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The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement was considered a historic breakthrough in putting the world on a trajectory to limit global warming to no more than 1.5°C, the level scientists say is required to prevent irreversible climate chaos. 

Yet since then, the world’s 60 largest banks have plowed $5.5 trillion into fossil-fuel financing, including expansion projects, tar sands oil, Arctic and Amazon oil and gas, offshore drilling, fracking, liquified natural gas, and coal mining, according to the 2023 Banking on Climate Chaos report. 

Topping the list of banks at the root of climate chaos are the Big 4 – JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America – which together account for $1.37 trillion, or 25%, of all fossil-fuel financing since 2015. These four megabanks topped fossil-fuel funding in 2022 as well.  

These banks are propping up corporations like ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco, Chevron, BP, Shell, and ConocoPhillips– which is driving the disastrous Willow oil-drilling project in the Arctic – even as the fossil-fuel industry made a record $4 trillion in profits in 2022 due to high energy prices from the war in Ukraine. 

No new fossil fuel projects

All this is happening in the shadow of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s March 2023 Synthesis Report, a “final warning” that the world must stop expanding fossil-fuel production if we want a chance of a livable planet: “no new oil and gas fields, no new coal mines, no new or expanded oil and gas pipelines, no new LNG terminals, no new coal-fired power plants,” the report said.  

“The world cannot afford any fossil fuel expansion: no new oil and gas fields, no new coal mines, no new or expanded oil and gas pipelines, no new LNG terminals, no new coal-fired power plants.”

2023 Banking on Climate Chaos report 

The fossil fuel projects already in process – wells being drilled, gas being fracked, coal being mined – are more than enough to push the climate past 2°C of global warming, the Banking on Climate Chaos report said. Much of current fossil fuel production – and any new projects – are stranded assets.  

Fossil fuel reserves may be listed on a company balance sheet, but they can never be dug up and burned – or profited from -- without causing irreversible climate catastrophe.  

Green America was one of 623 organizations in 75 countries to endorse the 2023 Banking on Climate Chaos report. The report is authored by Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, Sierra Club, and Urgewald.  

Frontline and Indigenous communities 

Central to this year’s Banking on Climate Chaos report are the stories of fossil fuel and climate impacts on frontline communities worldwide, from the United States and Canada to Argentina, Nigeria, Turkey, Uganda, Mozambique, Pakistan, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and more.  

For example, the Mountain Valley Pipeline – financed by Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, PNC, and BNP Paribas – would carry fracked gas across 591 streams in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, through an Appalachian sacrifice zone already riddled dirty coal and gas projects.  

What are the solutions?  

In a special essay for this year’s report, Tom BK Goldtooth and Tamra Gilbertson of Indigenous Environmental Network outline what must be done to address climate chaos.  

At the top of the list is a specific demand: Keep fossil fuels in the ground. “We must restructure our social and economic systems, replacing the business-as-usual, fossil-fueled, extractive, throwaway economy with one that protects people and the environment,” Goldtooth and Gilbertson write. 

They point to carbon pricing, carbon offsets, carbon trading, and other market schemes as chief culprits in the continued burning of fossil fuels. “From the United Nations (UN) to the state, 25 years of carbon games have not stopped fossil fuel extraction. Carbon accounting is in fact designed precisely so that polluters can continue extracting,” they say. 

“The only way to address climate change is to stop relying on carbon trading and other greenwashed mitigation and keep it in the ground.” 

Tom BK Goldtooth and Tamra Gilbertson

Instead, Goldtooth and Gilbertson call for Indigenous peoples to lead future climate negotiations. “We hold an estimated 80% of what remains of the Earth’s land-based biodiversity in our lands and traditional territories. Without Indigenous Peoples protecting and maintaining ecosystems, climate change would have already caused widespread planetary collapse,” they write. 

Goldtooth and Gilbertson point to the increase in carbon offset markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement as especially threatening for the sovereignty and rights of Indigenous communities because it will set up the system for land grabs. “We at Indigenous Environmental Network have serious concerns about how the UN will monitor the new carbon trading platform, what accounting system will track the market, who will control it, and what role the private sector will play,” they say. 

Carbon offsets are false solutions that do not reduce emissions, but instead deepen climate chaos, Goldtooth and Gilbertson write. Efforts to stop the climate crisis must be trusted to and led by Indigenous people who hold a spiritual relationship with the land, water, ecosystems, and all life. Strategies for system change must center Indigenous people’s rights and keep fossil fuels in the ground. 

What banks must do 

Not all banks are on the wrong path. Banque Postale, a public bank in France, shows change is possible. In 2021 after the International Energy Agency said investments in renewable energy need to triple, Banque Postale committed to end financing for all companies expanding oil and gas and to exit the fossil fuel sector completely by 2030. Crédit Agricole of France and Nordea Bank of Finland have made similar commitments on coal.  

But other major banks, especially in the United States and Canada, lag far behind.  

The Banking on Climate Chaos report makes five demands:  

• End all finance for fossil fuel expansion immediately. 
• Set emissions reduction targets for 2025 and 2030, with zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, based on absolute emissions reductions, not carbon offsets. 
• Require all fossil fuel clients to adopt robust transition plans aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. 
• Protect human rights and Indigenous People’s rights, including Free, Prior, and Informed consent. 
• Scale up financing for a just and fair transition to local and distributed clean energy. 

What you can do: Take action!  

Big banks are driving climate chaos, but you don’t have to. You have a choice to do better – and fortunately there are lots of better banking options to choose from.  

1. Take action: Tell big banks to fund people and planet, not climate chaos.
   
2. Find banks and credit unions that reflect your values on our Get a Better Bank map. 
   
   The banks and credit unions included in our Get a Better Bank Map meet at least one of the following criteria:  

• Federal certification by the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Fund  
• Certification by Green America’s Green Business Network  
• Membership in Inclusiv, whose mission is to help low- and moderate-income people and communities achieve financial independence through credit unions.  
• Membership in the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (US members)  
• FDIC-identified Minority Depository Institutions (The scope of this designation indicates minority ownership and/or having a majority of board directors who are a minority and a customer base that is predominantly minority.)  

Together, by using better banks while holding big banks accountable for fueling the climate crisis, we can build an equitable and sustainable economy based on respect for both people and planet. 

Cathy Cowan Becker is the Responsible Finance Campaign Director at Green America. Contact her at cbecker@greenamerica.org.

Seattle Messenger Cooperative was founded in 2016. We are a collectively owned organization that makes all decisions as a team and is dedicated to providing efficient, environmentally sustainable, and value-aligned car and bicycle courier services to various businesses within Seattle and the greater Washington State area. 

Since our start seven years ago, we have expanded our clientele from a few small legal, food, and commercial organizations within Seattle's city limits to a wider array of local businesses throughout Washington State. We prioritize maintaining small business clientele that are minority- and locally-owned, and provide discounted rates for organizations that do not have a large profit margin in order to ensure that delivery is more equitable.

As we are all passionate about keeping Seattle green, we pride ourselves on using bicycles as our primary means of transportation in order to minimize the negative impact of car pollution while completing our deliveries. Lastly, as a team composed primarily of members who hold at least one marginalized identity, we are passionate about continuing to create a courier company where everyone has a seat at the table.

Child labor is a long-standing problem with 22 years of broken promises.

Chocolate companies voluntarily agreed to eliminate child labor in cocoa production with the 2001 Harkin-Engel Protocol. Two decades later, one thing is certain: voluntary commitments by companies will not eliminate child labor.  

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Hours: 16 hours/week (Monday-Thursday) 
Dates: Summer: approx. 12 weeks (with option to extend through fall) 
Application deadline: 5/1/24 
Start Date: June 3rd 
Reports to: Executive Editor 
Compensation: $20/hr 
Location: Remote within the United States 
 

Green America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a just and sustainable society by harnessing economic power for positive change. Our unique approach involves working with consumers, investors, and businesses. Our workplace reflects our goal of creating a more socially equitable, environmentally sustainable economy and world.  

Our editorial interns are fully involved in the Green America editorial team. All interns have the opportunity to acquire short, published clips and gain experience with many aspects of magazine publishing. We are looking for an intern with exceptional writing and editing skills, sharp analytic skills, meticulous attention to detail and factual accuracy, and familiarity with Microsoft Office and internet research. 

The editorial intern’s primary responsibility will be assisting the Executive Editor, Editorial Team, and Communications Team with Your Green Life, our annual guide to green living and environmentally responsible products and services. The intern will research stories, conduct interviews, and write articles with tips and strategies for green living. The intern may pitch their own stories, so the role is suitable for someone who is driven and cares about environmental and social justice education. 

The intern will also have opportunities to assist with production of the Green American quarterly magazine and other related content creation. 

This position is fully remote, though if the intern is based in the Washington, D.C., area and wishes to come into the office, they may. Applicants must be based in the US. 

Responsibilities:  

Editorial and Writing: Work with Executive Editor and the Editorial and Communications Teams to create content for our publications and communications.  

• Assist with preliminary research and outlining of each publication. 

• Write articles for print publications (80% of the job, approximately). 

• Write blog entries and web content as needed.   

• Assist in the fact-checking process for each publication as needed.  

• Provide editorial assistance on special teams and programs. 

• Assist in updating web pages. 

• Research and write blog posts about emerging issues related to green businesses and Green America’s mission. 

Qualifications:  

• 2 years+ writing or editing experience  

• Experience with conducting background research for writing 

• Experience conducting journalistic interviews is a plus 

• Excellent proofreader, familiarity with AP style is a plus 

• Experience using a CMS (we use Drupal) is a plus  

• Passion for green-economy work!  

To Apply: 

Please e-mail a resume, cover letter, and 2-3 short writing samples (news-style articles with interviews preferred, critical writing such as op-eds or blog posts accepted—please avoid sending academic papers or fiction) to: editors@greenamerica.org. Please use the subject line “2024 Summer editorial intern.” No phone calls, please. 

Applicants who find this posting on Indeed, LinkedIn, or other hiring sites must apply using the email above, not external applications. 

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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.

Re:wild Your Campus, a program of Re:wild, believes young people have the power to make lasting change. The program’s goal is to create safer, more sustainable living and learning environments for all. It offers remote, one-year paid student fellowships to students, who receive training and tools to work with their campus’ sustainability department and groundskeepers.

There is a general lack of knowledge around the issue of harmful herbicides and other chemicals on college campuses. These chemicals harm human and environmental health, including contributing to a decline in campus biodiversity. This lack of understanding and ambiguity around the term "organic land management" and “rewilding” tends to be the first obstacles fellows face. However, it’s something that is easily actionable once campuses are informed and willing to participate in the change.

The student fellows learn to provide clarity around what those terms mean, including explaining that switching to safer practices are often less costly than the status quo, after which campus groundkeepers are usually more receptive to the program. The students work with them to integrate more mechanical tools and pest management techniques, and to replace harmful chemicals with healthier alternatives.

Social justice is another important component of the program. Throughout the fellowship year, Re:wild Your Campus provides learning opportunities that highlight different intersectional environmental justice issues, including bringing in various social justice experts and advocates.

The fellowship year is meant to act as an accelerator. The student and campus continue the work after the fellowship year ends. The fellow also works to involve other students in campus land care. Many of the campuses they’ve worked with have made commits to change beyond the program as well. For example, Loyola Marymont has decided to stop using synthetic chemicals in its land care all together. 

There are several ways to support Re:wild Your Campus’ efforts in addition to donating to them to support the student fellowships. Please consider following them on social media and resharing their posts. You can also write your alma mater to explain why you support Re:wild Your Campus’ mission and encourage them to do the same. Finally, you may recommend students to the program as well. 

After the 2016 US presidential election, Christina Dedora, Eliza Sutton, and Katherine Brown—former co-workers at the Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, RI—were so deeply concerned by the anti-immigrant and refugee rhetoric surrounding the election, that they were moved to action. Inspired by their mutual work at the Southside Community Land Trust, which has helped people grow food for over 40 years in a mainly low-income, immigrant community, the women founded Sanctuary Herbs of Providence. The business is a great model of taking local action to live for and promote one’s values.

They first began by connecting with immigrant farmers they knew through Southside and started using the locally grown herbs to make various tea blends to sell at the farmers’ market. They’ve worked with nearly 20 farmers over the years, and about 8-10 at any one time. I first learned about their tea from NPR while driving 12 hours from Michigan to Vermont for a wedding in the summer of 2018. Their commitment to supporting immigrants and growing herbs chemical-free convinced me I had to try Sanctuary’s tea (my favorite blends are Glitter and Tongue Tingler).

Soil and human health are of utmost importance to Sanctuary Herbs. They encourage and teach their growers to follow regenerative practices like adding compost each year, no-till, chemical-free gardening, and using cover crops where possible. Most of the farmers grow on small plots (even as small as 1/8 of an acre), so ensuring the soil is healthy is crucial for the intensive growing required.

As time passes, they have recognized that customers seem to be less concerned about Sanctuary Herb’s social mission. Now, while they maintain their practice of supporting small, immigrant farmers, Sanctuary Herbs focuses its messaging more on the environment, as this has risen to the top of customers’ concerns. Christina shared that there was a learning curve involved. The bottom line is people want a good product that has a low carbon footprint and benefits their health.

As Sanctuary Herbs develops, they are looking to increase the number of farmers they work with and to create a larger, broader network. Eventually, they would like to add a brick and mortar store that would allow them to increase their drying room. They currently must transport 5000-7000 lbs. of herbs to a nearby city for drying. Having their own store would help to lower the carbon footprint of production.

Christina shared that farming is really physically demanding. “A lot of heartache and money can go out the door.” For example, one farm’s basil suffered a common mold, and they had to destroy the whole crop. Purchasing crops and products from your local, small-scale farm goes a long way to supporting the farmer and ensuring their continued livelihood, especially in times of crop failure or extreme weather.

Click here to learn more about Sanctuary Herbs of Providence’s mission and farming practices (and to try their tea!).

As President Biden was vetoing a Congressional resolution that attacked our freedom to invest in companies that practice responsible environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), a pitched battle has been raging in the states.  

So far this year, 138 bills and four resolutions have been proposed in 33 states that would roll back the ability of fiduciaries to consider ESG factors in investment and contract decisions.  

Responsible investing has come under sustained attack on both the federal and state levels as part of the right-wing culture wars against what they call “woke capitalism.” These bills would force investment managers to disregard important considerations of risk and return, harming state employees and taxpayers alike. Many states have found these bills would cost millions in fees and lower returns. 

While I can’t cover all state bills in one blog post, I can give you a broad outline, tell you how things are going for the anti-ESG campaign – which is facing a lot of pushback – and what you can do to help.  

A guide to anti-ESG bills on the state level 

Four main types of bills are being considered in the states: 

• Bills that target public worker pension programs
• Bills that target state contracting authority 
• Bills that require disclosure or consent for ESG investing 
• Unique bills with no model anywhere else 

Pension bills 

Almost 50 bills in the states target management of state-run retirement funds, requiring financial officers or pension boards to focus solely on “pecuniary factors” in investment decisions.  

• One model bill from the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) forbids considering ESG factors and “events in the distant future or that are systemic” -- a clear reference to climate change.  
• Another model bill from the Heritage Foundation specifically forbids consideration of greenhouse gas emissions or diversity among corporate boards or employees.  

Some bills list other issues that state pension fund managers are not allowed to consider. For example, an Indiana bill would forbid investing in funds that limit or boycott fossil fuels, firearms, agriculture, timber, and animal products, while a Kansas bill adds refusal to provide abortion access and transgender health services.  

Contract bills 

Almost 40 bills target state contracting authority:  

• Some are based on a 2021 ALEC model bill that prohibits state contracts with financial service companies that boycott fossil fuels.  
• Others are based on a 2022 ALEC model bill that expands the prohibitions to any company (not just financial services) that has any sort of boycott against a long list of favored industries, including fossil fuels, timber, mining, agriculture, firearms, and more.  

These bills often require the comptroller to create a blacklist of companies the state is not allowed to do business with. Many also require the state to divest from such companies -- sometimes with no exceptions even if it increases fees and lowers returns, a direct violation of state fiduciary duty. 

For example, an Iowa bill that has passed the Senate and is now in the House would require a blacklist and divestment from companies that boycott fossil fuels, timber, mining, agriculture, and firearms, with no exceptions for increasing contract costs and lowering investment returns. A similar bill in Kansas adds companies that do not support access to abortion or transgender health care. 

Disclosure bills 

A third type of state bill, modeled on New Hampshire’s Fair Access to Financial Services Act of 2022, pertains to loans or contracts by financial institutions with individuals, organizations, or companies.  

These bills require financial institutions to disclose “subjective criteria” such as ESG scores, diversity, political, or ideological factors, but some ban these criteria entirely. Some bills require financial institutions to disclose these criteria before a contract is signed, while others require it only for customers who are denied services. There are various levels of civil and even criminal liability. 

Unique bills 

Finally, several states are considering their own unique spin on anti-ESG. Texas is the leader here, with proposals that would:  

• Urge Congress to investigate BlackRock CEO Larry Fink 
• Require companies to prove that using ESG criteria is in their best interest 
• Prohibit shareholder proposals that promote disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions.  

