuels. The priority is and will remain lining the pockets of corporate executives, with no consideration for a safe and healthy future. 

Since money talks, investing is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against the climate crisis and deserves protection. 

Your bank is more than a place to put your money. Banks can use the funds you deposit to create loans or make investments. And in some cases, that may mean using your money to invest in fossil fuels that can harm the environment. Sustainable banks are working to change this model, giving consumers the ability to deposit their money with a company that doesn't engage in unsustainable practices.

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This year is an important election, with many important issues on the line that Green Americans care about. So make sure you vote and help others vote too!

1. Ensure you're registered to vote at I Will Vote. In some states, you need to be registered 30 days prior to take part in the election so do it now.

2. Encourage others to check their voter registration at I Will Vote.

3. Find opportunities to assist with voter registration both virtually and on the ground with Vote Riders. With Vote Riders, you can also sign up to help individuals secure the identification they need to vote in states with stricter voter-ID laws.

4. Volunteer to drive voters to the polls on Election Day with Ride Share 2Vote and Carpool Vote.

5. Train to become a poll worker. Learn more about the requirements from the United States Election Assistance Commission and sign up with your local election office.

6. Take action with the League of Women Voters. Find information on the League’s website on efforts to expand voter access, fight voter suppression, support fair redistricting and a popular vote for president, and more. Join your state-wide LWV chapter, or sign up for LWV digital advocacy updates.

7. Find local "get out the vote" (GOTV) events near you at Mobilize.

Green America, as a 501 c(3) nonprofit, does not endorse candidates, but we recognize the importance of government and regulations on the climate crisis, fair labor, clean food, responsible finance, social justice, and green living. Voting in an election is one way you can stand up for the values you believe in. And in between those elections, we vote with our dollars!

Tell these megabanks to finance clean energy for people and planet, not fossil fuels that cause climate chaos.

Vanguard is lagging on climate: It’s the top fossil fuel investor and is failing to hold companies accountable on their climate and sustainability impacts.

U.S. agriculture is becoming increasingly toxic to pollinators – the very creatures so much of our food system relies on. Toxic pesticides are a big reason for this unfolding tragedy. Yet millions of crops every year are still treated with toxic pesticides.

Now is the time to break up with your megabank. Find a community development bank or credit union on our Get a Better Bank map. 

What if you found out the money in your bank account was being used to fuel fires and floods, leading to contaminated water from fracking or coal mining, or air pollution where you live?  If you bank with one of the large Wall Street megabanks, that’s likely the case, according to the annual Banking on Climate Chaos report.  

This year’s report – the 15^th annual version – shows why it’s imperative to get a better bank or credit union if your account is at one of the megabanks highlighted in the report as a major lender or underwriter of fossil fuels. This includes switching from a credit card issued by one of these banks to a new card.  

Here’s how it works: When you put your money into a bank account, it doesn’t just sit there. The bank uses the money to make loans. Community banks and credit unions make loans for community needs such as small businesses. The biggest banks make loans to large customers – including disproportionately the fossil fuel industry.  

According to this year’s Banking on Climate Chaos report, the world’s 60 largest banks have plowed a total of $6.9 trillion into fossil fuel companies and projects – almost half of which has gone to fossil fuel expansion, despite warnings from scientists that the world can hold global warming to 1.5°C only with no new coal, oil, or gas projects.  

In 2023 alone, these banks committed $705 billion to the fossil fuel industry, of which $347 billion went to companies actively expanding their coal, oil, and gas operations.  

Among the dirtiest American banks are: 

Sector-based data, frontline stories 

A key feature of the 2024 Banking on Climate Chaos is its League Tables listing the lending and underwriting of the 60 largest banks not just for the entire fossil fuel industry, but also for selected sectors with high environmental, social, and climate impacts. 

These sectors include: 

The report also contains numerous stories from people on the frontlines of the climate crisis worldwide, such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, heavily funded by Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, PNC, and BNP Paribas.  

This pipeline is slated to run from West Virginia to Virginia with a proposed extension into North Carolina. Grassroots groups such as Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) and 7 Directions of Service have been fighting it for years – yet its approval was legislated by an amendment to the debt ceiling bill signed by President Biden in 2023 despite over 400 water quality violations so far during the pipeline’s construction. Learn more 

Of special note are stories from the frontlines of methane import and export in Southeast Asia, where 29 gigawatts of methane gas power plants have entered operation since 2016 with 139 GW more in the pipeline – resulting in a surge of methane import terminals being built. These projects are funded heavily by two Japanese banks that have climbed the rankings of dirty banks: Mitsubishi UFJ, now at No. 4, Mizuho Financial, now at No. 6. Both banks are also funding LNG export terminals on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Learn more 

Even worse, instead of taking steps to clean up their lending, megabanks are backing away from their already weak climate commitments. For example: 

• Bank of America and US Bank quietly changed language prohibiting funding of extreme oil and gas projects to a much fuzzier “due diligence” framework. 

• JPMorgan Chase – the world’s top funder of fossil fuels -- is now calculating its financed emissions through an “energy mix” target that includes renewable energy – diluting the impact of its fossil fuel financing and making it harder to trace.  

• The largest four U.S. banks – JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citi, and Wells Fargo – have all left the Equator Principles, developed 20 years ago to set minimum standards on risks to environment and local communities in countries where they finance oil, gas, coal, and mining projects. Green America was part of the original coalition that pressured these banks to adopt the Equator Principles. 

New information, new methodology 

This year’s Banking on Climate Chaos report has significantly expanded its data to include information about hundreds of oil, gas, and coal companies compiled in Urgewald’s Global Oil and Gas Exit List and Global Coal Exit List. The data is cross-checked against listings in both Bloomberg LP and the London Stock Exchange Group.  

The new methodology also allowed report authors to count bank contributions to fossil fuel companies even if they were not the lead bank lending to or underwriting a project. 

The result is a treasure trove of information that allows users to drill down to detailed listings of which banks are funding virtually any oil, gas, or coal operation and by how much each year since 2016. If you know of a fossil fuel operation, you can use the listings at the bottom of the Banking on Climate Chaos website to find out who is bankrolling it.  

For example, where I live in Ohio the state legislature recently mandated fracking in our state parks and wildlife areas. By searching the Banking on Climate Chaos data, I was able to find out which banks fund the companies that want to frack these public lands – and, no surprise, the top 9 American banks are prominent on these lists. 

Through the Banking on Climate Chaos data, we found that Southwestern Energy has received over $24.6 billion from the largest banks since 2016, Antero Resources over $11.4 billion, Gulfport Energy over $8.3 billion, Ascent Resources over $7.6 billion, Hilcorp Energy over $6.9 billion, EOG over $6 billion, and Encino Acquisition Partners over $3.6 billion. Each of these companies has bid on leases to frack public land in Ohio.  

What can you do? 

The Banking on Climate Chaos report lifts the hood on funding for fossil fuel companies and projects worldwide. Reading it is eye-opening – but can also be overwhelming. This system is so huge and so entrenched – what can one person do to counteract it? 

The answer is simple: Just say no by moving your bank and credit card away from any of the megabanks disproportionately funding fossil fuels and to a mission-driven bank or credit union that builds your own community.  

Getting a better bank 

1. Start by identifying a better bank or credit union. You can use Green America’s Get a Better Bank -- which maps almost 17,000 locations of 3000 community development banks and credit unions nationwide -- or another tool such as Mighty Deposits, Bank.Green, Bank for Good or Better Banking Options.  

2. Open an account at your new financial institution, then slowly transition your auto deposits and auto payments to your new account. For detailed guidance, check out our 10 Steps to Break Up With Your Megabank and our FAQs.  

3. Close your old account and let them know why – here's our Sample Break-up Letter to Send to Your Megabank.  

For more information, check out our Better Banking webinar.  

Taking charge of your credit card 

Credit cards are issued by banks or credit unions. The card issuer may not be the same as its brand name. The issuer is who you send your payment to each month. You can usually find the issuer name on the back of the card, sometimes in small print.  

If your credit card is issued by one of the megabanks that disproportionately funds fossil fuels, we encourage you to switch to a different card. Even if your card does not have an annual fee and you pay it off in full each month, transaction fees paid by the merchant for each purchase you make go to the bank that issued the card.  

If you have switched to a better bank or credit union, your new financial institution may offer a credit card. Be sure to ask who the card issuer is – hundreds of small banks and credit unions issue credit cards through Elan Financial, which is owned by U.S. Bank, a major funder of fossil fuels.  

If your better bank or credit union issues its own card, you can use it knowing you are not supporting the fossil fuel industry. But if your new financial institution does not issue its own card, or uses a card issued by a fossil bank, you’ll need to look elsewhere.  

Two credit card issuers that are not major investors in the fossil fuel industry are First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) and TCM Bank, a subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America, which issues the Green America credit card. You can find Green America’s list of Socially and Environmentally Responsible Credit Cards here.  

As with better banking, if you switch to a new credit card, be sure to let your old card issuing bank know why.  

For more information, check out our Take Charge of Your Card webinar. 

Kroger is one of the nation’s leading grocery chains, with over 2,700 stores operating under many brands, including Pay-less, Ralph’s, and City Market. But Kroger is far from a leader when it comes to dealing with the climate crisis.  In fact, the company is a laggard when compared to Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods when it comes to addressing refrigerant gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a major cause of climate change. 

That’s why Green America and our ally Environmental Investigation Agency have been pressuring Kroger to move fast to address super-polluting HFCs. And thousands of Green Americans and investors have joined us in urging the company to shift to low-polluting natural refrigerants. 

Finally, at the start of July 2024, Kroger announced that all its new stores will use CO2 refrigerants in 2025, which are much better for the planet than conventional HFC coolants.  

“Consumer and investor action definitely raised awareness at Kroger regarding planet warming refrigerants – the news Kroger announced that all new stores will use more environmentally friendly refrigerants is a significant step,” says Dan Howells, Green America’s climate campaigns director. “Still, Kroger is well behind leading grocery chains like Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods on climate-friendly refrigerants. We’re calling on Kroger to retrofit its over 2700 existing stores to use ultra-low Global Warming Potential refrigerants.”

In the coming months, Green America will be calling on its members to take action to urge Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and other major grocers to end their use of refrigerants that are a significant driver of climate change in all of their stores. 

Learn more about our Cool It campaign pressuring Kroger and other supermarkets as well. 

Generations of families have harvested and tended to the same thick-trunked olive trees for thousands of years, sharing their fruits with people around the world through liquid gold: olive oil.

