Mel Badgett, 1% COO, Charles & Ali Banks of Cultivate, Dick Parsons of Il Palazzone, and Terry Kellogg, 1% CEO

As a beautiful May day drew to a close in Manhattan, 1% for the Planet hosted a wonderful event for its NYC area members, partners, and supporters.  The event highlighted delicious wines made by two of our member companies, Il Palazzone Vineyard and Cultivate Wines, and engaged the ninety folks in attendance with the inspiring stories behind those companies.

Dick Parsons, formerly CEO of Time Warner and Citigroup, has now moved on to greener, more satisfying pastures as owner of Il Palazzone Vineyard.  He spoke to the crowd about realizing that the seemingly inconsequential honeybees and butterflies were absolutely critical to pollination of the plants providing grapes for his wines. Giving back to the environment was a simple decision for him and he liked how he got to pick The Pesticide Action Network as a recipient.  1% for the Planet provided “a perfect marriage of the opportunity to put something back into the environment and a business story.”

Charles and Ali Banks, the founders of Cultivate Wines and previously the owners of Screaming Eagle wine, also told a compelling tale. After selling Screaming Eagle, they asked themselves: “What do we want to cultivate in our own life? What do we more of? The answer was more love, more joy, more celebration around the table, and we want more time with our friends and our family.  Isn’t that what everyone wants?  Out of that question, Cultivate was born.”  Charles said that at the core of Cultivate was a decision to give back to the world and make it a better place and that lead to the impressive decision to build a 10% of sales donation into the Cultivate business plan.

To paraphrase Charles Banks: “There is a whole new generation of businesses that have something more at their heart and soul than just a drive for profits.  And in the wine business, we talk about sustainability all the time – without all those bees and butterflies we aren’t sustainable, but we need to make a profit too, so the two concepts are intertwined.  1% for the Planet provides the bridge between the two worlds.  When Yvon Chouinard tells you that what you are doing is cool, there is nothing more amazing than that!”

In addition to these speakers, there were many representatives from the 1% network including folks from Harney and Sons Fine Teas, Make Things Matter, Juice Generation, Caudalie, Nature’s Equity, Scenic Hudson, Waterkeeper Alliance, La Matera, Green Bronx Machine, Flavorpill, Apartment Therapy Media, IOBY, and many other.

The wines were fabulous, the appetizers locally sourced, the setting was lovely with evening sunset streaming in, and the audience was abuzz with conversation and inspiration.

It is difficult to fit all of the reasons why I have partnered with Endangered Species International and 1% for the Planet into one short story, but I will give it a go.

1% FTP gives businesses an opportunity to contribute to organizations that are truly making a differences by evaluating their performance. There is a sea of organizations and we cannot possibly evaluate each one. The service that 1% FTP provides is invaluable. Thank you! (You’re welcome!)

Partnering with ESI was easy, my interest is in saving endangered species. I am a biologist by training, but have been interested in the natural world since I was very little, selling wild flowers for a quarter and fishing in the lake with a string on a stick. I want future generations to have the same opportunity to explore our natural world. We are only a part of the greater organism that supports us. The most vulnerable species are telling use we are endangering ourselves and we must make changes.

Rain forests are being cut down at a rate of about 1 1/2 football fields per hour for the production of palm oil. Nearly every soap product is manufactured with plantation palm oil, even ‘natural’ soaps that claim to be made from sustainable ingredients. Sandalwood trees harvested for essential oil production, for scenting soaps and cosmetics, have become nearly extinct in India. Rosewood trees in Brazil and the Cedar Atlas trees in Morocco are in a similar situation. The Argan trees are threatened due to oil production for the cosmetic industry. Clay is mined from sensitive ecosystems for the soap and cosmetic industries. The common link to these and many more similar issues is that they are causing the disappearance of many amphibian species that are the indicators of our environmental health. About 40% of amphibians are threatened or endangered.

What is the true cost of the products we consume? I believe the one thing I can do to make a difference is to educate the consumer about the impact their use of soap has on the ecosystems where the ingredients are harvested. ESI and 1% FTP have given my business the opportunity to provide value beyond just a bar of soap.

Merryl Brown Events is an award-winning event design and production company, specializing in elegant corporate events, social events and weddings. They have been recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in their industry, receiving top awards from the esteemed International Special Events Society, the National Association for Women in Communications, Event Solutions and BizBash, among others. Their experience and professionalism is reflected in their ability to create events for their clients that are both exquisite and flawlessly produced. Personal service, attention to detail and creative design are the trademarks that they bring to every event that they produce.

