Changing Lives in the Outdoors

Youth are increasingly disengaged from the natural world, spending more and more time sitting in front of screens and less time outdoors. This environmental deficit among young people is a serious problem.  For 40 days every summer, Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC) takes a group of high school youth away from their plugged-in lives and into the woods. Using alternative learning strategies they provide intensive, life-changing experiences through wilderness expeditions, outdoor classrooms, and place-based environmental science studies.

Taking it Home

Youth return to their families, neighborhoods, and schools with a new perspective and desire to give back and make a difference. After a summer in the wilderness learning about sustainability, they are far more likely to participate in community service projects for local and regional environmental causes.

ARC is influencing the next generation to build strong bonds with nature, instilling a love of the wilderness and a desire for stewardship. In the words of a participant, “This program has helped me to find my way; it has opened new doors, reinstalled a sense of empowerment, cemented my desire for life in the outdoors and most importantly, showed me the value of service to others and the environment.”

Jamie Husain photo

Support from the Network

A couple of 1% for the Planet member businesses have already stepped up to support the cause, including:

• Wai Sup Paddle Boards
• Tahoe Dream Team

Successes:

- In ten years, ARC has spent 2,400 days in the wilderness, positively influencing youth to spread the ripples of their learning out into their communities.

- Participants learn the principles of 1% for the Planet nonprofit partner Leave No Trace, and embrace our four core values of determination, integrity, compassion, and service, all of which they take back into their communities and homes.

Call to Action: 

The success of ARC can be traced back to every hour and every investment made by individuals who believe in inspiring youth through the outdoors. Our volunteers are incredible mentors to our young people, providing hundreds of hours of service every summer as writing coaches, workshop facilitators, and outdoor guides. Contact scottley@berkeley.edu to learn more about our volunteer opportunities, and consider donating here.

ARC also invites the public to attend our Voices of Youth events in Tahoe or Yosemite, an annual presentation of profoundly moving poetry, written in and about the wilderness, and performed by our participants every July.

Jamie Husain photo

The Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow:

ARC’s outcomes are multi-leveled. Over the past 10 years, 77% of our summer course graduates have gone on to college, compared to 46% nationwide. These young people are the next generation of decision-makers, and because of their participation with ARC, they are armed with an ethos of conservation and a love of the outdoors.  Lets help this trend continue!

Contact Sarah Cupery Ottley, Director of Programs, scottley@berkeley.edu, 559.676.5096 with any further questions.  You can also visit www.arcprogram.org or www.facebook/AdventureRiskChallenge.

Here’s some quotes from recent participants of the program:

“Being in the wilderness has calmed me down and taught me not to take everything for granted. I want to protect the parks and make sure everything isn’t urbanized. We need to work with nature instead of against it.”

“I consider myself special, because not many people are able to see the Sequoia trees and admire all of this. I also think that we all need to take care of nature more and not destroy it.”

Feathers That Give Back to Blue

Fine Featherheads, a member since 2011, does more than just keep us all looking good; they support nonprofits that keep us healthy too!  Last year alone, they donated $45,000 to the Keep A Breast Foundation.

As a company started by a woman, mostly run by women, and selling predominantly to women, they feel breast cancer awareness is an important issue to highlight.  The Keep A Breast Foundation does a great job of educating people, especially youth, about cancer-causing toxins in our everyday environment to help with prevention, early detection, and, more importantly they do so in a fun and engaging way.

They also generously donated a large portion of their 1% commitment directly to us! Thank you Fine Featherheads! This type of support above and beyond membership helps us to broadcast the 1% for the Planet message, increase the size of our network and the amount of funding for environmental causes, and deepen member relationships and impact with their 1% FTP non-profit partners.  1% for the Planet leads the movement to harness the strongest force in our time, commerce, with the greatest need in our culture, sustainability.

We are extremely appreciative for the support that Fine Featherheads has offered in the past to both Keep a Breast and 1% for the Planet. We’re thrilled to be Loving Blue alongside them and look forward to increasing our impact together.

Saunas & Sea Turtles

Mark Nicholson of Wilderness Creations sent us some info on why he donated to a diverse assortment of nonprofits this year- thanks for Loving Blue Mark!

We gave to 5 different charities this year. We chose to support the Coral Reef Alliance and The Sea Turtle Conservancy because the oceans are just so crucial and face so many challenges. When we do have a chance to get away from work and from the New England winters, we love to go down to the Caribbean and enjoy the beautiful weather and waters. We love to snorkel, dive, and view all of the amazing ocean life.