States fight back for the freedom to invest 

As these bills make their way through state legislatures, not all has gone smoothly. Where these bills do well is in states whose financial officers are committed to the anti-ESG crusade. For example:  

• Utah – whose state treasurer Marlo Oaks is national policy chair for the anti-ESG State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) -- passed four laws and one resolution prohibiting state investments and contracts with firms that boycott favored industries. 
• Idaho – whose treasurer Julie Ellsworth is SFOF’s national policy vice-chair – passed one law with two more close to passage that prohibit state investments and contracts with firms that boycott favored industries.  
• West Virginia – where SFOF member Riley Moore is state treasurer – passed a law limiting consideration of ESG in state pensions over criticisms of the state investment board.  

Yet other states – including some conservative strongholds – have seen surprising pushback, usually tied to the cost of anti-ESG legislation and activism by local bankers, insurers, and retailers.  

Kentucky

After Kentucky passed a law requiring the state to divest from financial firms that engage in fossil fuel boycotts, state treasurer Allison Ball created a blacklist that included firms such as BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup. Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron then sent 44 subpoenas and demands for documents related to the NetZero Banking Alliance to these and other megabanks. 

In response, the Kentucky Bankers Association sued, calling Cameron’s demands an “amazing overreach,” while the board in charge of the state retirement system sent a letter to Ball saying it would not divest from the blacklist of fund managers because doing so “would be inconsistent with our fiduciary duty.” BlackRock alone manages about 30% of the state retirement funds.  

Ironically, none of the targeted financial firms actually boycott fossil fuels – in fact, most have substantial investments. But like most large firms, they also have ESG policies.  

North Dakota

In North Dakota, the House of Representatives voted 90-3 against a bill that would have required the state to stop doing business with a blacklist of financial institutions that boycott fossil fuels, and voted 87-6 against a bill that would have required the state pension fund to divest from a blacklist of financial institutions that make ESG investments that could conflict with energy or agriculture industries. 

Key to these votes was testimony from the Department of Financial Institutions Commissioner, North Dakota Securities Commissioner, North Dakota Retirement and Investment Office Director, North Dakota Bankers Association, and Bank of North Dakota. Even the bill’s sponsor turned against the contracts bill, while the state investment board said the pension bill would require doubling fiscal staff.  

The North Dakota House did pass two other similar bills, but only after amendments completely gutted them, leaving the study of ESG trends and economic boycotts as the only requirements. 

Indiana

In Indiana, a bill that requires the state’s $43.7 billion retirement system to divest from any funds whose managers use ESG factors -- even for other clients, --would cost the state $6.7 billion in lower returns over the next 10 years, a fiscal analysis found. The amount was so shocking that a long list of opponents lined up to testify against it, including the Indiana Bankers Association and Indiana Chamber of Commerce.  

Republicans amended the bill to exclude private equity and hedge funds, dropping the estimated losses to $5.5 million over 10 years – still a hefty amount. The bill passed the House and is now in Senate committee. Indiana has since hired anti-ESG Strive Asset Management to manage their shareholder votes on company policies, paying its co-founder Vivek Ramaswamy $4000 an hour.  

Kansas

In Kansas, a bill to prohibit state contracts and retirement investments with companies that use ESG criteria would cost $1.1 billion in divestment costs and $3.6 billion in lowered returns over the next 10 years, the Budget Division found. The bill is so vague that “all current investment managers would be disqualified,” said Alan Conroy, executive director of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.  

Among those testifying in favor were Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, Treasurer Steven Johnson -- a member of the anti-ESG SFOF – and longtime climate change denier William Happer. Subsequent amendments indemnify the retirement system for actions needed to comply and allow hiring of a proxy voting advisor. The bill has passed the Senate committee and moved to the full Senate. 

Other states 

• Officials with the Arkansas retirement system said the state could lose up to $40 million per year if a bill passes requiring divestment from a blacklist of companies that use ESG metrics. The bill, whose sponsor says he doesn’t believe these findings, is close to final passage. 

• The Nebraska legislature has considered three anti-ESG bills, none of which have moved beyond committee hearings after the opposition from the state’s banking industry. Robert Hallstrom of the Nebraska Bankers Association said one bill would require the state treasurer to dictate a bank’s business and that another could result in significantly lowered returns.  

• In Wyoming, all three anti-ESG bills are dead after considerable pushback from the state treasurer’s office and retirement system. “The bottom line is it would probably cause us to sell just about everything we have other than U.S. Treasury bonds,” chief investment officer Patrick Fleming said. The state could not invest in Peabody Coal because it has an ESG policy, he noted. 

Controversy at ALEC 

As mentioned previously, many of these state bills are based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), that would require states to stop doing business with companies considered to be boycotting fossil fuels, logging, mining, or agriculture businesses.  

Yet ALEC has not officially endorsed its own model bill. In January, the ALEC board, comprised of 23 Republican state lawmakers, voted to send the bill back to committee after lobbying by the American Bankers Association and state banking associations. “Government should not be dictating business decisions to the private sector, which is what the draft model policy proposed,” the ABA said.  

The fossil fuel industry is pushing back. The Domestic Energy Producers Alliance sent a letter to ALEC board members asking them to adopt the model policy. The measure would “ensure that our state and local taxpayer dollars are not advancing the woke agenda,” the letter said.  

Divesting from ESG turns out to be expensive 

Several studies show that anti-ESG laws result in substantial costs: 

• A Wharton School study found that two 2021 Texas laws banning cities from contracting with banks that have ESG policies cost an extra $303 million to $532 million in higher municipal bond interest rates. 
• A report by Econsult Solutions found that taxpayers in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and West Virgina could owe up to $708 million in additional interest charges on municipal bonds due to anti-ESG laws and proposals.
• A Bloomberg article shows that Texas is paying 19 basis points more than California and Florida is paying 43 basis points – almost half a percentage point – more in interest rates on the bond market because they prohibit contracts with lenders that consider ESG. 

Public opinion supports responsible investing 

Despite the concerted campaign to push anti-ESG bills across dozens of states, multiple polls and focus groups show that public opinion clearly supports responsible investing.  

• A poll by Penn State and ROKK Solutions in fall 2022 found that 63% of respondents – including 70% of Republicans -- say the government should not set limits on ESG investments.  
• In focus groups conducted by JUST Capital in December 2022, participants said companies should be “good corporate citizens” and make a positive impact on society, especially by paying their employees a fair, living wage. They also saw ESG as part of a sound investment strategy.  
• Polling by Climate Power and Data for Progress in March 2023 found that most think financial managers should be able to consider ESG factors in investment decisions, and they support investing public retirement funds in clean energy assets. 

Investors also see ESG as a critical part of their fiduciary duty: 85% of investors are interested in responsible investing, 86% believe companies with sustainability practices may be better long-term investments, and 84% are interested in sustainable investments that can be tailored to their needs, according to US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. 

Even many Republicans, who may not like ESG investing, do not support the war against it. “I think we have to attack [wokeness] in America, but I’m a free market guy,” New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said. “If a business wants to be woke, I don’t agree with it — I completely disagree with it. But it’s not up for the government to come in and punish a business or penalize a business.” 

How you can stand up for socially responsible investing 

If you live in one of the states currently considering bills 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 

States currently considering anti-ESG legislation include Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. All bills are dead in Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wyoming. All bills have either died or been signed into law in West Virginia. All bills have been signed into law in Utah. Reach out to me at cbecker@greenamerica.org if you have any questions. 

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. 

My next blog will examine the funding sources for the anti-ESG campaign, but for now understand this is the symptom of once-dominant industries trying to maintain their hold on power and profits – and know their days are numbered. There are more of us, and we will prevail if we stay true to our values. 

Credits 

I am deeply indebted for the material in this blog post to several allies and organizations that have been tracking anti-ESG legislation in the states and beyond. Among them are: 

• Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigation, who has been painstakingly documenting state legislative hearings. 
• Lara Friedman of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, who has tracked how anti-ESG legislation is a direct descendant of anti-BDS (boycott, divest, sanctions) laws. 
• Frances Sawyer, founder of Pleiades Strategy, whose guide to model anti-ESG legislation provided the basis for this analysis of the different types of state bills. 

March 31 is the international Transgender Day of Visibility. Green America calls on all of our members, supporters, businesses, and the general public to take this opportunity to celebrate the transgender community and take action to support transgender rights.   

There are many ways to take part. Here’s a few actions everyone can take: 

• Learn about transgender history, including the history you weren’t taught in school. 
• Learn about terminology and make sure to refer to transgender persons by their gender identity and not their sex assigned at birth. 

• Take action at the federal and state level with the National Center for Transgender Equality.  Legislation targeting transgender persons, and especially transgender youth, is being introduced all over the country.  Legislators need to hear from their constituents that these attacks on transgender rights are not acceptable. 

As an organization that works with businesses small and large to create greater social justice and environmental sustainability, we call on all workplaces to provide an inclusive space for transgender workers.  

And employers should go further and actively support and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community throughout the year. 

Voting for CREDO’s April Grant of $35,000 is Open to the Public; Funding To Support 3 Progressive Nonprofit Groups.

WASHINGTON, DC – March 31, 2023 – Green America, the nation’s leading green economy organization, is one of three nonprofits chosen to receive part of a $35,000 grant from CREDO for its work in the category of Climate Justice. Voting begins on April 1 and is open to the public. At the end of April, CREDO will tabulate all votes and distribute the donations accordingly.  

Green America will use the funding to support its mission of harnessing economic power – the strength of consumers, investors, and business leaders across the country – to create a more socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

Shireen Karimi, director of digital communications at Green America, said: “It’s a true honor to be participating in CREDO’s April donations program. With CREDO’s support, we will leverage consumer, business, and investor voices to persuade corporations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition our food system to regenerative practices, and protect socially responsible investing from right-wing attacks.”

Every month, CREDO members help choose how to distribute monthly donations to progressive nonprofit groups working on important issues including women’s rights, climate justice, economic justice, voting rights, peace and civil rights. The public can vote for one, two or all three of the organizations on the monthly donations ballot. 

Since 1985, CREDO has donated over $94 million to groups like Doctors without Borders, the Sunrise Movement, Amnesty International, and more. In recent years, Green America has been the recipient of over $113,000 in CREDO grants to support its work. Green America is grateful for CREDO’s past support and encourages its audience to help grow this figure by voting in the April contest up to once per day. 

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

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

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Tuesday Winslow is a true renaissance woman—electrician, Marine Corps veteran, now a papier-mâché artist who turns “trash into treasure” with her décor company, Mirrors Decorated. 

Shopping at Mirrors Decorated is a way to shop green, one-of-a-kind pieces for your home or office. Made by hand, Winslow sells wall and wood mirrors uniquely decorated by papier-mâché using materials like maps, stamps, newspaper, and colored, recycled paper and configured in globally inspired shapes. 

“My father told me I would never make it as an artist,” Winslow confides. 

“I probably didn’t start wrestling with it until I became older,” she says. “Before we were told how to think, I was bold.” 

She recalls her childhood growing up in Washington, DC, and attending parties at art galleries where she sipped on champagne underage and explored the Library of Congress. 

Winslow’s bold streak is not something that has disappeared, as seen by her vast life experiences. Everything she has done and learned has led to this, from the skills she picked up as an electrician to her discipline in the military and the artistry she began to perfect in high school at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. 

“I learned to plaster, I learned sculpting, I learned a lot of things,” she says. “That, in addition to the library, where it was like a scene out of Matilda, coming home on the subway with all these art books, is when I picked up papier-mâché.” 

Papier-mâché was a natural fit for Winslow who wanted to pursue an art form that was inexpensive and non-toxic. 

“I was artistically rich and cash poor,” she says mirthfully.  

A year after she left the Marine Corps, Winslow decided to once and for all be a living artist. Though her military days were behind her, they still informed her work as an artist as she began to create papier-mâché mirror creations. 

One source of inspiration was Mayan codices, folding books made of paper, and another was her time stationed in Okinawa, Japan. 

“They took the industrial concept, the manufacturing process and perfected it,” she says of what she observed and learned while living in Japan. “It’s their use of color and innovation. I fell in love, I was like, ‘These artists are really craftsmen.’” 

Winslow’s favorite part of her own art is attaching the mirror to her papier-mâché pieces, because it was something that stumped her at first. The process was trial and error, and when she eventually figured out a way that worked, it made her art pieces all the more satisfying. 

“It’s easy to get discouraged and frustrated, you make mistakes and things don’t work out. But then you find a solution.” 

These wins are what Winslow chooses to focus on. 

“I can't afford to focus on man's inhumanity to man no matter what form it takes. Yes, discrimination and oppression exist, whether it is in the family or from the outside world, but it's only aim is to separate and cause fear and harm,” she explains. “My battlefield is my own mind. My decisions, my disciplines, faith in God and believing He has a good plan for me that no man can stop is where I work at keeping my focus.” 

There are many stories of people overcoming oppression and discrimination, and those are the stories Winslow loves best. 

“Statistically, women and people of color are underrepresented in business. But if that’s all that’s talked about, it’s what we’re going to focus on. But then you look at people who overcame hardship and they’re doing some fabulous things all over the world.” 

We’re used to seeing all kinds of flavors and add-ins to chocolate – from sea salt to orange to ginger.  But recently there’s been a lot of buzz about additives that no one wants – lead and cadmium – being found in chocolate.

We’ll walk you through why those two heavy metals are found in many chocolate bars, the risks to you, and what you can do.

How do lead and cadmium end up in chocolate?

No one is deliberately adding lead or cadmium to chocolate bars.  

Lead ends up in cacao post-harvest, as the beans are fermenting and drying.  If they are dried on the ground, they may absorb lead from the ground.  They may also absorb lead from dust in the air.  All of this lead comes from the fact that the heavy metal was released from industrial processes and leaded fuel over decades and has spread widely.

Cadmium occurs naturally in many soils including volcanic soils. As cocoa trees grow, they absorb the cadmium which then ends up in the cocoa pods that are harvested to make chocolate.

Are heavy metals found in other foods?

Yes.  Heavy metals are found in a variety of foods.  

Testing of foods by the FDA found:

• Spinach and sunflower seeds were highest in cadmium.
• Baking powder has the highest lead concentrations, and baby foods like sweet potatoes and biscuits had the highest mean lead concentrations.
• Arsenic concentrations were highest in crisped rice cereals.
• Mercury is frequently found in fish samples.

Unfortunately, heavy metals are present in many foods. 

How concerned should you be?

Both lead and cadmium can lead to significant health risks if consumed on a regular basis.  

• Cadmium can cause cancer and kidney damage, as well as weakened bones.
• Lead can impact your nervous system, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, and respiratory tract.

Other heavy metals pose similar health risks.  

Of course, these risks are tied to how much of each heavy metal you consume and how often you consume it.  The damage tends to accumulate over time. Eating a varied and healthy diet can go a long way in reducing your risks from ingesting heavy metals.

What Can You Do Now?

To try to avoid a buildup of cadmium or lead in your body, it’s a good idea to treat chocolate as a treat, not a health food, and eat it occasionally. While dark chocolate contains antioxidants, it also tends to be higher in lead and cadmium than milk chocolate since there is more cocoa in the bar or truffle.  So eating milk or plant-based milk chocolate is one option, and can be a good choice for children, who are more susceptible to health issues from ingesting heavy metals (and children generally prefer milk chocolates).

You can also eat chocolate covered fruits or other snacks which will reduce the amount of chocolate eaten. If you prefer dark chocolate, you can look for bars with closer to 65% cocoa concentrations rather than bars with higher cocoa concentrations. 

You can also eat chocolates that test low in lead and cadmium, while supporting companies that have better practices around supporting farmers, communities, and the environment.

What are the solutions?

Long term, the solution to reducing heavy metals in chocolate must come from chocolate companies supporting farmers in changing growing and post-harvest practices to reduce lead and cadmium concentrations in cocoa.  This must be part of an overall increase in compensation and support from chocolate companies. Cocoa farmers often live on less than two dollars per day, so the burden can’t be on them to take action. Fair trade and direct trade chocolate companies can build on their practices of supporting farmers with higher payments and technical support to address heavy metals in chocolate as well. 

If multinational corporations, which earn billions of dollars per year off of chocolate, committed to paying farmers a living income and supporting cocoa farmers in improving their practices, it would result in a decline in child labor and deforestation in cocoa growing communities as well as a reduction in lead and cadmium in cocoa. As consumers, we can urge companies to do more for farmers.

Companies can also try to blend cocoa beans that are higher and lower in both lead and cadmium to produce bars that are at a safe level.

As consumers, we can support farmers by purchasing chocolate from companies that are engaged in fair trade or direct trade practices with farmers.  And, we can limit our exposure to lead and cadmium by purchasing fair trade and direct trade bars that test low in these heavy metals.

Dark Chocolates that are Fair or Direct Trade and Low in Lead and Cadmium

Nonprofit group As You Sow has done extensive testing on chocolates to see which bars contain lead or cadmium.  As You Sow didn’t test all chocolates for lead and cadmium, but of the fair or direct trade dark chocolate bars they tested, they found that the following had low levels of either heavy metal:

• Equal Exchange Organic Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Panama Extra Dark 80% Cacao
• Divine 85% Dark Chocolate
• Endangered Species Chocolate Natural Dark Chocolate with Cherries- 72% Cocoa

Milk chocolate bars from fair trade or direct trade companies are likely lower in both lead and cadmium as well.

Fifteen years ago, when Swati Srivastava and Mark Bartosik, two expats from India and England, looked out at their “typical American lawn” in Bayshore, New York, they felt they had two options: water, water, water to dispel those pesky yellow patches of dying grass or... transform the space entirely.  

Planting to Problem Solve 

Srivastava and Bartosik share a love of life and an abhorrence of waste. Their Climate Victory Garden appears the perfect manifestation of those values as a fruitful solution for green living. 