Canaan Palestine now cultivates this heritage for small-scale farmers in Palestine, selling their Fair Trade and soon-to-be Regenerative Organic Certified olive oil to help them reach international markets. Canaan Palestine and the Palestine Fair Trade Association founder Nasser Abufarha, PhD, was inspired by the burgeoning Fair Trade coffee movement’s efforts to bring fair wages to coffee farmers, create more transparent supply chains, and educate US drinkers on their daily cup of joe. Dr. Abufarha wondered how he could bring this concept back to Palestine—and the answer was Canaan Palestine.

Twenty years later, the company has grown to export to over 12 countries. It has also been a member of Green America’s Green Business Network since 2007, working with over 2,000 family farms across 52 different villages to bring delicious olive products to market.

Fatin Zahra, business market manager at Canaan Palestine, says that the cultivation of the olive groves is a wisdom that has been passed down for generations—of course it is organic and regenerative, because it is older than industrialized forestry.

“The majority of trees are hundreds of years old—and those are the youngest trees! I’ve seen many that are two thousand, three thousand years old. It’s beautiful to think that these trees continue to feed families and people around the world every single year,” says Zahra.

Canaan Palestine cares for these ancient trees and produces their olive goods while navigating significant barriers, however. Settlements are encroaching on the olive groves, sometimes taking them over entirely or erecting checkpoints that prevent farmers from accessing them.

“Many olive trees are being chopped and destroyed to make way for expanding and new settlements, bypass roads, and ‘security zones,’” says Zahra.

While Canaan Palestine is headquartered in the occupied West Bank, the effects of the ongoing hostilities and violence in Gaza have been disastrous. Traditionally, the olive harvest starts in October, but last year’s celebration of Palestinian heritage and food was cut short by renewed armed conflict between Hamas and the Israeli military, resulting in an immense loss of life and threatening livelihoods throughout the region.

Dr. Abufarha told Al Jazeera that since October, the ongoing assaults on Palestinian communities beyond Gaza have led to the worst olive harvest in living memory. Farmers have faced more restrictions on their movements from Israeli occupation forces, he says, along with threats and harassment from settlers themselves.

Zahra says that Green Americans can support Canaan Palestine by purchasing products online from Canaan Palestine or through their 500+ retail partners across the US like Whole Foods Market and local artisanal shops. Zahra also stresses the impact of supporters speaking out for an end to the conflict. Actions such as calling elected representatives to demand a permanent ceasefire and advocate for humanitarian aid can both affect policy and also show those like Canaan Palestine that they are heard and supported.

“Everybody I talk to is just feeling so much hope that people in the US, especially the young ones, are so open-minded and aware and understand the truth of what’s happening,” Zahra says. “All of us are incredibly thankful for it.”

This past January marked 14 years since the Supreme Court’s consequential ruling in the “Citizens United” case, the case that essentially removed all limits on corporations’ spending to support candidates for elected office, so long as they do not officially coordinate with campaigns. But political contributions from companies have serious consequences for communities and the planet, for which they need to be held accountable.

Fortunately, several organizations have stepped up in recent years to increase transparency around corporate political spending and help their customers, the media, and others hold companies accountable for their actions. Open Secrets, which tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and corporate lobbying, is one of them. Their deputy research director Brendan Glavin says that, traditionally, companies focus primarily on their business interests when it comes to political contributions. “They’re thinking about bills pertaining to a specific business; telecom or wireless or cable or whatever it might be.”

But those contributions to lawmakers that may benefit the business side of a company may also be actively harming a community that the company claims to care about. For example, Amazon has earned perfect scores on its internal practices and benefits related to LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, as measured by the Human Rights Campaign’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index. At the same time, it is one of the largest contributors to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians in Tennessee, which has passed several anti-LGBTQ+ bills since 2023.

In a way, companies are hedging their bets—stating to their consumer audience and their employees that they support issues like LGBTQ+ equality, the right to choose, and protection of our democracy, while donating thousands of dollars to organizations that work against these goals. For example, 13 corporations, including Amazon, AT&T, Citi bank, Walmart, Verizon, and Wells Fargo, have spent millions of dollars since 2016 supporting politicians who are working to rollback reproductive freedom. And AT&T is also among one of the biggest anti-democracy spenders, making numerous contributions to politicians who objected to the 2020 election results and state officials who support anti-voter legislation.

Still other companies rely on trade associations or corporate lobbying groups like the American Legislative Exchange (ALEC) to do their lobbying for them and keep their names at a further remove from their political spending.

Alongside Open Secrets, The Center for Media and Democracy and Accountable.us also help people connect the dots between what companies say and what they do. They aggregate contribution data into reports, blogs, and searchable databases for citizens to access. Their work makes it easy for people to follow the money.

David Armik, research director at the Center for Media and Democracy, says that overturning Citizens United would be a way to bring integrity back to politics and “get back to a situation where politicians actually listen to their constituents and visit with their constituents, rather than those that give them a bunch of money.”

You can also play a role in ending corporate influence in politics by supporting candidates that advocate for a constiitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. If you own stock, you can also support shareholder resolutions calling for corporate disclosure of political donations at the companies in which you invest. Still other resolutions call for companies to report on how their political spending aligns with their stated corporate goals around issues like the climate crisis.

Armik also reminds individuals that we can always simply ask a candidate where they get their campaign dollars and what companies back them. Every state maintains a campaign disclosure website, although some are harder to navigate than others. Open Secrets’ database covers federal disclosures.

None of this means that all companies act only in their own interests. Thousands of mission-focused businesses are doing all they can to improve situations for marginalized communities and the planet. Green America’s Green Business Network is made up of over 3,000 businesses that lead with integrity, social responsibility, and planetary care.

Using the power of your vote at the ballot box, with your shareholder proxies, and at the cash register are all effective ways we can enact change.

On the evening of June 12, 1963, civil rights activist Medgar Evers pulled into his driveway in Jackson, Mississippi with a box of T-shirts printed with the slogan “Jim Crow Must Go.” The shirts referred to his work to overturn such Jim Crow-era laws as charging poll taxes, imposing literacy tests, or lifetime voting bans for those convicted of a felony that had suppressed Black voters in Mississippi for generations. Before Evers reached his front door that night, an assassin shot him through the heart, and he died within the hour after being refused at the hospital because he was Black. While Evers did not live to see the passage of the 24th amendment to the Constitution in 1964, or the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the outlawing of poll taxes, literacy tests, and other voter-supression tactics led to massive increases in voter registration in the Black community, a priority of Evers’ life’s work.

At the same time. Mississippi’s lifetime ban on voting by convicted felons persisted until just last year, when it was struck down by the US Court of Appeals—and voter suppression of incarcerated or formerly incarcerated people remains to this day in all but two states. This ongoing voter-suppression tactic, alongside others, such as restrictive voter-ID laws, demonstrates how, despite the progress made in the 60 years since Evers’ murder, there remains work to do to ensure voting in the United States truly reflects the will of the people. The suggestions presented in this article provide ways to strengthen our voting rights, by addressing ongoing systemic issues within the US electoral system.

Voting is Not Equitable

Voter suppression is nothing new, but it has become “more sophisticated and targeted,” as Virginia Kase Solomón, President and CEO of the watchdog nonprofit Common Cause has said. Officials employ several tactics, including but not limited to registration restrictions, felony disenfranchisement, and strict voter ID laws, requiring physical travel and expenses to obtain the required government-issued identification.

There are also subtler tactics, as Solomón explains: “We want to create more access and vote by mail, but we are constantly fighting back against signature matching requirements. And if you think about people who are older or people living with disabilities, they can literally eliminate the ballot if the signature doesn’t match.”

Voter suppression, further, predominantly affects voters of color, and always has. Take felony disenfranchisement, for example—in the US, Black men are incarcerated at four times that of their white counterparts, while Indigenous and Latinx people are imprisoned at 4.2 and 2.4 times the rate of whites, respectively, according to a 2022 study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Moreover, strict voter ID laws disproportionately affect transgender and gender-nonconforming people if their identification does not match their gender and because it can be difficult for this community to obtain accurate and accepted ID. People in low-income and rural areas, people with disabilities, and the elderly struggle with physical access to voting, like the aforementioned signature verification, or a lack of access to polling locations and accessible voting machines, highlighting the need to protect less restrictive mail-in ballots.

Legislation like the Freedom to Vote Act, reintroduced last summer by Rep. John Sarbanes (D, MD) seeks to fix these and other voter-suppression issues. The Act would require states to alert voters about signature verification discrepancies and provide a chance to fix them. It would make Election Day a federal holiday, expanding working voters’ access to the polls, and would enshrine the right of formerly incarcerated citizens to vote, among other provisions.

Additionally, you can follow in the footsteps of those like Evers’ and engage in efforts prioritizing voter registration, especially of marginalized communities or those who may not have a consistent history of voting. You can double-check your registration and help others check theirs (and find their polling places) at iwillvote.com.

Time to Put an End to Gerrymandering

The systemic racism seen in various voter suppression tactics rears its head again in racial gerrymandering, or the manipulation of redistricting. “Packing and cracking” are terms voting-rights activists use to describe the two most common techniques of gerrymandering. The first involves drawing maps to put certain types of voters into as few districts as possible, minimizing the number of preferred candidates they might elect. “Cracking,” on the other hand, is the opposite: splitting up voters with similar characteristics across multiple districts to weaken their overall collective power. Both techniques have been used to target communities of color, specifically, and lessen their power as a voting bloc.

In 2018, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the anti-gerrymandering movement by ruling in Rucho v. Common Cause that while partisan gerrymandering may be “incompatible with democratic principles,” federal courts ultimately could not review these allegations. Solomón further says: “It turned on the green light for racial gerrymandering and made lawsuits challenging racial redistricting more complicated by disguising it as political.” Currently, there are 53 active redistricting litigation cases, according to The American Redistricting Project.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, if passed, will mandate federal approval of all changes related to voting in jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory voter suppression. The Act, reintroduced by Rep. Sewell, Terri A. (D, AL), would also strengthen other areas of the original Voting Rights Act like ending discriminatory voter ID laws and ensuring multi-lingual voting materials.

It’s All About Popular

Ensuring the right and access to voting for all is critical and is only one step toward improving voter-equity in the United States. The use of the Electoral College in Presidential elections reinforces this country’s history with systemic racism and the institution of slavery. When writing the Constitution, delegates from slaveholding states bristled at the idea of a national popular vote for President because enslaved people within their borders were denied the vote—diminishing the size of their electorate compared to free states. Thus, the Electoral College was born. Some defend the Electoral College on states-rights grounds, arguing that it helps less populated states have equal representation to more populated states, but this, as Solomón says, is a fallacy.

“The reality is that the minority should not be able to suppress the will of the majority,” she states. “But twice in the past 20 years, the will of the majority has been suppressed and the presidential candidate who won the popular vote lost the election. What ends up happening is that candidates running for office are courting Electoral votes, not individual ones.”