Another charity we gave to was the Adirondack Council which helps protect the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Being in the Rustic/Adirondack furniture business, we are very tied to the beauty and culture of Adirondack’s.

We also gave to the Rainforest Alliance and to Save the Redwoods. We feel that it is incredibly important to find ways to protect the vital rain forests from abuse and degradation. The redwoods are a magnificent tree that deserve to have protection from irresponsible logging, so that future generations can witness their greatness.

Check out Mark’s Rustic Furniture Gallery to see his amazing work! My personal favorite is the barrel sauna….

…I Wanted To Do More Locally

We’d like to thank all of our members, nonprofits, donors and friends who attended our event in NYC earlier this week- we hope you all had a great time! While there, we had a great chat with Dawn Kikel, the owner of Arcadia Home and she sent us this great reflection on why she joined 1% FTP and why she supports a variety of NYC-based nonprofits. Here is Dawn’s story…

I decided to join 1% for the Planet after thinking about how I could make more of a difference as a corporation. Of course, Arcadia Home creates jobs and helps individuals in the countries we produce in but I wanted to do more locally.  In looking at the many options it seemed that by aligning Arcadia Home with so many fantastic companies that are part of 1% for the Planet, there could be a multiplier effect  for the organizations I support. For many years I have personally donated to organizations that I believed in, but the discipline of sitting down and making sure the dollars I have committed to 1% has been spent by the time the auditing comes up is a great exercise for me.

Arcadia Home supports some fantastic local organizations. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an oasis of calm and beauty in the middle of NYC with an amazing Japanese Garden and wonderful community education programs. At the other end of the scale AH supports the Gowanus Canal Conservancy which is a non-profit dedicated to cleaning up one of the most polluted waterways in the country. The canal is walking distance from my house and their work has resulted in some amazing transformations including the return of some native species to the canal, a big composting initiative for area Farmers Markets and the greening of the neighborhood around the canal. Transportation Alternatives is another local organization we support. Living in Brooklyn, many of us love our bike lanes but there are lots of people that don’t seem to feel the same way. TA works hard to convince the naysayers. They also work to make the city more walkable and get people out of their cars.

On the international front, Arcadia Home supports the World Monuments Fund which is an organization dedicated to preserving the worlds important architectural and cultural heritage sites, helping the local community to maintain and preserve the sites that are often neglected and deteriorating. Once these sites are gone, they can never be replaced. Check out their site and see the fantastic work they do in the US and around the world. Lastly we support the American Museum of Natural History- both a local and international institution – promoting education and scientific research about people, cultures and environments around the world. A must see when visiting NYC.

Thanks for sharing these wonderful organizations with the 1% for the Planet members. Please let me know if you need any help reaching organization in the NY area. I would love to help spread the word about 1% for the Planet.

Thanks for your kind words Dawn- we look forward to seeing you again soon in NYC!

Members with a Passion!

To help finish up a fantastic week here at 1% for the Planet, we wanted to extend a warm welcome to new member business One Tribe 2010.  Founded and operated by a great couple of guys, it’s great to have their enthusiasm in the network.

Here’s some words from the owners about why they’re in business.

We’re fueled by our passion for Surf, Skate, Snow, Global Ecological Harmony, Philanthropy and anything else we find that is Rad, Gnarly & Straight up Bad Ass. Now in its fourth year, One Tribe 2010 Clothing & Apparel began as a hobby of creating clothes with original silkscreen, old school heat press designs for family, friends & ourselves. Selling our first tee in 2010, this hobby has turned into an amazing endeavor. Offering high quality clothing and apparel products, the designs are a reflection of our proud culture, which is carved out and influenced by the old school evolution of the 60’s & 70’s along with a continued progression through the 80’s, 90’s, and today.  With growing community demand, we are extremely stoked to officially launch One Tribe 2010 to the world.

At One Tribe 2010, the original badass attitude of the 70’s is still as alive as it was when the roots of surf, skate and snow began to define the scene and explode into the mainstream. During this time period, people were simultaneously being given a shock of environmental consciousness. The birth of Earth Day catapulted a new perspective on how and why we live with each other on this big blue marble and why we should be channeling our energy towards environmental concerns. By bringing forth our own proactive initiatives and desire to embrace new innovative ideas, we believe teaming up with 1% for the Planet would help refine as well as positively impact our goal for global ecological harmony.

The important work being done through 1% for the Planet’s networks of businesses and nonprofits is not unlike several of our own in house programs. To simplify this message, we created “Envy Green”, which is dedicated to conservation and sustainable resources. Why Envy Green? Basically, we would like everyone to be envious of this awesome planet we call home and be encouraged to help preserve it for future generations. This platform will promote collaboration with 1% for the Planet members and assist global/local communities by helping them initiate their own programs or financially complement their efforts.