What started as planting a few shade trees to preserve their Long Island lawn has flourished into a fruit orchard that surrounds three vegetable plots (of about 350 square feet), an herb garden, a gazebo woven with grape vines, and a compost pile—all of which contribute to their no-spray butterfly habitat. When summer comes, Srivastava and Bartosik live almost exclusively off what they grow in the backyard. 

“It was a very slow thing,” Srivastava says. “We were just doing what seemed right: let’s not waste water. Let’s not waste electricity. Let’s not waste peelings and food scraps.” 

Gardening allowed Srivastava and Bartosik to create a waste-free oasis: grass is well-shaded and allowed to grow longer to reduce irrigation, which then reduces electricity; all organic scraps from their kitchen become part of the compost pile which is used as fertilizer for the vegetable plots and fruit trees. "Before bringing any new plant life to our property, we ask ourselves, ‘How is it going to earn its keep?’" Bartosik says. Whether by providing shade or sustenance, each plant has a job to do, which makes a garden teeming with sustainable and symbiotic life.  

“We’re okay with every year being different,” adds Srivastava. “Some years we have so much of one thing and something else completely dies and doesn’t work.” 

This resilient kind of approach makes the gardening process feel more like an interactive adventure, where each plant has a mind of its own. Even the compost pile fights to be seen and contribute, like when a few discarded butternut squash seeds took root and suddenly produced an unplanned “monster plant” that took over the garden, yielding 40 incidental butternut squashes amongst the other vegetables.  

Fruits and Vegetables Galore 

“The first thing that comes to life are the berries,” Srivastava explains, excitedly. Summer blueberries, blackberries, red currants, and raspberries are followed by a cornucopia of root vegetables, sweet peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Not to mention the cherry, peach, apple, pear, and nectarine trees.  

When discussing their garden, Srivastava and Bartosik speak with euphoric passion. They describe a turnip harvest that smelled so good, they couldn’t help but wipe off the dirt and take a bite right there in the garden. They explain how the best jam comes from collecting warm blueberries on a summer morning and squishing them directly onto toast. 

“There is nothing that compares with the taste of fresh food when it comes from your garden with zero food miles. To walk out on a hot, sunny day and pick off warm tomatoes and put them in your mouth where they pop,” says Srivastava, cradling her hands around an imaginary tomato. 

“The taste of the food that comes from your garden... it gives you joy.”  

To Potential Gardeners: Get Your Hands Dirty, Now 

For those who might be considering a Climate Victory Garden but are holding back for one reason or another, Mark Bartosik has an encouraging response that is so logical and simple, it might get you over the hump—don't wait. 

“Yes, it may take some five years for a blueberry bush to get really big and give you a big harvest... so you had better plant it sooner, hadn’t you?”  

Despite not growing up with green thumbs—Srivastava’s family in India had an occasional pot of basil and Bartosik liked to climb the apple trees of his grandparents’ orchard—they are both insistent that their garden has not been an overwhelming challenge. They recommend starting with berry bushes because they come back year after year and to never underestimate community. They have learned lessons from local farmers and even given back, like when their local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) had a bad rosemary harvest, so the couple shared their abundance. 

Srivastava and Bartosik own a net-zero energy home on Long Island, where technologies such as geo-thermal and solar energy generate as much (or more) energy than they consume. In the past they have opened their home to over 200 people as part of an Environmental Defense Fund program called The Solar Tour, inspiring others to go solar or work to lower their footprints. They hope to engage with similar events in the future and connect with like-minded people in their area and beyond:  

“We need more community events for Climate Victory Gardens, for living net zero-energy life, so people in the neighborhood can meet each other and learn from each other.” 

This story was written by Olivia Liang and originally appeared in the Green American Magazine, Spring 2023 edition.

Thanks to Green America's Skip the Slip campaign, Walgreens is ensuring its receipt paper is free of phenols Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol S (BPS). BPA and BPS are endocrine disruptors that contribute to developmental, reproductive, and neurological problems.

Walgreens began the transition in all of its Boots locations in the UK and now is transitioning all of its nearly 9,000 Walgreens and Duane Reade stores in the U.S. to phenol-free papers by the end of 2023. 

This step to reduce toxic chemicals on receipts follows on Walgreens starting to offer digital-only receipts in 2020, again thanks to our Skip the Slip campaign, resulting in saving 87 miles of receipt paper every day.

While Walgreens reducing paper waste is great, the company needs to take further steps by making digital the default option and giving a paper receipt only when asked. 

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

Telecoms Need to Do More on Climate Justice

Green America’s newest report, “Calling for a Clean, Just Transition,” is our next step in pushing the big three telecoms giants—AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon—toward 100% renewable energy.

Since 2018, Green America and our members have urged telecoms to adopt 100% renewable energy by 2025. We’ve scored major victories along the way. As a result of our members’ actions, all three companies have made several of the largest corporate purchases of renewable energy. Still, they have much more to do.

Not only are we asking telecoms to put new wind and solar power on the grid, but to ensure that renewable energy purchases further energy justice.

Our findings in “Calling for a Clean, Just Transition” show uneven progress in adopting renewable energy:

• T-Mobile committed to 100% renewable energy by 2021 and announced it had achieved that. We’d like to see T-Mobile up their game to reaching this goal with 100% new renewable energy. Currently, about 50% of this renewable energy is from renewable energy “credits” (RECS), which do not guarantee new solar or wind installations.
• Verizon committed to 50% renewable energy by 2025 and purchasing clean energy to reach that goal.
• AT&T does not have a clean energy goal, but has entered clean energy contracts that may get the company to about 25% renewable energy.

“It is not enough to purchase renewable energy. Large purchasers like telecoms also need to commit to and ensure that their energy purchases support energy justice,”says Dan Howells, Green America’s climate campaigns director. “Renewable energy purchases should benefit communities and workers most harmed by fossil fuels and incorporate these communities and workers into the process of finding sites for clean energy installations and making construction decisions.”

In particular, he says, these companies should have diverse workforces, with greater representation of women, other marginalized genders, and people from Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, who have traditionally been excluded from energy-sector jobs.

“Based on our research, we did not find evidence that any telecom is prioritizing energy justice in their contracts for renewable energy,” says Green America’s executive co-director Todd Larsen. “Each has, at best, a mixed record in supporting energy justice so far. T-Mobile is the best of the three, and still has more to do.”

In the coming year, Green America and our members will be calling on the telecoms giants to get to 100% renewable energy that puts new solar or wind on the grid by 2025 and to prioritize energy justice in these purchases.

Amazon Takes an Important First Step on Chemicals in Clothing

Amazon, the largest clothing seller in the US, lags in its protection of consumers and workers from the toxic chemicals often found in apparel. It’s making progress, thanks to activism by Green Americans.

For two years, Green America’s Toxic Textiles campaign called on Amazon to address toxic chemicals in all the apparel it sells. Nearly 40,000 Green Americans urged Amazon to act quickly on dangerous chemicals in the tens of thousands of pieces of clothing, footwear, and accessories sold on its website. Green America also engaged activists online through videos and social media.

In response, Amazon announced that its private label brands will comply with AFIRM’s Restricted Substance List (RSL) for apparel, accessories, and footwear products in North America, Europe, and Japan. AFIRM is a membership organization for the apparel and footwear sector that works to address chemical management. The AFIRM RSL ensures that chemicals of concern are below certain thresholds in products sold to consumers.

This is an important first step toward eliminating toxic chemicals that Amazon sells—and a victory in the long-term battle for worker, consumer, and environmental protection. In theory, this first-step would mean that when customers purchase products from Amazon’s private labels, including Amazon Essentials, Mae, Goodthreads, 206 Collective, and Core 10, they should be protected from exposure to some of the most toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Advocates and experts, including Green America’s labor campaigns director Jean Tong, are concerned this does not go far enough to protect consumers and workers.

For workers in particular, Green America is pushing Amazon to adopt a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) to reduce exposures to toxic chemicals in all its supplier factories, not just what is on the clothes at the time of sale. Since the vast majority of apparel sold on Amazon.com is from third-party companies, it needs to ensure all the clothing it is selling protects consumers and workers.

In addition to the MRSL, Amazon should take the meaningful step to join The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, which is a “legally binding agreement between more than 180 garment brands/retailers and global trade unions to make textile and garment factories safe.”

“Green America and our allies are calling on Amazon to do the right thing and go further,” says Tong. “When people spend their hard-earned money on Amazon, they shouldn’t have to worry whether they are exposing their family to toxic chemicals. And, no one wants workers and communities harmed in the making of these products. It’s time Amazon put consumers and workers’ concerns before profit by adopting the International Accord and a MRSL.”

Trader Joe’s Acts on Climate Change

Trader Joe’s has long ranked low among supermarkets in terms of refrigerant management, which is a major driver of climate change. In 2016, the grocery chain settled a lawsuit with the US Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency because of its significant leaks of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS), which violated the Clean Air Act, and have thousands of times the global warming potential of CO2.

In January 2023, Trader Joe’s finally announced that all its new stores will use, counterintuitively, CO2 refrigerants, which are much better for the planet than conventional HFC coolants. The announcement comes after over 20,000 Green Americans urged Trader Joe’s to do better, and after the Environmental Investigation Agency, a Green America ally, ranked Trader Joe’s poorly on its Climate-Friendly Supermarkets Scorecard.

“This is a credit to Green Americans taking action to pressure Trader Joe’s to clean up its act,” says Dan Howells, Green America’s climate campaigns director. “But Trader Joe’s has a long way to go to catch up with grocery chains like Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods on climate-friendly refrigerants. Trader Joe’s now needs to retrofit its 530 existing stores to use ultra-low Global Warming Potential refrigerants.”

In 2023, Green America will call on our members to take further action to urge Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and other major grocers to end their use of refrigerants that are a significant driver of climate change in all of their stores.

For Osei Doyle and Brendalyn King, one conversation changed everything, taking them on a journey to explore Black Americans’ connection to land.

“We were walking down Myrtle Avenue, and I asked her: ‘What do you want your legacy to be?’”

His question sparked a conversation about their community and what they could do to create a better future. In 2020, it brought them from New York to Salem, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, Missouri, to establish the farm Salem HempKings. On this farm, they grew 200 hemp plants in the first year and plan to increase to 500-600 in 2023. After the harvest, they processed the plant material into products like salves.

The pair joined Green America’s Soil & Climate Alliance (SCA) in 2020, when they “had no idea what soil health was or what it had to do with hemp” after Gabriel Grant, a Green America advisor, asked them to join. Quickly, King says, they learned the importance of community, regenerative agriculture, and “proudly” jumped into work with SCA.

In 2021, Doyle and King expanded their ventures and bought over 244 acres of land around Lake Placid, Missouri, between St. Louis and Kansas City. With big plans for the land, Doyle and King are stepping up as leaders to shift mindsets about our relationship to the land, and who has a right to it.

Take Off Your Shoes and Walk in the Grass

For Doyle, who grew up in Trinidad, surrounded by the lush Caribbean, nature is understood to be essential for an abundant life.

“When I came out to Salem and decided to farm, I felt like I could hear myself for the first time. I think everybody deserves that serenity,” Doyle says.

This serenity, however, is not always accessible to everyone. In the US, people of color are three times likelier to live in “nature-deprived” spaces, according to a 2020 Center for American Progress report.

During the pandemic and following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people at the hands of police, King recalls white friends leaving home—camping in the mountains, hiking through the desert—for weeks at a time, while many Black Americans had nowhere to heal.

“Our land [in Lake Placid] will be that place where after traumatic events people come and rest and have conversations about it,” she says. “We want people to come to our property so they can ground themselves. Take your shoes off and walk in the grass, touch the soil, work with the land.”

How Land Becomes Reparations

Giving Black Americans the chance and space to reconnect to the land, to heal and grow on it, is one way to support justice for centuries of systemic inequality and brutality.

According to the US Department of Agriculture’s 1910 Census of Agriculture, Black Americans collectively owned 16-19 million acres (about the area of South Carolina) of land—the peak of Black landownership. The most recent census, from 2017, found Black Americans owned only 4.7 million acres (about the area of New Jersey).

In a 2022 study, published in the American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings journal, Dr. Dania Francis determined the value of declining Black-owned acreage between 1920 and 1997. The loss is estimated at $326 billion and affected more than 200,000 Black Americans.

“I think of it as a right to citizenship, especially for those who’ve worked the land,” King said. Centuries of slavery, in which this land was cultivated and developed on the backs and from the lives of Black people, make their land and wealth loss particularly egregious.

King and Doyle purchased the Lake Placid land from previous Black owners, the family of Dr. PC Turner, who originally bought the land in 1934. Turner imagined it as Missouri’s equivalent to “Black Eden,” Idlewild, Michigan—a resort town for Black families founded in 1912 and shuttered in 1964. Their Lake Placid dream, then, is not theirs alone, but that of Black Americans kept from the land that is rightfully and equally theirs.

A New Way to Think About Crops

Growing hemp as their main crop, and using it at the revitalized resort, is an intentional choice.

The once-ubiquitous crop, which colonial farmers were mandated to grow by law, starting with a 1619 Virginia law affecting all farmers in the state, became a political and racist weapon in the 20th century. As regulation, criminalization, and legalization battles waged over cannabis, the plant which hemp and marijuana come from, and Presidents Nixon and Reagan’s wars on drugs targeted Black Americans, incarceration rates soared and remain high today. In 2018, nearly 600,000 Black Americans were arrested for possession, triple the rate of white people, according to a 2020 ACLU report.

One of the couple’s goals is to offer opportunities for people who have experienced incarceration.

“We’ll host them and encourage them to work with us in the hemp industry and on the land,” Doyle explains. “Over time, a reentry program will emerge.”

They plan to educate visitors on cannabis, including misconceptions, and how to grow it regeneratively, use it creatively (like building structures made from hemp on the resort), and overall defy its weaponization by white supremacy.

Even as records for possession are expunged across the nation, King’s indignation with injustice is part of what inspires this work. “It was like, ‘Oops, sorry we’ve jailed you, but good luck out there now,’” she says. “These men and women deserve better.”

And better is what Lake Placid will offer, not just to people experiencing freedom again, but all people who visit, and especially the Black Americans who have been systemically kept from the land their ancestors toiled away on.

A Farming Revolution

Doyle and King don’t believe in doing all this work alone. They plan to start giving presentations to local farm bureaus and converting the mindsets of farmers “stuck on corn and soybeans” to test plots with people of color and different crops like hemp, which boasts regenerative agricultural benefits like bioremediation (introducing microorganisms to help break down environmental pollutants) and carbon sequestration.

“What does it look like for white landowners to have a part in reparations by sharing the land with Black farmers and prioritizing healthy soil?” King asks.

Focusing on new crops, cooperative and regenerative agriculture, and on healthy soil through additions like biochar and carbon substrates, she says, is how to move forward and away from a struggling and harmful industry stuck in the past.

“Can we create a supply chain with justice intertwined?” She wonders. “We can show that farmers care, we can ensure the land is taken care of. It’s all possible.”

It was neck-deep in the dirt, digging lines and building drainage, where Tom Cotter’s journey as a regenerative farmer began.

“I would spend weeks in trenches, four, five feet down, running tile lines [irrigation] and the soil always smelled dead, smelled stale,” says Cotter. “And then when we started doing cover crops, I realized, wow, it smells good. Like a good cup of coffee.”

Cotter is a fourth-generation farmer in Austin, Minnesota, and is part of Green America’s Soil Carbon Alliance, which is a network of farmers, distributors, and companies seeking to transform the agricultural system from industrial and conventional to healthy and regenerative.

Now his days in the trenches are decades ago, and he has nearly 25 years of experience in cover-cropping. With that, Cotter has learned how to transition his farm that used to be fully tilled and use synthetic chemicals and fertilizers—to regenerative, filled with life above and below the soil. Cotter’s fields are brimming with biodiversity, from red clover to cattle and earthworms to ladybugs. This multi-species approach speeds up the transition to regenerative and marks him as a leader in the regenerative agricultural space.

Cover Crops for a Change

Cotter and his father would till all the acres—which means stirring up the entire topsoil—until 1998 when they bought a tile pile, the equipment for installing large, plastic drainage pipes in fields to distribute water evenly. While installing the tiling pipes, Cotter realized his soil was just dirt.

Cotter started using cover crops at the same time as the tile pile, and the differences between the tiled and covered fields and the full tillage fields were noticeable immediately—not just in smell, but in the new population of earthworms. Cover crops are exactly what they sound like, crops that grow to provide living cover above and below ground to protect the top layer of soil.

Seeing earthworms meant they were doing something right. But in the 90s, cover cropping was nearly unheard of among conventional tillage farmers. Cotter spoke to several agronomists who all said what he was doing wouldn’t work. Transitioning to regenerative fields typically hurts farmers financially during the first few years, until the microorganisms, nutrients, and organic matter have time to restore the soil and grow healthy crops worth selling.

Despite the naysayers, he continued to transition fields. When Cotter introduced livestock grazing in 2015, things really started changing. Before, he’d find fifty earthworms if he dug a hole. After adding livestock, he’d find hundreds. He’s since added alfalfa, red clover, white clover, and other grasses to fields in transition—these act as cover crops and as forageable feed for his livestock. He uses livestock to get the soil healthier faster to make it easier to transition to organic.

“The more species you have, the more microbe colonies you’ll get to work with and the more nutrients available,” says Cotter.

Now, a third of Cotter’s 800 acres are USDA-certified organic, where he grows corn, sunflowers, soybeans, oats, and hemp, all regeneratively managed.