Merryl Brown Events joined 1% for the Planet because they believe that each of us have the responsibility to make a difference in our corner of the world in whatever way we can. They have been giving back to their community of Santa Barbara, CA since the company first launched in 2009. One of their first non-profit events was for the Community Environmental Council, for whom they created an annual branded event, The Green Gala, which won awards year after year for its high diversion rates, beauty and creativity. Merryl Brown Events is proud to announce that they have chosen the Community Environmental Council as the beneficiary of their annual 1% for the Planet donation.

We also welcome Palo Alto, CA based Vanderhoof Chiropractic. As a chiropractic office, they appreciate both their patients well-being and health. That being said, they also love the planet as well. Dr. Aaron has been an avid surfer for almost his entire life and being in the water has been like a second home to him.

“Having our practice in the heart of silicon valley where saving energy is key, we are surrounded by a community based eco-ethic that encourages the responsible use of resources, reusing, and recycling. In our office. We encourage our patients to use reusable water bottles, use energy saving equipment, and recycle in every way that we can. Informing our patients that we have joined one1% for the Planet has been a great way to raise awareness of our commitment to sustainability. We feel that by living here on mother earth, we have an obligation to give back, and partnering with 1% is a great way to do so.”

Congratulations on becoming part of the 1% network!  We’re thrilled to have you.

As a native of Charleston, WV, I attended a Fly Fishing School sponsored by the West Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited in 1979 when I was only 13 years old. Three days of instruction culminated with our instructors taking us onto a local trout stream. In my case, Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. One very willing brook trout later, and I’ve been hooked, pun very much intended, ever since. “Very willing” because as a neophyte I was not quite so adept at setting the hook as I would become after years of experience, but this particular brook trout seemed very forgiving and kept coming back until I was able to set the hook and land him.

That experience led to me becoming a lifetime member of Trout Unlimited and participating in the many projects spearheaded by their Kanawha Valley Chapter (KVCTU) based in Charleston, WV. Such projects included stream cleanups, habitat restoration, and their flagship program of fingerling brown trout stockings managed in close cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. When I moved to Washington, DC in 2000 to accept a job as the web developer for the District of Columbia Bar, and soon thereafter founded ElectionsOnline, I no longer had the ability to contribute time to the KVCTU‘s mission. What I did have though was a company with the means to contribute 1% of its revenue to help fund the many projects to which I had for years been participating. When I learned about 1% for the Planet, I think on the NBC evening news, I thought it would be the perfect vehicle through which I could continue to contribute to Trout Unlimited while also having a formal program through which I could demonstrate corporate responsibility to my clients.

ElectionsOnline continues to be an industry leader with a bright future and looks forward to many more years of donations to the KVCTU which has recently undergone a name change to the Ernie Nester Chapter of Trout Unlimited. So named for one of its founding members who dedicated his life to the organization’s mission.

05/31 (Day 42)

I awoke at 6:00 and stepped out the door into a beautiful Kansas morning. I took the morning to get caught up online and organized my gear that never ceases to get unorganized. For the first time in a while I made a fire to prepare myself breakfast and I cooked up a dish of potatoes from way back in Steamboat Springs with mushrooms and corn. It kept my hunger, which is back in full force, satisfied for a few hours at most. On the road at 10:30 and it was a hot one.

It took a while to get out of Lincoln and I pedaled close to ten miles through the residential neighborhoods before coming out on the north side of town. I stopped to admire some huge wind turbines create electricity out of thin air and then was into the farmland. I missed my turn northeast onto highway 6 and continued north on the farm road for a few miles before realizing it. This added about 5 miles onto the trip to Omaha but I didn’t mind for many reasons namely the pleasant road to ride on, the fresh air to breathe, and the sun shining upon me.

