Things 1% Member products are great for:

#16: holiday presents (#1-15 forthcoming)

These days, the average consumer good has a two month lifespan. That means the product is either obsolete, broken, or forgotten within 60 days of purchase.  More than ever, looking for a timeless and thoughtful gift for the holidays comes with a new (environmental)  challenge — to reduce the junk effect while supporting more environmentally-friendly brands.

So if you’re buying a gift this holiday season, consider getting one from a company that has a 1% member logo on the label or their company website. If the pants you’re eyeing for your sibling came from a 1% member company, you can let him or her know their new trendy trousers also came with an environmental commitment woven into their basic fabric. And if you want to go one step further in showing your 1% support, there are a handful of items adorned with the 1% logo available in the 1% store.

Luckily, member businesses now cover most all product categories we dutifully peruse during the holiday seasons.  Case in point – I took 15 minutes to see if I could come up with a variety of 1% Member companies that make pants. I used the 1% member search engine, the 1% online store suppliers list, and some basic web searching.

Here’s what I came up with.

SPORTY/ADVENTURE:
Mt. Borah www.mtborah.com
Patagonia www.patagonia.com
Mountain Khakis www.mountainkhakis.com

KIDDOS:
Frugi www.welovefrugi.com

FASHION/STYLE:
MEK www.mekdenim.com
Rock Revival www.rockrevival.com
Volcom www.volcom.com
Not Just Pretty www.notjustpretty.com

ZEN/YOGA:
Green Vogue www.easyoga.com
Beebliss  www.beebliss.com

Pretty good list for 15 minutes of searching, right? And I’m sure there are plenty of others, too. If you’re a 1% member with pants for sale, please let me know!  I will add you to this post. jake -at- onepercentfortheplanet -dot- org

The 1% team has been growing fast this fall with two new additions, Brittany Nunnink (left) and Grace Kronenberg (right).  Both have hit the ground running, and can be found behind the 1% HQ during lunch hour with their whitewater kayaks–class-V cornfields only.

Brittany Nunnink is a recent alumna of Scripps College, with a B.A. in Environmental Analysis. A native Vermonter, she’s happy to be out of southern California and back in the Green Mountain State running through sap lines, sipping ginger jack, hiking with her St. Bernard, and of course, helping to promote responsible business practices.  Brittany has done some work with Seventh Generation in the past, and is interested in helping more (and soon ALL) businesses to take on a similar responsible business approach – doing business for positive change, while simultaneously perceiving ones business practices with a holistic perspective. Currently, she’s working with member services, helping Chrissy with global membership wrangling and support. She is also hoping to get office composting underway and do some fundraising for a double-sided printer!

Brittany loves beets and we call her the Terminator.

Grace Kronenberg is a 2006 graduate of Middlebury College where she majored in psychology and creative writing.  Before joining the 1% team she spent three years growing Choose Responsibility, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting national debate on the 21 year-old drinking age.  Previous employment took her to Washington, DC, but she is happy to be back in the Green Mountain State and is looking forward to all the skiing, running, and hiking the Mad River Valley has to offer.  Grace is excited to be working at the intersection of business and the environment, and is currently focused on marketing support for the upcoming 1% music and film releases.

Grace is hoping to free the heel this winter and give telemark skiing a try.

We are pleased to share that 1% for the Planet co-founder Yvon Chouinard and the 1% for the Planet community have received a leadership nod by U.S. News & World Report for their commitment to revolutionizing the way business is done on this planet.

To join the movement with your business’s membership please contact us at memberships@onepercentfortheplanet.org.

For the full article please click here. Please click here to learn of the 20 fellow honorees of America’s Best Leaders for 2009.