On Land and In Business

For most farmers, the idea of losing profit in the transition to organic and regenerative can cause hesitation. But just as Cotter uses diversity to expedite fields in transition, he diversifies his income to protect the financial health of the farm.

Cotter’s cattle serve two purposes: to transition fields and to sell for beef. His cows eat nothing but forage and grass in pastures their entire lives, helping to stir up the topsoil with their hooves and adding nutrients and microbes to the soil in their manure. Cattle are born and raised on the farm until it’s time to sell as “grass-finished” beef.

Additionally, Cotter has a family-owned and -operated CBD business. Cotter grows regenerative and USDA-certified organic hemp on the farm just a few miles from his shop in Austin, Superior Cannabis Company. His two sons and one daughter operate Austin and Duluth, Minnesota, locations as managers and wholesalers.

“We have to separate ourselves from the thousand other hemp growers, so that’s why it’s certified organic and certified water quality [with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture],” says Cotter. “I’m proud of it. Most companies just say, ‘raised organically.’”

Doing What’s Best

Doing things differently is how Cotter became a leader in the regenerative and organic agriculture spaces, modeling the way for other conventional farmers to make a change. It’s part of his upbringing. As an adoptee, he was often confused about who he was and felt like he didn’t fit in.

“Growing up when you don’t know what you are, the most important thing is I’m myself. I strictly do the best that I can do as myself,” Cotter says.

Doing his best by himself, by his family, and by his farm and cattle is what Cotter excels at. He plans everything ahead of time to ensure the best possible outcome for the crops and livestock.

“I treat every field individually,” he says. “You don’t treat all your kids the exact same way because they’re all different. It’s the same with my fields.”

“When I first started [with regenerative agriculture] I would write down what plants [the livestock] ate first and think, okay, that’s the most important one. And then a week later, we’d move them to a different spot, and they’d eat something totally different,” Cotter adds. “I had to quit thinking I know it all and just observe and see what’s really happening. Too many times, farmers, people, we think we know it all. And we really don’t. That’s one of the best lessons for me.”

Cotter hopes to instill in other farmers the importance of diversity on a farm, both in animals and plants. And from that diversity, understanding that the complexities and the nuances of it all is something to learn from; no matter what, living harmoniously with the land is a never-ending growing experience.

There are Climate Victory Gardens in the Midwest doing inspiring work—fighting for food equity in Minnesota. When you read the name of the organization running these gardens, Project Sweetie Pie (PSP), its founder, Michael Chaney, wants to evoke the feeling of an elder lovingly calling you “sweetie pie,” who wishes for and sees the best in you.

Chaney sees the best in you, too. He wants the best for you. That’s why, in 2010, he started the food justice organization in Minneapolis, viewing the act of nourishing our bodies with not only healthy foods, but education and justice, as crucial to our collective survival and wellbeing.

PSP works on several levels, from spearheading the distribution of fresh produce to the communities of the Northside neighborhood to mentoring and empowering students of North Community High School by teaching entrepreneurial and agricultural skills. It is also a partner of Green America’s Climate Victory Gardens program (ClimateVictoryGardens.org).

“I’m an activist, first and foremost,” Chaney says. “I’m simply using agriculture as one of the tools of my trade to curate a greener, prosperous future.”

The Minneapolis Community Today

Chaney understands all eyes are on Minnesota. “After the murder of George Floyd, how do we come back from that?” he asks.

Minneapolis is a city of vibrant communities, resilience, and, like everywhere in the United States, also has injustice and contradictions. All around him, Chaney saw people struggling to live bountiful lives in what was supposed to be a country where anyone could be or do anything.

Black residents make up 18.4% of Minneapolis’ population, but account for a quarter of all food-insecure households in the city. Latino and Indigenous households experiencing food insecurity are also overrepresented.

“Low-income communities are placeholders, commodities seen as disposable when wealthy developers are ready to gentrify a neighborhood,” Chaney says, not mincing words. Tossing these communities aside is what leads to things like food scarcity, he explains. Living on the underserved margins, residents lose access to education, tools, and resources.

Using PSP as the base of operations, Chaney wants to disrupt this pattern and re-invest in people. He grew up in Wisconsin on a 160-acre family farm in the 1950s. He recalls his peers being able to pursue trades like mechanics, carpentry, and home economics. When funding is cut to trade schools and programs, people are left “hung out to dry,” Chaney laments.

Chaney moved to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota, where his activism in the state began. In 1984, he co-founded the Minneapolis Juneteenth Celebration, and a decade later, he co-founded the Wendell Phillips Community Development Federal Credit Union. This credit union was created to fill the need for a financial institution controlled by members and serves primarily communities of color; in 2001, it merged to become the City-County Federal Credit Union.

“By marginalizing people, by dismissing people, by not allowing people to become their best selves, by not investing in communities, we really are unraveling the American dream,” Chaney says.

Giving Resources to Those Who Need Them

“Community isn’t just happenstance,” Chaney insists. “It’s a lifestyle where we as individuals must help support the collective.”

That’s why the work of PSP touches on many aspects but is centered around one idea: restoring the commons.
One of Chaney’s proudest achievements in his efforts to better the community was helping advocate for and pass Minnesota’s first urban farming legislation. Authored by Rep. Karen Clark (D), the 2015 bill distributed $6 million in funding for urban agriculture, including PSP, specifically in low-income communities made up of predominantly Black and Indigenous people.

“One of the things we found out during the pandemic, is that resources weren’t as rigid as we thought,” Chaney explains. “There were funds and resources available to help remedy hunger, unemployment, medical aid. Until these artificial restrictions imposed on us by the rich and the powerful [end], we’re not ending poverty, we’re perpetuating it. Poverty is slavery, and if we really want to have an abundant society, we must invest in the residents of our communities.”

I'm an activist, first and foremost. I'm simply using agriculture as one of the tools of my trade to curate a greener, prosperous future.

—Michael Chaney, Project Sweetie Pie

Food Equity Is the Next Stage of Civil Rights

Growing one’s own food generates a plethora of benefits, from nutrition to combatting climate change, and taking back agency over what you consume and the land you live on.

“The local food movement is the latest iteration of the Civil Rights movement,” Chaney says. “It’s addressing equity—you’ll know what equity looks like when you see [local and culturally relevant] food sitting not just in specialty stores, but also in big box stores, that is truly reflective of the cultural diversity in our community. We’re democratizing agriculture.”

Chaney doesn’t care what people decide to grow, just that they grow.

“This is a long climb, and we must tell our story,” he says. “We must fight for our self-sufficiency and our future. Health, well-being, and justice is what we’re growing as much as a tomato on a vine.”

The Minneapolis Community of Tomorrow

One of the most astonishing things about PSP is its focus on longevity. Several of its programs were created to invest in a future Minneapolis, one that Chaney hopes will long outlast him.

Step Up pairs Minneapolis youth with Twin Cities employers through internships and training to help them build careers and lead to a diverse and skilled workforce. Since 2003, Step Up has implemented nearly 30,000 high-quality internship opportunities.

Another program, Northside Safety-N.E.T. (Neighborhoods Empowering Teens), uses resources to train young people on civic engagement through environmental and community lenses.

“I daresay that we are building a legacy,” he says hopefully. “We are harnessing the food of our ancestors and now it’s our turn as stewards to feed and care for families in the future.”

On the rolling hills of Southeastern Washington state, Ariel Zakarison drives a tractor over her family’s farm, which, at 600 acres, is a relatively small farm on the scale of US agriculture. But her family’s land isn’t trying to be like every other farm. The Zakarisons use their land on the Palouse, a region that includes parts of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon in support of other small farmers.

Thirty-six-year-old Ariel and her mother, Sheryl Hagen-Zakarison, use their farm in support of their mission to spread the word and benefits of regenerative agriculture, and help neighboring small farms stay alive.

How They Feed the Land and Those Who Live on It

The family grows small grains including triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye), winter peas, barley, wheat, and a rotation of cover crops. All those small grains get ground up into animal feed and sold to local farmers under the company name Zakarison Partnership Feed. The grains are grown with soil health in mind—using regenerative practices—which create nutrient-dense feeds for poultry, hogs, and ruminants. They also work to start important conversations.

“A lot of folks, especially in this area where there’s a lot of conventional farming, view soil as a substrate, just something that we put seeds into and chemicals onto,” Zakarison says.

She explains that over time, the nutrient density of crops grown on heavily chemically treated soil diminishes, and beneficial bacteria, fungi, and other natural systems disappear. This isn’t the case on the Zakarison farm, where they use regenerative strategies like no tilling, no pesticides, and no treated seeds (treated seeds have chemicals or other synthetic materials applied to the outside to boost their ability to grow). Selling regeneratively grown animal feed from their feed mill gives Ariel and Sheryl a chance to talk to hundreds of local farmers about the benefits of transitioning to regenerative agriculture.

“We sell our feed at a price that is typically lower than feed stores in our area so that we can help keep the small farm ecosystem and local food economy in our area healthy,” Zakarison says.

Plus, by using the intercropped grains for the feed mill, they can experiment more, Ariel says, because they don’t have to separate the grains after harvest or find separate markets for small amounts of different feeds—all palatable grains can go into their mill.

From Farm to City, Back to Farm

Ariel’s story is unique not just because she and her mother run a family farm together, but because she’s a farmer who nearly wasn’t. She went to school for fine arts, specifically painting and printmaking, first getting her bachelor’s degree at Western Washington University, nearly 400 miles from home. Then she followed her older sister, Shannon, almost 3,000 miles to New York City, where Ariel earned a Master of Fine Arts at Hunter College. She worked for the college for several years after graduating. Then she moved to Austin in 2020, but started doing multi-month stints back in Washington to help her parents with different aspects of farm management. In June 2021, she returned to the farm full-time.

But, she hasn’t abandoned her work as an artist—far from it. She keeps a studio on the farm and works in it, particularly during the winter months, when the needs of the farm are much fewer.

“Farming definitely has a huge influence in the artwork that I’m making,” Ariel says. “Both things are important to each other. The one keeps the other going at this point in my life, which is really neat.”

Though Ariel’s path to farming wasn’t direct, she comes from a long line of people who worked the same land she cares for each day. Her great-aunt ran away from home to The Palouse in the 1930s, and on finding a husband and farmland, sent for her struggling family to join her. The Zakarisons have been there ever since.

How Soil Can Heal

One of the reasons Ariel’s parents needed help on the farm is also a reason why they are transitioning to regenerative management. Eric Zakarison, Ariel’s father and Sheryl’s husband, is facing early onset Parkinson’s disease, making him unable to manage the farm he lived and worked on for his whole life. Ariel says this is a common diagnosis among farmers in their area; because of that, the family thinks pesticide use in the past and chemical exposure may be to blame for farmers’ illnesses. Indeed, a 2018 study by UCLA researchers found a link between those who used pesticides in their work and increased Parkinson’s risk, a link that continues to be studied.

One of the goals of regenerative transition is to reduce, or even eliminate, the use of chemicals on the land, resulting in healthier soil and healthier people. Two 2021 peer-reviewed studies, one of crustaceans and the other of frogs, showed pesticide exposure can have multi-generational toxicity, including negative effects on reproduction and metabolism.

Sheryl studied agronomy in college at nearby Washington State University, where she met Eric. Ariel explains that Sheryl is the curious, environmentally motivated steward of the land who has led the farm’s transition into regenerative agriculture—which led them on the path of participating in the Soil Carbon Initiative’s Go-To-Market Pilot. Though they both studied farming, Sheryl and Eric had to trade off holding office jobs over the years, in order to get the family health insurance. Sheryl was curious about regenerative practices and once her children grew up, she was able to spend more time on the farm, convincing her husband and father-in-law to switch to no-till practices.

“She’s a fast learner and a voracious consumer of new information, especially around agriculture,” Ariel says. “She makes things really easy because she’s really excited about what we’re doing and she’s so involved and knowledgeable.”

With Ariel and Sheryl at the helm, the Zakarison farm is one of few led by a pair of women in conventional or regenerative agriculture in the US. Their passion for learning and bettering their land and community is evident, and contagious.

“[Sheryl] learned how to drive tractors and all this stuff first. I know that if she can do it, I’m sure I can do it. It’s kind of scary to learn how to do that at first, especially when you’re in your thirties learning a new trade,” Ariel says. “Now I love it. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Jesse Smith fervently claims the Central Coast of California as his home. It’s where he was born and raised, where he met his wife and started a family, where he works to build land resiliency and community around local food as the director of land stewardship at White Buffalo Land Trust. But he didn’t always know he was going to be working the very land he calls home.

Smith started his career as a graphic designer but made a switch to permaculture landscape design—a type of land management that aims to make landscapes that are self-sufficient, sustainable, and natural—after taking a class with his father-in-law, permaculture designer and teacher, Warren Brush.

“I always hated presenting a portfolio of print material, because it was so static, it was so finished,” Smith says. “I love the concept of designing agro-ecosystems that were continually evolving but also continually relevant for human interaction and involvement. From that moment, our families decided to start a farming operation.”

In 2011, Jesse and his wife Ana, along with Ana’s parents and cousins, partnered with a family fund that had been invested in fossil fuels to instead move resources “from oil to soil.” In short, they helped manage a farm, in the Central Coast region, of course.

The family made the farm idyllic—across the 50 acres they grew avocados, apples, and persimmons, raised heritage-breed pigs, chickens, and turkeys, and grew microgreens and mushrooms in a greenhouse. The family sold their goods at farmers markets and to restaurants, all while offering education about permaculture to their customers and the public.

Uprooted but Inspired

In December 2017, the Thomas Fire ignited Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, burning nearly 300,000 acres, making it the largest wildfire in California history at the time (it’s now the eighth largest). The family and all their farm staff were displaced. The community lost 26 lives in the fire, and the flooding and mudslides that followed. The farmland was spared, but the fire had burned up against all of its borders. Jesse and his family’s priorities shifted as the owners of the property decided to sell.

“[The fire and aftermath were] detrimental to a community because of the life loss and the destruction. But it was also a gross wake-up call once again as to the fragility of our food system,” Smith says. “It was a reminder of what my unique perspective and my skill sets could provide in demonstrating and advocating for a different approach for local/regional food resiliency and security.”

After looking to his community for work on these goals, Smith met Steve Finkel in 2018. Finkel was in the process of founding the White Buffalo Land Trust (WBLT) in memory of his late wife Lyndsey McMorrow, who had a passion for regenerative agriculture. Smith and Finkel were the first two members of the team, which now includes Ana and a dozen others. Jesse oversees land use as the director of land stewardship, including for the 1,000-acre Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch, which WBLT acquired in 2021, a place where the principles of regenerative agriculture are tested.

Probing for Proof

Jalama Canyon Ranch is home to a variety of different ecosystems, including grasslands, oak woodlands, savannas, riparian corridors (land along the edges of rivers), where the staff of WBLT are cultivating the land with practices sourced from regenerative principles, educating professionals and the public, and using data collection and ecological monitoring to test regenerative growing methods.

On the land, they grow California staples: wine grapes and olives, along with goats, sheep, and cattle. On partner farms throughout California’s Central Valley, from Bakersfield to Chico, WBLT works on other test crop projects: almonds, cotton, persimmons, and elderberries.

The point of such variety is to be able to run experiments and collect data to show that regenerative agriculture is a way forward in resilient farming—across crops and various eco-regions. Cotton and almonds in particular, Smith notes, are “keystone crops” which hold environmental, economic, and cultural importance. But because they are so ingrained in California and US agriculture systems, it can make it harder to recognize and implement changes that might need to be made in those systems and enact them.

Each project sparks questions, which sometimes spark new projects, Smith says.

“What if there was an emerging system of crop production, that could become a keystone crop that really played at the crux of watersheds and communities and culture and human health?” Smith and his team asked.

Through discussions with different stakeholders, Smith says the western blue elderberry emerged as a crop that has a long history in the region, as a native crop that has been tended by Native communities, can be effective in landscape restoration, and a regional growing network could be developed to support growing market demand.

The elderberry project is a new one, funded by a Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant from the USDA, aimed at funding pilot projects that help farmers and ranchers develop climate-beneficial practices across different commodity cropping systems.

In addition, the team is going through several certification processes to see which best serves WBLT and to help advise farmers on which might best serve them. Smith was at the founding meeting for our SCI and has ushered WBLT through the Go-to-Market Pilot.

In so many ways, Smith is building communities as he builds the land. With as many projects as he is working on, he still values curiosity and expansion as he makes building a resilient, sustainable home for his family and community his top priority.

“[My favorite part of my work] is every time I get to walk out here at Jalama Canyon Ranch, and walk the land with a new perspective with a new group of people who bring their own questions and queries, when I get to share with my daughters and my wife, where we get to invest in a landscape that has so many downstream beneficiaries,” Smith explains with excitement. “I wake up every day, excited to be able to go out to this landscape, and share this landscape with a larger community.”

Fifteen years ago, when Swati Srivastava and Mark Bartosik, expats from India and England, looked out at their “typical American lawn” in Bayshore, New York, they felt they had two options: water, water, water to dispel those pesky yellow patches of dying grass or transform the space entirely.

Planting to Problem Solve

Srivastava and Bartosik share a love of life and an abhorrence of waste. Their Climate Victory Garden appears the perfect manifestation of those values as a fruitful solution for green living.

What started as planting a few shade trees to preserve their Long Island lawn has flourished into a fruit orchard that surrounds three vegetable plots (of about 350 square feet), an herb garden, a gazebo woven with grape vines, and a compost pile—all of which contribute to their no-spray butterfly habitat. When summer comes, Srivastava and Bartosik live almost exclusively off what they grow in the backyard.

