This Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 pm, wherever your live on the planet, is Earth Hour!

Turn off your lights for the hour and enjoy . . . . . .

a great walk outside, a scrabble session by candlelight, an acoustic jam, a bonfire, a lounge looking up at the stars. Encourage your friends and family to turn off their lights too. All together we can “Vote Earth,” cut out some of those carbon emissions and light pollution, look up and see how bright the stars really are. Maybe you’ll enjoy yourself so much it’ll become a routine. Surely the Earth will be pleased.

The 1% for the Planet program is set up so that members donate 1% of their annual sales directly to the approved non-profits of their choice. This opens the doors for some wonderful partnerships and relationships. In turn customers of 1% members gain a more tangible understanding of just what the 1% for the Planet commitment means, and what exactly their purchase power supports.

Our featured partnership today highlights member musician Megan Slankard with newly approved non-profit, Wilderness Institute for Leadership Development – WILD.

Partnerships like Megan’s work with WILD are examples of 1%’s model at its best, where relationships between the member and non-profit include giving personal time and effort. As you can see here, this can be a lot of fun!

We applaud Megan for donating her time to help educate participants on an 8-Day Colorado River College Study Course hosted by WILD. Know you’re invited! If you can’t make it, we encourage you to pick up one of Megan’s cds. Your purchase will land you not only some great music, but also help ensure that WILD can continue on with their devoted educational programs about and in the great outdoors.

I had the good fortune of representing 1% for the Planet at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, CA earlier this month. Never had I ever seen such a beautiful sight – so many 1% members in one place. Under the roof of the colossal Anaheim Convention Center, there were some 3,000 vendors and 50,000 people milling about like moths to an organic, fair-trade, soy, soot-free votive candle, all drawn to the West coast-Mecca of the latest and greatest natural and organic products. There was something for everybody - from skincare, supplements and other goodies for low-impact lifestyles to wonderful, wonderful food – from chocolate to pizza and flax oil to energy bars. So much wonderful food, in fact, that for two days, I didn’t buy a single meal. Free samples of delicious organic treats at every turn are hard to pass up..

One of the groups displaying their latest and greatest was the crew from Clif Bar & Co., a 1% member company for several years. As usual, there was quite a buzz around their booth. In addition to introducing a new mostly-organic drink, Clif Quench, to the world, they revealed new packaging which proudly features the 1% member logo on the back of many of their brands.

Thanks to Clif, Klean Kanteen, Galaxy Granola, Good On Ya, SIGG, and the other 1% members at the show for doin’ what you do and spreadin’ the 1% love and message to all. May the movement prosper!

Until next time… May the luck o’ the Irish be with y’all.

(left to right: Craig Mathews, Terry Kellogg, Yvon Chouinard and Tom Brokaw.)

Very rarely are these men in the same room. Even rarer still are they all wearing suits! But February 11th was a very special occasion for us.  We pulled out the stops to celebrate crossing our 1,000 member milestone.  Former NBC Nightly News anchorman Tom Brokaw hosted the event which was designed to honor our co-founders Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia Inc. and Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies and 1% for the Planet CEO Terry Kellogg.

We could not have asked for a more perfect evening. Attendees included editors from publications such as Fast Company, Fortune, Elle, Men’s Journal, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times; phenomenal environmental stewards including senior staff from NRDC, the Rainforest Alliance, and the Clinton Global Initiative; inspiring philanthropists including the Rockefellers, talented musician Grace Potter and even royalty. The party lasted two hours over schedule – no one wanted to leave!  Most importantly, the gathering generated a significant amount of attention and momentum for our movement.

We cannot give enough thanks to those who worked so hard on the event itself and on bringing us this far. 1,000 members is indeed a big milestone.  In another respect, however, it’s really just the beginning.

We’ve included some photos to give you a sense of the moment. We hope you enjoy!

(Celebrating 1,000 Members, left to right: Craig Mathews, Yvon Chouinard and Tom Brokaw.)

(1% for the Planet CEO Terry Kellogg addressing the crowd.)

(1% Director of Outreach Becky Benard and Board Advisor Maria Moyer.)

(Long-time NRDC head John Adams with Yvon and Malinda Chouinard.)

(Verlyn Klinkenborg of the NY Times, Craig Mathews and Board Member Riley Etheridge.)

(left to right: Barney’s Fashion Director Julie Gilhart, FEED Projects Founder/designer/model Lauren Bush, former (PRODUCT) RED President Tamsin Smith, theory Founder/President Andrew Rosen and Terry Kellogg.)

(Board Member Jesse Johnson and Host Steven Gluckstern.)

(left to right: 1% Consultant Gabriel Unger, fuseproject Founder Yves Behar, 1% VP Melody Grote, Board Member Kim Jordan, Malinda Chouinard, and 1% supporter Rae Emmett.)

(One of our favorite photos from the evening, musician Grace Potter with Yvon Chouinard.)

(The 1% for the Planet team! left to right: Kate Mitchell, Melody Grote, Becky Benard, Terry Kellogg, Grady O’Shaughnessy and Chrissy Gilhuly.)

(1% for the Planet founders, board members and employees. left to right: back row – Larry Kopald, Melody Grote, Becky Benard, Jesse Johnson, Yvon Chouinard, Riley Etheridge, Craig Mathews, Lisa Pike, Kate Mitchell, front row – Maria Moyer, Terry Kellogg, Grady O’Shaughnessy and Kim Jordan.)

Since Paul Hawken’s Ecology of Commerce came out in 1994 I have read just about every book on green business that’s been written.  Auden’s book is among the best and I say that not just because it’s one of the few 1% member books out there.  I say that because it’s the most real, textured, brutally honest and funny account of what the “green your business” challenge looks like.  The book also happens to underscore the critical importance of the work that we’re doing.  The notion that greening your business is a simple “win-win” is a farce.  The idea that businesses can unilaterally change today’s business paradigm into one that is sustainable is also far flung.  Auden’s book explains why.  In moving towards sustainability, there’s only so far most businesses can go in today’s paradigm.  And, generally speaking, that distance leaves us well short of where we need to be (like at 350 ppm carbon dioxide in the atmosphere).  That’s why we encourage companies to embrace the power of NGOs, consumers and collective action to help change the paradigm we’re in.  Buy the book here and read it.  Encourage your colleagues to do the same.  You will enjoy every page and come away with a great new perspective on the field we’re in.  They will be far better equipped to help you navigate efficiently towards a more sustainable future.  Some of our members are actually selling the book themselves.  If you’d like to do so too please contact: lindsay[dot]goodman[at]publicaffairsbooks.com