While there have been numerous attempts at abolishing the Electoral College outright, with the most near successful in 1979 (it failed in a 51-48 Senate vote), Common Cause is advocating for, at the very least, a compromise. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among states and the District of Columbia to award all electoral votes to whoever wins the popular vote. So far, 16 states and DC have adopted the NPVIC, amounting to 205 electoral votes. For the compact to have legal force, it needs to reach the threshold of 270 votes, which is the absolute majority in the Electoral College. In a system where many feel their vote doesn’t matter, or is taken away from them, this would put the power back into the people’s hands.

Your Vote is Your Power

Green America urges all of its members to become fully engaged in our democracy, which depends on our participation in everything from attending informational town halls to contacting your elected officials and volunteering with voter registration drives. Find “get out the vote” resources inside the front cover of this magazine. Voting is an important way we all can have a say in our country’s future—it represents each individual’s voice and power.

For example, consider this year’s primary season. Even without a competitive primary on either side of the 2024 presidential election, voters have found effective and historic ways to make their voices heard. As this magazine went to press, multiple state primaries were considerably impacted by campaigns urging Democrats to cast votes for “Uncommitted,” or “No Preference,” write-ins, and similar stances to signal their disapproval of President Biden’s handling of what the International Court of Justice has termed “a plausible genocide” in Gaza. At press time, “Uncommitted” voters had earned 27 delegates to send to the Democratic National Convention. On the Republican side, even more voters—1 in 5—did not vote for the leading candidate, Donald Trump. These efforts demontrate how voting can be used to communicate why candidates haven’t earned voters’ support and that voters aren't afraid to take a stand.

Activists like Evers fought and died for the right to vote and by encouraging everyone to engage in different methods of voter resilience, we can honor their sacrifices. This is especially meaningful at a time when voter suppression efforts are using such tactics as eliminating polling places and ballot drop-off boxes, initiating AI-generated disinformation campaigns, and even passing state and local laws curtailing rights to civil assembly and public protest.

What’s at stake is our ability to collectively “radically reimagining what’s possible,” as Solomón says, whether it’s the investment of public funds into green energy sources and distribution networks, labor protections that prioritize people over profits, or equitable access to safe housing amidst a changing climate. Protecting our democracy and ability to build a just future is an immense task, and we can’t achieve it alone. Evers was one of thousands who gave their blood, sweat, tears, and for some, their lives, to ensure everyone had the right and access to vote. It is imperative we continue that work.

In a world where our system works for the people, where we all have the ability and encouragement to vote authentically, our votes could change the world.

When as you sow CEO Andrew Behar testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s legal counsel on March 28 of this year, he brought with him letters from 16,265 Green Americans and others demanding the freedom to invest responsibly.

As You Sow’s work is being investigated by the Republican-led committee, alongside 13 other shareholder organizations, pension funds, banks, and others who use environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria in assessing companies’ sustainability risks and long-term profit potential. Behar says the committee’s investigation is part of a coordinated crackdown on ESG investing nationwide, telling Democracy Now that “it’s a very orchestrated campaign,” financed by right-wing groups that also fund organizations like the Federalist Society.

The organizers of the letter-writing campaign—led by Green America and As You Sow, along with the American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN), Americans for Financial Reform, Stop the Money Pipeline, and Third Act—are taking on the backlash against responsible investing not just at the federal level, but in statehouses across the country.

“The climate crisis, driven by burning fossil fuels, is now starting to affect people’s finances—insurance and investments being prime examples,” said Cathy Cowan Becker, responsible finance campaign director at Green America. “But instead of changing their business model, fossil fuel interests are trying to ban people from considering environmental and social issues in financial decisions. It’s anti-free market, and we must stand up to it.”

In addition to providing committee testimony, on his trip to Washington, DC, Behar took the time to visit congressional offices and explain why ESG investing is good for business, as well as for people and the planet. He said the support of individual investors and outspoken Green Americans was valuable in convincing congressional offices to pay attention to the threat responsible investing faces nationwide.

“I want to send huge amounts of gratitude to the folks who signed each letter [in favor of protections for ESG investing],” said Behar, “I can tell you firsthand it made a huge difference to how we were received and how we’re going to be working with each of these Congress people going forward…This is what democracy looks like.”

State-Level Rollbacks on Investor Freedom

As of April, Green America and its allies were tracking the progress of 151 state-level anti-ESG bills in 28 states, including 58 bills carried over from 2023. These bills are in addition to the more than 20 initiatives that succeeded in 2023 in restricting investor freedom in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Pleiades Strategy, an advisory service for mission-focused organizations, maintains a tracker of all ongoing state-level anti-ESG legislation. Their 2023 report on state-level legislation outlined three broad categories that encompassed most state-level bills passed last year:

1. Restrictions on state financial contracts:

This legislation forbids states from contracting with financial-services companies that limit their work with certain harmful industries, such as fossil-fuel companies and weapons manufacturers. Even minor limitations on some investments have been enough to land large financial-services companies like BlackRock and JP Morgan Chase on state blacklists, despite their overall huge investments in fossil fuels. These initiatives often cite “discrimination” against such industries by ESG-practitioners among their rationale and passed in six states in 2023.

2. Restrictions on state pension funds:

This legislation restricts state investment managers from using ESG factors to control for risks in state-managed retirement funds. Initiatives passed in ten states.

3. Restrictions on state business contracts:

Similar to bills restricting state contracting with ESG-focused financial-services organizations, some state-level bills seek to ban contracting with companies that use ESG criteria in their operations. Legislation in this category passed in five states.

States that have instituted blacklists or other ESG restrictions on state-sponsored financial products have experienced diminished financial performance, harming their own state finances through these initiatives. For example, a study conducted by the consulting group TXP for the Texas Association of Business found that a Texas ban on contracting with banks that consider ESG criteria ultimately cost the state an extra $270 million in annual excess transaction costs.

Continuing Federal-Level Threats

At the federal level, the most recent threat to responsible investing comes from a bill re-introduced by Rep. Greg Murphy (R, NC) at the end of March that largely follows the pension-fund restriction model (#1) cited above.

Murphy’s bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Kelly (R, PA), Claudia Tenney (R, NY) and Beth Van Duyne (R,TX), was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. The misleadingly named “Safeguarding Investment Options for Retirement Act” would threaten tax-advantaged retirement plans with loss of their preferred tax status if plan managers consider ESG priorities when making investment decisions.

Murphy has described his goal as “eliminat[ing] ESG from investment retirement plans,” and has accused investment managers of allowing responsible retirement planning to be used as a “pawn in the left’s environmental and equity agenda.” Murphy’s bill would require managers to consider only “risk and return” factors when making investment decisions.

However, as Behar explained following his recent testimony on Capitol Hill, responsible investors do focus on risk factors relevant to the businesses in which they invest—including long-term environmental and equity risks that Murphy and other ESG opponents claim do not matter.

Behar cited a 2023 study by IBM of 5,000 company executives across 22 industries that found nearly three-quarters of surveyed companies viewed ESG priorities as “revenue enablers,” meaning that managing ESG risks could help them maximize profits. Behar described the anti-ESG movement as fundamentally “anti-business and anti-freedom,” emphasizing that companies and investors should have the right to review risks from the perspectives of all a company’s stakeholders.

“That means that you take care of your employees, you take care of your customers, the communities where you operate, and your supply chains” Behar told Green America. “And that leads to greater competitive strength and long-term sustainable growth for your shareholders.”

When Brenda Alvarez-Lagunas was nine years old, her mother’s job in the packaging department of a Florida factory came to an end. Brenda’s parents—Mexican immigrants looking for a way to support their young family—turned to farm work to make ends meet.

With the harvest coming at different times for different crops in different parts of the United States, the family’s farm work put them on the move, traveling north from Florida to North Carolina, and then back to Florida, following the seasons and the availability of the work. From the age of nine to 13, Brenda traveled with her family, joining her parents in the fields, helping to pick oranges, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and other crops, along with her younger sisters.

When the family was outside of Florida, they often stayed in migrant farmworker camps attached to the fields. While this eased the complication of finding new housing at each new worksite, Brenda told Green America that conditions in the camps were harsh.

“My family of five was in one bedroom of a four-bedroom house where there was a family of four or five in each bedroom,” Brenda said. “I lived in other homes where the walls and floor didn’t connect, and you would have critters coming in, or wake up in the morning with flea bites all over your body.”

Brenda said that as a child, she didn’t fully comprehend that this way of life was a hardship, or that immigrant children, including unaccompanied minors, are prone to exploitation on US farms and other worksites.

US Child Labor: A Growing Problem

Brenda was just one of the estimated 500,000 children who work in agriculture in the US, according to the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, as the prevalence of US child labor continues to rise—not just on farms but also in meatpacking, slaughterhouses, fast food, and other industries. Many child laborers are the children of immigrant parents, like Brenda, or unaccompanied migrant children.

In 2023, the US Department of Labor (DoL) investigated 955 illegal child labor cases nationwide, involving nearly 6,000 children. This represents an almost 50% increase in individual child-labor violations detected by the DoL over the previous year—and a whopping 472% increase over violations detected in 2015.

So far in 2024, the DoL has uncovered child-labor violations committed by a Pennsylvania Wendy’s franchise operating 21 restaurants, a Virginia Jersey Mike’s franchise operating four restaurants, a Tennessee Bojangles franchise, a Michigan Popeye’s franchise, two different Utah ice-cream parlors (a Cold Stone Creamery and a Baskin-Robbins franchise), a local Idaho restaurant, a New York water park, a Tennessee power equipment company and janitorial services company, an Ohio house-painting company, and an Alabama roofing company that illegally employed a 15-year-old who died after falling from a building during his first day on the job.

Despite the successful enforcement of these cases, they likely represent only a fraction of the children exploited by US employers, given that only cases detected by the government are counted. Other cases may remain hidden, and some forms of child work in the United States remain legal, outside of DoL oversight.

US Law: Out of Step with International Standards

Nationwide, child labor in the United States is controlled by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, which outlined the first standards restricting “oppressive child labor” in US workplaces. Individual states may choose to impose stronger standards than the FLSA, but as the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has pointed out, no US state “currently complies with the minimum standards set forth…by the United Nations [UN] Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

This is largely due to agricultural exemptions in the FLSA that fall afoul of UN minimum working-ages provisions, allowing children like Brenda to work on US farms at younger ages, for longer hours, and in more hazardous conditions than in other industries. Child-labor opponents point out the racist origins of the exemptions in the FLSA, which were drafted at a time when Black Americans were overrepresented in agricultural labor, and now disproportionately affect Latin American asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, 176 other countries around the world follow stronger child-labor standards in agriculture, having ratified the international standards that the US has not.