“It was a very slow thing,” Srivastava says. “We were just doing what seemed right: let’s not waste water. Let’s not waste electricity. Let’s not waste peelings and food scraps.”

Gardening allowed Srivastava and Bartosik to create a waste-free oasis: grass is well-shaded and allowed to grow longer to reduce irrigation, which then reduces electricity; all organic scraps from their kitchen become part of the compost pile which they use as fertilizer for the vegetable plots and fruit trees.

“Before bringing any new plant life to our property, we ask ourselves, ‘how is it going to earn its keep?’” Bartosik explains. Whether by providing shade or sustenance, each plant has a job to do, which makes for a garden teeming with sustainable and symbiotic life.

“We’re okay with every year being different,” adds Srivastava. “Some years we have so much of one thing and something else completely dies and doesn’t work.”

There is nothing that compares with the taste of fresh food when it comes from your garden with zero food miles. The taste of the food from your garden...it gives you joy.

—Swati Srivastava, Climate Victory Gardener

This resilient kind of approach makes the gardening process feel more like an interactive adventure, where each plant has a mind of its own. Even the compost pile fights to be seen and contribute, like when a few discarded butternut squash seeds took root and suddenly produced an unplanned “monster plant” that took over the garden, yielding 40 incidental butternut squashes amongst the other vegetables.

Fruits and Vegetables Galore

“The first thing that comes to life are the berries,” Srivastava explains, excitedly. Summer blueberries, blackberries, red currants, and raspberries are followed by a cornucopia of root vegetables, sweet peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Not to mention the cherry, peach, apple, pear, and nectarine trees.

When discussing their garden, Srivastava and Bartosik speak with euphoric passion. They describe a turnip harvest that smelled so good, they couldn’t help but wipe off the dirt and take a bite right there in the garden. They explain how the best jam comes from collecting warm blueberries on a summer morning and squishing them directly onto toast.

“There is nothing that compares with the taste of fresh food when it comes from your garden with zero food miles. To walk out on a hot, sunny day and pick off warm tomatoes and put them in your mouth where they pop,” says Srivastava, cradling her hands around an imaginary tomato.

“The taste of the food that comes from your garden… it gives you joy.”

To Potential Gardeners: Get Your Hands Dirty, Now

For those who might be considering a Climate Victory Garden but are holding back for one reason or another, Mark Bartosik has an encouraging response that is so logical and simple, it might get you over the hump—don’t wait:

“Yes, it may take some five years for a blueberry bush to get really big and give you a big harvest… so you had better plant it sooner, hadn’t you?”

Despite not growing up with green thumbs—Srivastava’s family in India had an occasional pot of basil and Bartosik liked to climb the apple trees of his grandparents’ orchard—they are both insistent that their garden has not been an overwhelming challenge. They recommend starting with berry bushes, because they come back year after year, and to never underestimate community. They have learned lessons from local farmers and even given back, like when their local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) had a bad rosemary harvest, so the couple shared their abundance.

Srivastava and Bartosik own a net-zero energy home on Long Island, where technologies such as geo-thermal and solar energy generate as much (or more) energy than they consume. In the past they have opened their home to over 200 people as part of an Environmental Defense Fund program called The Solar Tour, inspiring others to go solar or work to lower their footprints. They hope to engage with similar events in the future and connect with like-minded people in their area and beyond:

“We need more community events for Climate Victory Gardens, for living net zero-energy life, so people in the neighborhood can meet each other and learn from each other.”

Under expansive blue skies and rolling grass plains in Chester, Montana, a certain farm is modeling healthy relationships among the producers, distributors, and land. Tyler Streit is a fifth-generation farmer, who used to monocrop wheat across his family’s 20,000 acres, about the size of Manhattan. Today, with his wife Jill Streit, they grow 19 different crop varieties, follow regenerative agriculture practices, and model communicative relationships throughout the agricultural supply chain.

The Regenerative Transition

Historically, the Streits farm followed industrial agriculture norms: applying synthetic fertilizers, spraying chemicals to keep out weeds and pests, and plowing fields every year. They didn’t realize that this process killed nearly all the microorganisms in the soil—only leaving about half a percent, Tyler estimates. Organic matter is important for moisture retention, nutrients, and carbon sequestration. Healthy soil has roughly 2-8% organic matter, according to the University of Minnesota, as well as abundant underground biological activity, such as from fungi and earthworms.

“We’ve built some of that organic matter up to 3%. Our goal is to have it at 5%,” says Tyler.

In the early 90s, Tyler’s father Leonard decided to try a no-till program and Tyler and Jill started diversifying their crops in the early 2000s. Adding pulses to their crop rotation—chickpeas, peas, and lentils—helped to create healthier soil. These plants fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, which is an essential nutrient for plants to grow, and thus reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers.

The farm has been using primarily its own saved seeds for years. Sowing seeds from previous generations is crucial to climate resiliency since each generation becomes coded with important environmental information to survive the next year and the year after that. In the last few years, the Streit farm has also eliminated synthetic seed treatments (treated seeds have chemicals or other synthetic materials applied to the outside to boost their ability to grow) and fungicides from all their fields.

The farm is totally different today than how it was when Tyler’s parents and grandparents ran it, he says.
“Now it’s a transition of the mindset to not just producing, but how we produce,” Jill adds. “Our challenge is to figure out the best way to work within the ecosystem, to regenerate the soil and be able to produce things that have more nutrition.”

A Network to Promote the Producers

When the Streits started growing pulses, a type of legume, they realized quickly that the markets to sell these plants were small in Montana, so they decided to create a place to process and sell locally. They took a leap of faith and started a pulse-processing facility in 2014 with the Wicks family, creating a new business called Stricks Ag.

“We risked a lot and started working in that space where we were actually buying products, not only from ourselves, but from other producers, packaging them and selling them out into the market space,” says Jill.
The presence of the facility has given local farmers the opportunity to add pulses to their field rotations and plug into the Streits’ network to sell their products. Altogether, the Streits have influenced 300 producers to add pulses to their farms.

While the facility has helped farmers diversify their crops, it’s also given Jill and Tyler the opportunity to share what they’ve learned about regenerative farming. They host weekly growers meetings in the winter, as well as additional meetings and field days throughout the year to teach other farmers their knowledge.

The pulse-processing facility opened lots of doors for Tyler and Jill as communicators and network-builders among chickpea farmers and buyers, including Banza, a company that makes products like pasta, pizza, and mac & cheese out of chickpeas, and is part of Green America Soil Carbon Initiative’s Go-To-Market Pilot. Tyler and Jill are also part of the Pilot, which gives them a place to tout the benefits of regenerative farming and prove the value of regenerative food with the SCI label.

Genuine Connection

Banza was introduced to Tyler in 2017 through the Redwood Group, which is a commodity supply chain partner with a large network of farmers. Banza representatives immediately recognized that the Streits were unlike other farmers: committed to soil health and the well-being of producers.

The relationship that Banza and the Streits have formed is unlike many in the industry, where farmers often don’t get to have a relationship with the end manufacturer or customer. Tyler and Jill spend a lot of time communicating with manufacturers like Banza so companies are aware of the state of the farms and the ebbs and flows of chickpea yields and prices.

Sophie Rifkin, senior director of sustainability at Banza, says that Banza values the hard work and partnership of growers like Jill and Tyler who are open to improving soil health because it supports their focus to improve sustainability in their supply chain.

“What it has done is created more stability in their manufacturing, [because Banza is prepared for low yield years,] and it has created more stability in our ability to produce the products, knowing that we have a marketplace to go to,” says Jill. “Every time I see a box of Banza on the shelf, I have pride. As a producer, that’s great to know that our products are in that box feeding the world a healthier product.”

Additionally, Green America’s Soil Carbon Initiative opens new pathways for Banza and the Streits as they continue to grow sustainable and regenerative practices throughout their operations. “When Banza first learned about the SCI program and decided to join the pilot, we immediately thought of partnering with Jill and Tyler,” says Rifkin. “These types of collaborations are needed to help advance new ways of farming.”

With the network they’ve established, through SCI and in their community, the Streits hope to share their story so that buyers recognize the importance of regenerative chickpeas and inspire other farmers to adopt regenerative farming practices.

“If we can get growers to make a few little changes, we can make a big impact [on the environment],” says Jill. “An a-ha moment was not just that we could do it on our own farm, but that if we all did it, the difference it would make.”

You might have seen the green and white bumper sticker proclaiming, “No Farms, No Food.” It’s true—almost all of our food begins on the ground, from the grains that become bread to trees bearing fruit and the grasses and grains livestock eats. And that food starts on farms, from small, local businesses that sell into our farmers markets to massive operations with national brands in grocery stores.

We know healthy foods start with healthy soils and that healthy soils have the potential to cool the climate. That’s why Green America’s Center for Sustainability Solutions has been working with farmers and companies for 10 years to help them understand how much the soil beneath our feet and the crops grown to feed us can protect our climate, soil, and future.

Healthy soil, full of microorganisms, can draw down carbon dioxide, one of the potent gases that causes global warming, into the soil, where it stays, as long as the soil quality and health is maintained. Deep root structures within soil can hold water, making droughts less detrimental, while providing soil structure that protects from violent and fast storms arising from climate change. These healthier soils can also provide consumers with foods that are higher in vitamins and minerals, improving human health.

Green America’s Center for Sustainability Solutions houses our Soil and Climate Alliance (SCA), which brings together a network of farmers, food businesses, and soil scientists whose goal is to build an agricultural system that is resilient, equitable, and inclusive while also improving water quality, biodiversity, food security, and nutrition. All of these goals can be achieved by implementing regenerative agriculture* practices throughout the agricultural supply chain.

Another initiative at the Center for Sustainability Solutions is our Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI). This program, which specifically addresses soil health, sprouted from the work of the Soil and Climate Alliance, and was developed along with partners at major climate nonprofits and food companies, including The Carbon Underground, Danone North America, Ben & Jerry’s, MegaFood, and over 150 other stakeholders.

The Soil Carbon Initiative provides independent, third party verification of regenerative agriculture outcomes, including: soil health, soil carbon (the global-warming causing gas, carbon, being sequestered in the soil), biodiversity, improved water use and quality, climate resiliency and greater farm and rural prosperity. Within the next few years, you’ll see SCI’s “Soil and Climate Health Initiative Verified” label on products in markets near you!

SCI is made possible by the expertise and input of nearly 50 farmers across 18 states that have enrolled nearly 24,000 acres and counting in our 2022 Go-To-Market Pilot program—when fully implemented across their farms and farming networks, over 3 million acres will be involved in SCI. These farmers have raised their hands to put the SCI methodology to the test and prove its potential.

Now, Meet the Farmers

Many of us like to get to know our food well, choosing items carefully for recipes and reading labels on packaging. But, how well can we know our food and its impacts on the environment and our health if we don’t know our farmers or their practices?

In this issue, we get to know a few of the farmers from Green America’s SCA and SCI programs—from farmers who have transitioned their multi-generation, even multi-century family farms to regenerative management, to farmers who left big cities to try farming just a few years ago. These farmers live across the country and grow a variety of crops and livestock. Their farms are as varied as their stories.

We also tell the stories of gardeners who are part of our Climate Victory Gardens* program. Like SCA and SCI, these gardeners use regenerative principles to take care of their soils and grow healthy plants, but instead of managing hundreds of acres of crops, they use their home and community gardens to feed their families and neighbors. We invite you to get inspired by their stories, and if you haven’t, start your own garden. All of our Climate Victory gardeners said the same thing—it’s not important what you grow, what’s important is that you start. Just put the first plant in the ground and get going.

Small businesses aren’t just nice to support, they support local economies, fill needs, and create jobs. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses account for 44% of US economic activity. But starting a business, to fill a community need or support a family, has historically and systemically been unavailable to Native American people.

Native American and Alaskan Native are the highest unbanked households at 16.3%, according to a 2019 FDIC survey. Reservations are often far from banks and ATMs and many have limited access to stable internet connections, limiting access to online banking.

What’s more, Native Americans have fought for tribal sovereignty (the right to self-govern) throughout centuries of oppression and genocide. Tribal sovereignty is recognized in the Constitution, yet it has historically been used to prevent Native communities from accessing capital.

Some banks and credit unions, especially those designated as Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) for serving economically marginalized communities, are working towards improving these circumstances. They are offering financial products that create jobs, build businesses, and grow wealth for Native American communities.

Challenges to Conventional Lending

Shannon Ward [Northern Arapaho Tribe], senior vice president and chief lending officer of Native American Bank in Denver, Colorado, explains that tribes experience unique challenges to getting loans because of their land status. Native American Bank was started by ten tribes in 2001 and presently has 36 shareholders, 31 of which are tribes, tribal enterprises, or Alaskan Native corporations.

Using property as collateral is a common way to get a loan, but on some reservations, there is no private land ownership and some land is held in trusts by the Department of the Interior. Without being able to mortgage property for a loan, it is significantly harder to start a business.

Additionally, many conventional banks are ill-equipped to handle the nuances of tribal land policies as well, creating painstakingly long processes for both parties. These obstacles to getting capital are a contributing factor to why Native Americans have the highest poverty rate among US demographics at 25.4%, according to the 2018 US Census.

However, tribal nations that do manage to get past these challenges and bring pen to paper on a loan agreement, may also face the choice of whether to waive sovereign immunity.

Sovereignty vs. Lending

Ward explains that waiving sovereign immunity is another reason why tribes may be reluctant to enter lending agreements with conventional banks. This is a unique circumstance for Native American tribes—because reservation land is federally designated as “permanent tribal homelands,” a waiver is needed to grant permission for land to be used for other purposes.

Ward explains that big banks and conventional lenders typically require borrowers to waive their sovereign immunity across the board. With Native American Bank, paperwork is personalized to each situation, which means it only requires limited waivers of immunity for that transaction.

“[Native American Bank] was established with the specific intent to address those unique challenges that tribes, tribal enterprises, and individual business owners face when they’re trying to access capital,” she says. “Not only are we Native-owned, we are Native-led.”

Specificity and cultural competence are what make Native American Bank successful with its clients. Similarly, the CDFI Fund, a government agency that exists to grow historically underserved economies and communities, is working to make loans more accessible to Native financial institutions.

Making Capital Accessible to Native Communities

In 2022, the CDFI Fund announced a new focus to help Native lending institutions lend to their own communities, which will give tribes more power over their projects, instead of outside lenders having the power to choose what projects get funded.

The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) was established in 2000 to attract investment in low-income communities by providing tax credits to CDFIs and other mission-driven banks. The CDFI Fund handles distributing these tax credits. Between 2004 and 2020, the CDFI Fund recorded NMTC investments totaling $1.6 billion in Native American tribal lands and communities. These investments bolstered healthcare, education, infrastructure, and more.

The CDFI’s new plan is to refocus NMTCs from low-income communities to Native communities specifically, which will provide Native CDFIs and tribal entities with resources and training to release NMTC funds to their own communities.

Directing the resources and power of NMTCs to Native-owned and -led financial institutions is a step in the right direction for bridging the wealth and community development gap for businesses and tribal nations.

Funding for Community Health

Historically, Native American Bank has financed housing, hotels, and casinos for tribal nations. But the new trend is towards health and wellness clinics for reservation communities.

The federal government has an obligation to provide health services to reservations per treaty stipulations, but Congress has consistently underfunded the Indian Health Service (IHS) agency. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, the Navajo Nation had the third-highest per capita rate of Covid-19 in the country, with only 12 healthcare centers, serving over 244,000 Native Americans across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Because Native communities are consistently underserved by US federal health care, communities take care into their own hands.

“We were really happy to close on a [behavioral health facility] project in North Dakota,” says Ward, adding that it will help address the opioid crisis in the community. “It’s a really unique project because it couples both New Market Tax Credits with a USDA guarantee.”

Health services are an investment in community health. Many clinics the bank has invested in are not on reservations, but are Native-led and -operated, such as clinics in Salt Lake City and childcare facilities in Denver.

Supporting Native Communities

Can you support Indigenous financial institutions if you are not Native American? Ward says “yes.”
Native American Bank serves clients across the country, both Native and non-Native.

“During the time of the Dakota Access Pipeline, we were approached by bank customers from all over the country because they didn’t want to bank at one of the big banks that supported the pipeline,” says Ward.

Whether your interest is in social and economic change or simply breaking up with a big bank, Green America’s Get a Better Bank tool can help you find a new financial institution. Many small financial institutions, including Native American Bank, have banking options, where you can set up an account, make deposits, withdrawals, and more, all digitally.

“Deposits allow us to continue to make loans that serve underserved communities,” says Ward. “As an individual or an organization, you can bank somewhere where your money does good.”

Meet farmers and gardeners who are leading the regenerative agricultural transition for the climate, communities, and the future of our food.

Over time we will know more about what the collapses this month of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank mean for U.S. banking. Some financial analysts say there is not a systemic banking problem. Others point to poor governance in the current system.

Reasons for the collapses were specific to these banks and include having a very high percentage of deposits not covered by FDIC insurance, a run on the banks when depositors panicked, and over-concentration in tech, cryptocurrency, and venture capital in pursuit of profit.

“With regard to who’s to blame here, I think that the greed and avarice that has long been present in Silicon Valley has come home to roost,” said Keith Fitz-Gerald, analyst, market educator, trader, investor and principal at the Fitz-Gerald Group.

