After 34 years, Green Business Network Director Denise Hamler has retired from Green America. Whether you’ve met Denise once or have worked with her for a lifetime, you know she is a force for good and makes real change happen. Her joy for life—and bubbly laughter—always leave you energized. Green America (then Co-op America) first opened its office on September 25, 1982, in…

The Social Venture Network (SVN) is hosting its Fall Conference in Philadelphia, PA from November 2-5. Attendees will learn about social entrepreneurship and hear from experts about the importance of making an impact through social ventures.For 29 years, high-impact business leaders, social entrepreneurs, and impact investors have convened at SVN conferences to have conversations…

Inspired by our Summer 2016 issue of the Green American on recycling, editorial fellow Ilana Berger investigated why and how to buy recycled eyeglasses. Here's what she discovered.... A few weeks ago, I went to LensCrafters with my mom to help her pick out a new pair of glasses. Having been blessed with 20/20 vision, I had never been glasses shopping before. I must have picked out around…

A recent expose by Fortune followed cocoa farmers in West Africa to unveil how dependent the cocoa industry remains on child labor and impoverished communities.  Green consumers and the Fair Trade movement have advocated to end child labor and uplift cocoa farmers with fair trade infrastructure. But after 15 years of the $100 billion chocolate industry reporting to work on the issues…

The Social Venture Network (SVN) is hosting its Spring Conference in San Diego, CA from April 14-17. Attendees will learn about social entrepreneurship and hear from experts about the importance of making an impact through social ventures. The SVN Spring Conference‘s goal is to create highly interactive, inspiring experiences that lead to valuable new insights,…

In another big win against GMOs, Hellmann's, a Unilever company, announced two new non-GMO product lines, following pressure from Green America's GMO Inside campaign. Hellmann’s announced a new organic mayonnaise and Hellmann’s “Carefully Crafted” egg-free dressing and sandwich spread. Both products are made with non-GMO ingredients. The announcement of Hellmann's non-GMO mayo and spread…

  American Apparel, one of the most widely known Made in the USA companies, filed for bankruptcy this month. Known for commitments to sweatshop-free clothing since the company’s founding, American Apparel’s troubles may seem to signify challenges with keeping those commitments. Other companies embrace cost savings when they source from overseas factories with poor labor practices, while…

Conventional clothing manufacturing unleashes toxins on workers that linger on in consumer closets. Find out what makes the typical closet toxic, and meet eco-fashion entrepreneurs leading the way in making clothing safer for workers and consumers. Road to Toxic Clothing From field to factory, manufacturing clothes is a toxic business. This infographic lists the 11 worst chemicals used.…

Activists honored the Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign with the Activists Choice BENNY Award, celebrating the work of Green America’s coalitional efforts with allies to push Hershey into addressing child labor in its supply chain. The BENNY Award recognizes Green America's efforts with Global Exchange and the International Labor Rights Forum. This powerful work brought together thousands of…

Imagine the farm where the veggies you buy grow: sun, water, a plow. But if you think you need all of this to grow food at a large scale, LED power says: think again.   Using LED bulbs developed by GE, 40 percent less power, 80 percent less food waste and 99 percent less water usage, Shigeharu Shimamura turned a former Sony semiconductor factory in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture into the planet…