Brenda urges Green Americans to support stronger legislation to protect child farmworkers. She specifically recommends an initiative championed for many years by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D, CA)—the first Mexican American in Congress—that would close child-labor loopholes in agriculture. Roybal-Allard retired in 2022, but her bill, the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment and Farm Safety (CARE) was reintroduced in 2023 by Rep. Raul Ruiz (D, CA). The Act would bring age and work-hour standards for children in agriculture up to the standards of other industries, provide children with greater protection against pesticides, and increase corporate penalties for employing children illegally.

States Pursuing Even Lower Standards

Beyond the US agriculture loophole, state legislators have proposed or passed laws weakening state-level restrictions on child labor in at least 21 states since 2022. In general, these efforts involve legalizing longer work hours for younger children, with less parental oversight, or in industries previously forbidden to minors. Most efforts have been led by Republican legislators and governors, though the New Jersey law expanding work hours for children was signed by its Democratic governor. At least seven states are considering changes in 2024.

For example, current bills in Indiana would remove hourly restrictions entirely from 16-and-17-year-olds and make it easier to employ children as young as 14 on farms during school hours. A current bill in Nebraska would lower the minimum wage for minors to $1.50 per hour less than the standard minimum wage for all workers. And bills in Kentucky would ban the state from enacting any laws stronger than federal standards and allow 12-and-13-year-old children to work in non-profit ventures, potentially leading to similar exemptions for other industries.

To check whether your state is involved in any child-labor rollbacks, and find sample letters to your representatives, check the legislative map maintained by the Campaign to End US Child Labor, of which Green America is a part.

Not every state that has considered weakening child labor laws has followed through. For example, Republican legislators withdrew a bill in Georgia that would have eliminated the need for work permits for children, and a bill in South Dakota that would have extended work hours for 14-year-olds until 9 pm. Your voice is important to show your state legislators that you care about protecting children.

Brenda Today & Her Advice for Voters

Brenda’s story doesn’t end with her farm work as a child. As she grew older, Brenda began to understand that not all children have to go to work, and she began to yearn to prioritize her schoolwork over her farm work. When she was in eighth grade, Brenda was pulling down straight As, and decided to talk to her mother about staying in Florida for the entire year to focus on her studies.

Brenda moved in with an aunt and uncle, completed high school, graduated as valedictorian, and earned a full scholarship to college. She graduated from Stanford University in 2023 and will soon be moving to take a job in New York City. For now, she is back in Florida, working for the RCMA Mulberry Community Academy, a dual-language charter school that provides an after-school program for the children of the migrant farmworker community.

“We understand the issues intimately and that makes us a very strong support system for our children,” says Brenda. Among other initiatives, Brenda started a chess club for the students, a soccer club, and scouting program. The overall program offers assistance to families in accessing essential services and provides children with a safe space while parents are working.

Still, she points out that without stronger legal protections for children, after-school services can only go so far. She urges voters to speak with candidates about child-labor issues across all industries, noting that she has spoken to politicians who were unaware of the scope of the problem, or the gaps in US labor law.

“Candidates need to be exposed to this issue,” Brenda says. Children are some of our most vulnerable population, that’s why we need to protect them.”

Farmers feed us. From the fresh apples we buy to the popcorn we toss in the microwave, our access to nutritious food is all made possible by the daily efforts of farmers across the nation and around the world.

But here in the US, farmers say bureaucracy makes it hard for them to grow food in a manner that is restorative for the environment. They say federal and state programs can be suffocating in their standards, and that applying for assistance programs and grants can be a difficult and lengthy process for farmers who are already managing the day-to-day tasks of the farm.

Green America’s Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI) program works to remedy some of these issues by helping farmers apply to programs that can support integrating regenerative and organic practices into their existing operations. Helping farmers transition to regenerative agriculture improves soil health, water quality, and biodiversity—and ultimately grows more nutritious food and sequesters carbon, combatting the climate crisis. Farmers accomplish this through techniques like planting cover crops and running “no till” operations that prevent erosion and increase their soil’s biodiversity, among other techniques.

Brian James in Nebraska is a fifth-generation farmer who is transitioning his operation to run on regenerative agriculture practices. His family operates farmland in southeast Nebraska and northwest Kansas, growing a wide variety of crops like corn, soybeans, wheat, and milo (grain sorghum), and raising cattle.

North of James, John Strohfus of Minnesota spent most of his career in the IT industry before returning to the family farm. He uses his land for a little bit of everything—horse boarding, cattle grazing, growing hay and crops, and hemp production for his company Field Theory Hemp. Both Strohfus and James are enrolled in SCI, restoring healthy soils to their land and pursuing regenerative agriculture. They’re acting now— not waiting around for help from Washington.

We interviewed both farmers to get a read on whether government policies help or hinder farmers on the forefront of the regenerative transition. Taylor Herren and Julie Davenson, Green America’s SCI farm program specialist and farm finance specialist respectively, also offer their expertise in agriculture policy to illustrate what Green America is doing to improve the agriculture industry.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Farm Bill comes up for renewal every five years and 2024 is the year it gets reviewed again. But this time it's an election year. Is that cause for concern?

Herren: Because it’s an election year, it’s not going to get pushed through until the very last minute. Government payments are a normal part of a farm’s revenue stream, and without renewal by the fall, many Farm Bill programs will stop.

Strohfus: It’s going to be a really bad year for farmers [in terms of uncertainty about continuing federal programs and incentives. Legislators don’t want] to put a policy in place for someone to be critical of ahead of the election.

Davenson: For example, some Republican members of Congress have proposed cutting the provisions in the Farm Bill that ensure recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can use them at farmers’ markets to access healthy regenerative and organic food. This could reduce farmers’ income, but it’s not something we’ll likely know about until the last minute.

How are current US farmer-assistance policies affecting your ability to transition to regenerative agriculture?

Strohfus: As a new farmer coming from the IT industry, it was astounding to me the amount of paperwork, overhead, and bureaucracy that is involved with farming. Today’s farmers have to be technologically smart, excellent managers, excellent risk/reward takers, and good communicators to talk with lenders and salespeople.

I have a lot of ways that I would use grant money really well to develop markets and work in this food supply chain resiliency side of our food company. But I don’t have time to find the grant, formulate a proposal in the right language, and get it done. And there’s a lot of bigger companies, that have those resources, that are glomming on to millions and millions of dollars.

Herren: This is a problem for lots of farmers. Programs like the Climate Smart Commodities Program through the Inflation Reduction Act are highly competitive and complex grant programs. You essentially need to be a grant writer to get that kind of money. Companies will have those kinds of resources that many farmers don’t. SCI assists farmers in applying for these grants. But ideally, we would want to see the next Farm Bill include provisions that would make these programs easier to apply to.

Davenson: And unfortunately, a lot of the programs that could help farmers like John have been one-time funding opportunities. The Regional Food Infrastructure Grant is one-time for 2024; the Organic Market Development Program was offered one time in 2023. Making both programs permanent would go a long way in supporting farmers like John to build markets for specialty crops.

Do permanent programs, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) [see box above] pose similar challenges? Aren’t lots of farmers using these programs to fund conservation practices, which support regenerative practices?

Herren: Many SCI farmers have been or are enrolled in EQIP or CSP programs. But oftentimes, the most innovative farmers may find their practice or approach is not fully supported by US agricultural policy, meaning their conservation practices are ineligible for funding under the EQIP and CSP programs. And it is a lengthy and bureaucratic process to add or change a practice in the program.

James: With our transition, we’re not enrolled in the EQIP or CSP programs. We’re just doing it off our own dime mostly, because that way we can do it the way we want to, and plant the species we want to, or terminate [processes] when we need to. [The challenge is that] it’s hard to fit regenerative agriculture in a box when you’re dealing with biology and living systems. What works on our farm in Nebraska doesn’t work in Kansas and vice versa—let alone trying to find a program that works across the whole country.

What do you hope for, in the next year or so, for your farm? What do you hope for the nation?

James: For James Farms, in the next five to ten years, I hope to have every acre covered with cover crops [which helps prevent soil erosion; improves soil health; controls pests, weeds, and diseases, and increases biodiversity]. I want to have every field working in a more regenerative manner. I’m excited to keep working towards that.

For the country as a whole, I hope that regenerative practices become more widely adopted. Something as simple as incorporating no-till practices and cover crops. But we can’t have the government just say ‘everybody has to start planting cover crops!’ No one likes to be told what to do.

How do we get through those defensive reactions?

James: Education will be the way that grows the fastest, and just seeing their neighbors have success with it.
In my direct neighborhood, there’s a few guys trying [regenerative]. We were the first ones trying it. I think people thought we were crazy. And then last year, our neighbor told me he did some in his own field. I’ve got two other neighbors that have asked me about it, and they planted some too.

Herren: Farms like Brian’s exist all over the country. They are doing regenerative agriculture meaningfully, with cash crops like corn and soy. The more success they have, the more regenerative practices will ripple throughout their communities. SCI can assist these farmers without the help of Washington. And if good things come out of the Farm Bill, that is great and will bolster our work, but we are moving forward anyway.

How can Green Americans show support for government policies that advance regenerative agriculture?

Davenson: Ask your elected officials what they are doing to pass a Farm Bill that listens to farmers’ needs. We need a Farm Bill to pass this year so programs can continue, and we need that bill to support regenerative and organic agriculture practice and provide assistance that farmers need, like application processes for grants and assistance. Our Soil & Climate Alliance network partner Steven Keleti at Nerds for Earth does an excellent job tracking state-level policy, so people can engage with their state legislators.

With rising global temperatures and an increasing number and frequency of extreme weather events, the toll of the climate crisis can be seen in towns and cities across the globe. As Green Americans, we have adopted our own sustainable habits to cool the planet, from installing energy-efficient appliances to prioritizing walking and biking and more, but for widespread and equitable change that helps all people, elected officials need to be working with us to support sustainable choices for our cities and towns.

Our hometown communities are special and meaningful to us—the locations of our favorite restaurants, our schools, and memories with loved ones—and it’s time to demand more from officials to steward the cities that elected them to a safe, just, and healthy future.

Improve What’s Already There

Buildings are some of the biggest culprits of the worsening climate crisis, trapping heat, and using exorbitant amounts of energy (one-third of all energy consumed by US commercial buildings goes to waste). That’s where retrofitting comes in. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has made popular retrofits like solar panels and water heaters more affordable for individuals. We must also advocate for our city officials to pursue these retrofits in our public spaces—among other solutions for cities overall.

For example, painting buildings—and especially roofs—white will reflect sunlight instead of absorbing it, helping to mitigate urban heat islands, especially in warmer climates. White roofs and buildings also help with energy costs, air pollution, and heat-related illness and mortality.