Highway 6 took me to Ashland, Nebraska, which I just had to explore since I am from Ashland, Wisconsin. This was my first time being in any Ashland other than my hometown. This Ashland was about the quarter of the size of mine at 2,500 residents and the business street was called Silver Street rather than Main Street my Ashland. There were plenty of differences between the two cities and I enjoyed comparing them. Just after Ashland I got the idea of testing out my next sustainability campaign, Stand up for Sustainability. I’m removing the seat from my bike and trekking across the state of Iowa standing up. The combination of my bare feet and the lack of a seat was quite exhausting and a majority of the muscles throughout my body were burning all day. It appears that it might be more of an upper body and core workout than legs but with that being said my calves were burning pretty bad too. The trial led me all the way into Omaha for 40 miles of barefooted standing up riding but not before I stopped at a grocery store dumpster in Gretna and scored about 20 good apples and bread to last me a few days. I found enough food, much of it not even expired yet, to feed about 50 families for the day. I filled up a box full of bread and brought it across the street to an apartment complex where I gave it to a lady who said she’d put it out for the residents. I don’t imagine what I found in that dumpster was an uncommon occurrence.

Continue reading about the adventure HERE….

United Plant Savers (UpS) is the only organization advocating for the sustainability of native medicinal plants and encouraging conservation through cultivation. Placing plants on an At-Risk List has been a great first step for protecting these plants; however, shifting land use practices and the increasing demands of the natural products industry require additional effort. UpS empowers its members to make a difference by creating native plant Sanctuaries in their own backyards and by promoting the responsible purchasing of herbal medicines.

“It takes a lot of maturity, a maturity that the human species is still working toward, to see that we’re here to give out as much as we receive.  The launch of United Plant Savers is the herbal community maturing and working hard to give back to the earth by being a voice for protection of the native plants.”

– Rosemary Gladstar Founder of United Plants Savers.

Meet the Supporters: 

United Plant Savers collaborates with many state and federal agencies such as Fish and Wildlife, Federal Park Service, local agricultural extension agencies who promote specialty crops and several University programs that teach ethnobotany, medicinal plant conservation and herbalism. UpS is supported by over 50 corporate members that renew each year.

1% member business Elemental Herbs recommended that United Plant Savers become an approved nonprofit partner and has since supported their cause.

Successes:

- The Botanical Sanctuary Network developed by UpS includes 101 sanctuaries across the country with nearly 7,000 acres dedicated to conservation of at-risk native medicinal plants.

- UpS has built relationships with herb companies to save goldenseal, their signature plant.

- The UpS  “At-Risk List” has helped bring awareness to several medicinal plants such as lady slipper that is no longer abundant enough to serve as medicine.

- UpS has promoted sustainable alternatives and endless educational workshops and materials over the last 19 years.

Challenges:

Expanding membership and support is a constant challenge. Plant Conservation is difficult to fund through foundational support so UpS depends on membership dues for close to 50% of our annual budget.  The remainder of the budget comes from the support of conscious herb companies.  Finding consistent financial support is essential.

Call to Action:

UpS is currently seeking funds to expand the Botanical Sanctuary Network. Funds will the organization reach out to a broader audience, connect sanctuaries to each other and empower members to join in our effort.  The ultimate goal is creating a large network of thriving sanctuaries that connects plant communities and human communities.

You can also support UpS by donating to their Mad Marathon team, which is running in the first marathon devoted to issues of sustainability.  A team of 5 recent graduates will be competing under the name, “Run for the Plants.” They have a goal of raising 10,000.00.

The Future of Our Native Planets 

As United Planet Savers’ membership grows, so can their programs. The Botanical Sanctuary Network, grants made to community herbal gardens, having additional schools join the Partners in Education program, and UpS internships are all important steps to protecting medicinal planets for the future.  Ideally, as many medicinal plant varieties as possible can be protected in perpetuity.

Contact Susan Leopold, PhD, Executive Director of UpS, susan@unitedplantsavers.org, 703-667-0208 with any further questions.

We first heard about 1% for the Planet from a client who asked what we thought about them joining to raise their “green profile”. They didn’t end up becoming members but we did! I had also noticed the 1% logo on the labels of wonderful Frugi clothing that I buy for my kids.

We used a UK-based charity comparison site to narrow down the charities that looked the most relevant and effective. Because our branding and design work includes print design (as well as digital), The Woodland Trust was a direct tie-in because of their interest in ancient woodlands. The Centre for Alternative Technology, the other charity we sponsor, is an excellent hands-on education and lobbying centre which even offers Masters degrees.

Recently we have been giving out the free downloads of the 1% album like candy, pretty much to everyone we meet — a great way to bring it up in conversation.

For us, donating to environmental charities through 1% for the Planet is a no-brainer. It’s easy and through 1% we become part of a larger community.