Weakening regulations

Following the 2008 financial crisis, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act was passed to rein in risky bank behavior. These strong provisions to protect the economy were then weakened by the Trump administration, opening the door to a less secure financial system. A number of mid-sized banks, including Silicon Valley Bank, lobbied for the weakening of regulations.

We should be prepared for future crises unless strategic regulatory action is taken. Findings by the Federal Reserve’s investigation into Silicon Valley Bank are expected in May.

Another danger that the United States along with the global community face from large banks is their continued financing of the climate crisis.

Investing over $1 trillion in fossil fuels

Of all the banks in the world, mega-banks Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America are the biggest funders of fossil fuel infrastructure. Since the Paris Agreement, they have invested over $1 trillion in oil, natural gas, and coal – including the unconscionable expansion of fossil fuel exploration and development.

This lending creates enormous risk for us all – economically, environmentally, and socially. It has the greatest impact on communities of color, who are experiencing the ravages of climate change with the most devastation.

As Ben Jealous and Bill McKibben co-wrote on March 16: “It’s entirely clear who is hit the hardest by the impacts of the climate crisis. Both in the U.S. and around the world, the poorest and most vulnerable people disproportionately suffer the effects of a warming planet, despite having done the least to cause it.”

Unfortunately, the downfall of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank may enlarge these four big banks as they are deemed more stable since mega-banks are considered too big to fail.

You don't have to use a big bank

Fortunately, however, there are many better banking options! You don’t have to use a big bank that is destroying the climate and wreaking the direst consequences on the most vulnerable people.

Community banks and credit unions typically have diversified portfolios and mostly small dollar depositors. They engage in lower risk lending as well. There are federally insured community development banks and credit unions, and minority-owned-and-operated financial institutions (known as Minority Depository Institutions) to choose from across the country.

Community development banks and credit unions invest in local economies by supporting small business, affordable home ownership, community infrastructure and job creation. They provide real economic opportunity -- and technical support to help ensure success -- to underserved and underestimated communities, both urban and rural.

Similarly, Minority Depository Institutions play a crucial role in economic uplift and fostering broad-based prosperity. They advance sound banking practices that especially serve Black Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx/Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. These institutions have a key role in eliminating the racial wealth gap and are open to people of all races and ethnicities so long as a majority of those served are people of color. 

Learn how to switch to a better bank

Where we bank has real implications for people and the planet. Learn how to align your banking with your values and find a better bank or credit union that meets your needs with Green America’s better banking resources. You can put your money to work for the climate and communities today! Many people have switched to better banking – join us!

Buying from local farmers can be an excellent way to green the economy and support climate- and community-friendly practices. Many of us do this by shopping at farmers markets or farm stands, subscribing to Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), or eating out at farm-to-table restaurants.

What you may not know, is that shopping at a grocery store can also help local farms and the local economy—if you do your research first. Try these four steps to get started.

Find Your Top Shop

First, figure out where you’re going to shop. There are different types of food stores to choose from, so investigate all the possibilities.

The best grocery store is a small, locally owned business. There are many benefits to shopping small, but when it comes to food and local farms, small businesses are best specifically because they often source locally (see the next section). Independent grocers who own their own stores are community fixtures, often personally knowing both customers and local farmers. Through these connections, they’re able to supply specific and fresh groceries and invest profits back into the community.

Other great stores to get your food from are local food cooperatives, or co-ops, that are worker-owned or consumer-owned. They often have more ethical operations and workplace practices, and they may source more products from other co-ops and green businesses. Workers who own their own shop benefit from profits, as do consumers from co-ops where they are owners.

There’s no dearth of these stores across the country: In Glen Ridge, New Jersey, you can find the Purple Dragon Co-Op and Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco.

Unionized grocery stores mean workers have more power over their pay, safety, and other important issues. Even if a unionized store does not have a large local food selection, supporting a unionized store supports workers and a more ethical economy. Many big box supermarkets are unionized and label local foods. The United Food and Commercial Workers union, for example, represents over 800,000 supermarket employees at Kroger, Albertsons-Safeway, and more. Costco is another unionized grocery seller, while Walmart and Target are not.

Buy Seasonally

The rule of thumb when it comes to food shopping with local farmers in mind is knowing what’s in season and where it grows.

Each locale boasts its own fresh produce, depending on the season, from summer cherries to winter leeks and spring asparagus. Throughout the year, farmers will grow seasonal foods, taking advantage of a product’s natural growing and ripening rhythms.

For many products, grocery stores rely on a global supply chain, resulting in imported foods. Local farmers aren’t growing these crops, they’re often being shipped from commercial agriculture operations and adding more greenhouse gas emissions through transportation. Be sure to check, though—what’s advertised as seasonal food, like cranberries in the fall, isn’t always local. When you do find locally sourced foods, purchase them to demonstrate customer demand.

Plus, in-season produce tastes better and is more nutritious: a 2019 article in the International Journal of Food Science found artificially ripened produce lost nutrients like vitamin C and protein and tested higher for toxic chemicals.

To learn what grows when, explore the US Department of Agriculture’s Seasonal Produce Guide.

Grown Locally > Nationally > Internationally

Imagine you’re in a store and in front of you are four different jars of honey— how do you choose? The one sourced closest to home (origin is usually printed on the label) is the best one to get for community and planet.
Look for these products first locally, then from your or neighboring states, then from the continent, then from a country on another continent. Local vendors might flaunt their proximity, like “from New England cows” or “California-grown.”

• Produce—fruits and veggies, as well as juices and dips
• Dairy products
• Eggs
• Meat: When it comes to meat, it’s nearly impossible to source local products at the grocery store because of four companies’—Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill, and Marfrig—monopolies on beef, poultry, and pork. Instead, organizations like Good Meat Breakdown can help you find local meat producers to source from directly, with benefits like better nutrition, grass-fed, hormone-free, and avoid mass-produced options.
• Seafood: Look for products wild-caught in the US or farmed sustainably. Use Seafood Watch to find ethical seafood choices. Imported seafood, like shrimp from Asia or salmon from Chile have been linked to human rights abuses and overuse of antibiotics—not to mention the large carbon footprint from shipping.

Make Your Requests

Grocers want to sell what will be bought. So, if you want to buy locally grown, speak up and request more products sourced from community and independent farmers.

Maybe it’s never crossed your mind, but if you want to buy a specific product, and your local store doesn’t stock it, ask if it will—including at branches of national chains. Talk to people in your community and encourage them to make requests, too, and show there’s high demand.

This can also help local farmers and other food producers like small, independent bakeries develop more connections to grocers and ways to sell their products, resulting in fresh food for you and more business for them.

At small and independently owned grocery stores, you may be able to speak directly to the person who orders the store’s stock. For bigger supermarket chains, ask at the customer service desk, submit an online comment, or ask to make an appointment with the department or store manager.

The good news is that you can be part of bolstering local food production in your area. Local farmers know what grows best in your area and when, meaning supporting them and buying your groceries from them—or via indirect ways that support them—is the best, healthiest, and tastiest option for you.

Pro Tip: Make Requests From Local Farmers!

One of the great things about local farms is that you get a front seat to how they harvest their food—including their use of pesticides, regenerative agricultural practices, crop rotation, and more. Make your voice heard and encourage healthier crop growing in your community. From animal conditions to seed-sourcing, ask your farmer questions.

You can also use the Regenerative Farm Map to find farms near you that prioritize regenerative agriculture and encourage a grocery store to source from these farms specifically.

There are many reasons to garden—getting actively involved in the natural world around you, practicing a hobby that results in delicious snacks, and perhaps even helping the planet. That’s why Green America’s Climate Victory Gardens program is so important. It’s focused on climate-forward gardens which prioritize healthy soil and reducing carbon emissions, and anyone can register their own Climate Victory Garden, however big or small. 

Maybe you’ve never gardened before, or you’re a longtime gardener curious about different ways you can incorporate climate solutions into your gardening. 

Anyone can garden at any time; all you have to do is start. These Green Business Network members are here to help, no matter where you are in your gardening journey. 

What Do Climate Victory Gardens Grow? 

Anything—herbs, vegetables, fruit, a whole lemon tree! In keeping with the tradition of the first climate victory gardens, established during the gardening movements of the World Wars when 20 million gardeners produced 40% of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the country, nutritious and delicious crops are the favorites of these gardens.  

Regardless of what you choose to plant, whether purple dragon carrots or rose potpourri corn, it all begins with a seed.

When looking for seeds, look no further than Turtle Tree Seed {GBN}, where open pollinated seeds are harvested using biodynamic practices in accordance with Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course of 1924. 

What does open pollinated mean? These types of seeds are collected from the parent plant following self-pollination or natural pollination via birds or insects. Open pollinated seeds grow true-to-type based on the parent plant and decrease the chance of introducing any genetically engineered seeds into your garden. 

So when someone buys from Turtle Tree Seed, they can “save the seed from the plants they grow in their gardens,” according to Ian Robb, co-general manager. 

“Over time the plants will adapt to the soil and climate of where you live,” he continues. “This is very important when you consider the ever-changing environmental situation that humanity is facing.” 

You can also check out Hidden Springs Nursery {GBN} for plants and seeds grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or poisonous sprays. 

Water, What All Crops Need to Thrive 

There are many moving parts and elements to consider when cultivating healthy climate victory gardens, from healthy soil practices to a lack of toxic chemicals and fertilizers. 

But never discount the importance of the two basic necessities for plant growing: water and sunlight. 

“Installing a rain barrel near your garden can be a great supplemental water supply for your edibles,” says Lynn Ruck, co-founder of Rain Water Solutions {GBN}. 

Rain is a great, and natural, source of water for your garden, but how to best harness it? 

“Many gardeners are happy to use watering cans to move rainwater from A to B,” Ruck says, “But if you have the ability to install the rain barrel higher than your garden you can easily water your edibles at the roots with a hose and you can consider adding a soaker hose by weaving it through the plants for a slow drip.” 

A soaker hose is a hose like any other with one key difference: tiny pores throughout its length that allow water to slowly escape. This allows for an efficient flow of rainwater directly to the base of your plants and is an especially great system for when you must be away from your garden for any length of time. 

As Ruck recalls: “I discovered this trick after spending the early spring months nurturing and watering my plants for a high yield bounty and came back after taking a vacation during the hot summer to return to scorched, sad plants that could never recover. Now I set up my soaker to keep a steady drip on my thirsty veggies.” 

Drip irrigation is a micro-irrigation system that has been used since ancient times, with records dating back to first century BCE China. 

Rainwater is also healthy for your plants, as it contains less minerals and chemicals and is fortified with rich nitrogen. 

Rid Climate Victory Gardens of Pesky Weeds 

You’ve planted and you’re supplying your crops with a steady stream of nutrients and water. Next, make sure you’re maintaining the health of your garden. 

One important step in garden maintenance is weeding. Weeds are invasive plants that compete with your carefully curated crops to steal space, nutrients, moisture, and light. Ridding your garden of these plants should not be put off. 

While there are several ways to weed, like digging up a weed’s roots with a garden knife by hand, but have you ever considered heat? 

“Flame weeding is what we like to call a ‘slow kill,’” describes Mel Limon, executive director of sales at Flame Engineering {GBN}. “Essentially, you are destroying cell structure in the plant leaf. The weed will no longer put energy toward growth (photosynthesis) taking the kill through the root system.”  

Yes, flame weeding also kills the roots. 

Even better, as Limon notes, it’s non-toxic: “Your Victory Garden will be organic since you aren’t using chemicals to kill the weeds.” 

Now, you’re supplied with three new techniques and supplies to make your Climate Victory Gardens the best gardens they can be. Go forth with confidence and excitement for your garden, beginning with the 5 steps to start your garden, the practices that make a garden a Climate Victory Garden, and then add your garden to the map.

Move preserves freedom of retirement plans to account for material risks and returns 

WASHINGTON – Today President Biden vetoed a resolution that would have repealed a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rule allowing retirement plans to consider environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria and allowing retirement plan fiduciaries to vote on ESG-related shareholder resolutions. 

By passing a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) on March 1, House and Senate Republicans, joined by a few Democrats, sought to nullify the DOL’s Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights rule allowing responsible investing.  

In limiting the scope of what pension fund managers can take into account, the Congressional resolution would have tied investors’ hands -- and put pension funds at risk. The president’s veto maintains the ability of investors to consider any and all material risks and opportunities.  

In response, Green America, which represents 250,000 individual consumers and investors and nearly 2,000 businesses and investment firms, applauds President Biden for vetoing the resolution. 

“Decades of investment experience prove that taking environmental, social, and corporate governance criteria into account provides competitive returns by giving investors a greater understanding of risk and opportunity. In particular, the ability to consider climate impacts is a top concern for our members and supporters,” said Cathy Cowan Becker, Responsible Finance Campaign Director at Green America. “We thank President Biden for vetoing the Republican resolution that would have limited our freedom to invest, and for ensuring we can continue common-sense financial management.” 

BACKGROUND 

In preparing the rule, the DOL heard from thousands of stakeholders, including asset managers, labor organizations, corporate America, consumer groups, service providers, workers, investment advisers, and almost 7,000 members of Green America who signed our petition in support. 

The rule allows, but does not compel, investors to consider ESG criteria in their decisions and shareholder votes, and confirms that fiduciaries may not sacrifice investment returns to promote social policy goals. The new rule restores the government’s neutral stance, requiring fiduciaries to use their best professional judgment to make investment decisions. 

The freedom to consider the real-world risks of the climate crisis not only protects investments from loss, but also opens up opportunities for substantial growth. The ability to invest in the clean energy boom is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and President Biden’s veto will help keep avenues clear for pensions, retirement funds, and state revenues to benefit. 

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA

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

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

WASHINGTON, DC – March 15, 2023 – As spring approaches, Green America’s Climate Victory Gardens campaign has grown to 20,024 registered gardens, up from 14,632 in 2022. The push to plant and map climate-friendly gardens using regenerative agriculture techniques across the country is now achieving the annual equivalent of 4,740 tons of carbon drawdown.

In addition to updated Climate Victory Garden resources for beginners and seasoned gardeners, Green America will also hold two webinars about transforming lawns to be more eco-friendly. Today, over 80% of Americans have grass lawns – covering about 40 million acres of land in the continental U.S. – and use 9 billion gallons of water every day to keep the grass green, according to the EPA.

Emma Kriss, food campaigns manager at Green America, said: “Not only do Climate Victory Gardens heal the planet by drawing down atmospheric carbon dioxide, but the food they provide is more nutritious than conventional store-bought produce. Whether upgrading an existing garden or converting a water-guzzling, pesticide-covered lawn, we’re excited to provide information and resources to help Americans grow their own Climate Victory Gardens this spring.”

Green America’s Climate Victory Garden resources cover additional popular topics such as:

• Organic fertilizers and pesticides
• Raising chickens
• Container gardening and growing food indoors
• Composting
• Supporting pollinators
• Building a rain barrel
• Seed saving

Todd Larsen, executive co-director for consumer & corporate engagement at Green America, said: “At a time when carbon sequestration is becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry, and venture capital companies search for the perfect solution to suck pollution out of the atmosphere, the little old backyard garden is proving how simple it can be to take action. Regenerative agriculture is a powerful tool, and we’re thrilled to see more and more adoption on both large and small scales.”

Climate Victory Gardens help fight climate change through regenerative agriculture techniques, an approach to gardening that focuses on improving and revitalizing soil health by fostering healthy soil that can draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Inspired by the “Victory Gardens” campaigns during WWI and WWII that produced 40% of the fresh produce consumed in the U.S. at the time, Climate Victory Gardens empower Americans to grow gardens with regenerative agriculture techniques to help address the climate crisis.

On March 23, Green America will host its first webinar to help people ditch their lawns in favor of gardens, Transforming Lawns: Groundcover Revolution, featuring Kathy Jentz, author of Groundcover Revolution. On April 27, Green America’s second webinar, Transforming Lawns: Tiny + Wild, will feature Graham Laird Gardner, author of Tiny and Wild: Build a small-scale meadow anywhere.

Climate Victory Gardens are being tracked through Green America’s updated, searchable map. To add your own Climate Victory Garden to the map, visit: https://greenam.org/garden.

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA

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

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

When you read the name of the organization Project Sweetie Pie (PSP), its founder, Michael Chaney, wants to evoke the feeling of an elder lovingly calling you “sweetie pie,” who wishes for and sees the best in you.  

Chaney sees the best in you, too. He wants the best for you. That’s why, in 2010, he started the food justice organization in Minneapolis, viewing the act of nourishing our bodies with not only healthy foods, but education and justice, as crucial to our collective survival and wellbeing. 

PSP works on several levels, from spearheading the distribution of fresh produce to the communities of the Northside neighborhood to mentoring and empowering students of North Community High School by teaching entrepreneurial and agricultural skills. It is also a partner of Green America’s Climate Victory Gardens program (ClimateVictoryGardens.org). 

“I’m an activist, first and foremost,” Chaney says. “I’m simply using agriculture as one of the tools of my trade to curate a greener, prosperous future.” 

The Minneapolis Community Today 

Chaney understands all eyes are on Minnesota. “After the murder of George Floyd, how do we come back from that?” he asks. 

Minneapolis is a city of vibrant communities, resilience, and, like everywhere in the United States, also has injustice and contradictions. All around him, Chaney saw people struggling to live bountiful lives in what was supposed to be a country where anyone could be or do anything. 

Black residents make up 18.4% of Minneapolis’ population, but account for a quarter of all food-insecure households in the city. Latino and Indigenous households experiencing food insecurity are also overrepresented. 