Albuquerque is one city making energy-efficiency strides. Sandra McCardell, president of Current-C Energy Systems and member of the Albuquerque Energy Council, wants her city’s journey to be a path that other cities can follow, and that citizens can demand. She’s particularly excited about the Balanced Resource Acquisition and Information Network (B.R.A.I.N.), first introduced in August 2022 and created by Saif Ismail, Division Manager for the City’s Energy & Sustainability Division.

“It was designed to integrate all utility information across all of the city’s facilities,” McCardell explains. “You can instantly find…which parts of which buildings are using the most and least energy.” In other words, B.R.A.I.N. uses data from connected devices (lights, water taps, etc.) to alert Ismail’s team immediately and identify an energy leak or other problem. Before B.R.A.I.N, diagnosing an energy problem took months or even years.

Officials estimated B.R.A.I.N. saved the city $355,000 in its first year alone and that it could transform cities across the country.

Green Is the Color of Equity

Dan Howells, Green America’s climate campaigns director, has another idea for improving cities: green roofs.

“Making the top of a roof a park or garden is proven to regulate the temperature of the building, requiring less energy to do so, and also remove pollution and CO2 from the air,” he explains. Howells notes that green roofs are particularly effective for large buildings, such as schools, hospitals, government buildings, or large commercial buildings like warehouses or big-box stores. Green roofs have been found to assist less with a building’s energy efficiency than white roofs (many large buildings may have space to install both), but at the same time provide many other benefits for cities.

For example, green spaces have been linked to myriad health benefits, from better sleep and lower blood pressure to decreases in anxiety and depression. A 2023 study in Science of the Total Environment warned, however, that green spaces alone are not enough to counteract health risks from systemic problems like housing discrimination and segregation, and Howells points out that cities need to prioritize green space for all their residents.

“To improve all citizens’ quality of life and bring justice and equity to our communities, city officials should ensure that climate improvements appear in all neighborhoods, prioritizing healthy access to green space for everyone,” Howells said, adding that green roofs can help mitigate other systemic inequality issues such lack of access to healthy, affordable food in lower-income or BIPOC communities.

“If you take a space that isn’t being used, like a high school gym roof, and you turn it into a garden, we can reduce food deserts and more people will have access to fresh food,” Howells explains. Legislation mandating city-owned buildings develop green roofs, or providing tax incentives or grants for residents to do so, are ways city officials can ensure progress for people and planet.

Less Driving, More Neighborhood Exploration

Recently, in my home-city of Los Angeles, I saw a billboard I can’t forget. It read: “In 2022, more pedestrians died on Vermont Ave. [a major street in LA] than in the state of Vermont.” The billboard was promoting Measure HLA, a ballot measure in the recent 2024 primary.

The measure says when Los Angeles initiates improvement projects (like paving) for city-owned streets, the city must make related improvements to the street’s pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure. The measure fills a gap in the city’s “Mobility Plan 35,” an initiative passed in 2015 to promote greener transportation in theory, but which lacked an implementation plan which prioritizes bike and bus lines, safety, sustainable changes, and more. Angelenos overwhelmingly voted yes on Measure HLA and it will now be implemented in the notoriously car-dense city.

Transportation accounts for 29% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the US, making it the largest contributor overall. Fewer gas and diesel vehicles on the road mean a reduction in GHG emissions and air pollution. Plus, taking time to explore a neighborhood on foot or pedals encourages us all to become better acquainted with where we live.

Even better, the League of American Bicyclists confirmed in its report “Bicycling Means Business” that local businesses benefit from investments made towards safer streets and cyclists, stating: “People who had biked and walked to [a shopping] area reported that they spent more money in the area per month than those who drove there.”

Demand More from Your City

Progress and change require several things: solutions, demand, money. Solutions are plentiful, but the cost can make them prohibitive.

Fortunately, there is federal aid available, such as the Justice40 initiative, which directs 40% of investments from federal programs like the climate-friendly IRA mentioned above into disadvantaged communities.

Launched in 2021 via executive order by the Biden administration, Justice40’s future could be at risk in the next election. McCardell secured some of the first $27 million in Justice40 grants for clean-energy improvements by state, local, and Tribal governments, announced by the Department of Energy in April.

“I was on the team that put the special application together for the city of Las Cruces,” she says, and ultimately Las Cruces received $400,000, to cover at the first phase of their clean-energy work, with the possibility of renewal. “These prizes are distributed through a platform called HeroX, and anyone can search for other prizes their city can apply to. They provide extensive support, especially for those who may not be familiar with grant applications.”

In Las Cruces, the money is going towards Plugged in for Good (PIFG) Energy Alliance and will address matters like reducing energy use, promoting clean energy systems, protecting residents during extreme heat, and retrofitting residential buildings.

McCardell is willing to help anyone who wants their own city to adopt B.R.A.I.N. or get more information on Justice40 prizes. Contact Anya Crittenton (acrittenton@greenamerica.org) for more information.

We may not have originally developed the places we live in to face a climate crisis, but solutions exist and it’s time to put pressure on local officials to make them happen.

Since Green America’s founding in 1982, as a new green-economy organization known as “Co-op America,” US voters have seen ten presidential election cycles come and go, beginning with the contest between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale in 1984.

Then, as now, the stakes were high for many of the priorities Green Americans care about.

The incumbent Republican president was doubling down on issuing leases for fossil-fuel development on federal land and had removed his predecessor’s solar panels from the White House roof. He had fired the coordinator for organic agriculture research at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and eliminated the position, drastically cutting funding for USDA’s organic research. And he had dealt a blow to the labor movement by firing 11,000 members of the air-traffic controllers union who were striking for better pay and working conditions.

When he won re-election so easily in 1984, it could have been tempting to feel hopeless and defeated.

But no single national election can stop our work together on Green America’s areas of focus—climate and energy, agriculture, labor justice, and finance. With or without national leadership that prioritizes people and the planet, Green Americans continue to take action with responsible leaders at the city and state levels, and with our own green-living choices, by patronizing green businesses, and investing responsibly. No one can stop us from voting with our dollars.

That’s why this issue of the Green American focuses on how all our work will proceed whatever the results of this year’s election cycle—and how we can hold political candidates (of any party, and at all levels of government) accountable for their positions on the issues we care about. In this issue, you will find articles that touch on all of Green America’s issue areas (as depicted in the graphic, above and at right), such as:

Clean Energy and Climate Action:

Steps cities are taking to combat the climate crisis and ways to work with local leaders on solutions

Regenerative Agriculture:

A roundtable interview on policy priorities with US farmers who are part of Green America's Soil Carbon Initiative

Labor Justice:

Updates on the alarming rise in child labor in the United States, and the emergence of a new NGO coalition (which Green America has joined) to help reverse this trend

Responsible Finance:

The latest on largely Republican-led efforts to restrict responsible investing

Protecting Voting Rights

Despite the results of that presidential election 40 years ago, we have seen massive shifts toward a more just and sustainable society since then on many green issues.

Both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama restored solar energy to the White House, and solar power is more widespread than ever before. According to the US Energy Administration, the US generated 204 billion kWh of solar power in 2022, compared to only 5 million kWh in 1984. Organic food is readily available and mainstream today (a nearly $62-billion-a-year industry in 2023 according to Supermarket News), with climate-restoring regenerative agriculture on the rise. And while union membership in the US has been in decline since the 1980s, younger workers and workers of color are driving a high-profile resurgence, with Black, Hispanic, and Asian workers accounting for 100-percent of union growth in 2023, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Gallup reports that public support for unions recently reached a 60-year high, and the vote this past April to unionize the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee signals that American electric vehicles will soon be made by union labor.

At Green America, we are encouraged by the progress made, while remaining clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. When politicians—of either party—let us down, we redouble our efforts to create a better world through economic action. Find forward-looking solutions and actions you can take in each of our priority issue areas in this magazine.

My now-wife and I booked our wedding venue in the fall of 2021. We had secured a perfect wedding date: February 3, 2023, aka 2/3/23, with the hopes for a crisp and sunny winter day in Los Angeles, California.

From the start, my wife and I wanted to prioritize sustainability at our wedding, because I knew the stats:

• The average carbon footprint of an American wedding is 56 tons
• The average wedding produces 400 pounds of waste
• There were 2.1 million weddings in the US in 2022 and 2.2 million in 2023
• Do the math with me. That’s 840 million pounds of waste and 117.6 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a single year, all because of weddings.

That couldn’t be our wedding. So, we doubled down, determined for our wedding to have as small a footprint as possible and this sustainable wedding guide shows how we did it.

Ditch the Flowers and Confetti

Though flowers are nearly synonymous with weddings, they’re not the most environmentally friendly choice.

Conventional flower arrangements pollute the planet through greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and refrigerants. In 2018 alone, the International Council on Clean Transportation found that flying imported roses into the US emitted 360,000 metric tons of CO2.

So instead of our wedding party walking down the aisle with flowers, or using flowers as decoration throughout the venue, we thrifted decor and ordered handmade, paraffin-free prayer candles with LGBTQ icons on them from a small business.

Our wedding party got to choose (and then keep!) a candle with which to walk down the aisle. The rest were positioned about the venue, eagerly awaiting new homes with our guests.

If you love florals at a wedding, don’t worry, you have options. You can harvest your own flowers from your garden or a friend’s, or find eco-friendly flower shops like New-York-based Good Old Days Florist, which prioritizes organic growing practices, US-made giftware, sustainable packaging, and other green practices. You can also donate florals to hospitals, assisted living facilities, and places of worship after.

We also wanted that celebratory moment after we said “I Do,” but rice, glitter, and confetti are difficult to clean up, potentially harmful to local wildlife, and often not biodegradable.

Our guests, instead, waved a variety of small pride flags from a small, queer-owned business. Another option is hole-punching fallen leaves or leaves from your herb garden for natural confetti.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Wanting our wedding to have the least amount of waste as possible, we began thinking about the refrain “reduce, reuse, recycle” during the planning stages—and for when the wedding was over.

As we did not use flowers to adorn the tables, we thrifted colored, kitschy, 70s-inspired tableware and encouraged our guests to take home whatever they wanted.

We made a sign and printed it on recycled paper, reading: “Clean the Table, Save the Earth—Take Home Any Decor You Like! (Yes, Including the Tablecloths)”

Yes, even the tablecloths were up for grabs! Knowing many of our guests are talented seamstresses, we dressed our tables in fabric scraps to then get a second life beyond February 3, 2023.