As the founder of Toast, I wanted to establish a culture of giving and social responsibility within the company before we even sold our first product.  1% for the Planet was a perfect organizational framework for this.  Of course, its founding members are companies that I look up to and aspire to.

My introduction to Native Fish Society was through fellow fly fisherman, who taught me about the importance of fighting for native fish populations and habitat.  I am lucky to live in the Northwest and be close enough to the Deschutes River to fish it regularly and experience that amazing river system and large population of native trout and threatened steelhead.  The more I learned about fly fishing, fish habitats and the problems caused by fish hatcheries and non native fish species on already threatened wild fish populations, the more I wanted to help.

Native Fish Society is the one group fighting hard to remove old, unused dams, protect and restore habitat and inform the public about the real problems (and wasted money) caused by fish hatcheries. Native Fish Society has a great River Steward Program where they team up with and support River Stewards who represent their local river systems and advocate for wild fish and habitat.  These River Stewards become the local expert on their particular river, monitor it and help collect data and use the best science to backup their fight for wild fish.  Native Fish Society has a track record of success both in the courts and in our waters and Toast is proud to support them and their great work.

This past Thursday, May 23rd, I completed the California Climate Ride for 1% for the Planet 2013: 320+ miles, five days, and one Golden Gate Bridge pedaled with delight and gratitude for my super group of donors (100+!!) and for 1% for the Planet, on whose behalf I was riding.

This was the third year that 1% for the Planet has been a beneficiary organization of the Climate Ride. It was also the third time that a 1% staffer has taken up the considerable challenge to help raise awareness of issues around climate change, sustainable energy, and cycling advocacy, as well as funds for 1% for the Planet.

It was an AMAZING experience in so many ways:  majestic, magical landscapes that wound through the Redwoods, over a coastal range, then for hundreds of miles along the California Coast; engaging, committed fellow riders each of whom was excited about the cause they were fundraising for and so many of whom had colorful, wonderful life stories; and superb group organization by the Climate Ride crew, who knew how to keep the 150+ riders happy and safe on the roads, well fed in camp, and entertained with really interesting evening programs.

While the trip was basically a never-ending highlight reel, here are a few things that I will never forget:

* Riding through the The Avenue of the Giants on the first day was a spiritual experience, spinning along through organisms hundreds, if not thousands of years old.

* On day two, climbing, and even better, descending 12 miles down Leggett Hill and its shorter, but steeper, follow-up hill to emerge on a coastline that was sparkling with blue skies, bluer waves, whitecaps, and rugged mountains rising from the waves – Wow! Topping off that day with a bracing dip into the Pacific was not to be forgotten and so cold that it is likely not to be repeated.

* The 105 mile third day from Fort Bragg area down to the Russian River with a tailwind at our backs, crystal clear skies, and the Pacific calling to the sailor in me.  This coastline, with waves to the west and steep hills and bluffs to the east, was dotted with reminders of nature’s power: every time the road did a u-bend to go around a creek bend, there would be Tsunami Warning signs showing that a tsunami wave might cause water to reach high up on the coast.

* Swimming three out of the five days at ride’s end.  First in the Eel River with little fish nibbling on the toes, then in the (frigid) Pacific, then in the delicious Russian River.

* Climbing the Marin headlands on yet another perfect fourth day, having just sunk my toes into the Stinson Beach sands.

* Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on the ultimate day and seeing San Francisco in all its stupendous glory – what a city!

* Making friendships sure to last with a very generous hearted riding posse from the Bay area and with two wonderful gals from the Boston area.

* Connecting with so many happy hearted and intrepid folks out for a cause and having fun doing it!

* Laughing with one amazing lady who came to do the ride from North Carolina and who was also riding to benefit 1% for the Planet: “Destroying my butt, while saving the planet!” Luckily for me, I had very kind chamois shorts and did not suffer her same fate.  I did share her enthusiasm, however, as did all the riders, for combining a challenging physical event with a fabulous cause – especially because we got to experience magically beautiful natural settings that constantly reminded us of how lucky we are to still have such places around us.

1% for the Planet and Climate Ride – a fabulous combination!

Make sure to check out the rest of her photos and videos!

]]> http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/blog/2013/05/climate-ride-a-never-ending-highlight-reel/feed/ 0 http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/blog/2013/05/ethan-abramson-featured-by-fab/ http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/blog/2013/05/ethan-abramson-featured-by-fab/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 16:17:13 +0000 jon http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/blog/?p=8403