“Low-income communities are placeholders, commodities seen as disposable when wealthy developers are ready to gentrify a neighborhood,” Chaney says, not mincing words. Tossing these communities aside is what leads to things like food scarcity, he explains. Living on the underserved margins, residents lose access to education, tools, and resources. 

Using PSP as the base of operations, Chaney wants to disrupt this pattern and re-invest in people. He grew up in Wisconsin on a 160-acre family farm in the 1950s. He recalls his peers being able to pursue trades like mechanics, carpentry, and home economics. When funding is cut to trade schools and programs, people are left “hung out to dry,” Chaney laments. 

Chaney moved to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota, where his activism in the state began. In 1984, he co-founded the Minneapolis Juneteenth Celebration, and a decade later, he co-founded the Wendell Phillips Community Development Federal Credit Union. This credit union was created to fill the need for a financial institution controlled by members and serves primarily communities of color; in 2001, it merged to become the City-County Federal Credit Union. 

“By marginalizing people, by dismissing people, by not allowing people to become their best selves, by not investing in communities, we really are unraveling the American dream,” Chaney says. 

Giving Resources to Those Who Need Them—The American People 

“Community isn’t just happenstance,” Chaney insists. “It’s a lifestyle where we as individuals must help support the collective.” 

That’s why the work of PSP touches on many aspects but is centered around one idea: restoring the commons. 

One of Chaney’s proudest achievements in his efforts to better community was helping advocate for and pass Minnesota’s first urban farming legislation. Authored by Rep. Karen Clark (D), the 2015 bill distributed $6 million in funding for urban agriculture, including PSP, specifically in low-income communities made up of predominantly Black and Indigenous people. 

“One of the things we found out during the pandemic, is that resources weren't as rigid as we thought,” Chaney explains. “There were funds and resources available to help remedy hunger, unemployment, medical aid. Until these artificial regulations imposed on us by the rich and the powerful [end], we're not ending poverty, we’re perpetuating it. Poverty is slavery, and if we really want to have an abundant society, we must invest in the residents of our communities.” 

Food Equity Is the Next Stage of Civil Rights 

Growing one’s own food generates a plethora of benefits, from nutrition to combatting climate change, and taking back agency over what you consume and the land you live on. 

“The local food movement is the latest iteration of the Civil Rights movement,” Chaney says. “It’s addressing equity--you’ll know what equity looks like when you see [local and culturally relevant] food sitting not just in specialty stores, but also in big box stores, that is truly reflective of the cultural diversity in our community. We’re democratizing agriculture.” 

Chaney doesn’t care what people decide to grow, just that they grow.  

“This is a long climb, and we must tell our story,” he says. “We must fight for our self-sufficiency and our future. Health, wellbeing, and justice is what we’re growing as much as a tomato on a vine.” 

The Minneapolis Community of Tomorrow 

One of the most astonishing things about PSP is its focus on longevity. Several of its programs were created to invest in a future Minneapolis, one that Chaney hopes will long outlast him. 

Step Up pairs Minneapolis youth with Twin Cities employers through internships and training to help them build careers and lead to a diverse and skilled workforce. Since 2003, Step Up has implemented nearly 30,000 high-quality internship opportunities. 

Another program, Northside Safety-N.E.T. (Neighborhoods Empowering Teens), uses resources to train young people on civic engagement through environmental and community lenses. 

“I dare say that we are building a legacy,” he says hopefully. “We are harnessing the food of our ancestors and now it’s our turn as stewards to feed and care for families in the future.” 

This story was written by Anya Crittenton and originally appeared in the Green American Magazine, Spring 2023 edition.

These days it seems like every brand is making bold claims about using eco-friendly materials and sustainable practices. A quick shopping trip can quickly turn perplexing—which of the assertions are the real deal? We spoke with experts, including an environmental scientist and an environmental lawyer and policy expert, to help if you’re selecting worth-it, eco-friendly products. 

The recent Norfolk Southern train derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, illustrates why socially responsible investing is so important.  

Norfolk Southern, owned by a who's who of Wall Street banks, ranks poorly on corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) guidelines that socially responsible investing promotes: 

• They killed almost 44,000 fish, amphibians, and reptiles by burning over 1 million pounds of toxic chemicals following the derailment. 
• They laid off a third of their workforce while multiplying stock buybacks to boost profits. 
• They have long fought rail safety regulations such as labeling flammable chemicals hazardous and upgrading train brakes. 

Does this sound like a company you’d like to invest your retirement funds in? Me neither. 

ESG helps us put our money behind our values 

Socially responsible investing helps us align our money with our values by applying rigorous financial analysis of companies, including an overlay of ESG criteria such as climate risk (environmental), labor issues (social), and political lobbying (governance).  

ESG commitments are booming. In 2022, socially responsible investing reached $8.4 trillion in the United States and is expected to top $50 trillion globally by 2025.  

Unfortunately, socially responsible investing has also become the target of intense attacks – with bills on the federal and state levels and lawsuits in federal courts attempting to limit or ban investors from taking ESG considerations into account.  

These attacks are being propagated by a large network of right-wing front groups funded by enormous amounts of money from undisclosed sources. But also emerging from this pitched battle is backlash to anti-ESG attacks and even some pro-ESG initiatives.  

We will explore these dynamics in future blog posts. For now, let’s look at last week’s vote in Congress on a resolution to repeal the Department of Labor’s rule allowing investors to consider ESG factors in their investment decisions. 

A neutral rule 

Last week Congress passed a joint resolution expressing disapproval of the Department of Labor’s rule Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights, which came into effect on January 30. The resolution used the Congressional Review Act, which gives Congress 60 days after an administrative rule goes into effect to repeal it.  

The DOL rule allowed – but did not compel – retirement plan fiduciaries to take environmental, social, and corporate governance considerations into account in their investment decisions. It reversed two rules issued by the Trump administration that required retirement plans to invest solely based on “pecuniary factors” and made it difficult to vote on ESG-related shareholder resolutions.  

In preparing its rule, the Department of Labor heard from thousands of stakeholders including almost 7,000 members of Green America who signed our petition in support. 

In preparing its rule, the DOL heard from thousands of stakeholders, including asset managers, labor organizations, corporate America, consumer groups, service providers, workers, investment advisers, and almost 7,000 members of Green America who signed our petition in support. 

An analysis by Harvard Law School found the DOL rule to be neutral because it allows – but does not compel – investors to use ESG considerations on top of basic financial analysis to help gauge risk and return. The rule levels the playing field for all financially relevant factors, Assistant Labor Secretary Lisa Gomez said at a recent discussion hosted by Ceres and the Environmental Defense Fund.  

Biden vows to uphold sustainable investing in retirement plans 

None of this was enough to sway Congress. On February 28 the House voted 216-204 in favor of the disapproval resolution, and on March 1 the Senate voted 50-46 in favor. All Republican members of Congress voted for the resolution. Three Democrats voted for it: Rep. Jared Golden of Maine in the House and Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia (a co-sponsor) and Jon Tester of Montana in the Senate. 

Republican Reps. Andy Barr of Kentucky and Mike Braun of Indiana tried to link ESG investing to inflation, blaming the lack of fossil fuel shares in socially responsible portfolios despite the fact that energy prices have experienced some of the worst inflation rates. Others such as Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina accused the Biden administration of using retirement plans to push a “woke agenda.” 

In response, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York (right) pointed out that asset managers have long used ESG to minimize risk and maximize return, and that 90% of S&P 500 companies publish ESG reports. “I say let the market work. If that naturally leads to consideration of ESG factors, then Republicans should practice what they’ve long preached and get out of the way,” Schumer said.  

President Biden has vowed to veto the resolution to repeal the rule allowing sustainable investing.  

Why is this happening now? 

This attack on socially responsible investing in Congress did not happen spontaneously; rather, it has long been planned. Rebecca Leber of Vox explained three triggering events: 

• BlackRock chair and CEO Larry Fink’s 2020 statement that “Climate risk is investment risk” and 2021 announcement of BlackRock’s net zero commitment. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager with $10 trillion in assets under management. 
• The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule requiring publicly traded companies to disclose how their operations contribute to carbon emissions. Green America generated 15,000 signers on a statement in general support of the rule while calling for additional provisions to protect Indigenous Peoples and to further protect the climate.  
• Hedge fund Engine No. 1’s coup at Exxon’s 2021 shareholder meeting electing three new board members focused on the risks climate change poses to the company. 

By late 2022, Republicans were planning a surge of attacks against ESG investing, with four main tactics beyond the anti-ESG vote in Congress last week.  

• Hauling leaders of financial institutions that use ESG in investments before Congress on claims they are violating antitrust laws and fiduciary duty. 
• Pulling state funds from BlackRock and other investment firms that practice ESG (more on this in a future blog post).  
• Pushing a model bill through red state legislatures that would divest public pension funds from companies on a boycott list (this is not going well – more in a future blog post). 
• Creating a so-called boycott list so states can seek contracts only with companies that do not consider climate change in their operations and investments (this is also not going well).  

‘Redwashing’  

Together these tactics can be considered “redwashing,” argues Freya Williams of Climate and Capital. Whatever they are called, they are not based on sound science or business practice. They are political.  

For example, Republicans are using the Congressional Review Act to challenge not just ESG investing but a multitude of Biden administration rules, including on Waters of the United States and solar tariffs.  

Anti-ESG attacks have been dubbed ‘redwashing.’ Whatever they are called, they are not based on sound science or business practice. They are political. 

They see these votes as messaging tools. “It’s not going to drive much policy, because the president will veto anything he doesn’t like,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) admitted. “It’s largely politics.” 

One final anti-ESG tactic is court challenges. Currently we are watching two lawsuits: 

• Republican attorneys general from 25 states filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, against the Department of Labor rule allowing ESG investments. Among the plaintiffs were several oil and gas corporations.  
• Four state attorneys general are suing over a separate SEC rule that requires investment funds to disclose more about executive pay and other ESG matters. The lawsuit was filed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where most judges were appointed by Republican presidents. 

What you can do for socially responsible investing

Stay tuned for future blog posts on the anti-ESG campaign, including a pitched battle in the states, massive funding from undisclosed donors, public opinion, and cracks in the anti-ESG foundation.  

Meanwhile, the most important thing we can do in the face of political attacks on ESG is to keep supporting socially responsible investing. Check out our guide on how you can add socially and environmentally responsible investment options to your employer’s retirement plan.  

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

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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.

This victory originally appeared in our Spring 2023 Green American Magazine

When it comes to keeping your tater tots cold, Trader Joe’s has long ranked at the bottom of the pack of supermarkets in terms of refrigerant management, which is a major driver of climate change. In 2016, the grocery chain settled a lawsuit with the US Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency because of its significant leaks of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS), which violated the Clean Air Act, and have thousands of times the global warming potential of CO2 .

But, in January 2023, Trader Joe’s finally announced that all its new stores will use, ironically, CO2 refrigerants, which are much better for the planet than conventional HFC coolants. The announcement comes after over 20,000 Green Americans urged Trader Joe’s to do better, and after the Environmental Investigation Agency, a Green America ally, ranked Trader Joe’s poorly on its Climate-Friendly Supermarkets Scorecard.

“Consumer awareness and concern about Trader Joe’s climate emissions is having an impact,” says Dan Howells, Green America’s climate campaigns director. “But Trader Joe’s has a long way to go to catch up with grocery chains like Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods on climate-friendly refrigerants. Trader Joe’s now needs to retrofit its 530 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 Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and other major grocers to end their use of refrigerants that are a significant driver of climate change in all of their stores.

This victory originally appeared in our Spring 2023 Green American Magazine

Amazon, the largest clothing seller in the US, lags in its protecting consumers and workers from the toxic chemicals often found in apparel. It’s making progress, thanks to activism by Green Americans.

For two years, Green America’s Toxic Textiles campaign called on Amazon to address toxic chemicals in all the apparel it sells. Nearly 40,000 Green Americans urged Amazon to act quickly on dangerous chemicals in the tens of thousands of pieces of clothing, footwear, and accessories sold on its website. Green America also engaged activists online through videos and social media.

In response, Amazon announced that its private label brands will comply with AFIRM’s Restricted Substance List (RSL) for apparel, accessories, and footwear products in North America, Europe, and Japan. AFIRM is a membership organization for the apparel and footwear sector that works to address chemical management. The AFIRM RSL ensures that chemicals of concern are below certain thresholds in products sold to consumers.

In theory, that would mean when customers purchase products from Amazon’s private labels including Amazon Essentials, Mae, Goodthreads, 206 Collective, Core 10, or other of its apparel brands, they should be protected from exposure to some of the most toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Advocates and experts, including Green America’s labor campaigns director Jean Tong, are concerned this does not go far enough to protect consumers and workers.

For workers in particular, Green America is pushing Amazon to adopt a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) to reduce exposures to toxic chemicals in all its supplier factories, not just what is on the clothes at the time of sale. Since the vast majority of apparel sold on Amazon.com is from third-party companies, it needs to ensure all the clothing it is selling protects consumers and workers.

In addition to the MRSL, Amazon should take the meaningful step to join The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, which is a “legally binding agreement between more than 180 garment brands/retailers and global trade unions to make textile and garment factories safe.”

“Green America and our allies are calling on Amazon to do the right thing and go further,” says Tong. “When people spend their hard-earned money on Amazon, they shouldn’t have to worry whether they are exposing their family to toxic chemicals. And, no one wants workers harmed in the making these products. It’s time Amazon put consumers and workers’ concerns before profit by adopting the International Accord and a MRSL."

WASHINGTON – Today Congress approved a measure aimed at overturning a recent Department of Labor rule that allows retirement plans to include investment options that consider environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria and allows retirement plan fiduciaries to vote on ESG-related shareholder resolutions. 

By passing a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), House and Senate Republicans, joined by a few Democrats, seek to nullify the DOL’s Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights rule, which went into effect on January 30. The CRA gives Congress 60 days after a rule goes into effect to vote to overturn it.  

In response, Green America, which represents 250,000 individual consumers and investors and nearly 2,000 businesses and investment firms, calls on President Biden to veto the resolution.  

“Decades of investment experience prove that taking environmental, social, and corporate governance criteria into account provides competitive returns by giving investors a greater understanding of risk and opportunity,” said Cathy Cowan Becker, Responsible Finance Campaign Director at Green America. “In particular, the ability to consider climate impacts is a top concern for our members and investors. President Biden must veto this resolution to ensure we can continue common-sense investing.” 

The DOL rule is a reversal of two rules promulgated during the Trump administration that required retirement plan fiduciaries to invest solely on the basis of  “pecuniary factors,” and made it difficult to vote on ESG-related shareholder resolutions. These rules caused widespread confusion and had a chilling effect on integrating ESG factors into investment decisions.  

In preparing its current rule, the DOL heard from thousands of stakeholders, including asset managers, labor organizations, corporate America, consumer groups, service providers, workers, investment advisers, and almost 7,000 members of Green America who signed our petition in support.  

The rule allows, but does not compel, consideration of ESG criteria in investment decisions and shareholder votes, and confirms that fiduciaries may not sacrifice investment returns to promote social policy goals. 

The Congressional resolution overturning the DOL rule takes choice away from investors who increasingly favor ESG options in their portfolios. A recent survey by Penn State’s Center for the Business of Sustainability and communications firm ROKK Solutions found that 63 percent of voters – including 70 percent of Republicans – oppose government restrictions on ESG investments.  

President Biden must protect the interests of U.S. investors by vetoing the Congressional resolution that limits our ability to be fully informed about our own investments.  

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA

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

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

For decades, Green America has promoted better banking options. We’ve educated the public and businesses on problems with conventional mega-banks, from their financing of fossil fuels to a history of racist and abusive financial practices, to lack of support for micro-enterprises. We’ve also educated people on the wide array of better banking options that are available, from community development banks and credit unions, to Minority Depository Institutions, to banks certified by our Green Business Network. This blog introduces another promising banking model known as public banking.

Fran Teplitz, Green America’s executive co-director for business, investing, and policy interviewed Nichoe Lichen, a board member of the Public Banking Institute, on the premise behind public banking, its goals, and how to get involved:

Fran: Thank you for sharing your expertise about public banking with Green America’s Green Business Network. First off, could you please explain how publicly-owned banks are different from “regular” (privately owned) banks?

Nichoe: Privately owned banks are owned by private shareholders. Their mission is to maximize shareholder profits.

Public banks hold public funds and are owned by the residents of a city, state, region, territory, or nation. Their mission is to benefit their community. Profits are either kept to increase lending capacity or are returned to the local government to invest in infrastructure, stabilize budgets, or address crises.

Fran: That’s a big difference from conventional banks. What then does the Public Banking Institute do?

Nichoe: PBI is the national information and support hub for public banking. We support the creation of publicly-owned banks that return control of money and credit to states and communities. We work to make the benefits of public banking common knowledge to the public and legislators.

Your members can watch our short video to learn more.

Fran: That’s great – so PBI is a catalyst for the growth of public banking. The mission of public banking is indeed compelling. Could you elaborate on the community and environmental benefits of public banking?

Nichoe: Sure! A publicly state-owned or community-owned depository bank holds and manages public funds to save money, stimulate the local economy, and benefit local residents, businesses and community banks. In a crisis, public banks step in to provide ready, affordable credit so communities can quickly get back on track. Unlike commercial banks, a public bank’s decision-making is subject to public oversight and must reflect the values and needs of the community it serves.