Speaking of clothing, we let our wedding party wear whatever they wanted within a broad 70s color palette, including outfits they already owned, to avoid yet another wedding party outfit sitting in a closet gathering dust.
Finally, our incredibly talented friend offered to make us signs for the wedding, from a welcome sign to advertising our tattoo artist and tarot reader during the reception. We thrifted old mirrors and wood signs, handed them off, and received beautiful, handmade gifts in return.

When the wedding was said and done, we ensured nothing ended up in the landfill. Our gifted signs live on, some hang in our home, the ones for our tattoo artist and tarot reader now live with them to promote their work.
Any decor pieces that went unclaimed we took home to keep in our own space, or we offered them in our local Buy Nothing group. To avoid figuring out what to do with things after the wedding or risking more waste in the landfill, you can also rent decor or outfits.

Compost the Food

Food waste is a huge problem in the United States and weddings represent a microcosm of that. According to the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, an average of 10% of all wedding food goes to waste, resulting in hundreds of pounds of food waste.

So, we decided to compost at our wedding.

We worked with the organization Compostable LA and they made it simple for us. Before our wedding began, members of Compostable LA swung by to drop off compost bins and help our catering staff learn what to compost and what not to. After the wedding, they came by again to pick up the compost, later telling us our wedding saved 77 pounds of food scraps from going to the landfill.

For our compostable dinnerware, we turned to Eco Party Time to supply our bagasse (dry, pulpy material from crushing sugarcane or sorghum) plates, utensils, napkins, and cups.

In general with our food, bartenders, and beyond, we stayed as local as possible to cut down on transportation emissions.

Consider the Venue

Living in LA, we had an abundance of venues to choose from. The one we ultimately chose not only boasted impeccable service and aesthetics, but also shared our sustainability priorities. Marvimon Productions’ SmogShoppe used to be a smog check station and now operates as a 100% solar-powered event space.

While every city won’t have an option quite like this, you can certainly prioritize venues that use renewable energy and other good practices or plant a tree and donate after your wedding.

Just because weddings are events steeped in tradition and have “always been done that way,” it doesn't mean it’s the right way for everyone. A wedding is personal, and should authentically represent who it’s celebrating.

Ensuring sustainability may require more planning, but that’s something you can discuss with a planner, if you’re not putting the details together yourself. And it’s worth the extra steps to make green weddings a new tradition.

I hope you use this guide as a starting point and let your green imagination run wild.

In the crooning voices of the Beach Boys: Let’s go surfing now, everybody’s learning how. It’s summer and the world beckons, from surfing to gardening and campfires to fitness. Whatever your favorite sunny day pastimes, though, it’s important to apply your green living experience and consider things like waste, carbon footprint, toxic chemicals, and more. Fortunately, Green Business Network members have everything you need for sustainable summer fun, whether that’s hiking or taking it easy. 

These products and ideas will take your sustainable summer fun to the next level. 

Downward Dog and Sidewalk Art 

There are so many ways to have fun and pass the time in the summer. 

From the Māori people of New Zealand, poi is a juggling performing art, as well as the name of the equipment. Try it for yourself with Flow Toys’ Podpoi® v2. Flowtoys produces quality, sustainable LED products that are designed to be durable, and have a lifetime warranty. All our creations are rechargeable and we do not support single use plastics or novelty glow products, and do not believe in planned obsolescence.

Take a little one out for a picnic with fresh watermelon and sunscreen and read Save The Bees!, a felt book from Daiseye. This adorable educational fabric book is 100% cotton and woven with yarn that is colored with AZO-free, PCP tested, eco-friendly dyes.

Take your hiking the recycled route with the Recycled Rolltop Backpack from Green Eco Dream. It's water resistant and made of 100% recycle plastic from the ocean.

Have a s’mores party wherever you go with What’s Good’s portable fire pit (that only needs rubbing alcohol to work) and reusable marshmallow skewers made of bamboo.

Fill a sandbox or make your own beach volleyball court with Safe Sand Company’s natural beach sand or white sand that is washed and sifted beach sand, always harvested in its natural state.

Book a visit to Bend, Oregon’s Nomadics Tipi Makers for a meditative experience in traditional Sioux-designed tipis based on the premiere text, The Indian Tipi by the Laubins. 

Treat yourself to a sustainable, culinary tour in locations around the world from Green Earth Travel. 

Go from Warrior 1 to Star Pose on EcoChoices’ cotton yoga mat, bolsters, or meditation cushions. 

Get creative with a 16 set of crayon rocks in a cotton muslin bag from The Green Corner Store. 

Stay Safe in the Sustainable Summer Sun 

Part of the joy of summer is the hours of sunshine, but never underestimate the intensity of the sun. 

First, protect your skin with sustainable and non-toxic sunscreens. 

Sol Intense SPF 30, a 100% all natural sunscreen, from SMB Essentials.

Comfrey Lip Balm from Super Salve, which contains organic ingredients to protect from the sun's rays.

Mineral Sport Sunscreen Spray and Tinted Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 from Green Eco Dream, made from non nano zinc oxide and botanical ingredients, as well as being reef safe.

You can also fight the heat with the right clothing and bedding options. 

Avocado Green Mattress' organic hemp (one of the most sustainable textiles) sheets and duvet cover, which stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Scrunchies and caps from Terra Natural Designs, made from vegan materials and ethically sourced.

The Ikat bucket hat from Lucia’s Imports, made from handwoven Guatemalan ikat fabric.

Work on Your Green Thumb 

Summer is a great time to start or continue gardening, with the bees buzzing and plants soaking up the rays. 

Try out a Red Dragon Torch Kit from Flame Engineering to get rid of those pesky weeds once and for all. 

Make sure your plants are properly hydrated with a Squirrel and Snail Watering Stake from Serrv. 

Try Insecto’s insecticide made specifically for organic production. 

Plant all kinds of vegetables, flowers, and herbs from Turtle Tree Seed, including Dottenfelder Storage Cabbage Seeds. 

Summer officially began a week ago and now you can guarantee you’ll have a great one, one that’s good for both people and planet. 

The Green Business Network is the first and most diverse network of socially and environmentally responsible businesses in the country, home to both rising social and eco enterprises and the most established green businesses around. 

Whether November's results tip towards red or blue, we can continue our work together for a green America!

Company Scorecard: U.S. Communications Industry Mostly Underperforming on Climate, Energy Justice Policies 

9 Out of 10 Major U.S. Communications Companies Received “C” Grades or Lower.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 6, 2024 – A new analysis of 10 top U.S. communications companies found that T-Mobile was the best-performing company for renewable energy goals, renewable energy usage, greenhouse gas (GHG) goals, energy justice, transparency, and supply chain policy. The new report from Green America, titled Clean and Just Energy is Calling: The Communications Industry Needs to Listen, includes interviews with energy justice leaders on fostering a just energy transition, details the need to transition to renewable energy, reveals inequities that can be found within the renewable energy sector and steps for addressing them, and grades companies on whether their energy policies address the climate crisis and benefit Black, Latine, Indigenous and other communities facing environmental injustice.

In the first two editions of Calling for A Clean, Just Transition report, Green America analyzed the telecoms giants AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile on their adoption of renewable energy and the extent to which they were supporting energy justice through their clean energy purchases. The reports found that since the campaign launched in 2017, the three telecoms increased their clean energy purchases substantially, but the sector still has a long way to go to reach 100% procurement of renewable energy.

The new report broadened the number of companies evaluated to get a fuller picture of the communications industry’s GHG footprint, energy use, clean energy goals, and commitments to energy justice. To that end, Green America included cable and internet providers as well as telecoms.  

Dan Howells, climate campaigns director at Green America, said: “While some companies performed better than others, all of them need significant improvement. Zero companies received an overall ‘A’ grade, and in the category of energy justice specifically, no companies even scored better than a ‘B-.’ Across the board, the communications industry needs to do better on demanding a just energy transition.”

Key findings of the report include:

• The 10 companies profiled use at least 51 million MWh of energy annually, equivalent to powering 4.3 million homes.
• Most of the companies are sourcing less than 10% of their energy from renewable sources, with several companies reporting 0% renewables.
• Although T-Mobile continues to be a leader in the industry in the use of renewable energy, reporting 100% renewable energy usage, not all of that energy is putting new wind and solar power on the grid, since they are using unbundled renewable energy credit (RECs) for much of their energy. The company estimates that its transition to renewable energy will save the company $100 million over 15 years.
• AT&T and Verizon are entering into significant contracts for renewable energy.
• Comcast and Lumen have both taken minimal steps to adopt renewable energy, with renewables equaling 10% or less of their overall energy use.
• Much work remains to be done by the communications industry to leverage their market power to increase the use and availability of renewables and phase out fossil fuels.
• Many of the companies in the communications sector lack transparency regarding their environmental and climate impacts, adoption of renewable energy or clean energy goals, or any efforts to support energy justice or address human rights abuses in the renewable energy supply chain through their energy purchases.
• Energy justice is poorly addressed by most of the companies in the communications industry. Several companies have few, if any, publicly available policies addressing commitments to energy justice.

Elizabeth Silleck La Rue, report co-author and CEO of Silleck Consulting Services, LLC, said: “Similar to the movement for environmental justice, deliberate efforts to foster energy justice arise out of a historic pattern of injustice around access, affordability, participation in decision-making, and the distribution of burdens and benefits associated with energy production. In other words, the pursuit of energy justice is necessary because the ways in which energy is managed, produced and distributed follow existing patterns of systemic inequities which disadvantage and disempower communities, often based on race, class, and gender.” 

Naphtal Haya, practice lead of Alternative Energy Storage Technologies at DNV Energy Storage Advisory North America, said: “Out of necessity, the energy transition is bound to happen sooner or later. What’s not guaranteed is the nature of the transition - will it be equitable or will it perpetuate the mining industry’s historical injustices? Supply chain disclosure and third-party supply chain due diligence are key to ensuring a just energy transition for disadvantaged groups in the upstream, midstream and downstream sections of the supply chains of energy transition minerals.”

Charlotte Tate, advocacy lead, The Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region, said: “Addressing Uyghur forced labour is critical to creating a just energy transition. The use of Uyghur forced labour is a risk throughout the renewables industry, including solar panels and electric vehicles. All companies should urgently trace their entire supply chain, address any points of exposure to Uyghur forced labour, and fully exit the Uyghur Region. No industry, including the renewable energy sector, should be reliant on pervasive state-imposed forced labour.”

Company-specific findings

Green America reviewed publicly available information from companies, including reporting on climate to CDP and information provided in corporate socially responsible (CSR) reports and on company websites, in order to determine steps companies are taking on renewable energy and energy justice goals.