We hope to engage with the community to celebrate the flourishing ecological plans of companies that bring more attention to creating unique quality products and services. We are stoked to contribute one percent of our annual sales to aid ongoing programs and ecological projects throughout the world. One Tribe 2010’s enthusiastic focus is maintaining the original culture of this revolutionary period of sport with greater emphasis on putting our efforts into creating positive and sustainable results. Helping everyone to become successful promotes good health. The connection to 1% For the Planet illuminates the power of knowledge and how talented and passionate companies can bring together a variety of awesomeness to get the party started. And we at One Tribe 2010 like to party.

Sea Kayaking For A Cause

Breanne Quesnel, the owner of Spirit of the West Adventures, explains why they became members of 1% for the Planet….

From a selfish perspective, we all need healthy and functioning ecosystems for our own survival, to have clean water, air and food. As an eco-tourism business, our livelihood is also directly connected to beautiful wild places, open spaces and plentiful wildlife. We try our best to be a sustainable business and to consider the environment and the ramifications of our choices and actions in all that we do, but we also need to give back. We are able to generate revenue by sharing sea kayaking trips on the beautiful British Columbia coast with people from all over the world. We feel it is only right to direct some of that revenue back to organizations and groups that help to protect these wild spaces and wildlife.

We became 1% for the Planet members in order to help raise the profile of the need for all businesses to give back to the environment. While quietly donating to environmental charities gets money where it is needed, 1% for the Planet helps to encourage all businesses to share their success with environmental charities and highlights the fact that together we can make a greater impact. The brand recognition helps customers to make informed decisions, supporting companies who support the environment. I know when I see the 1% for the Planet logo at other shops or businesses, I feel better about purchasing their product or service. My dollar spend has the capacity for a greater positive environmental impact.

The mainstay of our business is providing tours which allow people to sea kayak with whales and a variety of other wildlife in wild and untouched spaces. It is for this reason that over the years as 1% for the Planet members we have chosen to donate to groups which help in protecting the marine environment, the food sources of the whales as well as our local community in which we operate our business. Past donation recipients have included (plus others who still need to apply to become 1% FTP approved nonprofit partners);

- Cetus Research and Conservation

- Save our Salmon

- The Wilderness Tourism Association of British Columbia

- West Coast Environmental Law

- The Sierra Club of BC

- Raincoast Conservation Foundation

- Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement

Donating 1% of all sales is a small contribution to a very worthy cause.  I heard a great quote once which helps to sum it all up nicely, “The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of nature”.

Treat Yourself & The Planet

Nik Hawks from Paleo Treats sent us this update on why they are committed to our movement- thanks for your kind words Nik!

Like so many successful American businesses, Paleo Treats started after dinner with an idea.  While the focus has been on providing high quality desserts to folks who follow the Paleo diet, we’ve always thought of this company as promoting more than just desserts, we’re really about promoting values.  Hard work, joyous intensity, the wild abandon inspired by high winds and heavy seas; all those and more guide us not just during our cookie making but in customer service, packaging up boxes, and thinking of what impact we have on the world.

From the beginning, we’ve been inspired by companies like Patagonia to go beyond just making a profit and to use some of the abundance we’ve encountered to help others and take care of our planet.

At Paleo Treats we’re big believers in doing your own thing; employee autonomy is a strong contributor to our success.  As part of that, we divide our giving between all of us equally (employees and owners) and allow each person to support the 1% non-profit partner they want using a share of company profits.  Other than making sure the partner is 1% approved, we don’t place any restrictions on where to give.  In 2012 we managed to support an aquarium, a local river, ocean discovery, and clean water.  Pretty obviously, water is important to all of us, but we each approached it in our own way.

We’re committed to 1% For the Planet as a way to help protect this planet we’re all sharing, and we’re stoked to have a mission bigger than building a business or creating a great cookie.

Keep on chargin’, and thanks for putting together such a good framework for helping out Mother Earth!

The Week’s Newest Members!

Another week means some great new additions to the 1% for the Planet network.   New member businesses elSage Designs and HR CSS recently decided that it was time to show how much they LOVE BLUE by making the 1% commitment.  By becoming part of the network, they will be supporting the Planet and Loving Blue by donating annual to our approved nonprofit partners.

elSage Designs, which just debuted a new campaign on Kickstarter provided this great background about the business:

My name is Phoebe Carpenter Eells and I live in Washington State with my husband, two boys and our dog. I was a middle school math teacher and after having kids I rediscovered my love for art. I started my printmaking company, elSage Designs, as a side project in 2010. elSage grew steadily for a few years and last June I made the leap and quit my teaching job. I now run the printmaking business (and hang out with my kids) full time.