Public banks can provide much higher access to credit for infrastructure repair, construction, energy retrofitting, and other eco-conscious projects. Sparkasse, the German public bank network, has funded widespread improved energy efficiencies and renewables. West Coast public bank initiatives have prioritized green retrofits.

Fran: Where is public banking happening now in the US and elsewhere, and where is it getting underway?  

Nichoe: Public banks are a solution known around the world, with $49 trillion in assets globally.

In the U.S., there is one state-owned public bank: the Bank of North Dakota (BND). Since its founding in 1919, BND has made $1.4 billion in payments to the state’s general fund. It has become more profitable even than Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase; and during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, BND enabled small businesses in ND to secure more Payroll Protection Program funds relative to the state’s workforce than in any other state.

Public banks are now underway all across the country. Since 2011, 35 states and dozens of cities have taken legislative action or formed a local advocacy group for public banking.

Fran: It’s great to know public banking is getting a stronger foothold. What progress are you seeing in specific regions?

Nichoe: In 2021, eighteen public banking bills were introduced at local, state, and federal level. In 2022, East Bay, California completed phase one to establish a regional public bank; Los Angeles moved forward with a Municipal Public Bank RFP; and Philadelphia’s City Council passed a resolution to form a Philadelphia Public Finance Authority as a first step. In 2023, five states introduced public bank legislation — Massachusetts, Oregon, New York, Washington, and New Hampshire — and San Francisco submitted a phase one business plan.

Fran: That’s important momentum, what’s driving this progress?

Nichoe: More legislators and advocates are learning of the benefits of public banking and recognizing the urgency of taking action to cut financing costs, return bank profits to benefit the public, regain control over local money, and expand credit for infrastructure and other public projects. 

Fran: How can a business learn more and advance the concept of public banking?

Nichoe: The Public Banking Institute has lots of resources! Here are a few steps that Green Business Network members can take to get involved:

1 - Learn more on publicbankinginstitute.org.

2 - Sign up for our newsletter. 

3 - Attend our monthly Coalition Zoom meetings.

4 - Sign our Declaration.

Fran: Thank you very much! Public banking can play a key role in advancing the green economy and there’s a lot to be gained by supporting this model. If you or your business need to open a better banking account now, check-out Green America-vetted banking options that are taking deposits today as you advocate for better banking systems!

Who are the good, bad, and ugly in chocolate?

Explore the 2024 Chocolate Scorecard

What about the kids, the trees, and the bees?

Sustainability means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Most chocolate is currently not sustainable, but solutions to child labor, deforestation, and hazardous pesticide are not only possible but vital to the health of people and planet. Consumers can make informed choices and demand tangible change.

Child Labor vs. Living Income

Learn More

Deforestation vs. Agroforestry

Learn More

Pesticides vs. Regenerative Agriculture

Learn More

One thing has become clear: sustainable and green businesses are not a fad, and they are here to stay. Customers are shopping with sustainability in mind more than ever and calling out companies for greenwashing and unethical practices. With the prevalence and importance of prioritizing people and planet, what new trends are shaping up for green businesses in 2023? 

The Report and Green Businesses in 2023 

For the past 16 years, the GreenBiz group has published its State of Green Business report. In each report, editors and analysts research a “broad spectrum of environmental and sustainability topics” to identify top trends businesses should be aware of for the coming year. 

Below are six takeaways from this year’s report, the State of Green Business 2023. 

1. Green vs. Greening Jobs 

Environmental jobs are becoming more common, which means there are new definitions of these jobs and their impacts. GreenBiz’s report identifies two types of environmental jobs at green businesses in 2023: green and greening. 

Green jobs are those that “have a high green skills intensity” and examples include: 

• Environmental Health Safety Engineer 
• Sustainability Manager 
• Energy Manager 
• Environment Health and Safety Specialist 

Greening jobs, meanwhile, are more traditional jobs that now need to be approached differently with sustainability at the forefront. 

Some greening job examples are: 

• Director of Public Works 
• Power Generation Engineer 
• Vice President Facilities 
• Director of Regulatory Affairs 
• Construction 

The top ranked skills of these jobs also reveal an evolving work landscape. From 2015 to 2021, knowledge of sustainability has ranked as the top skill, but other skills, like corporate social responsibility and sustainable development have jumped from lower-ranked skills to now some of the highest. 

2. Decarbonizing Transportation 

To adhere to the Paris Agreement, public transportation and micromobility (single person modes of transportation like bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters and skateboards) options must double within the decade. 

Transportation plays a big role in emissions, from delivery companies to commuting. 

Companies around the world are starting to make strides with electric vehicles, aided and pushed by cities like New York, London, and Paris establishing zero- and low-emission zones. 

People also need to actively choose alternate modes of transportation, but this is only possible through infrastructure and company support. Municipalities need to focus on expanding public transportation, creating safer bike lanes, and more. Companies, meanwhile, must offer more flexible working conditions and consider programs incentivizing their employees to carpool, bike, or take public transport. 

According to the Shared-Use Mobility Center, if the top 50 cities in the US made investments in mass transit, electric vehicles, and innovations in shared mobility, the country could cut 100 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. 

3. Sustainability Training on the Job 

There’s a lot that goes into building sustainability into a business model, including education, habit creation, and support. That’s why it’s crucial for companies to start investing in education for their employees on best sustainability practices and how they lead to business and societal success. 

There are many online resources on platforms including YouTube, LinkedIn Learning, and Terra.do offering courses like Climate Change: Learning for Action. Digital access to education is endless and more affordable, sometimes even free. 

Sustainability education for your employees also expands beyond practices like recycling or lowering your carbon footprint. It’s also about creating the most ethical and equitable workplace for all, which is why DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) training is essential. 

4. Mandatory Carbon Disclosures 

The fate of our planet means it’s time for companies to disclose information about their practices and policies affecting human and environmental well-being. 

Belgium, Canada, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom now all require financial disclosures aligned with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a similar rule, Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors. 

The idea behind these rules is that the climate crisis poses various risks, including financial ones, and therefore voluntary and unregulated disclosure can no longer be accepted. 

In the past two years, thousands of companies have expressed support for the TCFD, up from less than one thousand in 2020. 

5. Investing in Natural Capital 

Companies investing in fossil fuels is the wrong direction for our planet—natural capital is the new frontier. 

Natural capital is the world's stock of natural resources, including geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. Assets that natural capital provide are called ecosystem services and they’re critical for the future. 

There are four categories of ecosystem services: 

• Provisioning Services: A benefit or good that can be extracted from nature, such as food, trees, fish and livestock, plant-based materials that can be turned into clothing or other goods. 
• Regulating Services: Benefits of ecosystems regulating natural phenomena, such as bee pollination, tree roots stabilizing soil to prevent erosion, and bacteria decomposing waste. 
• Cultural Services: A “non-material benefit that contributes to the development and cultural advancement of people,” like the spreading of ideas and creativity, and recreation. 
• Supporting Services: The processes that allow basic life systems to thrive on Earth, like photosynthesis or the water cycle. 

All green businesses in 2023 need to do is look at the World Economic Forum’s estimate: protecting nature and biodiversity could generate $10 trillion annually in business opportunities and nearly 400 million new jobs. 

There is no path to decarbonization without major investments in natural capital.

Grant Harrison, director and senior analyst, sustainable finance and ESG at GreenBiz

6. The Rise of Geothermal 

According to the US Department of Energy, capturing just 0.1% of the planet’s heat could supply humanity’s energy needs for two million years. 

Geothermal could be the answer to this, but solar and wind continue to dominate. Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust and capturing it could be the energy answer experts have been looking for. 

Solar and wind quickly became the leaders of renewable energy because of their lower price points, but thanks to legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, geothermal is now more affordable than ever. 

If governments and companies, together, invest more in geothermal it will become more accessible and life changing. 

The future starts now and green businesses in 2023 would be wise to take stock of new trends and adopt or support them. Working together, a wave of change is possible. 

In August 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to fight the climate crisis, grow domestic clean energy production, lower prescription drug costs, expand access to affordable health care coverage, and raise taxes on high-earning corporations—all to rebuild the US middle class for families, workers and businesses. Within this massive bill come numerous opportunities for small businesses—from accessing solar energy to electric vehicles and more. 

The IRA will work to reduce the United States’ share of global greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 40%, or 1 gigaton, by 2030. According to 126 leading economists—including seven Nobel Laureates, two former Treasury Secretaries, two former Federal Vice Chairs and two former Council of Economic Advisors Chairs—the Act will also reduce the deficit to “help fight inflation and support strong, stable economic growth,” per the White House. 

Below are resources that the Green Business Network will update as more information emerges on how the IRA can support small business.  

Clean Energy 

With the IRA, small businesses can benefit from savings on installing solar panels and other energy efficient projects. Overall, there’s a potential for ~70% tax savings in various amounts and ways by utilizing clean energy. 

Check out these small business tax credits for energy efficiency: 

• 30% tax credit for installation of solar PV systems, ranging for 10 years (2022-2032) with no maximum that can be claimed. 
• Make it in America: This new provision offers tax credits for the use of American-made equipment for clean energy production. 
• There are bonus credits for businesses that pay workers a prevailing wage* and use registered apprenticeship programs. 
• 10% tax credit for clean energy projects in underserved communities. 
• Per the White House, these projects must be “established in communities that have previously relied upon the extraction, processing, transport, or storage of coal, oil, or natural gas as a significant source of employment, creating jobs and economic development in the communities that have powered America for generations.” 
• 20% tax credit for solar projects on federally-subsidized affordable housing projects and a 10% bonus credit for solar projects in low-income communities. 
• $5 per square foot to support energy efficiency improvements that deliver lower utility bills. 
• Expands the Rural Energy for America program, providing rural agricultural producers with clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades. 
• This is estimated to reach over 41,500 small businesses and farms, as well as over $9 billion for rural electric cooperatives. 
• $60 billion to on-shore clean energy manufacturing in the U.S. across the full supply chain.
• Grants and tax credits to reduce emissions from industrial manufacturing processes, including almost $6 billion for a new Advanced Industrial Facilities Deployment Program to reduce emissions from the largest industrial emitters like chemical, steel and cement plants.
• $10 billion investment tax credit to build clean technology manufacturing facilities, like facilities that make electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels.
• $2 billion in grants to retool existing auto manufacturing facilities to manufacture clean vehicles.

To get started on your business’ clean energy journey, check out the Green Business Network’s guide on How to Improve Building Energy Efficiency Rating in the Office and at Home. 

*According to the US Department of Labor, a prevailing wage is the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment.

Energy Efficient Vehicles 

If your business requires transportation, consider switching to energy efficient vehicles if you haven’t already. 

The IRA offers a tax credit “covering 30% of purchase costs for clean commercial vehicles, like electric and fuel cell models.” 

Agricultre, Manufacturing, and Construction Industries 

The agriculture and manufacturing industries will especially see benefits from the Inflation Reducation Act.

Grants funded at $3 billion will be used to support the purchase and installation of zero-emission equipment and technology at ports. The Methane Emissions Reduction Program, meanwhile, will reduce the leaks from
the production and distribution of natural gas.

For manufacturing and construction projects, the Environmental Product Information Program will provide $250 million to support the development and enhanced standardization and transparency of environmental product declaration for construction materials and products.

For the agricultural industry, $40 billion is earmarked for agriculture, forestry and rural development, and $300 million specifically for a carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions quantification program.

Healthcare 

Running a business is hard enough without worrying about healthcare costs for yourself and your employees. The IRA also has several improvements to healthcare access and affordability that will directly benefit small business owners. 

The first benefit is the extension of the American Rescue Plan’s tax credits for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans through 2025. According to the White House, 25% of working-age adults enrolled in ACA are small business owners or self-employed and the uninsured rate for self-employed adults has dropped from 30% to 20.5% between 2013 and 2019. 

Another way the IRA is helping small business owners afford their healthcare is by lowering prescription drug costs for seniors. This is key because a 2021 SCORE survey found that while 21% of the US population is over 55, older Americans represent 50.9% of all business owners. 

With the passage of the IRA, yearly prescription drug costs will be capped at $2,000 and monthly insulin supplies will be capped at $35. It will also provide access to an increased number of free vaccines, including shingles and beyond. 

New Jobs and Equitable Labor Standards

Estimates show the Inflation Reduction Act will create 9 million new jobs over the next decade—more than 6 million jobs from grants, loans, and tax credits and nearly 3 million jobs stimulated by new loan guarantee authority for the U.S. Department of Energy. 

The breakdown of these new jobs and which sectors they will be in is as follows:

• 5 million jobs in clean energy
• 900,000 jobs in clean manufacturing
• 400,000 jobs in clean transportation
• 900,000 jobs in efficient buildings
• 150,000 jobs in environmental justice
• 600,000 jobs in natural infrastructure

What is more essential to these new jobs and implementing and investing in the IRA's policies, as outlined by the BlueGreen Alliance, is an improvement to the workplace itself and how labor can become more equitable.

It can do this by:

• Incentivizing the use of union labor
• Mandating that workers are paid a fair wage
• Utilizing union apprentice, pre-apprenticeship, and other union-affiliated training programs
• Ensuring equitable access to the jobs the IRA will create
• Prioritizing workers and communities most in need
• Building pathways into good-paying careers for workers across the nation

IRA Benefits by State 

The White House released state-by-state fact sheets for the IRA; see the specific benefits that pertain to your state. 

Below is a snapshot of benefits highlighted by the White House for Michigan. We selected Michigan as an example because Detroit is among the poorest cities in the country and because of Michigan’s historic automotive industry and the region’s potential to become a clean economy leader. The state also has significant rural areas that stand to benefit. And given the Flint, MI water crisis, an emphasis on environmental justice in Michigan is vital and the IRA takes steps in that direction as well.  

Here are some of the benefits Michigan will gain with the IRA: 

• 50%-100% of rebates for installation of new electric appliances, including heat pumps, stoves, and more. 
• Rebates for households to make repairs and improvements in single-family and multi-family homes to increase energy efficiency. 
• Support for transportation projects and plans to protect against extreme weather, such as flooding or heatwaves, through a new Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program. 
• Clean energy job creation through tax credits for the solar, wind, storage, and other clean energy industries 
• Environmental justice block grants, investments for cleaner buses and trucks, and a Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator that will prioritize emissions-reducing projects in disadvantaged communities and fund state and local green banks like Michigan Saves. 
• Support for climate-smart agriculture practices that will help Michigan’s 46,000 farms lead on climate solutions and reward their stewardship. 

How Do I Find Out More About These Small Business Resources in My Region? 

1. The Green Business Network will continue to update these pointers for finding ways the IRA can support your business: Set up Google alerts: "Inflation Reduction Act," "small business incentives," "climate change incentives," etc. Add the name of your state, city and county to the keywords. 

2. Reach out to your state and federal legislator's office—ask for them to conduct a town hall or host a webinar to explain how businesses can take advantage of the IRA. 

• Many regional chambers of commerce also track and share this kind of information with their members, so subscribe to their newsletters. If you are a member, ask them to provide information or host a webinar/workshop. 

3. Join the Council for Community and Economic Research to gain access to their state incentive directory. 

4. Stay tuned for how the new, national Green Bank called for by the IRA, can support your business’ clean energy projects. 

5. The US Department of the Treasury announced additional states and up to $1 billion funding for the State Small Business Credit Initiative. 

Thanks to Gloria Ware, the owner and founder of certified Green Business Network member Get The Bag, for these suggestions.   

The Inflation Reduction Act is a vast bill with many different components. Read Green America’s statement on the Act and visit WhiteHouse.gov for more information. 

Updated February 2023.

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The Sustainable Homestead: Create a Thriving Permaculture Ecosystem with Your Garden, Animals, and Land

May 3, 2024 - 2pm EST/11am PST

Learn techniques for a resilient, sustainable homestead with Angela Ferraro-Fanning, author of "The Sustainable Homestead" and founder of Axe & Root Homestead. Angela will share tips on soil health, growing, pasture, compost, and overstory to create synergy between soil, plants, animals, and trees.

Aligning Your Money With Your Values: Responsible Home and Auto Insurance

May 15, 2024 - 7pm EST/4pm PST

Discover how insurance companies contribute to the climate crisis, identify those insuring major fossil fuel projects, track policy changes and rate increases, determine fossil fuel investments, and locate responsible insurers, featuring speakers Rev. Amy Brooks Paradise from GreenFaith, Cathy Becker from Green America, Michael Richardson from Third Act, and a surprise guest on how big insurance companies are not insuring our future.

The Urban Garden: Way to Grow Food in the City

June 13, 2024 - 2pm EST/11am PST

Join us for an inspiring session with 'The Urban Garden' authors, Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight. Gain insights on creating a stunning and productive city garden that reflects your personal style and enhances urban spaces.

Transformational Gardening: Fun with Funghi!

July 10, 2024 - 3pm EST/12pm PST

Want to learn more about the role of funghi (above and below ground) in gardening? Join us to hear more about it with the TransPlanter Rafaela Crevoshay!

Transformational Gardening: Irrigation and the Climate Victory Garden

July 25, 2024 - 3pm EST/12pm PST

Want to learn about the best, most eco-friendly ways to irrigate your Climate Victory Garden? Join us on to learn all about it with the TransPlanter Rafaela Crevoshay!

Transformational Gardening: Cover Crops

August 29, 2024 - 3pm EST/12pm PST

Want to incorporate cover-crops in your Climate Victory Garden? Join us to learn about the above- and below-ground benefits of utilizing cover-crops in your CVG with the TransPlanter Rafaela Crevoshay!

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