T-Mobile (B+) continues to lead among telecommunication companies in progress toward the use of renewable energy. While the company claims to buy 100% renewable power since 2021, much of that comes from unbundled Renewable Energy Credits, instead of directly from renewable energy projects. T-Mobile has a net zero goal, which is stronger than its competitors’ carbon neutral goals; carbon neutral targets can permit offsets, undermining true progress toward renewable capacity. The company is making some progress on environmental justice and supply chain policies. It estimates that its transition to renewable energy will save the company $100 million over 15 years.

AT&T (C) did make some progress in using renewable energy, but the company still lags far behind T-Mobile and is not investing in the wind and solar purchases needed from major companies to shift markets. The company is stronger than competitors in supporting diversity in its supply chains and preventing poor labor practices.

Verizon (C) did make some progress since 2021 with increased renewable energy contracts. The company has a long way to go to reach 100% renewable energy, and Verizon also has not publicly released its emissions or renewable energy data to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) since 2021, making it difficult to truly evaluate the company’s progress. Verizon’s record is mixed on energy justice and supply chain policies and practices.

Comcast Corporation (C-)does report to CDP and is using approximately 9% renewable energy with a goal of being carbon neutral by 2035. The company does not have a renewable energy portfolio goal, but it has put some energy justice measures in place. Comcast does have a supply chain policy, but it is weak on conflict minerals.

Lumen Technologies (D)does not have a clear clean energy or GHG reduction goal and is using a very low proportion of renewable energy. Green America did not find clear environmental justice policies, but the company does have limited supply chain and conflict mineral policies.

Charter Communications (D) does not report to CDP. The company does report out on its energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions through its own sustainability reporting. The company has a GHG reduction goal but no renewable energy portfolio goal. Green America could not find meaningful support for supplier diversity or a supply chain or conflict minerals policy. The company provides some support for entrepreneurial opportunities.

Frontier Communications Parent Inc (F) does not report to CDP and has no meaningful information regarding its energy usage, renewable energy goals or usage, GHG reduction goals, energy justice goals or efforts. It has minimal environmental justice and supply chain policies.

Dish Network/Echostar (F) does not report to CDP, nor does the company provide disclosures on its own website regarding GHG emissions or goals, energy usage, renewable energy usage or goals, energy justice goals or policies. It has a good supply chain policy, but a limited conflict minerals policy

Altice USA Inc. (F)does not report to CDP.The company provides data on its GHG emissions on its website and also reports having a 500 kW solar installation. It does not have a GHG goal, a renewable energy goal, does not appear to have policies supporting environmental justice, and does not have a supply chain or conflict minerals policy.

Cable One Inc. (F) does not have a clean energy or GHG emissions goal. It does not report to CDP.  The company does not report using renewable energy, nor does it appear to support energy justice or have a supply chain or conflict minerals policy.

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ABOUT GREEN AMERICA 

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

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

Green America investigated the clean energy use of major communications companies and whether the energy they use advances energy justice.

We shouldn’t have to compromise people and planet to stay connected.

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

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

Do you want the tea? Organic tea, that is! Then it’s time to take a trip to Arkansas and visit The Green Corner Store’s Tea Bar—or you can visit their website, of course. 

Treated like a sustainable crop, organic tea is made without chemicals like herbicides or chemical fertilizer and grown with regenerative practices like crop rotation. 

Loose leaf, matcha, oolong, iced—tea has been a beloved and global drink for millennia, with the first physical evidence found in the mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Han in Xi'an of China’s Han Dynasty in the second century BC. 

But you’ve never seen tea like this. 

Three Green Americans Walk Into a Tea Bar... 

The Green Corner Store first opened in 2009, selling a variety of green products for personal care, home and kitchen, kids, and more to local Arkansans. Seven years later, in the fall of 2016, the Tea Bar opened. 

“It was the perfect complement to our eco-friendly corner store,” said founder and owner Shelley Green. “It seamlessly added a hospitality aspect to our customer experience.” 

Committed to staying local, The Green Corner Store’s anchor brand of tea is Arkansas-based Savoy Tea Co. 

Green says of Savoy: “They ethically source teas that are grown and produced by families and small producers. They have many organic teas and exclusive varieties blended in their very own Tea Lab in northwest Arkansas.” 

Though not every tea sold is organic, The Green Corner Store boasts over 35 different teas, some sourced from local tea suppliers who grow and forage their own leaves and herbs, and Green ensures customers never have to worry about stale tea. 

Organic Tea, Tea Lattes, and Kombucha on Tap 

“We’ve often heard from our customers that it’s difficult to find a place that caters to those who are enthusiastic about drinking tea,” Green says, noting it’s mostly coffee shops with tea. 

For those who may want to decrease their caffeine intake or simply explore the world of tea, the Tea Bar, or The Green Corner Store’s online store, is a perfect starting point. 

“We brew each cup to order, with hot and iced tea, matcha, tea lattes, and kombucha on tap,” Green describes. “Then there is the sheer enjoyment of having a cup of tea made for them and taking that first sip. We can make recommendations based on their preferences and then flavor accordingly. It’s an experience for the senses. Customers can see, smell, and taste our teas.” 

There really is tea for everyone—classics like Earl Grey, a tea latte if you’re a fan of more milk, or herbal for those who don’t want any caffeine, and teas infused with things like ginger or turmeric if you’re not feeling your best. 

“Discovering a new favorite is always fun, and our monthly Special-Tea Drink is a big draw,” says Green. 

Shopping Local Is Building Community 

On The Green Corner Store website, there’s a tab for “Arkansas Made,” and that is an important part of the business for Green. 

“From the start, we wanted to showcase the creativity of our region and bring in local art and products,” she explains. “Just as customers are wanting more and more to shop locally, our makers want to buy locally, too. We love introducing our farmers to makers that can use what they grow and building community this way.” 

Running her business this way, Green notes they’re less focused on a competitive environment and instead take pride in seeing others succeed. When she first opened her store in Little Rock, she says there weren’t many establishments in the neighborhood but now, it’s an area popular for tourists and residents alike. 

“We have worked diligently to build a successful company that gives back to the community.” 

The Green Corner Store sources its products from local festivals, trade shows, and customers’ recommendations. “We source goods from companies that share our values,” Green adds. “We look for clean, non-toxic ingredients, ethical practices, recyclable and upcycled materials, and minimal and eco-packaging.” 

The establishment also hosts a “Meet the Maker” series where local vendors come and talk to customers. 

Consider the Environment in Every Aspect 

Just as the makers and businesses they source from, The Green Corner Store commits to their own eco-friendly and sustainable business practices. It’s in “every aspect” of the store, according to Green, from package-free products to help close the loop and encourage their customers to move towards zero-waste and plastic-free lifestyles, and non-toxic cleaning products for general housekeeping. 

“At the Tea Bar,” Green notes, “we encourage our customers to bring their own reusable containers and after brewing, we keep the tea leaves to donate them to the nearby community garden’s compost pile.” 

By prioritizing local products, the business can lessen its carbon footprint from long-distance shipping. The benefits of locality don’t stop there, as Green says other local businesses donate their unwanted bags, labels, and other materials instead of tossing them. 

Located in a 120-year-old historic building, they rely on ceiling fans, large windows with natural lighting and shades, and open doors to lessen the use of energy-sucking appliances. 

Green says she grew up with an “intense love” of nature and as she explored books about the environment and alternative health practices, she had her “AHA” moment. 

“I connected the state of the environment with my personal health, and I knew I had found my passion and wanted to share it with others,” she says. Her education continued as she worked for community development nonprofits, an environmental center on a college campus, and beyond. “With my background in education and retail, I decided to open my store as a place where others could learn what it means to have an eco-lifestyle.” 

Most of all, Green says she is happy to run a business that people trust, a workplace that values its employees, and a friendly “hello” to all who work through the doors. 

As one customer-turned-staff member said: “Being at The Green Corner Store is being part of the community. It brings me joy to be working at the heart of it all.” 

The Green Corner Store is one of thousands of businesses who have been certified as a Green Business Network member, a designation given to businesses which meet or exceed Green America’s standards for social and environmental responsibility.    

Instead of passing the buck on to the rest of us and our most vulnerable citizens, big insurance companies must use their leverage and clout to push the energy transition to a more sustainable future.

Cathy Cowan Becker, Guest columnist

This column was originally published by the Des Moines Register on May 23, 2024.

As the planet warms, the insurance industry finds itself at a crossroads, entangled in a paradox of its own making. On one hand, insurers bear the immediate brunt of climate change through increased claims from natural disasters. On the other, they perpetuate the crisis by backing the fossil fuel projects driving global warming. This duality not only exposes a glaring hypocrisy but also raises fundamental questions about the role of insurers in our collective future.

A recent article in The Hill highlighted the insurance industry’s losses due to inadequate housing policies exacerbated by climate change. But it missed a critical piece of the puzzle: Even as insurers withdraw from climate-vulnerable regions, they continue to invest in and insure fossil fuels ― the very industry at the heart of the climate crisis. This omission points to a larger, uncomfortable truth about the insurance sector’s complicity in the crisis of our time, leading us to an uninsurable future.

In 2023, the United States was pummeled by a record number of climate-driven weather disasters, each inflicting over $1 billion in physical damage. Since 1980 the United States has experienced 376 of these billion-dollar events, with damage totaling $2.6 trillion and, tragically, 16,340 associated deaths.

These catastrophes underscore the increasing volatility we all now face. As frontline responders, insurers are tasked with picking up the pieces ― a role that grows more daunting with each passing extreme event and year.

Yet, despite this clear threat to their bottom line ― and by extension to all of us ― major insurers are doubling down on the fossil fuel industry and have begun to cancel or restrict home coverage in our most vulnerable states.

In May, State Farm — the largest insurer in California — stopped accepting new applications for homeowners insurance due to “rapidly growing catastrophe exposure.” In June, Allstate followed suit. In July, Farmers stopped offering home and auto policies in Florida, forcing 100,000 ratepayers to find new insurance. In October, Nationwide canceled policies for 10,500 homeowners in coastal North Carolina.

As the pool shrinks and risks increase, insurance prices rise for everyone else. Nationally, homeowners insurance premiums are up 21% from a year ago and 35% from two years ago, according to the 2023 Policygenius Home Insurance Pricing report.

Despite increasing climate risks, insurers prop up risky oil and gas projects that, without their backing, would struggle to find the financing and insurance required to proceed. Moreover, they’re sinking billions into these climate-polluting fossil fuel companies, embedding the sector deeper into the fabric of our economy.

Take Berkshire Hathaway, for example, a conglomerate that owns Geico, Guard, and General Re insurance companies, along with extensive holdings in coal, oil, and gas. Its CEO, Warren Buffett, downplays the financial risks of climate change, a stance increasingly out of touch with the realities facing people and the planet.