I print on various materials and everything is printed directly from a carving (both lino and wood). My substrates include paper, reclaimed wood, fabric and apparel. I work hard to source my goods from eco friendly sources. The paper I print on is often recycled, the wood is all reclaimed or off-cuts. Much of my apparel is organic or sustainable blends. All of my inks are water soluble and non-toxic.

I joined 1% For The Planet because I want to be proud of the business I’m creating. Setting a good example for my kids is important to me. I have always been an advocate for the environment, and I feel like being a part of this organization helps to continue my environmental advocacy. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we spend much of out time outside. From skiing in the winter to camping, kayaking and riding bikes in the summer. My hope is that my great-grandkids will be able to enjoy the same version of nature that I am fortunate enough to know.

Here is a link to the latest process video that takes the viewer through the carving and printing process and make sure to checkout their Kickstarter promotion.

Based in Germany, HR CSS is a human resources consultancy firm that can help to improve the internal operations of your business.  According to owner Manuel, Seyffert, “I joined the community as I am convinced about every single person’s responsibility – for her or himself, for others, and for the environment. My business works to bring sustainable Human Resources Solutions into the scope of smaller companies. It´s about the sharing of IT-solutions (which is something what saves resources in hardware-production, less energy and paper usage) combined with innovative HR Management strategies.  This combination will help to create effects that include improving employee retention, development and motivation. My goal is to contribute to a rainforest initiative.  Personally I believe that this is one of the keys areas that will help to turn around the environmental effects we cause.”

Those that love the rainforest LOVE BLUE and 1% loves having HR CSS in the network!

Belts That Love Blue

Check out why the guys from La Matera joined 1% for the Planet… then go buy one of their belts!

Launched by three graduates of the Taft School in Watertown, CT, La Matera offers a line of belts handcrafted in the USA with fabric imported from Argentina.  Distressed patterns, quality leatherwork, and a gaucho heritage dating back hundreds of years lends to a truly handsome look that is already turning heads.

The decision to be a part of 1% for the Planet couldn’t have been easier.  Our look evokes memories of the Argentine countryside for those who have made the trip and inspires people to continue to seek out new, interesting experiences.  Now, we are even more excited that our company gives back to a movement designed specifically to protect the resources and spaces for which we all care deeply.

Have fun out there,

Brook, Alex & Hank

Support our Members that Love Blue

People that love being outside LOVE BLUE, and so do all of us at 1%.  With the unbelievable spring weather we’re experiencing in VT, it’s awfully hard to stay indoors, but of course we’re more than willing to do so in order to support our business members and nonprofit partners.  Recently, we’ve been very happy to welcome two great new businesses, Moberi and True Health Family Chiropractic.

Moberi is a Portland, Oregon Food Cart that specializes in bicycle powered smoothies and fresh juice. They started in 2011 with an old Schwinn Exercise bike with a blender strapped to it, a cooler, and a homemade portable sink. From these humble beginnings, they’ve grown to be a full-time food cart, a mobile events cart, 4 bike blenders, and an interactive catering business.

Moberi is super exited to join this community of environmentally responsible businesses!  They consider looking after the planet a given and joining 1% for the Planet is a good way to incorporate it into their business structure.

Moberi is currently raising funds for their next chapter through Kickstarter. The project video gives a good visual about what we do and where we are headed.  Check out the Kickstarter campaign here. According to the Moberi team, “the business is centered on a sustainable concept and it only makes sense for us to show our support for the organizations working every day to help keep our planet awesome! Hope to pedal a smoothie with you all one day!”

Started in 2012 in Stratford, CT by Peter Braglia, D.C., True Health Family Chiropractic’s mission is to educate, adjust, and inspire a health transformation in as many families as possible and to put them on the path toward optimal health. True Health Family Chiropractic offers safe, gentle, customized chiropractic for all ages as well as whole food nutritional supplements.  “1% for the Planet is a great fit for us because Chiropractic is a safe, natural, and non-toxic healthcare that does not put foreign bodies or toxins into the body and has no detrimental impact on the environment. The environment has a huge impact on our health, and we’re looking forward to partnering with groups who will help make this planet a better place for future generations.”

It’s awesome to have these great new businesses in the network!  Thank you Moberi and True Health Family Chiropractic for making this commitment.