The insurance industry’s support for fossil fuels is not just a matter of corporate autonomy but a direct contradiction of its role as risk assessors. Insurers meticulously evaluate the risk wildfires or floods pose to homes, yet seem to ignore the broader, more devastating risk their investments in and insuring of fossil fuels pose to the rest of us.

This cognitive dissonance was starkly highlighted by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, Ron Wyden and Bernie Sanders in a letter to State Farm, which has $18.2 billion in fossil fuel investments:

“It seems nonsensical at best — and complicit at worst — for State Farm to carefully factor climate risk from wildfires into its homeowner’s insurance policies, refusing in some cases to provide such policies at all, while apparently ignoring the heightened climate risk that its investment portfolio is helping to create,” the senators wrote.

The financial data is just as damning. Nine U.S. insurance companies invest anywhere from $1.2 billion to $46.2 billion in fossil fuels ― enough to pay for the 28 billion-dollar climate disasters in 2023 several times over.

It’s a hypocrisy that cannot stand. Insurers, by the very nature of their business, should be leading the charge against climate change, not underwriting and financing its acceleration. Their dual role as protectors against risk and investors means they are uniquely positioned to influence the shift toward a sustainable future.

Yet, as it stands, the insurance industry is choosing short-term profits over long-term viability ― which likely explains why few insurance companies have announced they would drop or reduce coverage for oil and gas projects, much less divesting from fossil fuel companies. The insurance industry must stop feeding the money pipeline that threatens to make our world uninsurable and uninhabitable.

Instead of passing the buck on to the rest of us and our most vulnerable citizens, big insurance companies must use their leverage and clout to push the energy transition to a more sustainable — and insurable — future.

Cathy Cowan Becker is the Responsible Finance Campaign Director at Green America.

Instead of passing the buck on to the rest of us and our most vulnerable citizens, big insurance companies must use their leverage and clout to push the energy transition to a more sustainable future. Column by Responsible Finance Campaign Director Cathy Cowan Becker

Thanks to pressure from thousands of consumers taking action with Green America, B&G Foods – the owner of iconic brands like Green Giant, Cream of Wheat, and Spice Islands – is taking initial steps on pesticides, including evaluating 20 crops for pesticides and encouraging suppliers to use Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This is an important start, but much more needs to be done.

Across the United States, industrial agriculture techniques like monocropping and overuse of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers contribute to topsoil depletion, biodiversity and pollinator loss, water pollution, and the climate crisis. In addition, pesticide exposure harms farmworkers and rural communities.

As a major food manufacturer, B&G Foods has the power to drive adoption of regenerative agriculture – a holistic approach that rebuilds soil health, sequesters carbon, increases yields sustainably, reduces pollution, and mitigates climate change. That's why we are asking B&G Foods to transition its entire supply chain to regenerative agricultural practices, including cover-cropping, no-till farming, and crop rotation. With healthy soil as the foundation, regenerative techniques reduce reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

Additionally, B&G Foods must implement an integrated pest management (IMP) plan, required by all suppliers of all crops, to reduce and phase out all highly hazardous pesticides, starting with those that endanger farmworkers, rural communities, and ecosystems.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a "final warning" – we must transition away from extractive industrial agriculture to regenerative techniques that heal farmland and act as a solution to the climate crisis.

Learn more about regenerative agriculture and it's importance for the health of the planet, pollinators, and us.

Climate change is real. Some solutions are not. This is true when it comes to the wood pellet controversy: cutting down forests, burning the trees, and then claiming forest destruction is a renewable energy source.

That is what industry and some governments are claiming. Known as biomass or wood pellets, many countries burn wood pellets for electricity, claiming it’s green. The industry is dominated by two major companies, Enviva and Drax, that receive massive subsidies to turn forests into fuel, while claiming to be green.

But here’s the truth:

1. Wood pellets release more carbon than coal when burned!
2. The carbon stored in trees chopped down for biomass won’t be sequestered again for decades since it takes that long for trees to regrow.
3. One study shows deforestation from wood pellet biomass harms local drinking water and at-risk species.
4. Making pellets releases harmful particulate matter damaging the health of nearby communities and disproportionately affecting marginalized communities, mostly located in the US Southeast.
5. Wood pellet Biomass plants run at all hours, creating noise pollution that keeps local residents awake all night.
6. The trees cut down and processed into pellets are then exported, often long distances internationally, emitting more greenhouse gases and worsening the climate crisis.
7. Communities in the US are being harmed so that foreign governments can claim to be using green energy from wood pellet biomass.

Despite this and emerging scientific consensus against biomass energy as a climate solution, the EU, UK, Japan, and South Korea give billions in renewable energy subsidies to these energy companies.

The companies also claim to use only forest scraps for their operations. However, they have been exposed to using whole trees including old growth. Over a million acres of forest have already been cut in the US to feed the wood pellet biomass industry, releasing millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. At the end of 2020, 88 million tons of carbon dioxide was emitted from the production and combustion of biomass from US trees.

And the industry continues to grow. The U.S. Forest Service announced in June 2023 around $10 million in grants in support of a range of startup biomass-burning projects in states such as Alaska, California, Washington, Colorado, Kentucky, New Hampshire and Virginia.

“The companies are already destroying forests in the Southeast and now they’re coming for the West Coast and beyond,” said Dan Howells, Green America Climate Campaigns Director. And residents are pushing back.

Join Green America and our many colleagues who see the forest for the trees to oppose current and proposed projects touting the wood pellet controversy, which is cutting down forests as a solution to the climate crisis.

Across the United States, the wealth gap is seen and felt in various areas, from wages to investment funds, and all aspects of owning and improving property. BIPOC and low-income Americans struggle in specific ways because of the wealth gap, including a lack of equity, savings, and access to clean environments. Clean Energy Credit Union (CECU) {GBN} is seeking to change that with the Clean Energy for All loan program. 

“The Clean Energy for All Program will help underserved communities afford energy-saving, home and transportation upgrades, saving individuals money on utilities bills and creating a cleaner environment,” says CEO Terri Mickelsen. 

“Opening the door to more equity, economic mobility, and opportunities for those impacted by credit or income challenges due to systemic racism or other injustices, and disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, is our goal.” 

How Does the Loan Program Work? 

After soft launching with over $800k loans financed in 2023, CECU is officially launching the program for everyone. Its overarching goal is to ensure everyone, regardless of income and barriers due to systemic discrimination, has access to affordable clean energy. 

The program is an established special purpose credit program, authorized by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and implemented by Regulation B, to meet the credit needs of those previously underserved and frequently denied. 

Through this program, BIPOC and low-income borrowers can receive a 0.50% discount on CECU’s standard loan rates. Loan types related to clean energy include: 

• Solar panels 
• Geothermal heat pumps 
• Green home improvements 
• Electric vehicles 
• Electric bicycles 

Clean Energy for All also aims to help people facing credit challenges. 

To ensure a fairer chance of loan approval, CECU looks beyond traditional credit scores to factors like rental history, utility payments, and employment stability. Further, if borrowers have a credit score below 680, they can qualify for a discounted rate, which can sometimes be more than the offered 0.50% discount. 

Wealth Cannot Dictate a Safe and Healthy Life 

With increasing inflation and stagnant wages, people across the United States are feeling the pressure from the cost of living. According to a 2022 Pew report, incomes have steadily risen for the upper class since 1970 but plunged for those in the middle class over the same period. 

From 1971 to 2021, the middle class dropped from 61% of all US adults to just 50%. Aggregate income held by the middle class has also dropped—from 62% in 1970 to 42% in 2020, while the upper class's aggregate income increased by 21 points. 

These chasms of inequality are felt more acutely by different communities across the country. 

According to the latest data from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, the wealth gap between the median white household and the median Black household rose to $240,120, a nearly $50k increase from 2019. 

In 2022, median Black wealth topped out at $44,890. Non-white Latino or Hispanic households had a median $62,000, while white households’ wealth median was a staggering $285,000. 

Wealth gaps like these lead to a significant difference in quality of life, with those at the top likelier to have equity such as homeownership, investments and savings, and live in nicer and healthier neighborhoods and environments. 

In another 2022 Pew report, nearly three-fourths of all adult Black Americans said they have just enough money to meet their basic needs, or “a little left over for extras.” One in seven Black adults are working more than one job to meet their basic needs. 

When things like safety nets and clean air are not inherent rights, but “perks” for only those who can afford them, society has undeniably failed people and planet. 

Everyone Deserves a Home and Clean Environment 

One major area where Americans are feeling the tight squeeze is affordable housing. A 2022 Pew survey showed that 85% of all Americans consider the availability of affordable housing either a major or minor problem in their community, compared to 14% who said it isn’t a problem at all. Black Americans also largely outrank other groups and communities surveyed saying that affordable housing is a “major problem.” 

There are several benefits to owning a home, including building generational wealth, equity, and credit, as well as benefits from community and for a family’s health. Housing discrimination means not everyone gets to enjoy these benefits at the same rate. 

Only 41.7% of Black households own their homes—the lowest homeownership rate nationally among any group. The Black-white homeownership gap exceeds 30% in 37 states and 40% in 10 of those states. 

Much of this is due to the wealth gap leading to disproportionate loan rate denials, something CECU wants to help fix. 

According to the most recent Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data and the Urban Institute, Black Americans are denied all housing loan types, including home improvement loans for things like green projects, at higher rates than every other race or ethnicity group. 

Denial rates also disproportionately affect those with lower incomes and credit scores, according to BankRate, and Black Americans are amongst those with the lowest incomes and credit scores. 

Renewable and clean energy provides many benefits, from job creation to a more reliable and secure power grid. For homeowners and residents, the benefits are crucial. Making energy improvements to a house can help lower costs and make energy more accessible for remote, coastal, or isolated communities. 

The Clean Energy for All program wants to see all Americans receive these economic benefits—but that’s not all. 

Clean energy also helps reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, which can be fatal. Cancer Alley is a stretch of land along the Mississippi River in Louisiana that is home to 150 petrochemical plants and refineries—and higher rates of cancer compared to the national average. 

For people living in majority Black and low-income areas of Cancer Alley, their cancer risk is over 10% higher than in majority-white areas. This is not a coincidence, but instead an example of environmental racism. 

While making a home more energy efficient won’t solve every problem, or fix places like Cancer Alley, it can do a lot and deserves to be enjoyed by all. 

In early 2024, CECU hit $1 million in clean energy financing, with more on the way. 

“We are committed to building a more equitable and sustainable future,” says Mickelsen. “The Clean Energy for All Loan Program is just one step in that direction.” 

Clean Energy Credit Union is one of thousands of businesses who have been certified as a Green Business Network member, a designation given to businesses which meet or exceed Green America’s standards for social and environmental responsibility.